This and That July

In our corner of the world, we say the same thing every year since our summers are too short. Where did July go. If you like seeing dolphins, I put a video from our July vacation on Instagram if you'd like to take a peek at deb_c_814. The photo above is from Cape May, NJ and my first time visiting. It was a gals week, and I'd like to return with Joe.  

Dragon Fruit Portulaca is a favorite in the garden this year. I also learned that you can take a cutting from the plant, remove the leaves and poke the stem in dirt and you will have new plants in four days. I have been doing this weekly and the results have been favorable. 

Another trick I learned on Instagram is to take cuttings of zinnias and poke the stems in water to grow roots. I used a flower frog to hold the stems but that is optional. I love zinnias! 

Our summer has been dry with very little rain so we've spent just about every day outdoors. Yesterday it poured all day, and our granddaughter Claire was visiting and wanted to bake cupcakes. The recipe yielded 24 cupcakes which is way too many for us, so I make a cake and 12 cupcakes. I found a really good frosting recipe, and used a gadget I've had for 10 years that you place on top of the cake that holds fresh flowers. Claire's favorite response to anything new and different is Ooooohhhh. I took the flower gadget off the cake, and slid the cake into a freezer bag. We will enjoy the cake in August at camp :-) 

I forgot to take a picture but we have been enjoying Stanley Tucci's 3-Ingredient Frittata this summer. A good way to use the herbs growing in the garden. We love Stanley Tucci!

It's so exciting when we get to see fruits of our labor in the garden. We harvested 50 heads of garlic recently, and some purple potatoes that I planted in early May. The pickling cucumbers are doing great and I've made a few jars of ice box pickles. 

Our first ever fishing charter was very productive. We fished on Lake Ontario out of Henderson Harbor, and caught lake trout and king salmon. I am holding one of the lake trout I caught, and we were allowed three trout and two salmon per person. I had no idea how hard it would be to reel in the fish. The trout was 170 feet deep so I had to keep reeling until I could get it in the net. My brother, Joe and a friend joined me on the charter and our freezer has some nice fish. 

My buddy Xavier just returned from Cape Cod, and picked up his football gear yesterday. It's that time of year, football practice is starting. And the Buffalo Bills reported to their training camp this week and Xavier went to meet the players. Fun times are just around the corner. We love football season. 

You can see the expressions on the faces. We weren't expecting the rogue wave at Rehoboth Beach, DE. And didn't have our bathing suits on :-)

I added a new clematis to my garden this summer, meet Rebecca. I love the color.