Summer has always been a very busy time for me, at least in my (so-called) adult incarnation. It’s not my favorite season, really. I prefer spring and fall. I even like winter these days, now that I have a fireplace to enjoy. There’s no work to do outside, and I often read, write and sketch with the flames of the fireplace flickering a few feet away and my cat curled up by my side. Time has a way of slowing down in the winter. I like slow time. In the summer, just the opposite happens. Time speeds up. Yet, every season has its unique pleasures. For me, the simple, daily pleasures of the summer are to be found in my garden and flower beds. Without these, most summer days would be little more than a blur of busy bustling.

This summer, my tomatoes are coming on particularly early in my garden. The peppers are thriving, too. All three kinds are becoming very prolific: jalapeno, habanero and sweet banana. I make treats with the jalapenos and the banana peppers. I stuff the banana peppers with Italian sausage, and I stuff the jalapenos with cheddar cheese and roll them in bacon strips. I’m not sure yet what to do with the habaneros, since they’re so hot. I may dry them. My red and pink roses have stopped blooming, but my yellow roses are going full blazes. The petunias are starting to get stringy, while the impatiens are spectacular in their patio whiskey barrels. Meanwhile, I heal from the poison weed I got at somebody’s bonfire last Saturday, I work on a new design for the Squirrel Tao blog, I diet and eat ice cream and diet again, and I don’t write much. Soon, my husband and I will go on a road trip in Montana, Battlestar Galactica will come back on, I’ll release the first chapter of my own web comic, and maple leaves will cover the lawn.