Life: It Goes On - July 14

Good morning from sunny, hot Omaha. At least our mornings and evenings have been cool enough to enjoy breakfasts and evenings on the patio. There has been much reading on the patio this past week. I've posted, on Twitter and Facebook, pictures of what I'm reading and my cocktail of choice that evening. As a joke, I suggested that I should start a feature on the blog showing beverage and book pairings.

It's been a quiet week here at Chez Shep - we had absolutely nothing on the calendar. I did pick up a free ticket the other day to the U.S. Senior Open from the company I work for so The Big Guy enjoyed spending the day watching some great golf Thursday. Friday night there was a free blues concert downtown and last night we got together with friends and enjoyed dinner at a dive restaurant on the riverside. So relaxing!

Here's What I'm:

Listening To: I'm still listening to Henning Mankell's The Man From Beijing. I'm hoping to finish it this week. Next up, I think, will be Tom Perrotta's The Abstinence Teacher.

Watching: Under The Dome but I'm about to give up on it. I know there are changes that need to be made with adaptations and I know that King has approved the changes. But the changes have, for me, fundamentally changed the story.

Reading: I started The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau and will go straight from it into her The Chalice for an upcoming TLC Book Tours review. Philippa Gregory fans, this one's for you!

Making: Peppermint iced tea with the peppermint I'm growing in my herb wagon. So refreshing!

Our artist, bike-riding crazy-fun niece!

Planning: Dinner tonight with my niece who is coming into town to go to a concert with Mini-me. I love that my 21-year-old son and his 36-year-old cousin want to hang out together! She's getting ready to move to California so we're glad to get to see her before she takes off. Now I just have to figure out a gluten-free menu, something I've never worked around before. Any suggestions?

Grateful for: Air conditioning - this girl does not handle the heat well right now.

Loving: Fresh produce straight from my gardens. Banana peppers, cherry tomatoes, rhubarb, herbs - I can hardly keep up already with these.

Thinking: Summer should last longer. I love the longer days, the lazier pace (this is what happens when your kids are all grown up!), and the lighter eating.

Looking forward to:Book club this week - we get to Skype with our friend who has just returned from a trip to Africa. I'm thinking we won't talk very much about the book, though, which is a shame because we read Amor Towle's Rules of Civility which is such a good book.