Summer is here!

This week I had a few more things to blog about.

First of all, my dad has some ongoing heart problems which have been getting worse.
We have been to the doctor a few times this month.
He will be having an out-patient procedure on Friday where they will look for and treat, any blocked arteries...

Work has been super busy with constant phone calls and rescheduling events.
Being busy helps me, because I have less time to worry.

The Art Supply Warehouse opened this month.
I finally got there this week, and bought more Posca markers.

I had a set of 8 colors for a long time but never really used them until lately.
They are good for outlining and adding finishing touches.

All through the lock-down I kept wishing I had an orange Posca, and now I do!
I also got some glitter colors, that I didn't know they made, which are fun.

My neighbor came over yesterday and took out the wayward cactus.

He is going to help us negotiate a deal with some brick-layers who did a fence wall last week, across the street. We will each pay half.
It's just the one fence, because we did the other two sides many years ago.

I didn't spend much time in the garden last week...
I found a praying mantis!

It was 1 inch long.

I grew a string bean that I started from a seed a couple months ago.

I ate it.
It was awful and bitter, not like I expected. I usually love fresh garden beans.
Maybe because it wasn't planted in the ground, but in a tub?

Today I noticed a sure sign of summer:
The red dragonfly has returned!

I saw it a couple years ago, but I forgot to look for it last year.
They only appear in the middle to late summer.

It has very gossamer wings which was hard to catch on the camera.

In some culture dragonflies are not a good omen, but I think they are beautiful.

Keeping a fish pond is a lot of maintenance.

The perks are having dragonflies and water lilies, (and all the neighborhood birds.)