Like most of the Midwest and part of the east coast, we've had extremely hot temperatures. But it was June and the sun was out. We had have a lot to do around the homestead.

Besides working on the garden (weeds grow no matter what the weather it seems), we've been working on fixing stuff or updating it. DH had an old wooden glider in the pole barn that was  in rough shape. The wood was still good, but it needed some TLC. So, he worked on fixing the mechanical parts, and then we sanded it and painted it. It took more paint than we anticipated because it hadn't been painted in years, but it looks decent and is a nice place to sit. The paint was far cheaper than buying something new.

On the back deck there is a wooden two seat thing with a table inbetween. It too needed some TLC. So, more sanding and more painting. This time we got the paint on sale so that helped. But it looks a lot better and isn't it amazing how a coat of paint refreshes stuff?

My other painting project has been these metal decorative (but functional) bird houses. They were rusting. They've been out in the weather for 10 years. DH's late wife bought them. So, more paint. I ran out yesterday so I had to wait until we were headed for town to get some more, but hopefully will finish them this week. 

DH had a problem with a bathroom faucet and so with a little know how (his) and some help from me, he took the faucet off, apart, cleaned what needed to be cleaned, and reinstalled. Other than time and his know how, this was not an expensive fix. 

DH's late wife had this machine called a Silhouette which is like a Cricut. I've never used one, but have been learning. Dollar Tree had vinyl on sale for 25 cents, so we bought a few boxes so I could experiment. It's an older machine, but seems to be working great. I made a decoration for our mailbox. It is a wreath made of dog prints and then put our last name's initial in the middle. That was fun and I've since made something to decorate some glasses. I like learning new things.

Last spring I read about growing potatoes. I've never done that, nor has DH. In fact my folks never did that while I was growing up. So, I had some potatoes that had sprouted, so I planted some. I had some grow bags and then I planted some in the ground. The grow bags didn't grow very well. But the ones in the ground did. I have enough for about two meals. Not a bad deal and now I know how to do it, I plan to plant some next spring in the ground. 

We picked our first cucumber yesterday. With the lettuce and a green onion, we had some of our fixings for our salad of lunch. 

A local orchard had their grand opening with peaches so we went there and bought some. They weren't quite ripe, but they are now. They are delicious! I plan to make some peach preservers, a peach crumble, and we will eat the rest as a treat. I'm keeping an eye on our wild black raspberries. I picked some last year and made jam. 

My to do list never seems to be getting any shorter, but it's all good. I realize how very blessed I am.