Pretty hot and humid yesterday. Early in the day, my Dad was here to garden. He set in a couple of sorrel plants that a neighbor gave me. They like shade, so I asked him to put them out back behind the deck. The soil there was hard and dry, so it was a challenge to get the holes made. I will have to work at keeping them watered. The deer have been getting more adventurous, eating the shrubs close to the house and the ends of the vegetables that stick through the fence.

It is too hot to bake and we still have plenty of leftovers, so no need to cook. I was not feeling that energetic anyway.

Becky and Kent and Ray and I were planning to go to the outdoor Beatles concert at Ashford Manor and bring a picnic supper. We could use up the salads I had left. We invited Deb and John and my Dad and a friend of Kent's and his wife. Unfortunately, they cancelled the concert because of the thunderstorms. There were two or three bands coming through--Ray was tracking them on his computer, but we didn't get any measureable amount of rain. We did invite everyone to bring their picnic food to our house, so Ray and I rushed around picking up and cleaning.

My Dad came first. He had put bourbon in a watermelon and we made room for it in the fridge. Becky and Kent and their friends arrived a little after 6. Ray was vacuuming. He finished up, cleaned the bathroom and put on a clean shirt while I stalled them outside, showing off the chickens and the garden. They had several coolers and a picnic basket to bring in.

I started making simple syrup so we could have mojitos. At that point, it was pouring and I couldn't pick the mint! Soon it let up and of course there is plenty of lovely mint. I just made up the recipe. My Mom and I had worked on it other years, but I didn't remember where we had written it down. I don't have a muddler, so I chopped up some mint and put it in a glass and then poured in some syrup. Someone had brought lots of ice, so I added rum and ice. It tasted pretty good, but it needed something. Oh, right, lime! Only one lime in the fridge, so each drink got one slice of lime. We filled it with club soda or 7-up. Not sure you can call it a mojito, but we drank them and enjoyed them--at least I did. Other people had beer or wine. We put out roasted nuts. Benna brought veggies and dip (in a plastic tray from the store). Deb and John arrived; he has just finished the last chapter of a textbook he has been writing!

We had roast chicken and pork ribs, from the store. Potato salad that Becky made (almost as good as ours). Deviled eggs. Leftover bean salad and rice salad. Old rolls. She made iced tea too. Benna also brought store bought cake and strawberries, plus I had a little chocolate cake left and some meringues. We all enjoyed it and there was lots of good conversation. It was only a little after 8, so I suggested we play cards. Benna said she liked games, but didn't play cards. I pulled out Bezzerwizzer and put every two people together--except Ray. There was a lot of explaining, but eventually we had a pretty good time. Some of the questions were very easy and some very hard. Becky and I did the worst and the Captain and Kent won by a mile.

Everyone started packing up after that, about 9:15. There wasn't a huge mess and we cleaned up a bit before watching some TV and going to bed. I started a new book that Molli gave me for my birthday: Most Good, Least Harm. It's not fiction, but it's written quite simply and I find it inspiring.