There are plenty of reasons to be angry these days, as the inane Jim Crow voting restrictions are in play once again, along with equally archaic restrictions on a woman’s right to choose. Of course there is the Big Lie still being shouted by the last President to throngs of frighteningly delusional crowds, while the Senators in his pocket want us to ignore the largest attack on our Capital in history as they are culpable in its making. There are the heat waves rippling across our continent, most notably this summer in our Northwest, that overwhelming affects our brown and black neighborhoods far more than the suburbs of white Americans (listen to The Daily to hear about these measured temperature ratings). This cruel aspect of climate change is here to stay, ahead of even more destruction to our planet. The list of inequities is too long for me to even cover a fraction while the bridge between truth and untruth seemingly unbuildable now, as so many Americans aren’t willing to see the clear horizon ahead.

In my home, we are, with the deliberate intention of finding some joy, absorbing the tranquility of our backyard gardens. Blooms everywhere are making that decision an easy delight. Normally my blog is filled with 9 cents worth of advice, neatly placed between photos, but mid-July, I’ll allow you to saunter through the post, take in the lush abundance of color and shape, let the crazy world roll away and consider this day’s good flower news.

Perhaps summer days are worth letting go of all the worries we carry? With any luck, maybe this country will straighten up without your fretting. If not, you can get back to making sense of it all come August. For now, perhaps, get outside to smell the flowers.

*Photo credit goes to @mjbouvier who always has the best vision