Happy summer!

The temperature reached 100 degrees in Dallas County on June 24 at exactly 4:55 p.m.—with more 100 degree days in the forecast. Summer has arrived!

My dog Ginger, who loves to stay in the backyard keeping watch over the squirrels, is ready for an early morning walk—and perfectly content to spend the afternoon sleeping next to my desk.

Yesterday I baked a blueberry cobbler until it was golden brown on top and served it to my family while it was still warm.  As I ate my cobbler, I remembered my grandmother, who spent many hot summer days with a hoe among rows of cotton on a West Texas farm. Whenever I visited her during summer, she always baked a cobbler with the fruit she had grown on her own peach trees.

I’m going soon to an outdoor performance of the Shakespeare Festival of Dallas. It will be warm when we arrive, but, by the time we’ve eaten our picnic dinner, we’ll enjoy the performance and a cool breeze.

Happy summer! May you enjoy the pleasures of the season—things like a dog asleep close by your side or your own afternoon nap—cobbler and ice cream—and a picnic and an outdoor performance.

–Joy