June is Bustin Out All Over

Just as I began to fear we'd never warm up, a summer heatwave arrived. I'm not complaining. We began May with snow, and given the choice I'll take the 100+ degree temperatures. I know this is an unpopular opinion. The spinach in my garden has all bolted, but the tomatoes and chard are happy. 

It is so nice being able to wear shorts again.

June is a busy month for me as it is syllabus writing time. Our curriculum needs to be submitted to the department of education by 15 July. Most years I have it in by the second week of June, but it is still stressful. This autumn will be grade 8, and it is Danny's last year of homeschool. He'll be off to high school after that, which feels appropriate. He's ready, and now that he doesn't have medical issues that would complicate things, he's excited to have the teenage experience of high school. It is bittersweet for me knowing this will be our last year of school together, but I do feel good about the education we gave him. At some point I want to set up a meeting with the school to see if there's anything they think I ought to focus on to get him ready. Academically he's in good shape, so I'm planning to work on time management, more written assignments, and independent reading. We are doing summer school, but a shortened schedule because...baseball. If he can get his work done by noon I have no problem letting him listen to the game. I'm not some kind of monster😁

Just chillin with me owl. Sometimes it gets boring eating ambrosia and listening to lyre music, so what's there to do but escape Olympus and hang out with an owl in Omaha? You wouldn't believe the strange looks I get going about dressed like this. Were I *really* a goddess I'd turn all the side-eye giving idiots into pigs or something. Alas, all I can do is stare back.

This is my displeased face. You don't want to see angry.

I haven't used our oven in over two weeks due to the heat. We have central air conditioning, but so many years on the farm trained me to keep the house cool without spending a fortune. We keep the lights minimal during the day, and the blinds drawn-this is just common sense. I run the washing machine in the evening and let everything dry on our wooden rack instead of using the tumble dryer. I can't hang my laundry outside as our neighbourhood traffic would have it stinking and dirty again in minutes, but I do let things dry on hangers on the shower rod, etc. If they need a light pass next evening in the dryer it takes but a few minutes. Cooking has been salads (tabouleh, hummous, etc) and things that can be cooked atop the stove (I have spinach crepes planned for tomorrow). I enjoy the change as it keeps my cooking skills fresh, and forces me to use what I have in my pantry and garden as I don't dare venture out to the grocer in the heat of the day. Anyway, it has been nice challenging myself. 

I also made strawberry jam because that's what I do this time of year. As you can see, I leave some hunks of berries in it as I prefer pieces of fruit in my jam. This year's batch turned out perfect. It is a rare year that my strawberry jam isn't soup or a solid ball, so whatever magic came together this year, I'm sure I wouldn't be able to replicate it. I could get more uniform results with pectin, but the jam made with it always seems undercooked to me. I suppose you could call it, "fresh tasting" if you like that sort of thing. This was my first time using Weck jars. I'm not sold on them, honestly. the cost is so much more than the old Ball jars I've used for years that it might take some convincing that they are superior. I'm old and set in my ways, but I will admit the glass lids are very pretty. At any rate, I can't use them for the fair as Ball is a contest sponsor. 

The garden has been providing nightly salad greens. 

Summer pudding does not require the oven. 

With spring underway my Mexican style skirts are being worn.

And my hair is very much going wild. I can't be bothered with a hairdryer and curling iron in this weather. I don't like my curls, but I'm learning to live with them as the alternative would be misery, and heat up the house during Operation Keep Cool. 

I recently found a second lobster brooch in black and gold. 

This skirt had a day out as well. 

On the fragrance side, I've been enjoying this Yves Rocher cheap-o. A nice, light summer fragrance that would have to be seriously over-applied before annoying anyone. If I want to offend, I have Carnal Flower to wear on a 100 degree F. day😁. Not that I would...but I could. 

 I'll leave you with a look at a couple of handbags that have been neglected in my collection. The straw bag has beautiful seashells sewn onto it and the Caron of Houston bag was something I recently discovered with no memory of having purchased it.

 Where did it come from? Who can remember?

I might be scarce around here as I put together the syllabus. I still post at Instagram (@goodymcgoodface) if you enjoy an abbreviated version. Hope you have a great June.