almost solstice '05: happy summer!

where have i been?! here, here, i'm still here! but let me brush the dust off of my diary. okay, there. that's better. SO...since my last update, memorial day came & went, and then summer arrived in full force. not that i'm complaining or anything. despite the hot, humid 90-degree weather�or maybe because of it�i've welcomed summer with open arms. actually, it's *not* the muggy heat that i enjoy, but rather, it�s everything else summer stands for that i love:

-long days & late sunsets
-swimming
-gardening
-farmer's markets
-baseball
-indulgent laziness
-homemade popsicles
-good books from my summer reading list
-fresh berries
-cherries
-watermelon
-fresh-squeezed lemonade
-home-brewed iced tea
-cookouts (esp. grilled salmon or trout)
-corn on the cob
-sipping drinks on the patio
-memories of summers past
-having more energy

...how does all of that sound to you? i've already begun enjoying these things on my long list. in two short weeks, solstice will make it official, but in my book, summer is already here.

in truth, i've had quite a tough time, physically, over the past several weeks. but i did some yard work and mowing at my parents' house over memorial day weekend. now don't laugh, but after mowing the lawn in the hot sunshine, i felt supremely beat up! (did i mention the yard is hilly)? in any case, the next day, it felt like a steamroller had flattened me. and oh, my poor arms & shoulders--talk about wimpy arms! I could feel muscles there that i never knew i had! (why, yes, in fact, i throw like a girl)! but the physical labor and the ensuing flare was worth all it, as we�ve got a fantastic container garden going!

what else? ooh! i made a lattice-top blueberry pie, which turned out well and tasted even better! (new flickr photos are now up, take a peek if you want). and finally, i went on an amazing bike ride this past weekend, but that deserves its own entry. i have more to share later about my training, but that deserves an entry all its own, too. despite how it might sound, w/ all my fitness/sports talk, i swear i'm no jock! remember? as i just said, I THROW LIKE A GIRL.