Yes indeed, summer has arrived with a vengeance here in Kansas City. And if we are having record-breaking temperatures in June, I shudder to think what it will be like in August.
I am a total wuss when it comes to dealing with the heat. The air-conditioner is my very best friend and when I find that insufficient, the fan goes on to help keep the air moving.
There are some very good things about summer – no bulky coat for starters. A big jar of sun tea is always in my refrigerator. 
And, even though I lost the gardening war that was waged between me and the squirrels and their cohorts, the rabbits, there are plenty of farmer’s markets in my area where I can get home grown produce. I don’t think I could bear living through a summer without fresh tomatoes that actually taste like tomatoes rather than plastic.
My last effort at growing tomatoes let me know why the squirrel is listed as one of the top ten smartest animals.
I devised what I thought was a squirrel-proof strategy for growing grape tomatoes. I had an old table in my backyard. I put the plants in pots and put them on top of the table and covered the whole shebang with the type of netting one would use to keep the birds out of the cherry tree.
The tomatoes grew into large healthy plants and bloomed profusely. Tomatoes formed on the vine and several started to change in color from green to red. I figured they needed about two more days of sunshine and they would be ready to be picked and thrown into a salad.
When I went out to pick my tomatoes, two or three squirrels were sitting on their haunches in the pots underneath the netting. Their cheeks were full and they were quite content with their impromptu picnic. Then they noticed me coming in their direction and they panicked. The netting kept them from making a quick escape and in their confusion and haste, they managed to tear up every plant. That’s when I threw in the towel on the gardening front.
So far I’ve not had to do many epic battles to remain a quilter. Except for that one time that a 92-year-old woman ran a stop light, crashed into my car and tore up my left hand. That slowed me down for a while but I’m stubborn enough that I wasn’t about to let that beat me.
I conquered that challenge by buying a very good sewing machine and learning to quilt using my “power tool” rather than working by hand all the time. It turned out to be a pretty good deal for me since I could work faster and accomplish more.
So if you’re looking for me this summer, you might find me dashing out to the edge of the patio to retrieve my gallon of sun tea or flipping a burger on the grill. Your best chance though is to wander on through the house and check my sewing room. That’s where I’ll be chilling in the air-conditioning.
