Summer snow

The cotton woods are in bloom and they are shedding their cotton into the air creating this amazing effect of snow in the back yard. The sun is brightly shining and little pieces of white puff slowly guide throughout the air. It's really beautiful. It's something that reminds me of Kansas. I love living here, but Kansas certainly has its moments. It gets way too hot. It gets sticky and humid. Summers growing up in this sticky, hot climate were...wonderful. I can still feel the stings of an early summer sunburn. (NOT good for my complexion...I have tons of freckles now.) The lake was my best friend--well, that and the town pool. I was a lifeguard there for a couple of summers. Small town heat gets young kids into trouble. The fact is...there isn't anything to do...but each other. (ha.) It's true though. As a teenager in my little town, you pretty much spent your summer dying of heat during the day and doing your best to cool off with friends or lovers at night. The baseball diamond was a great place to be in the evenings. I'm still a huge fan of snack bar food due to that time in my life. We rode around in cars and were giddy and ridiculous. I wasn't a drinker. I didn't party--but man, I certainly was out of my mind with hormones and young love. When the 6 o'clock whistle blew--it was almost Pavlovian for me. The boy was off of work and would be coming to see me soon. My hands still sweat just thinking about it. Summer Lovin'...had me a blast for sure.

If there was a way to put that feeling into a bottle and put it high up in a closet somewhere...I would...just so I could occasionally sneak a sip here or there.

In the spirit of the sun and the way it makes everything pop (pun intended), I've added some pics of my yard including my two new flower baskets we got over the weekend. I know it's not quite summer yet...but it was fun to remember anyway.