FOURTH OF JULY BOUNTY

We harvested our first crop yesterday.

Three cherry tomatoes and a sprig of basil.

We have a small herb and tomato garden in pots on the back patio.

We have used some of the Italian parsley, the basil, the mint, the oregano before.

I sprinkle parsley and basil on our Friday night pizza just out of the oven.

Pretty darn good.

But these were the first cherry tomatoes to come off their plant.

Fresh, there was only one thing that could have made them better.

They made a nice appetizer before dinner.

Well today is the big day, the Fourth of July.

My calendar says it is Independence Day.

So we're doing brats and corn on the cob on the grill, along with some onions and peppers later today.

No fireworks.

All of the towns and cities in our immediate area have called off their fireworks displays because of the fire danger - high winds and hot and dry conditions.

Except for the random lawbreaker shooting off a private stash, the area dogs should be safe from those large noises that terrify them.

That's a good thing.

IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

I noticed this in a front yard up the street the other day and stopped to take a picture.

Some of you may remember this post to my blog from 4 years ago.

It appears carving bears out of tree stumps is a big thing in this area.

Now for my fellow Americans both in the United States and abroad I'd like to wish you a safe and happy Fourth of July.

CHARM-ING

In hot and dry Arizona there is nothing like some fresh drinking water to draw a crowd.

In this case some thirsty house finches.

Upon researching this group I learned that a bunch of finches are known as a "charm".

This charming group stayed only long enough for me to snap one photo.

Then they flew off en masse.

They are all females, hence the rather dull coloring which can cause one to mis-identify them as house sparrows.

THE MURALIZED FENCE - UPDATED

Since I last updated you on SWMBO's progress on the mural she's been painting on the fence in our backyard the weather has been really too hot to spend much time out there.

Nevertheless there have been some changes so here goes.

Some more trees around the lake as well as some cosmetic changes to them and the lake itself.

More balloons have appeared, as has a new ridgeline and more trees.

All in all, it's an impressionistic work in progress that does wonders for our back yard.

Unfortunately these photos were taken when the sun was high overhead so the lighting isn't that great and I've just noticed some reflections on my lens in this last photo.

All of these failures you can blame on the photographer.

None on the painter.

A NEW DAY

It's a new day, a better day.

It's the last day of June.

The sun is shining.

The sky is blue.

Yet it's a cool morning as we have a slight break in the weather while the eastern half of the nation is sweltering in high temperatures and humidity.

Ah, yes, humidity.

It's one of the joys of living in Arizona.

Right now the humidity is about 25 percent and that's high for us.

Normally it's in the single digits.

Tacking off in a different direction, we visited the Prescott Writer's group recently for a talk on self publishing.

It was quite interesting and the speaker began her talk by saying the days of the vanity press are done and gone.

That's a good thing, I think.

Afterwards we went to a restaurant for dinner and started our meal with one of Judy's favorites - spinach artichoke dip and chips.

We both loved it and commented that we should duplicate it in our own kitchen.

Then when I began reading my daily New York Times Cooking email today one of the first recipes was for, you guessed it, spinach artichoke dip!

I printed it out and we plan to make it perhaps tomorrow.

With all the cheese in this recipe we think it may be our dinner, rather than just an appetizer.

Tacking again, my Arizona Diamondbacks (the baseball team, not the rattlesnakes) lost a one-run game last night but the L.A. Dodgers also lost so we maintain a 3 and a half game lead over them in the National League West.

And Tiger Woods recovered from a shaky start in the Quicken Loans National golf tournament with a 5 under par round yesterday which means he'll once again be playing this weekend so I'll probably be camped out in front of the t.v.

That's life in my corner of the world.

I hope you all have a positive weekend.

NO FRIDAY FUNNIES

I'm not feeling funny this week.

Instead of the usual Friday Funnies, allow me to invite you to spend a few minutes thinking about the victims in the Capital Gazette shooting yesterday.

NEW(ish) FOOD TREND

A short time back I read about a new way to make your sandwich better.

Whether it's a good or a not so good sandwich, this little trick will improve it.

So the article stated.

I was dubious.

But what the heck, I said, it's worth a try to this old traditionalist.

So I tried it.

What's the gimmick, you ask?

Topping off your sandwich with some potato chips!

Not on the side.

Right under that top layer of bread, which can then be scrunched down to break up the chips.

It adds just the right touch of crunch to make you say, "Hey, that's not bad!"

I have become a devotee and when potato chips aren't available I've used crackers, once even a layer of Saltines!

They all work.

Just don't ask SWMBO.

She's still a traditionalist and believes chips belong on the side.