Hot Summer Afternoon, Butterflies and Bees

Hot and Humid.
Humid
Icky.
Give me winter!

Okay I don't want winter. I had yard work to do yesterday, I wanted to run the trimmer and do a bunch of trimming. But the humidity was at 100% and the air was a bit stifling.
So I passed on the trimming and push mowing.

I had town errands to do so I did those instead and then when I got back I decided to take some time to just sit on the couch in the A/C and read a book. I know what happens when I sit down to read a book.
I fall asleep.
Charlie helped with that.

He showed me the finer points of napping during the day.

Even with the heat of the day, some chores still have to get done. I went out and did the stock tanks, filling them with fresh water and checked on all the animals. They seemed fine and had found nice places under trees on the hill to relax and catch any slight breeze that came their way. They all looked sleepy with tails swishing at the pesky flies.

I checked the garden. The peas and the green beans needed picking. It wasn't going to happen in this heat. Perhaps early in the morning or late in the evening. But certainly not during the hottest part of the day.

I set up the fan on the porch and decided to finish up a project I'd started at the start of summer. I brought out my camera too. The butterflies and bees were busy with my porch flowers so I hoped to 'catch' a butterfly with the camera. They always bring a smile to my face when I look back on the photos in the dead of winter!

The butterflies must have known!

I think this is a swallowtail butterfly. For whatever reason, they really liked my marigolds. This one hovered around for a long time.

The sunflowers on the porch and east garden were humming with bees. I found that interesting as I figured bees only visited sweet smelling flowers. See? Little do I know!

This insect was on my Malva. I don't know what it is, but it was pretty!

Charlie was not impressed.

He laid in the sun until he was panting and then moved onto a rug on the porch and did his thing.

And I painted...on a skull.

The beans would wait one more day and then I'd just have to sort the overripe ones from the others. I think I have enough beans now to last through the winter and through most of next summer with quite a bit to spare.

I'll see if my neighbor would like any more and then I may just be done with them as the sweet corn is about to burst in on the scene. I will save seeds from the beans though. These plants this year really produced well.

The hummingbirds came to visit while I was daydreaming about cooler days.

There he/she is darting through the cosmos to swoop down on a Zinnia.

And I figured my lazy day was done.
I went in the house and tried to make beet pickles.
I'm not sure how they will come out.

I just did refrigerator pickles as I didn't want to process them in a boiling water bath with the A/C on.