I have a green apple pie in the oven, thanks to the neighbors who planted an apple tree that hangs over the fence. I picked up a box of apricots, halved them and dredged them in a honey-lime dip, and stuck them in the dehydrator. My kitchen smells amazing, like pie and sweet lime apricots.

From the garden today, I brought in giant red tomatoes, small yellow tomatoes, and orange cherry tomatoes, eight cucumbers, onions, yellow summer squash, a zucchini as big as my upper arm, jalapeños and sweet peppers, sunflowers, and a couple handfuls of blackberries growing over the other neighbor's fence.

I love this time of year. I'm literally seeing the fruits of my labors. Plus the sun and the outside time lift my spirits.