Not the Canicular Yet, But Pepa's Feeling It

When I'm tired and not particularly inspired, Pepa blogging usually can perk me up, and Pepa sure doesn't mind the exposure! She clearly likes to pose, especially when she can be in a usually 'forbidden zone' such as this first shot taken on the steps leading up to the front of our house. Ordinarily, unless both of us are working out front, she's not allowed to venture out this far from the back yard, so when she actually gets to come out front, I suspect she thinks she's earned a very special reward. And most of the time, she is very obedient and stays pretty close to one of us at all times, unlike the Pepa of yesteryear who could be counted upon to take off in an instant ... Wisdom does seem to have come as she has aged, and these days she's really trustworthy ...
This second shot was taken on a pure whim, and it's certainly not the best photography I've done, but it really captures another Pepa moment ... when I was grilling outside last night, she had gone in the house for a drink and then decided to stay in. Though pretty soon, as the smell of the burgers on the grill made it her way, here she was peering out the door at me as if asking 'Dad can I come back out now?' Of course Dad had to oblige her ....
So here she is a few minutes later, relaxing on the wet concrete where I'd just watered the plants a bit earlier. Although it wasn't particularly hot Sunday (unlike today and the next few to come), she seemed to think this was a welcoming spot to rest and watch what was going on with the grill. Around her, you see the remaining perennials waiting to get planted this week, as well as a few of the houseplants that summer outdoors on or near the "patio," that slab of concrete surrounded by weeds (we have to deal with that soon!). A couple of weeks ago it was filled with plants waiting to go in, so it's looking much less encumbered now that I did a bit of tidying up yesterday. It's still a mess, but less of a mess now!