51. Appreciate your siblings, especially if you get along with them.

52. Friends are the family you select!

Those are two that should have been included in my previous blog about turning 50 and the things I’ve learned.

That said?

WHEW!!!!

Work has been a whirl-wind and after every week? I spend time in the shade (and sometimes the sun) with my Kindle. I read. A. LOT! As in, I can knock out 3-4 novels per weekend, either hanging in the hammock or chilling in a chair in the shade.

I love to read. Ever since I was a kid with a bedside lamp, I would read when I couldn’t sleep. Laura Ingalls and Betsy, Tacy and Tib were some of my literary besties when I was growing up. Then I got into Judy Blume. I loved all of her tween books, as well as her adult-related novels later in life.

In the past weeks I have discovered the likes of Skye Warren, A. Armitage, Ninie Hammon, Andrew Kaufman, Casey Hill, and many more.

Summer is my reading time; my time to spend outdoors, trying to center myself and live someone else’s wonderful fictional ideas.

I watch little T.V. and spend my time outside. I get some odd looks from people at work when they ask me if I caught thus-and-such on the tube last week and I tell them I’ve not watched much T.V. Fall, winter, and early spring are what HULU and Netflix were made for.

Those of you that are readers and have a Kindle or grab Kindle e-books on the regular? I would highly recommend Kindle Unlimited. For a low monthly fee, (which I won’t quote because I am too damned lazy to go look it up, but it’s under ten US dollars) you can pick from hundreds (maybe thousands) of titles. You can have ten books out at a time, and at 3-4 novels per weekend at roughly four dollars per book, I figure I must be saving money; I’m reading roughly $16.00 worth of books per weekend times four, so do the math. I won’t, because it’s summer and I’m a lazy something or other.

Aside from reading, I’ve blown up my tablet and my cell phone is acting stupid, so I’ve been more unplugged than I am used to and finding that I actually LIKE IT.

I’m writing this from my laptop, which is hard wired to the outside outlet, whilst sitting on the deck this evening. I really had to force myself to bring the laptop out because I needed to see how to turn my wisteria vine into a small tree. Figuring I had a little time on my hands, I wanted to write this to let my blogging friends (Rob, Janie, Skwarl, Ode to Joy, and others) know that I’m still alive. I’m here, but I am lazy as hell.

In other news…The gazebo/structure that we’d hoped to have completed by my birthday has proven to be a lot larger project than we anticipated…

Maybe we’ll finish it in our lifetime, LOL…

We have the rafters up, and need to put some more 1×4 cross supports up prior to installing the metal roof (help!?) and wiring for ceiling fan and laying down a tinted concrete floor. I miss my tent, which is now covering the work area on the side of the studio housing the miter saw and any extra lumber.

We’ve had quite the little heat wave and it’s done a number on our garden, except for our cantaloupe, which is amazingly sweet and wonderful.

Yet, again, this year, our squash didn’t do as well as we’d hoped, I went light on jalapeno peppers, and the tomatoes are starting to turn red, finally.

I’ve also really found myself getting into infused water, which I will blog about in a future post, as I’m collecting recipes that I try and like and will share them with you. Currently, my favorite is cucumber lemon, and I’ve really acquired a taste for the cucumber. I’ve also done lemon, mint and blueberry, as well as a cilantro citrus, and a killer jalapeno mix, so stay tuned.

I’ve also been crocheting my butt off to get Mattix’s little granny square afghan done (and I’ll show you a picture in an upcoming post, as it isn’t quite done, yet) so that he will have something soft and warm to snuggle under this fall/winter.

All that said, it’s all I’ve got for you, tonight. 🙂

Until next time…