Happy July!

I have been extraordinarily lax with writing posts lately. I can only cite that it's part laziness, but also partly being busy at the same time, if that makes sense?

June flew by so quickly that I can hardly believe it and then it was already July. We had some really hot weather in June, unusually so, and now July has been cooler. Again, unusual for July. However, it is typically really dry in July and this has been no exception. We have been really, REALLY dry and my flowers and gardens could really use a nice long soak.

We had a nice, enjoyable Fourth of July holiday, despite having one of our precious furbabies (my cat Baby) getting sick and having to spend some days in the kitty hospital last week. He is on the mend now and we are awaiting some specialized tests to find out what was making him sick. He apparently had some kind bacterial infection, but what type it is and why it made him so sick, we don't know yet. We're hoping for some answers when his tests come back later this week. To say the least, it was not a welcome expense, but thank goodness for Care Credit, and our "furry children" are worth it to us.

We continue to have money issues, like many people right now. E's work is still slow, and they had a lay-off in May, but luckily, he did not lose his job. He has, however, lost all his overtime. My work has been steady, but not extremely busy, which essentially means that we don't get our production bonuses, which I really count on sometimes. All of this basically means that although we have enough money to pay our mortgage and bills, there's not much extra left over for anything else. E's car needs brakes and a muffler, my car needs a new tire. I need new running shoes. We both desperately need a vacation! On a positive note, we are both working, which is more than some people can say. One of my brothers-in-law was recently laid off from his job where he's been a senior computer analyst for 5 years, so he is currently slogging through the slim pickings in the job market, looking for work.

I hope to have some updated pictures soon of my flowers and gardens. They are growing really nicely, even though a heavy downpour and high winds about 3 weeks ago basically flattened my bee balm and salvia; neither of which has recovered. I also had trouble with one of my climbing roses which came down with both black spot and powdery mildew. I found a great fungicide and miticide that has really helped it and it's looking almost back to normal and ended up blooming just as profusely as usual.

Coming up this weekend: E's band, Stoneship Eden has another show on Saturday. I will probably be on "kitty duty" most of the evenings after work, just keeping an eye on my cat, Baby. He's back from the kitty hospital, but needs medicine 2x a day and has to be kept in a sort of confined area for the next week until he gets stronger.

Just hoping for a little luck that nothing else goes wrong and a nice, enjoyable summer!