“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” — Marcel Proust.

My soul blossoms with the help of the following:

A great haul from the farmer’s market.

Crunchy fresh broccoli.

Delicate garlic scapes, chopped up and tossed in just about everything.

Strawberry season that’s always just too short. Intoxicating in their sweetness. Deep red from all the way through the inside. So delicate you don’t even need to dig out the hull.

A visit with Teeto the Chihuahua. He loves to lean up against you and close his eyes as you scratch his ears. No one will show you the joy that comes from living in the moment more easily than a canine companion.

Blooming, fresh, white hydrangeas.

Mint greeting me from my front window box. I’m muddling it into cocktails, slivering it up for salads and blending it into smoothies.

And finally, the first three egg day in a long while. They complement each other just perfectly, don’t you think?