The fifth of July

Finally figured out the name of this flower: Maltese cross. Sort of looks like fireworks

As does this.   Hardy hydrangea. My not hardy one is hot pink

Fireworks over my back yard last night though a bad photo. Fireflies were out in full force too

Finally hung up my colorless stained glass. I like it

Baby barn swallows. The parents will dive at our faces if we get anywhere near

Lily and allium from the garden

My first crop of yellow squash which I stir-fried with cilantro (also from garden) and onions for our family dinner yesterday afternoon

Thirty-seven years ago, the fifth of July was the due date for my first baby. It came and went with no baby. We had no air conditioning and I was extremely heat sensitive. Seconds dripped by slowly. Shanna eventually came 10 days later. Do they let women stay pregnant so long these days? The OB we first used with Naomi said she never let anyone go past their due date. well Naomi's due date was based on the sixe of the fetus at 4 months. Could be big for gestational age. We ended up not using the OB and she went into labor before the due date. Julie's baby will be cut out of her a week before the due date.

The Fifth of July was the name of an awful Broadway play we saw years ago. A friend was a fan of the lead, who at the last minute was called away as his wife gave birth to triplets. So the whole reason for seeing the play was down the drain.

After a few days of wonderful weather, it is now hot and humid promising to be even more so for the next few days. I am sweating just typing this.

How did a commode, formerly defined as a fancy set of drawers, come to mean a toilet? Well they stored chamber pots in those drawers to keep them out of the guests' eyes. I told Steve that and now he's afraid that sloshing containers of urine were spilling into the drawers (no water damage!!!). So I have found a very similar commode on line (for25x the cost). It was made in 1890 in France though the marble is from Siena, Italy.. Josh was not impressed as I have too many styles next to each other: Louis XV next to 1970s Danish Modern; artsy table made in the 2000s next to Art Van oak veneer coffee table (that coffee table will go, I never liked it) But his idea of décor is to have a giant spoon and fork mounted to the wall so....

So the whole family minus Maya came for our 4th of July BBQ. I tried to simplify the menu so I wouldn't be cooking instead of interacting with the family. The cousins had fun running around together. Perfect weather. What life is all about. Later a friend came by for drinks, trash TV and the backyard fireworks display.

A good day.