a time to read

As with every summer since I was around six years old, my head has been stuck in a book. This sketchbook page was just a bit of playing with my Lumos Duo pens from Tom’s Studio: a fine liner tip in dark grey and brush tips in lightened grey, lightened El Lawrence green, and Peaches & Cream inks.

red rocket

Although our crepe myrtle tree has been blooming steadily all month, it hasn’t been as full of color as previous years. Our newly planted lantana shrubs are also suffering. This year has just been too wet! These plants thrive in hot, dry summers.

We had an old fashioned pink crepe myrtle in Kansas. But years ago while visiting Houston, I saw this deep red flowering variety planted along Eldridge Parkway — and knew I would one day plant one of my own.

(Oddly, one or two white flowers have popped up on the tree this year, hidden among the red.)

pear butter

Bill has been busy picking pears from one of our baby trees, cooking them into yummy pear butter, then canning them. So I recorded it in my journal. Gotta help in some way, right?

This weekend, pears will be picked from the other tree and the process will be repeated. Only this time I think the plan is to just can the sliced pears.