Kari & Kijsa are hosting a Fabulous Flag-Flying Fourth this weekend, and even before I had read their post I had posted this … so I am participating and using the same words they did.  Happy Independence Day to all!! 

You’re a grand old flag,
You’re a high flying flag
And forever in peace may you wave.

You’re the emblem of
The land I love.
The home of the free and the brave.

Ev’ry heart beats true
‘neath the Red, White and Blue,
Where there’s never a boast or brag.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
Keep your eye on the grand old flag.

Here we are in week 3 of 100+ degree temperatures, and I am ready to see the thermometer go south.  My plants are struggling at this point to survive, with only a sparse rain here and there.  Even the summer tea punch has lost its ability to cool me down.  This is pretty drastic.

What, you may ask, is the photo on the right all about?  The photo is of some lovely artwork done with towels and washcloths by our wonderful Mousekeeper, Rosa, at our Disney hotel on our last trip to the World.  These “towel animals” began to appear the second day of our trip last year, and each day she added a little more and a little more… until by the end of the trip we had a whole group of them complete with a pool and slide!  For a little taste of pixie dust, click the photo for a slideshow.

You might also be asking why I would have a photo of this on my Charm & Grace blog.  Well, any self-respecting blogger has to take a vacation every once in a while.  So we are off the find some pixie dust in the next few weeks and, frankly, I can not wait!  I thought I’d share a bit of our pixie dust with you from last time, and hopefully I will have more to share with you after we return.

Here’s a little more pixie dust… a beautiful sunset photographed while strolling along the World Showcase in EPCOT.  

When I think that people lived for years without air conditioning, I do wonder how on earth they managed to survive during the summer heat.  I am thinking particularly of ladies in long dresses and petticoats (note the plurality).  For instance, on days of 98-plus degrees with 98 % or more humidity, how did they breathe?  I sometimes think I would have loved to live in the beauty and values of Victorian times.  However, I must admit I am sincerely thankful that I was born in the age of air conditioning!  As much as I love the beauty of Victorian clothing and decor, I can’t imagine living with all those clothes without being able to get cool.  (I am visualizing Scarlett O’Hara wiping the sweat after having worked in the fields in her long dress.)  No matter how romanticised we make those days in our minds, there were many hardships and not a lot of relief from weather …whether cold or hot.   Monet’s Lady in “Sketch for a Figure in Open Air” looks cool with her umbrella in the breeze, even in the blazing summer sun.  But an umbrella can only go so far…

So, come indoors and enjoy the wonders of technology in a cool house.  Then put on the kettle.  I’m having Celestial Seasoning’s Mint Green Tea.  Won’t you join me?

I suppose a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but some roses have very appropriate names. For instance, the Tropicana rose (left) is a wonderfully citrus-scented beauty with a bloom the color of the meat of a ripe grapefruit. Really, a picture can’t do it justice. This is one rose that really should be viewed in person. The deep coral-orange of the bloom is breathtaking. I have enjoyed quite a few blossoms these past couple of weeks from the last rose bush in my rose garden to bloom. I must say, it was well worth the wait.

However, the weather has taken a definite southward turn (or northward if you are measuring it by degrees.) This week we will see temperatures in the upper 90s and 100s. And while that is fairly typical for our area, it is not typical to be experiencing a stage III drought alert. We need rain and need it badly. We are being threatened with sanctions for overusing our water resources. This means no extra watering of outside plants, and so I must admit that my roses and other flora will definitely be suffering (rather scorching!) I have planted several things this spring which may not make it if we don’t see some rain and soon. Well, enough about our depressed water situation. There are still so many things that summer brings… swimming in cool blue water, late afternoon siestas, a nice walk through a local botanical garden (preferably in the shade), and family time for things (like picnics and day trips) that we don’t always have at other times in the year.

I am wishing, for your family and mine, time to be together often and to find many ways to celebrate summer!