June 2021

June arrives with summer heat in full force.  The whole month was extremely hot, temps were high 90's to the 100's.  We had one day that we hit 107 (the hottest day ever for June), and most of the days were 96 degrees to 102 degrees.  It was the hottest June ever recorded since the weather service started keeping track.  On the 24th, we finally got our first little bit of rain (first since April), but it was only 1 1/3 inches.  And then we went back to a dry spell the rest of the month.

By the 14th of the month, it just got too hot for Dave and me to do our daily walks.  It would be 85 degrees by the time we got up in the morning, and it just continued to get hotter.

One good thing about June, our city was running a summer contest, "Buy Local, Spend Local, Win Local".  If you purchased anything from a local merchant and sent in a copy of your receipt, you were entered into a weekly drawing for a $100 visa gift card.  The first week of June, Dave won a gift card and the 2nd week of June, I won a gift card.  That was a nice $200 surprise for our family.

A neighbor across the street, (Lisa) went to visit her grandparents in California in the first part of June, and she brought back some freshly picked lemons from their tree and shared them with us.

The first thing I made was a lemon curd pie.  It had been about 6 years since the last time I made a fresh lemon curd pie.  It was delicious.  Then I made 2 loaves of fresh lemon bread (I gave one to Lisa for her family to enjoy).  It had been ages since I made lemon bread.  It was also a delicious treat.  Finally, I took the last 3 lemons and made some basil-lemonade.  It was so refreshing on a hot June day.

Lisa promised to bring back more lemons the next time she went to visit her grandparents.

Dave has finally found a hobby to pursue during his retirement.  READING.  Every morning, he goes out on our deck and reads a book for an hour or two (until the heat gets too high).  He's already finished 2 books and several magazines in June.  He turns on the water stream, relaxes to the sound of the water and the birds, and enjoys his time reading outside.

My garden is producing.  For Father's Day, we were able to enjoy fresh tomatoes.  And by the end of June, the zucchini was getting ready to pick, along with the turnips, basil, and small salad tomatoes.

We are slowly starting to get out a little more (grocery stores, restaurants, etc.).  But, we still wearing our masks (even though the mask mandate has been lifted in the state).  We have been watching the numbers of COVID cases continue to rise and fall each week, and we don't want to take a chance (even though we are both vaccinated).

With the weather so hot, we spend a lot of time at home, indoors (staying cool with the air conditioning).

We hope all our friends and family continue to stay healthy and safe this summer.