red, white, and blue...and much more

It was a wonderfully busy, and very hot weekend.  We spent the fourth here, tending the garden, the bees, the yard, and staying cool as best we could.

Insects were basking in the sun in our yard.

My hives were chugging along.

I have been a bit worried about our fruit trees and I had hoped our new bees would be here to help with pollination but, alas, our bees arrived after the blossoms had passed.  Nonetheless, I noticed that someone's bees must have done their job.

I weeded the fruit patch for the first time in a good while.  It was completely overgrown, especially with rescue tomatoes from the partially cooked compost I had spread when I planted them.  

Much to my delight, then disappointment, deep under the tall weeds, the strawberries had filled out and large red berries were hidden down in the shadows.  I enthusiastically reached for one, then another, and then realized that most of them had a single hole, a peck mark in them, and then had been left to rot.  

I covered them with netting.  I am hoping some of the unripe ones will make it to our table instead of into the chicken treat bowl.  

We made batches of sun tea...using the heat to our advantage.

 Lest anyone be concerned that I removed all the tiger lilies from our yard...

Some creatures apparently decided to take it all off and go naked on such a day.

And then we retreated to my parents' lakeside camp in the western mountains of Maine.  It was cooler there, and we spent much of our time in the water or on the water or making plans for how to get ourselves back in the water.

One of our favorite parts about camp is that, as you drive toward the lake, cell reception becomes weaker, then spotty, and then mostly...gone.  Yes, you can drive to the local library and sit in the parking lot and get a weak wi-fi connection to the outside world, but otherwise you are pretty much cut off.  Which is why I am posting today about July fourth.

It was a wonderful weekend for red.

White.

And blue.

And this, after such a hot few days, seemed just right.

Maybe he knew we were celebrating.