Welcome, Summer!

I was walking by a baseball coach last night and he was explaining to his earnest eight-year-olds that the days were growing shorter...

I almost kicked him.

Does he realize how long some of us have waited for these long, sun-soaked days????

Of course he does, he was being funny, but the solstice has come and gone and I am not ready to look forward while we're still struggling to fight off bugs, rabbits, woodchucks, deer, drenching rains, broken equipment and all the mud that goes along with it!

Nope, this is the start of something BIG up here! A season of sun and Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes and beachs and Abbott's Frozen Custard.

Burgers at Bill Gray's or Schallers....

Walking the pier at the Charlotte beach where the Genesee River flows into Lake Ontario and joins in the dance to the ocean through the great St. Lawrence River.

Of course we're still planting right now, and the grandkids are playing Little League baseball and travel soccer and I'm having so much fun running from field to field in the evening. I could stay on the farm and help or write a bit more each night, but the best part of summer is cheering the kids on! So that's my evening routine and I love it!

And the over-abundance of rain hasn't dampened everyone's spirits, my friends! Here's Lena with a reason to dance:  https://youtu.be/NaZTQURBgBA

And let's see what else we've got goin' on here today:

A walk down Memory Lane here... Cocoa Mocha and Honey-Bunny White Sox chillin' together about 18 months ago... Cocoa was hit be a car two weeks ago and Honey Bunny has been stepping in to nurse Cocoa's four babies.... and after a rough start, she's getting the hang of it. Her twins are ready for homes this week, so she's extending her mothering duties for the duration and Cocoa' s four babies are doing all right! Yay for Honey-Bunny! This is Honey with her baby boy....

I had a crew on hand today, weeding, hoeing, planting.... and homemade pizza semed like a great idea and it's not hard once you've taught yourself how to make a good solid bread dough. Or buy bread dough at your local grocery store. We have it in our "bakery" department, but I've seen it in deli sections, too!

I used my favorite bread recipe for the crust, only instead of piling everything on it, I've learned to go after it easily. It's the Betty Crocker White Bread recipe I've shared often...

But after it rises the FIRST TIME, cut it in half, shape each half into a classic round, then using knuckles, gently spread the dough out. (More on this below...)

Top with favorite topping (I made mine today, there was little choice! ))

Sauce was SIMPLE:
1 large can of Crushed Tomatoes
A generous sprinkling of  Parsley, garlic and basil leaves and then about 1/3 cup Ketchup.  Let simmer for a few minutes on stove. No long simmering needed for this.
I used on with little holes in the back.

Spread crust out gently. Drizzle with olive oil.... Using a fork, make tons of tiny holes to help keep crust soft. (It works!!!!) (I have two of those round pizza pans with tiny airholes, they do a great job of baking pizza.

Then a slathering of Parmesan cheese....

Bake in preheated 400 degree oven until almost cooked... then add sauce, cheese, pepperoni and finish baking for about 10-12 minutes, depending on your oven.

This keeps the crust soft and chewy, the kids love it without overdone cheese and everyone is happy.

Except they were all so hungry, I forgot to get pics of the pizzas when they were done! EEK!

It has been typical summer crazy here, but let's not focus on that... let's take a minute to thank God for little girls twirling in the rain....

Kids in trees...

Puppies....

New adventures and opportunities....

And the beautiful faith that strengthens us through adversity.

We are so blessed and it's always good to look on the bright side of life... to count those blessings.

Wishing you all a happy Thursday (and I'm finishing this Thursday morning because I was falling asleep last night! Good old outdoor physical exercise is an amazing thing!)

Multi-published, award-winning author Ruth Logan Herne is still pinching herself because she's living her dream of being a published author and like totally one of the coolest Grandmas on the face of the earth.... including the homemade pizza! You can friend Ruthy on facebook, follow her on Twitter, email her at loganherne@gmail.com and stop by her website ruthloganherne.com. She love to hear from readers and writers!