June is Strawberry & Peony Month around here . . .

A Pictorial 

Picked

Then, well, these ones got eaten.

(-:

Picked Again.

Given time for their "portrait mode" photo shoot.

(Insert eyeball-rolling and laughing face emojis here, haha)

Washed & Drained.

Baked!

 Oh My Goodness were these fabulous! Recipe found here: https://www.inspiredtaste.net/25809/strawberry-muffins-recipe/

I made a double batch and still had to put some strawberries in the freezer. One thing about home grown strawberries is that if they're not eaten or used within a day they go bad quickly. Growing at home really shows you something about the fruits and produce we find in our grocery stores. When I see those golf ball size strawberries in the stores I almost shudder at what they had to pump into those to achieve that, ugh! Anyway, giving some to one neighbor and her family for taking care of Alli while I had a fabulous trip to visit Lara in Southern California (what, no blog post???!!! I know, bums me out) over Memorial Weekend and some over to the new young couple that moved in behind us. Still have plenty for us to enjoy here.

Well, hey...wait a sec, might as well just quick . . . 

Pull out some Memorial Wknd Pics

💖

Turns out Lara loves giraffes more than I knew. (-: Also, turns out getting a caricature done was on her bucket list. So, PERFECT, took a trip to the African Safari part of the San Diego Zoo and got 'er done!

Remembering that we used to do this kinda pic at the Toledo Zoo all those many years ago. She's always game for anything!

The colors in Southern California are vibrant, amazing and everywhere! Upon my return I've been looking for purple trees, orange hillsides and pink, pink, pink everywhere. But, Alas. It's very green here, thank goodness not winter grey right now, but the only color are small splatters in people's yards. The color out there did absolutely dazzle me! (-:

And, can you even believe I found an actual tree that produces Heart Leaves??!!

I'll tell you what if we could grow those here.

I would have a forest of them!

We frequented a grill-side seat of a Korean restaurant twice over my four days there. Yes, it was that good and I loved watching them cook!

And, well yes...we won an oscar whilst visiting LA for an afternoon of course, haha! Another bucket list item for Lara was taking a studio tour. So, we did! (-: Please keep in mind, Lara doesn't blow dry her hair and lives on the shore of a humid, salty ocean...so...for four days, I didn't do anything but wash my hair once and let it air dry. Lara said she like the "free and natural" look, ha!

Well, this is out of order and I don't feel like all the monkeying around that goes into trying to move pics on my outdated program here, so, a selfie of us at the zoo again, with a tiger in the background. See him? Haha! Sent that to my friend who had just sent me a selfie of her and her daughter with a famous soprano soloist and an orchestra in the background. 

My fav, fav, favorite part of the trip was watching Lara surf the shore of the Pacific Ocean for over two hours! I could have easily sat there longer (well, walked the beach, read a little and such, but mostly watched and was so grateful to have time to just watch her, still gets me as I type), but she had her fill. Turns out, she's developed a love of surfing after growing up in the midwest and surfs almost every day she can. She's admittedly still learning but it was super awesome to watch at any stage. I really wanted to try it this trip but was kind of terrified of sharks. After watching all the people do it though, I got over my fear but just wasn't prepared with figuring out wetsuit rentals and all the rest in our schedule, but, next trip...watch out!

Well, better get back to the promised subject matter in this entries' title, ha . . . 

The Peonies!

This peony bush, here at this little ol' house the first time I lived here and still now, brings me such . . . 

Dear Friends, I pray for you to find joy this week and the continued summer to come. Joy in small fresh strawberries, cherished time with a child, spouse, relative or friend, taking time to bend over and inhale the sweet aromas of flowers you come upon and so much more. Sometimes life here on earth can bog us down, have us seeing the darker side of things instead of the light and colorful. Through Christ alone, you can truly find a peace that passes all understanding and encounter joy! I pray this for YOU today and always! (-: