A fleeting moment

Yesterday was unbearably hot. I'm not complaining, just observing. I actually love the summer weather - I'd much prefer to be hot than cold. Plus, with summer comes summer nights. And with summer nights come lightening bugs. Could anything be better?! I don't know if you can see the flash of light in this picture - I sat patiently trying to time it perfectly and finally captured the fleeting blink of one of my backyard's residents.


My backyard is relatively small, and although this is a temporary rental, I have really enjoyed settling into gardening over the past year that I've lived in Fredericksburg. I have a bed along the back of the house to one side of the back stoop with my pink azaleas and lavender & yellow irises (former residents of my side yard when I first moved in that got transplated and seem to be happy). The other side of the stoop is planted asymmetrically with a fuchsia peony, Chinese lantern, forsythia, and gardenia. The middle of the yard features a large strawberry patch and then a matching patch with the annuals and herbs (basil and rosemary). My favorite spot in the yard, however, is in the far back - under the shade of my neighbor's flowering plum tree (so gorgeous this spring) and next to a fence where honeysuckle grows wild. The grass doesn't grow well in this spot - too much shade I guess - but that means a bed of wild strawberries, violets, and clover create a soft bed. The smell is amazing. I love sitting there in the early evening hours enjoying a cold glass of white wine. Ahhh, summer...