Summer is here? Well seems to be on it's way anyhow.
We woke to bright sunshine this morning. What a pleasure that was.
Yesterday was mild with periods of deep blue sky and bright sun.
I cleaned the windows outdoors. I painted our deck railing with a fresh bright coat of white paint. I fertilized my potted plants and gave the tomatoes a plant cleaning to rid them of aphids.
My hubby spread new bark in the front areas of our home. We look much better and quite summery.

My long time friend arrives tomorrow evening for our yearly get together. I am certainly looking forward to our time. It seems we may be able to dine outdoors after she arrives. I told her I would have her favorite wine chilling and pour her a glass as soon as she arrives. She will have about a three hour drive over the mountains as she lives in central Or and we are in the western valley. So it is a scenic drive for sure but not always relaxing depending on the traffic and road conditions.

We will be eating later than usual so I wanted all prepared ahead.
The menu is a two green salad with cucumber, red onion, edamame, tomatoes and yellow sweet pepper. I will grill shrimp with garlic , lemon and black pepper early in the day and put in the fridge to chill down. We will have a choice of Mom's honey mustard dressing or thousand island served to the side. I will assemble the salads ahead in generous size flat bottom bowls, garnish with a lemon slice and chives from the herb barrel, cover with plastic wrap and tuck in the fridge to chill. So the only thing I will need to do is heat the artisan bread to give it a crispy crust. I am making a chive cream cheese and butter spread for the bread.

I will set our patio table with my red bamboo place mats and use my fave red and white napkins(their so old) and my grandmothers silverware. I like to use a six pack holder, one that is bright and cheerful to tuck in the table seasonings and the silverware tightly wrapped in the napkins. All can go out at once in one little caddy.

I best get on with my walk. There is a little stand along the route that I walk that is selling organic strawberries. I will stop by and buy a box to test how sweet they are. If the berries are tasty I will dip the tips in melted dark chocolate and that will be our desert tomorrow evening.
It it has been a long growing season due to the coolness. But it appears the showers and gray have not hindered the crops. The farmers expect a big yield.
Who doesn't love fresh picked juicy strawberries?

Oh we are having kabobs tonight. Remember my husband selected the menu this week? I will admit I have not prepared that many kabobs throughout the years. So I rustled up a couple of recipes from the internet this morning and I will try one of them. I will report tomorrow. I really like Cooks.com they have a nice format and tons of recipes.

Reaching for my walking shoes............I'm outta here.