wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

It's July, and we're officially in the second half of the year. Where does the time go?

I've been having fun in the kitchen lately. I've baked three ricotta cakes: one with strawberries and plums, one with peaches and blueberries, and one with strawberries, peaches, and blueberries. Two were gifted to friends, and I kept one to share with my son and daughter-in-law.

What else have I been making? Zucchini blueberry muffins, a fresh zucchini-corn-tomato medley, and green beans, onions, and potatoes cooked with bacon to accompany steaks on the grill. As you can tell, it's peak summer vegetable season, and I'm embracing it wholeheartedly.

At the moment, a heat dome has settled over the area. It's been oppressively hot and  our afternoon walks have shifted to the early morning hours. The neighborhood dog walkers are keeping their outings short, strolling only a few houses at a time and letting their pups walk in the grass to avoid burning their paws. The street near my yoga studio was recently blacktopped, and the difference in temperature between the sidewalk and the road is very noticeable. Whew!

As shown on this map from the New York Times, the state of Ohio is covered in red.

Working at the farm continues to be a joy. For the past few weeks, the question we've heard most often has been, "When are you getting corn?" As of Monday, the answer is: now! We finally have sweet corn, and there are lots of happy customers.

I didn't take many photos this week, but I did spend some time doing a little photo shoot with my coneflowers.