Summer or Spring? May Can't Make Up Its Mind.

I know. I haven't written on this darned blog in forever. Well, since February, to be exact. As usual, my excuse is that I've been busy. Sue me.

So, last week I had on the AC. Yesterday I had to turn it off and switch to heat. My, May is a fickle lady in upstate South Carolina this year.

The good news is that it hasn't gone below 50 degrees, and we've even had a bit of rain to mitigate the deficit (we're about 2 inches under for the year). My Spanish lavender is still blooming, and the English lavender is about to pop. The false indigo has come and gone, along with the rhododendron, Veronica (speedwell), and lots of others. Bob's veggie garden is jamming along, with 55 (yes, fifty-five) tomato plants, squash, cucumbers, Swiss chard, peas, bush beans, zucchini, blueberries, etc. My herbs are doing well so far, too: cilantro, rosemary, oregano, sage, salad Burnet, thyme, tarragon. I keep meaning to snap some photos, but it's been so cloudy the last few days that they won't turn out the way I'd like, so I'm waiting.

School is going great. I've earned my practical nursing diploma and have advanced to the RN level courses; my pinning ceremony is set for October 31 this year, which I think is cool in one respect but crappy in another. Cool because I'll be done and it's an "off" time of the year for new nurses entering the field, so hopefully it'll be easier to find work. Crappy because it's my favorite holiday and I won't have time to prepare for it as I usually do. Each year I do an ancestor's dinner, light candles for my loved ones who've passed away, and I dress up in my best homemade witch, gypsy, or vampire costume for the hundreds of trick-or-treaters that frequent our historic neighborhood. I suppose I will just have to make do and prepare a little at a time over the week prior to Samhuinn (yes, you can call it Halloween all you want, but as for me, I call it what my ancestors did). This year I'm considering just wearing my dressy nurse outfit that I'll wear for my pinning ceremony. Nah! Seriously? How boring. I love nursing, but why would I give up the chance to be something fun and outlandish? Hmm, maybe I'll be a zombie nurse. LOL

Well, it's time for a well-deserved nap. I was up super early, leaving the house by 6:30 a.m. to be on the unit at 7. I want to dream about our weekly Saturday night potluck dinner when all the veggies are in and what I'll cook. What are you dreaming up this summer?