We’ve been having some pretty hot weather the last few weeks (highs in the 90s to 100 degrees) in my neck of the woods. It has meant that I’ve had to increase the watering time on the lawn and garden, and the air conditioning is on a lot more in the house. Don’t get me wrong, though, because I’m not complaining. After an usually cool, wet spring that stretched into June, the heat has finally spurred the vegetable garden to take off. The tomato plants that didn’t seem to grow at all for two weeks are growing tall and full with lots of small green fruits promising caprese salads in a month or so. The melons and squash are likewise making up for lost time, as are the beans and eggplants. Last year at this time, having been in our new home for only a few months, we looked out on dry earth and weeds. Now, with the infusion of a lot of hard work and more than a few dollars and a whole lot of plants, our back yard is a lovely sight to behold. Nearly everything we planted last fall survived the winter freezes, and while there are spots where young plants still need to grow into their spaces or where I haven’t yet found the right specimen for that location, overall I am pleased with how my vision has become a colorful reality. The climbing roses are starting to cover those broad stretches of bare fence; echinachea, Shasta daisies and agastache have filled one flower bed with bee-enticing blooms; and the herb garden offers fresh flavors for tonight’s dinner. Even following the hottest days, by 7:30 or 8:00 p.m. the sun has slid far enough to the west for shadows to stretch across the lawn and allow our patio to become a comfortable platform from which to drink in the scents, sounds and sights of a summer evening. Swallows dip and dart across the sky, snapping up insects for their supper, while mourning doves and yellow finches stop by the birdbath for sips of cool water. Our small fountain provides a soothing murmur accompanied by the mellow tones softly tolling from our wind chime as a slight breeze coaxes an occasional note from it. Now and then we’ve spotted a long-eared jackrabbit slip under the fence and meander in and out among the shrubs until the awareness of our presence sends him frantically bounding off to the field next door. Such evenings are a welcome and restful conclusion to long, hot and sometimes hectic days. At such times I am as content and happy in my own little retreat as I would be on a terrace in Sicily, a taverna on Santorini or a beach in Hawaii. I’ve enjoyed my rambles to such far-flung and lovely spots, but it’s nice to know I don’t have to hop a plane to enjoy such peace and beauty. Even if you can’t get away for a much-needed vacation soon, I hope you can find a quiet, pleasant niche in your own corner of the world for a little R & R after a long, hot day. — Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor