Welcome summertime! The weather is warm and ready for us to move our activities outdoors. For me that means gardening – in all it’s forms, tending to the flower beds and planting the kitchen potager. It means, al fresco meals out on the veranda and evenings by the outdoor fireplace. Summer days and evenings are so full by nature, primarily because of the extended daylight hours which we all like to take full advantage of. Summer also means, fresh foods as roadside vegetable stands start to pop up. The abundance of fresh produce alone is conducive to so many wonderful recipes and what can beat a warm tomato plucked right from the garden? So many of my very favorite recipes are listed in my “From the Kitchen” section, be sure to look them up! Whatever your favorite summertime activities are, and where ever your summer travels may bring you, I hope you remember to set aside time to savor some of the simple joys of this season. Watch fireflies at night, smell the air after a summer storm, enjoy the plethera of early morning birdsong, walk barefoot through dewy grass or pick bouquets of wildflowers. These are just some of the things that belong to summertime and she is ready and willing to share all of this goodness. Enjoy all the moments!