Yet another gorgeous morning greeted us on our first morning foray into the backyard garden with Jack and Jill. The extreme humidity has been lifted, and it won't be as hot today as it has been the last few days, so that's a nice relief.

We wander about the gardens to see what's happening in the world of plants and flowers, giving Jackie and Jillie time to do the same before breakfast, then repeat after breakfast for obvious reasons.

Everything is coming along nicely in the gardens. The sunflowers that we credit feeding area birds overwinter with are on the cusp of blooming and so are the giant dahlias that I planted in early spring. The California poppies crowded into a portion of the front garden that they colonized over the years have begun their luxuriant bright-pink bloom, and the lilies are also abloom.

I raided the garden this morning for cherry tomatoes, parsley, chives, a bit of sweet basil and a small twigs-worth of rosemary and set about preparing a potato salad for tonight's dinner. Into the salad along with potatoes goes chopped Vidalia onion, crisp celery and halved tomatoes. The finished product is piled onto a bed of lettuce, and into a well made in the salad nestles Sockeye salmon moistened with dressing. Parsley tops it all.

Since my husband loves hard-boiled eggs, a few are prepared and chopped to sprinkle over his portion of the salad when it is served, though usually I prepare them as devilled eggs. No fuss and bother come dinner-time, though, and fresh strawberries will cap the meal.