Summer Things...

Here are a few of the things that I love most about summer:

1. Sunflowers. Aren't they gorgeous? Every week I buy a bunch at the grocery store, and put them in a tall narrow vase in my kitchen. I feel good every time I look at them.

2. Cicadas. They've finally started singing in the trees at night, and I love stepping outside and hearing them.

3. Thunbergia, or Black Eyed Susan vine. I telecommuted today, and having cut 3 hours of driving out of my day, after work I took a quick trip to a nursery that's close to my house to look at plants. I was over the moon to find one of these vines with orange flowers, wilting a bit in the heat (it was just under a hundred degrees today). I bought the plant, brought it home, and drenched it before taking this pic. Isn't it beautiful? This weekend I'll pick up a trellis and plant it in a sunny spot.















4. Ice tea. I make it with mint and my house is fragrant with the scent of it right now. Mike called last week from Arizona for the recipe, so I know it's good.

5. Pasta salads. In 1985 there was a restaurant in Dallas called Massimo's, and they had wonderful pasta salads, including one made with penne pasta, fresh basil, tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and mozzarella called Pasta Pugliese. Massimo's eventually closed, but somewhere along the way, the recipe for the ever popular Pasta Pugliese was published in the paper. Tonight I made it for dinner.