July Books and Library Things

 Summertime, and the reading is easy...
(Do you sense a theme to the opening line of my blog posts lately? 😄)

I saw this book at the library and thought it was really cute: There's an Owl in the Shower.
That's my kind of shower! 

There was a giant inflatable whale at the library one afternoon that you could go in. The guy who did it took it down quickly after his program, so I didn't get to go through it.

😍

I read these two books with amusingly coordinating titles at around the same time.

It Could Have Been Her was good; It's Not Her had an unrealistic and stupid ending.

Seeing this book brought back all kinds of pleasant childhood memories.

My endcap display for July was "All Aboard! Books Set on a Boat."

A local bookstore does different literary-themed wraps and seasonal drinks throughout the year. I got "The Old Man and the Sea-sar Wrap" (delicious) and the Simply Lemonade Smoothie (also delicious).

One of the best places to do summertime reading is in the hammock at the Cape house!

The House in the Pines wasn't nearly as good as I thought it would be. I was disappointed by a mystery again!

Around the Apartment in July 2026

 Summertime, and the living was easy!

I really like this screen we got for the balcony door. It allows the door to the outside to be open with the fresh air coming in, minus the bugs (for the most part).

Huckleberry sundaes, yum! 

Cheese + berries + Bonne Maman raspberry preserves = a delicious and (mostly) nutritious snack.

I'd live there!

A peaceful evening

Our neighbors directly below us had a first birthday party for their baby and set up this cute barnyard scene outside for pictures.

Banana split with huckleberry sauce. So good!

Adventures in Beekeeping (July 2026)

 When I say "adventures in beekeeping," it should be noted that I am not a beekeeper, at least not yet, but my husband is, and I'm learning more about it because of that. So I guess by association, observation, picture-taking, and the minimal level of help that I give, I'm a beekeeper of sorts. 😄 I'm a beekeeper-in-training, how about that? 

Check out all of those bees! Home sweet home for them.

There's the actual beekeeper. He didn't need to wear a suit on this visit, just the veil. We rarely need to put on the full suits. Overall, the bees are gentle and non-threatening.

I take selfies while David works in the background. 😆

We were back another day to check on da beez.

We see you under the plexiglass!

The bees were doing well.

I bought a bee house on Amazon and hung it up on our apartment balcony. Bees and other flying insects can make little homes for themselves in it. I only saw a bee at it once or twice this summer, and when I did, I took a picture. Do you see it?

Bees sure are busy bizzzee in the summer!

Wisdom, Humor, and Inspiration in July (2026)

Walking in the woods is one of my favorite things to do.

😂😂😂

"Our entire lives should be filled with the gospel of Jesus Christ..." This is a key to true peace and joy.

This hymn and its tune speak peace to my soul.

FranklinPlanner just gets me. ✔

Ever since I was a kid and read a nature book about ducks called Ducks Don't Get Wet, I've appreciated the analogy about being like a duck and not letting things get to you. This article I saw in the For the Strength of Youth magazine was a good reminder of that.

Livin' the life!

No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, this is fact-based and makes a good point.

I like Tom Homan and think he's one of the few people in government who stay true to their objective, regardless of party or pressure.

Parade of Sail

 Okay, my whole post about the Parade of Sail just got deleted, and I'm not happy about it. So this is going to be a quick, abbreviated post that's not as good as the original one, without links or emojis or my usual brilliant writing (wink—no emoji, ha ha).

On Saturday, July 11th, David and I went to see the Parade of Sail of the Tall Ships into Boston Harbor. We'd never done it before, so we didn't know what to expect. It was really fun, and worth the trip!

We watched from Castle Island. There were both tall ships and small ships. 

This was the first tall ship we saw.

This majestic ship from Germany was my favorite.

The triangular sail on this one was unique.

This one reminded me of the Mayflower.

Lots of billowing sails...

Patrolboats

Nice, full sails

Views around Castle Island. It was crowded, but not totally packed, at least not when we were there.

Do you see me? Or rather (hint), do you see the back of me?

Logan Airport was across the water.

The tall ships were awesome. But this post has been behaving very badly, and I'm glad it's done. I need to hurry and publish it before it disappears again!