A few more tips to pass along for the hot weather program. I was reminded to be sure to tell playground bound people to watch out for hot slides and other metal equipment. Burns can happen almost instantly as often it’s your skin right on the hot metal parts. Also, beach sand can get up to burn temperatures once the hot sun is out for a period of time. Wet feet on super hot sand can cause steam burns. I should probably wait until winter to suggest you not put your tongue on the flag pole. We will not have to worry about the above listed sun problems at that time.

It is getting very close to that 4th of July time of the year. Hot weather, fireworks, flags, strawberries and blueberries all seem to float together in one’s mind. Most of us have our favorite way to take in those locally grown strawberries and even the ones at the grocery store seem to be better this time of the year. I will share my new favorite way to enjoy strawberries and that is with “Strawberries and Cream Pancakes”. (Be sure to read recipe first to be sure you have everything you need on hand). The recipe says it serves 4 but that may not be the way you eat pancakes.

Make the GLAZE first so it is ready to put on the fresh pancakes. In a small mixing bowl put 4 ounces of softened cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and 4 Tablespoons of milk. Stir until smooth and creamy. Add more milk or powdered sugar as needed to get a syrup like consistency. Slice strawberries and add a bit of sugar so they can sweeten; about 2 Tablespoons of sugar per cup of sliced berries. You decide how many berries on your pancakes will make you a happy camper. If you make well ahead of time, refrigerate and take out about half hour before making the pancakes.

PANCAKE BATTER: Add 2 cups of Bisquick, 2 large eggs, 1 cup milk and 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Stir until just combined. Fold in 1 cup of diced strawberries. Cook pancakes in your usual way of preparing them.

SERVING: Place glaze on fresh hot pancakes and sprinkle on the sweeten strawberries. If you want to take it a step beyond, spread Nutella on the fresh, hot pancakes, then the glaze and fresh strawberries. Now that is the meal of Kings and Queens!

The new Orange Tabby cat, Pumpkin, is getting used to his new home. He still is not a great fan of men so that will need to be worked on. He has a few different moves and that includes sitting in high places and trying to climb curtains. Probably the curtains needed to come down so he could see outside while sitting on the backrest of the office chair. He also requires the right amount of wet cat food on his daily dry food. I sure did not know how many different kinds of wet cat food was available. Some of it looks better than canned human food!

These sure are trying times to keep our plants happy. I have been giving my hanging baskets about a gallon every day. One of the best ways to do hanging plants, if you are not sure how much they need, is to give them a large amount of water and have a bucket or container underneath to collect any run off. Another way is to take them down and soak them in a tub or container of water. However this requires strong arms to remove and let them drip before rehanging. It does an excellent watering job but it may require extra help in doing so. Also be sure you are deadheading if needed so your blooms continue. If the water seems to be running off the plant surface, add a few drops of liquid dish soap to a gallon of water; it breaks surface tension. Frozen drinks seem to do that job for humans.