I've been getting out more this summer; not only doing curbside pickups, but going to parks, which is rejuvenating, as well as having a destination. With the holiday this weekend, I won't be able to do that until at least the middle of next week, but that's OK. I need to go sketch and photograph some roses for the hummingbird painting, which is underway, so maybe I'll do that next week, depending on the weather. The painting is going well & I'm happy with it so far. The background came out exactly like I wanted and now I'm nearly done with a tree trunk I've added to the background to give some depth. The roses will probably be the most complex component, as I need to get the leaves and flowers arranged in a pleasing manner. I have some ideas on how to do that and hopefully seeing some real ones close up with help with that.
Basil is doing fine now and with the air conditioning working so far this summer, I'm not as worried about him as I was last year, when I was fearful of him overheating. Since he has longer fur, I wasn't sure how that was affecting him, but thankfully he was alright through the season. He's a big fan of willow balls to chew on, so I try to keep them continually on hand. They usually last a few weeks, maybe a month, depending on how energetically he chews. I recently ordered a new batch of 5, so that should keep him busy for awhile.
I've also been thinking of getting some new plants, but have to plan for the temperatures and won't order from long distances, with the slower rate of mail travel. Prices have also gone up since last year, so I'm trying to narrow down what ones I want most. There's one called a Persian Shield which has pretty leaves which are almost metallic. Another is a polka dot plant, but it seems to be harder to find this year and more expensive when I do, so i may wait on that one. There's a few other candidates, so I continue to winnow down my list. Etsy is where I find the best variety with good prices, so I've been looking for places in the northern states, though so many plant dealers live in FL or CAL, which is just too far for the plants to travel. So many things to consider! There's only a limited window when it's best to ship them, so I need to make up my mind soon.
So, I'm being more active & feeling more hopeful this summer, which is a nice change.