Friday Favorites, Late August Edition

So, it's Saturday.

I didn't get around to publishing this post yesterday. I have no real excuse; I had a 90 minute massage and the rest of the day just kind of got away from me.

Anyhoodle, publishing now, in five, four, three, two, one...

The weather in Petticoat Junction has been rainy. I don't mind that now that we don't have an outdoor wedding to plan for. Funny how that works. With the rain has come a drop in the temperature, which has made for the perfect weather for sipping tea on the porch.

The rain has also sent my flower production  into overdrive; I am cutting zinnias just about every day.

This has made for some cheerful splashes of color in the house and on the porch; just what is needed when the skies are dreary.

My dahlias are also at the peak of production, so I've been able to enjoy them, as well.

Having all these flowers has also given me ample opportunity to use the milk glass vases that I accumulated for the wedding. I've written before about how milk glass has become a favorite, but it bears repeating.

With all of the flowers in the garden, you would think that I wouldn't have to refill my hummingbird feeders very often, but you would be wrong. I have a total of five full-sized feeders spread throughout the front and back yards and I have been refilling them all just about every other day. It's been crazy.

My favorite thing, though, has been getting up close and personal with the hummers when they visit the garden while I am deadheading or cutting flowers. They've gotten used to me and have absolutely no fear, which has made for some great pictures.

The Monday after the wedding, Hugh and I had the opportunity to host three of my aunts for dinner on the porch. They had extended their time in Hooterville so that they could spend more time with Mom, which all four of them truly enjoyed. None of them had ever visited our home before, so I was excited to have them. Hugh grilled up a bunch of chicken breasts as well as some local sweet corn, and I made a Caprese salad to round things off. It was a nice evening and Queen B especially enjoyed hearing stories about when Mom and her siblings were growing up while we polished off a huge pitcher of mojitos.

The only regret we had was that we were missing their one remaining older sister, who, at the age of 90 is too frail to travel, as well as their two other sisters, who have sadly passed. The seven of them used to travel together on sister's trips as often as they could and I'm glad they have those memories.

And, that wraps up today's Favorites.