One of the best things about summer in sunny Southern California, no matter whether you reside at the beach, the inland valleys or in the mountains, is that cool, refreshing ocean breeze that blows through late in the day.

Sweet days of summer; jasmines in bloom, July is dressed up and playing her tune. When I come home from a hard day’s work and you’re waiting there, not a care in the world. Summer breeze makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind. (“Summer Breeze” – Seals and Crofts – 1972)

It feels really good to finally have all of last winter’s storm debris cleaned up. And thanks to the local fire safe council for once again bringing their chipper to Motley Manor to chip away at my gargantuan pile of downed limbs and branches. Now that the winter mess is cleaned up and all the weeds whacked away, I can finally get down to tending to my thirsty roses, daylilies and vinca.

Back when I was growing up in the OC, Dad used to greet me bright and early at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning with “Up and at ‘em!” It was one of his old Army sayings. What he meant to say was, “Get your lazy rear out of bed and start pulling up all the weeds in the garden and, when you’re done with that, don’t forget to rake up all eucalyptus leaves in the driveway.” Good grief, I didn’t know there was a 7 o’clock in the morning, too.

I hated doing all of those chores, but I have to admit that it was good training. These days, yard work is second nature to me and something I actually look forward to after my long, hard half-week of work, which nowadays is mid-week on Tuesday when the paper is sent to the printer. I thought I was fully retired 20 years ago but, with the way the economy is today, it looks like a lot of us will still be working until we assume room temperature.

Anyway, keeping up with the yardwork not only gives me a chance to keep my property fire-safe, but also affords me the opportunity to commune with nature.

Let me tell ya about the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees and moon up above and a thing called love. (“The Birds and the Bees” – Jewel Atkins – 1965)

Now that I’ve got the yard under control, it looks like I will be spending the rest of the month painting one of my rental properties so I can sell it before the market crashes again. Junior always criticizes me for painting it the old-fashioned way, with a brush, which is how my pappy taught me to do. I may be a real slop artist, but I get the job done, and again I’m outside, communing with nature.

Enjoy the rest of your summer, especially those summer breezes.

Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.

Keep it flyin’

Uncle Mott