I've been spending a lot more time outside this summer too! Trying to break out of negativity. I've had a lot of grief to cope with in the last couple of years, and being outdoors sure helps.

Speaking of cherries, would you like a great summer recipe?

I've been taking a handful of cherries, adding just a tiny bit of water, and then several teaspoons of sugar. I microwave that mix for several minutes until the cherries thoroughly cook and even liquefy. I stop a couple times to mash them for a second with a hand potato masher, just to make sure I get all the juice out. It really takes very little time.

Then, and while the cherries are in the microwave, I juice a lemon and a couple small limes.

I add the citrus juice and the homemade cherry syrup into a large mason jar filled with ice cubes. (If you want, you can wait for the syrup to cool then pick the cherry pits out of the fruit pulp and add the pulp into the mason jar too.)

Then, I shake thoroughly, taste, and add water or not until my cherry lemonade is exactly how I like it. If it's not sweet enough, I can dissolve just a little more sugar into some hot water and add that into the mason jar to adjust.

I pour that into a frozen pint glass, and enjoy it out on the porch with my cat and the sunshine. Delightful!