LOOK!!!!

I did it. I got outside yesterday evening and finished up the mowing and the weed whacking. I had to wait until 7:30 for the heat index to get back down into the double digits, so it was about 8:15 when I finished up.  It was then that I heard one of my neighbors start her lawnmower.  Can't say's I blame her for waiting until the sun went down.  It was hot out there.

By the time I was done, I was absolutely drenched in sweat, so I got some water and went back outside to sit in my chair for a while. 

A short while, because it didn't take long until the mosquitoes found me. Still, as I was sitting out there, I noticed how empty the sky looked without the neighbor's huge old tree there.  

I will miss the shade, but I'll have a much better view of the sunsets and stars.  

After all of that, I managed to sleep in until nearly 6:00 this morning.  It's going to kill me to have to start getting back up at 3:30 tomorrow.  When I went outside to water my porch plants, look at what I found!

One of my tomatoes is getting ripe!  

It won't be long now and I'll be having me my first 'mater sammich of the year.  I was just wondering, though, if I should thin this cluster or let them grow.  

This is the first time I've ever been successful at growing tomatoes, so I'm kind of winging it here.  Any tomato people out there who can give me advice, I'll sure welcome it. 

I've also got two more banana peppers coming on.

My mum is starting to bloom as well.  

It's got some stringy bits that I think I'll prune back as soon as the blooms die off. 

I know mums are typically associated with autumn --  likely because of the colors-- but the ones you buy in the garden centers have been forced.  Again, likely because of the colors.  They're so autumny, you know.  But all the ones I've managed to keep alive for more than one season have bloomed in June. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find something to knit, since I've finished all of my baby sweaters.  Probably another hat.  I'm way behind on my charity knitting.