Weekly Roundup: Feels Like Summer Splendor

While it’s still officially spring, with 90-plus degree days it feels like summer here in Oklahoma. The garden is starting to fill out nicely, berries are ripening on the bushes, and swim season is upon us! Yes, the warm season at this time of year is splendorous.

To encourage climbing for my moonflowers and heavenly blue morning blooming vines that I planted from seed, I added two trellises to my apartment garden, and their tendrils wrapped around them and started climbing within hours. My daughter’s boyfriend got me these cute, tropical solar lights for the garden on Mother’s Day and the plants are climbing them as well. Also, I’m really pleased that my wax begonias are popping, and that my watermelon plants are doing well.

Two weeks ago my daughter, her friends, and I went swimming for the first time this year, and I’ve been to the pool at my apartment twice since then. I grew up swimming and it has always been something I’ve loved, so pool season brings an air of excitement for me every year. Pictured is the pool I used to go to at Lifetime gym in Tulsa, a place I went exclusively for the nice pools. After work I would go and swim as the sun set, and I usually had the place to myself! I always loved this view.

Today, when my daughter came over so we could go swimming together, she brought me fresh blueberries and blackberries that she picked on her annual granddaughter-grandmother berry picking. The gift of fresh local fruit makes it official: it feels like summer splendor.

And with that, and having read and enjoyed the rich storytelling and imagery in Banyan Moon, it is time to choose a new book. It only makes sense to choose something summery book next, so, knowing very little about this one, I think I will go with Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver.