It was not so very long ago that we were chugging along in our chukka boots or sporting our fleece-lined Uggs, and now suddenly we are barefoot and wearing minimal clothes. Well Summer is just around the corner, arriving this Saturday … it sure feels like it is here already – whew! When I stepped out of the house this morning to leave for my walk, I glanced over at my neighbor Marge’s deck to check out the thermometer … it read 75 degrees and it was only 7:30 a.m. My eye caught the beautiful dark purple Jackmanii clematis climbing up the trellis in Marge’s yard and crawling along the fence between our respective houses and I couldn’t resist snapping a picture – they are just beautiful aren’t they? The larger clematis blooms in the foreground are from a potted plant I had enjoyed all Summer many years ago. That Fall we planted the large clematis in Marge’s garden near the fence to see if it would “take” and return to wow us in the Spring. It did and has since never failed to disappoint. My daily treks take me through several neighborhoods and the perennials are blooming much later than usual due to the harsh Winter, so hopefully, they all come back eventually. For sure the hibiscus and other tropical varieties of ornamental bushes and trees are thriving in this heat and humidity. As to me, I returned home from a short walk feeling much like the Wicked Witch of the West when she slowly melted into a pool on the ground.