This afternoon I pulled out last year's calendar so I could justify that I'm not loosing my mind.  I usually keep a couple of years calendars tucked in the back of the kitchen cabinet to reference and because the pictures and the quotes bring a calm to some hectic days.  Each year when I get the new calendar, I transfer birthdays, anniversaries, other memorable events month by month.  Through the years, of course, we've accumulated more grand-babies, nieces and nephews, and added more family members by marriage. What used to be a quick task now takes longer and I also make notes of the ages.  He's where my justification is needed.  So far I missed one birthday and texted a birthday wish a week early to Grant.  The aging process seems to be cluttering up the once neatly organized calendar boxes with more doctor appointments, too.  Then I made the mistake of buying a smaller wall calendar this year.  Big mistake.  Next year I'll skip the 1" square blocks and go back to the 1.5' x 2" blocks.  I also jot notes on the first snow fall, or the first HB sighting, what days a Rx is not to be taken, other medical issues, record temperatures, etc., so before you know it, the 1" block is full and running into another day.  In my mind, this is my story (and I'm sticking to it) on why I messed up birthdays this year.  Too much going on in the 1" blocks. 

We're still stuck in a wet rainy pattern. Sometimes we're four or five days in a row with heavy clouds and not a peek of sunshine.  It's difficult to plan on working out in the yard for very long with thunderstorms looming in the distance daily.  Without six to eight hours of daily sun, this year's plants are struggling to produce flowers.

With not enough sun, Cliff's tomato plant is putting all her energy into height instead of tomatoes.  She has dozens of flowers, a few small stunted tomatoes, but needs hours of sun.  He keeps adding more PVC levels to her cage. 

Tomatoes have been this size for weeks.

Bee balm seems happy with the weather.  Bees and hummingbirds love this.  Some garden greens do well with only 4-5 hours of sunlight, like kale, which I love but Cliff would rather it be put directly into the compost pile.  I make a kale salad with olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese. Gardening on the side of a mountain is beneficial in this kind of rainy weather.  Rain doesn't pool and soak the roots.  Normally we aren't bothered by mosquitoes but this year I have to rub basil leaves on my skin to keep the pesky mosquitoes away.  A positive note is that this rain has kept the fire danger low so far................