Summer is a-scurryin' by...

My sneezing and snorting allergy reactions are well-earned tonight, although it doesn't make them any more pleasant to endure or witness. 

The double dose of Allegra worked pretty well this morning, when I was being nicely well-behaved indoors, doing music therapy groups and piano lessons. 

I had promised to take Jenny and the boys out to pick strawberries, and even then, I was symptom-free. 

The boys loved the berries and the field smelled delicious. 

It was a glorious day, clear skies and not too hot, after some cloudy and rainy days. The berries were a bit worse-for-wear from the rain, but we got enough to suit us in a short period of time.

We swung by Heirloom Rose Gardens on the way home, as Jenny had never been there. The roses were also looking a little bedraggled, but we found some pretty ones anyway.

I love to wander around their gardens, coveting more of their blooms than I would ever be able to fit in my flowerbeds. 

Did you know that there are many different kinds of rose scents? Some are kind of spicy, others are almost cloyingly sweet. Today I smelled one that was the definitive rose fragrance, like the best quality perfume. 

Then the boys got rowdy so we went home. 

And they were wild on the way home so I threatened to make them get out of the car and walk so they were quiet for a long time. And they said, "Thank you, Nana," very politely when they got out of the car at home.

And then I went on a bike ride with a friend and a group. And I didn't take any pictures, but it was gorgeous. And, apparently, pollen-ridden, because I had sneezing fits all the way home.

And then I noticed a lot of ripe raspberries on my vines, so I went out and picked a bowlful and sneezed some more.

And now I am very tired and tired of sneezing, so I am going to take a much-procrastinated shower and read in bed. Tomorrow, I will make jam.

Hope your summer is going swimmingly.