Summertime and the Blogger is Hazy

We've been having our first real spell of genuine hot weather here in the Dee Cee area - it's supposed to be into the 90's today before cooling down later in the week.

I think I must have been having a Mad Dogs and Englishmen Moment over the weekend, furiously scrambling to get the lawn done Friday and the gardens weeded and pruned Saturday (and taking new pics of peonies, roses and foxglove, which I will share if they turn out), for by Sunday afternoon, I was completely adrift, mentally. (Of course, this could also be owing to the fact that the LMC and his family deployed to Orgle Manor and there was much feasting and revelry Saturday night. But that's a different story.) I drifted off early in the afternoon and, despite the fact that I was only actually asleep for twenty minutes or so, never fully regained consciousness for the rest of the day. Indeed, all that kept me awake at all was the need to periodically go out and move the hose I was using to water the hollies.

Yesterday was more of the same, with most of the day spent in the hammock watching our pair of resident bluebirds hunting insects across the lawn. I haven't seen bluebirds around the house for a year or two and am very happy they're back, as they are one of my very favorite kinds of bird. Unfortunately, we've also got cowbirds - nasty, worthless louts that clean out the feeders and plant their young on other species. If I do indeed buy a pellet gun to deal with the rabbits (one of which I also saw this weekend, btw), I may turn it on the cowbirds as well.

Anyhoo, I wound up cooking dinner last evening and fortunately had just been tipped off by Mom about the most ridiculously easy but tasty way of preparing potatoes imaginable, which I pass along for your consideration:

PO - TA - TOES FOR DUMMIES:

- Take some new potatoes. Halve or quarter as desired.
- Put the potatoes in a bowl. Add finely chopped rosemary to taste.
- Add a small amount of olive oil. Stir until the potatoes are all lightly coated with oil.
-Place the potatoes on a tinfoil-covered cookie tin. Shove in the oven for 45 minutes at 425 degrees. Forget about them and go do something else.
- With about five minutes to go in cooking time, sprinkle the potatoes with finely chopped garlic (don't do it earlier or the garlic will burn too much).
- When removing, drain away any remaining oil.

How simple is that? And delicious, too. Of course, as always I probably added too much garlic (if there is such a thing). But I can't help it. I love the stuff. I'd use garlic-flavored toothpaste if it was socially acceptable. Mmmmmmm......garlic......[Insert Homer Simpson drooling noise here]

Anyhoo, I still seem to be feeling the effects of the heat today (as does half the blogsphere, apparently, judging by the relative lightness of posting).