Conversations with Kav – Chasing Sunbeams – Summer Blog Tag + Giveaway

Here’s a fun little Q&A tag that Stephanie shared in a comment this week and challenged me to give it a go. So here w are. You can read her answers here: https://stephaniesninthsuitcase.com/2025/06/15/chasing-sunbeams-summer-blog-tag/

And compare them to mine here:

What’s a book you read with a summer vibe?

I can’t say for certain if this one is set in summer but this book has been on my mind and is definitely going to make it into my reread pile this summer: A Shore Thing by Julie Carobini. I mean it has a dog called Moondoggy! An endangered piece of shoreline with the hero and heroine on opposite sides of a development project. So angst riddled, but funny too. My first Julie Carobini!

If you could travel anywhere this summer, where would you go?

Ireland!!!! Irish born, Canadian reared but there’s a huge chunk of my heart that sill belongs to the ‘ol’ sod’ and I would head there in a heartbeat. A cottage by the sea would be nice, especially since they have had some unseasonably hot weather the last few years. But close to a village with a bookshop and a library and a quaint stone church and I’d be all set for the summer!

What poem or quote reminds of you the summer?

Okay, so I might have gardening on the brain and for me, gardening is summer! I just happen to collect gardening quotes in a little gardening journal and here are a few favourites:

“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.” – Alfred Austin

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” – Audrey Hepburn

“Gardening is an instrument of grace.” – May Sarton

“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero

Describe your favourite summer memory.

The summer I was nine and discovered Edward Eager’s magic books at the library. I read them all multiple times over the summer. Half-Magic, Magic by the Lake, Knight’s Castle, Seven-Day Magic, Magic or Not? The Well-Wishers. They opened up a whole new genre for me and led me to E. Nesbit (Five Children and It is still my favourite!) and Narnia, of course. What a magical summer! Up until then I’d mainly read realistic fiction and the occasional sci-fi.

Your ideal summer if filled with ______, _______ & _________.

Books, Gardening, and Merry Dairy Vegan Ice Cream! 🙂

What is your favourite summer food?

Strawberry rhubarb pie! Ohh and peach pie! And cherry tomatoes right off the vine. Peas and yellow beans.Fresh salads every day. Fresh locally grown fruit. Watermelon!!! And the aforementioned Merry Dairy Vegan Ice Cream.

Favourite summer activities?

Why reading, of course. (Is anyone surprised?) And gardening (bet you didn’t see that one coming!) Going to local fresh food markets. The Highland games! Walks along the canal. Summer theatre in the park.

What is a song that reminds you of summer?

Um….I’m too busy reading to listen to music. The only thing that comes to mind is Eensy Weensy Spider — bwahahaha!

What are you must excited for this summer?

Ummm….Summer Book Bingo, of course! 🙂 (shameless plug) And loading up my wishlist with all the summer releases I’m going to find during Reader’s Choice Week. Eeeeeeppppppp!!!!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

Well, that was fun! Now it’s your turn – answer one of the questions (or more) in a comment to be entered in a giveaway – $10 Baker Book House gift card for US readers or $10 Amazon gift card for Canadian readers. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday June 28 2025.

53 thoughts on “Conversations with Kav – Chasing Sunbeams – Summer Blog Tag + Giveaway”

  2. If I could travel anywhere this summer, it would be Switzerland. The mountains, the food… oh I love it all! And favorite summer activity – napping! Yes, for this teacher, naps are prime priority!!!

    kathrynlvossATgmailDOTcom

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    1. Interesting. I don’t think immediately of Switzerland when I think of travel spots for some reason, but you’re right. Stunning scenery and I’m thinking a bit more laid back European tourist experience. I mean, everyone goes to Italy and Spain and France, Mediterranean cruises etc but you don’t hear people speak about Switzerland that much. I might have to take a little vacation from my Irish cottage and go to Switzerland during my dream summer. 🙂 Good luck, Kathryn!

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  3. What’s a book you read with a summer vibe?

    BATTER OFF DEAD by Maddie Day takes place in the summer time with talk of July 4th and fireworks, which always make me think of summer.  I was amazed when I starting think about this question how many books I’ve read are fall or winter books.  I think maybe I need to add this to my things to read list.

    If you could travel anywhere this summer, where would you go?

    For me, it would be a trip back to Alaska.  While we went last year, I just didn’t get my full of it.  😊

    What poem or quote reminds of you the summer?

    It’s hot as blue blazes! Sso reminds me of my Grandmother.  Living in the country all those years ago meant no air conditioning.  Visiting in the summer when dad was on leave when we were use to the mild temperatures of the coastline of CA, it was indeed HOT!

    Too hot to turn on the stove – meant there might be sandwiches for supper.

    Describe your favorite summer memory.

    As an Army brat and stationed in CA while all our relatives lived in the south, summers were for traveling back to visit them all.  It was where I learned about gardening, canning and farm life at my grandparent’s farm.  It was picnics in the park, croquet, and homemade ice cream where I was the one designated to sit on the blanket on top of the churn to hold it down.  Traveling there we were all excited and dad would drive straight through.  Going home wasn’t so exciting, but it was the only time we ever spent the night in a motel.  My parents always found a small motel that had a pool too!

    Your ideal summer if filled with ______, _______ & _________.

    My ideal summer is filled with homegrown veggie and fruit, taking photos – whether while sitting on our front porch of our daily critter visitors or traveling someplace to get something new, and by all means reading the next great book – on the front porch with fans on and cool drink at hand or in the comfort of the a/c in my recliner, there’s so many books on my TBR list that I’m never without something to read.

    What is your favorite summer food?

    Fresh veggies straight out of the garden, fruit right off the tree or bush and homemade ice cream freshly churned – vanilla or with some of that fresh fruit blended in.

    Favorite summer activities?

    Favorite summer activities are photography and traveling in order to take more photos and to see new sights, which usually means marking items off our bucket list.

    What is a song that reminds you of summer?

    It may sound funny but, for me, there are two.  They are Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport and Ring of Fire.  In 1963, on our annual trip back to the south, these two songs were all we heard I think for the whole trip there and back.  Back then with no satellite signals for radio, you only had a station to listen to while within range to a bigger town.  We would get a signal, hear these two songs and then the radio would go dead.  Next signal, we would repeat the two songs and go dead on and on.  Those two songs are embedded in my head as summer songs.  😊

    What are you must excited for this summer?

    Last year we did some extensive traveling, which was totally amazing and marked lots off our bucket list.  To do that, means you aren’t home much making it impossible to have a garden and lots of perennials.  This year, we made the decision to stay more at home and have our vegetable garden and more flowers than our annuals.  We are already enjoying sweet banana peppers, okra, squash and the tastiest tomatoes ever (or many just seems so because we have missed them the last two years).  We’ve been able to sit on the porch and enjoy the beauty of all the flowers too.  Will we travel this year?  Of course, it will just be closer to home and shorter amount of time.  Where will we go, at this point neither of us have an idea as to where to go.  It will be nice to just go by the seat of our pants instead of planning on trips a year in advance.

    Thank you for the chance.  Have a sensational Sunday and may it hold all you wish it to!

    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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    1. You are so right, Kay. The books I kept thinking about were autumn or winter reads. Not sure if that’s what I typically gravitate to or more books are set during those seasons. Maybe authors/publishers thinks it’s more likely that readers would be more focused on books during the cooler months? And I love Maddie Day!!!!

      I imagine it could take a life time to explore Alaska the way it deserves…especially with all the photographic opportunities for you!

      I had to look up ‘hot as blue blazes’ – not a term I’ve ever heard before I guess because it comes from the South and Appalachia. Didn’t get the ‘blue’ part until I read the definition about the hottest part of a flame being the blue part. So, you taught me something today and I will cheerfully being saying ‘it’s hot as blue blazes’ this week ’cause we’re climbing into the high 90s with humid bringing it up to 116 F for the next couple of days and, like your grandmother, I don’t have air conditioning!

      I love your childhood memories of summer! Sounds idyllic — storybook worthy. What a blessing!

      Love your ideal summer list…think I might have to join you on the porch. Maybe you can teach me some photography tips. 🙂

      I’m with you on all the fresh fruit and veggies! Everything tastes sooooo much better! It’s almost not worthy buying fresh food in the winter up here because it’s been picked before it’s ripe and then shipped for days to reach us. Just doesn’t taste the same.

      You have a talent for photography so I can see why summer would be such an exciting time to capture the next great picture. I love pouring over nature photography, being able to see God’s creation up close.

      Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport?! Bwahahaha! So funny that those two songs were the only ones that seemed to come through on your road trips. Now I have to google the kangaroo song.

      The gardener in me is jealous of your earlier growing season. I have a couple of tomato plants just beginning to flower but most of my harvest is later in the summer and into the fall aside from salad stuff. Happy impromptu traveling this summer, Kay. And good luck with the giveaway.

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  4. A book with a summer vibe – Indigo Isle by TI Lowe

    Place I’d like to visit – Edisto Island (hubby & I went there & had a super relaxing time. Can walk across the street from your beach house with your books & read on the strand, ride bicycles, eat seafood, etc)

    Summer Quote – “Some of the best memories are made in flip-flops”

    Favorite summer memories – Visiting friends as a child, picking corn, & swimming in the creek!

    My ideal summer is filled with books, flowerbeds, & family gatherings

    My favorite summer food is ice cream, fresh peaches, and cantaloupe

    Favorite summer activities – reading, working in my flower bed, going to the beach, and our huge 4th of July BBQ with family, watching baseball w/ hubby

    Song that reminds me of summer – Surfin’ U.S.A & Take Me Out to the Ballgame

    What Am I most excited about this summer? – Reader’s Choice Week & adding to my TBR, of course!!

    Thanks for the fun, Stephanie & Kav! ♥ Have a wonderful summer!

    dianalflowers at aol dot com

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    1. Oops…is this where I confess that I still have Indigo Isle on my TBR as yet to be read? Sounds like this summer is the perfect time to check this one off my list…finally!!!!!

      I had to google Edisto Island — gorgeous!!! the roads with the canopy of trees covering them — talk about old world charm. I wonder what kind of trees they are? All those gnarly branches reaching up and over…perfect Gothic setting, don’t you think?

      Ouch, I cannot wear flip-flops but I like the sentiment. 🙂 Creek swimming sounds like something out of my childhood fiction novels — so foreign to citified me. I keep thinking of the Little House books when Nellie Olsen gets covered in leeches – ewwww, no creek swimming for me!

      I’m with you on your ideal summer list — sounds perfectly, as long as the family gatherings allow you to get back to your book in a timely manner. Bwahahaha! And nothing (well practically nothing) tastes as good as a fresh peach all soft and sweet with the juice running down your chin.

      I’ll garden and read with you, Diane, but I’m skipping the baseball. And I’m not a huge beach person, mostly because I’m in the city and beaches aren’t plentiful. Well, we do have two along the river but they get so crowded it’s just no fun. And too hot these days.

      Ha! A Beach Boys song, knew they had to have a summer release…probably one of many. And hooray for another Reader’s Choice Week fan! Can’t wait to see what’s in store for us this summer. Good luck, Diane!

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      1. You will love Indigo Isle, Kav! A modern beach take of Beauty & the Beast if you can possibly imagine that. lol

        I believe the canopy of trees with the gnarly branches are Oaks. Such a beautiful place. It’s a rather quiet beach bc there are a lot of retirees who live there. I love it a lot more than Myrtle Beach bc of the peacefulness. There is definitely less to do there than MB, but I don’t care as long as I have my tote bag full of books or my Kindle with the sea waves crashing in!!

        Bc of nerve pain I can only wear Yellow Box flips bc they have arch support & cushiony heels in case anyone wants to know. My foot still hurts somewhat in those but I can’t do tennis shoes in the summer. Creek swimming was foreign to us city kids, too, Which is why I loved visiting these particular friends out of the city limits. No leeches. hahaha Unfortunately I can’t do family gatherings this yr, but hopefully next! And yes, I’m that way about having company. It takes me away from my reading. Don’t get me wrong I love it but for a limited amount of days. LOL

        I am only a fan of watching baseball games with hubby when the Detroit Tigers play. They have been hubby’s favorite team since childhood. I’m not a big watching sports on TV fan, especially football!

        I’m definitely going to need some help for RCW in the historical category bc I’m all about contemporary summer reading at the moment. 🤔

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  5. What a great summer post! My summer vibe book would be The Island Bookshop by Roseanna White. It’s a Guidepost standalone book but if you have KU it’s on there. It reminds me a lot of her dual timeline, Yesterday’s Tides minus the war angle. It’s set on the Outer Banks, a favorite vacation spot.

    We have always enjoyed vacations at the beach. I’ve been to quite a few up and down the east coast but would like to visit one I haven’t been to before, Hilton Head or St Simon’s Island.

    Some of my favorite childhood memories were when we made the 2 hour trip to my grandparents’ farm. We were city kids so the farm was magical. My grandpa was a tobacco farmer, and I can still smell it curing in the barn, a sweet smell. I wonder what Gods plan was for tobacco other than what man has used it for? I’m sure he wouldn’t grow it now knowing what we know about how bad it is for your health. He used to let me ride on his tractor with him. I remember the fields of corn growing too. At suppertime we’d have fresh corn and tomatoes, my grandma fried chicken and homemade biscuits. They didn’t have a/c so it took a while to get to sleep even though we were exhausted from playing outside all day.

    My ideal summer includes books, fresh summer produce and ice cream and water- pool or ocean.

    I’m loving the summer bingo game too. In fact, I have another bingo to email this morning. You know you are a book nerd when not only do you enjoy the book but enjoy marking that square off on your bingo card. Book It Reading Club lives on 🙂

    Loving all the answers today. It’s like a “getting to know you” icebreaker party 🙂

    Happy Sunday to all! tracey14567 at gmail dot com

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    1. Tracey, agree with you about being a book nerd. I accidentally read a book with a Bingo prompt I thought was going to be difficult for me. I was so delighted! Yep, total book nerdism. 😄

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      1. Yes! We also sat on the porch and snapped green beans for supper too, still my favorite green veggie. This prompt post suddenly has all my summer memories flooding back, I might need to get out my photo album after church and take a walk down memory lane.

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    3. Looks like The Island Bookshop is being released in paperback this July. The ebook released in May. I didn’t know it was a new release. Interesting.

      I’ve read about St. Simon’s island…historical and a suspense at least, can’t remember the authors or titles though but I remember being enchanted by the setting.

      I love your summer farm memories! I used to read about kids like you in my fiction all summer, longing for grandparents with a farm and all the adventures that would involve. Alas, I had to live the experience vicariously through the pages of my library books.

      I love how we all list books/reading make contribute to an ideal summer. I’m with you on the ice cream, nothing so refreshing on a hot summer’s day! I have some vegan (dairy allergy) strawberry rhubarb in my freezer right now. It’s divinely summery!

      I’m finding that tracking the summer book bingo is just as fun as marking off my own card. Good luck, Tracey, thanks for sharing your summer loves.

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  6. Shelling peas and snapping beans while sitting on the porch talking to my mom or grandmother. Lots of freezing and canning (very hot kitchen) of veggies. Picking and cooking plums from the two trees in our yard to make jelly. Whipped cream served on bowls of strawberries. Reading and sewing.

    Thanks to Diane for the Yellow Box flips suggestion

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    2. You’re welcome, CC! They’re thicker soled than your regular flat flip flops & they have colors to match every outfit! lol I tried Clarks & they hurt like crazy! A couple of my friends also wear Yellow Box & love them. Sorry, Kav, not book talk, but unfortunately reality sometimes brings pain. Ugh!

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  7. My ideal summer is filled with books, kids and summer sunshine!🥰 Some songs that make me think of summer are Wild Mountain Thyme and Somewhere Only We Know. (And I know this wasn’t one of the questions, but a series that I associate with summer is Janette Oke’s Love Comes Softly series. That may be because I read through the whole series, laying out in the hammock in the summer😉)

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  8. Favorite summer activities: gardening and, when it’s time for a break, reading! I’ve had a number of lovely days in the last month where I’d garden until hot/thirsty/tired, then come in a read a few chapters, then go back out again, and so on for most of the day. I find it very relaxing!

    I tend to associate Karen Witemeyer’s books with summer, probably because she used to publish in June (for close to a decade, I think). But they also all take place in Texas, which feels like a world of permanent summer to my northern perspective, and I can think of a couple of her books with Fourth of July festivities.

    rdalquist AT gmail DOT com

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    1. That’s exactly what I do too. Garden for a bit and then come in and read for a bit and then back out to the garden. Punctuated by walks around the neighbourhood while listening to a book. Best kind of day!

      I never noticed that Karen Witemeyer published a lot of her books in June — her recent fairy tale retelling came out this month so I guess June is her month! Good luck, Rachael!

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  9. Favourite summer food, my Dad always had an amazing garden, his beefsteak tomatoes were the

    best. I have never had another taste like it.

    cenyatwoathotmaildotcom

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  10. My favorite things to do in the summer are garden and read. I have mainly flowers but do have a few tomato plants and asparagus. Two of my other favorite summer foods are strawberries and ice cream.

    pmkellogg56[at]gmail[dot]com

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  11. Favorite summer food – I think it’s a bit of a southern thing, but a tomato sandwich made with vine ripened tomatoes and Duke’s mayonnaise. And while I normally choose a whole wheat or some kind of hearty bread for a sandwich, this is best made on soft white bread!

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  12. Kav, I’m currently reading a book with a definite summer vibe – The Atlas of Untold Stories by Sara Brunsvold. Road trip! 🙂 And if I could travel anywhere this summer, I’d go on a European tour – France, Italy, and Switzerland before heading up to Scotland and Ireland. (You didn’t say it had to be only one place so I’m going for it! Ha!)

    ckbarker at gmail dot com

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    1. Excellent plan — a summer long road trip through Europe and the British Isles. Ohhh, on one of those classy sleeper trains where you get your own little suite. If we’re going to dream, might as well dream big, right? 🙂 Good luck, Cheryl!

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  13. I would love to travel to Switzerland this summer. I was there about 20 years ago and would love to go back. I’d also love to go to Grand Teton National Park, although I’ll probably go in the fall when it’s less crowded. Since we live only about 3 hours or so away, we go often. It’s one of my favorite places. We might take a little side trip to Yellowstone.

    My favorite summer activities are books, gardening, and going to our cabin with our kids and grandkids. I’ll probably be doing all of them quite often this summer.

    whthomas13 at yahoo dot com

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    1. Seems like Switzerland is the popular choice for our summer jaunts! I’m picturing cool mountain air and pristine lakes. Surely they aren’t prone to the same kind of extreme heat the rest of us are, right? We might need to rent a mountain chalet and have a readers’ retreat! Good luck, Winnie!

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  14. Hey Kav, I’ve had a couple of mini vacations while I was dog/house sitting for friends. June has been busy and continues to be so. Blessings!

    psalm103and138atgmaildotcom

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  15. One food I love in the summer is getting fresh peaches, cutting them in half and baking them with a crumble topping (and maybe some honey). Plop a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top when it’s hot out of the oven. Sooo good!

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  16. What’s a book you read with a summer vibe? – Plotting Summer with Jess Heileman

    What is your favourite summer food? – Watermelon!

    Thanks for the giveaway! Jolene – iwant2save34 at gmail dot com

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  17. Summer Book Vibe:  Lulu’s Cafe by T.I. 

    Lowe

    Summer Travel – I’d love to go to Alaska

    Summer Saying: It’s hotter than a big dog

    Summer Memories – Visiting my grandparents who lived a mile from Lake Pontchartrain (north of New Orleans)

    Ideal Summer. -books, dark chocolate and friends

    Summer Food – strawberries, cherries and heirloom tomatoes…oops more than one

    Summer Activity – Reading and quilting.  

    Summer Music – Summer Breeze by Seals & Croft plus the Beach Boys

    Most Excited For:  Well, that was this past weekend.  We just got back from Mandeville on Lake Pontchartrain for our annual family reunion.

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    1. Angsty summer vibe, but Lulu’s Cafe is such an amazing book! Traveling to Alaska in the middle of a heatwave back home sounds divine! Summer saying? Hotter than a big dog?! That’s a new one for me and has me wondering where it originated, ’cause, honestly, wouldn’t a small dog standing on pavement on a sweltering day be hotter than a big dog ’cause it would be closer to the ground? lol Love the whole idea of visiting grandparents in the summer time, add in a lake, and it sounds like the perfect getaway.

      Eeeep — dark chocolate — yes, what would summer be like without it? How could I leave that off my list?! I have a local chocolate shop — a Canadian chain really – and they have divine dark chocolate marzipan bars. There’s something so decadent about eating a chocolate that’s more associated with Christmas in the middle of the summer. Am I weird? Sigh, don’t answer that.

      And now you have me craving cherries…it’s been a whole year since I’ve had any. Should be in the markets soon though. I can tell you must have air conditioning since you listed quilting as a summer activity. I can’t imagine stitching one in this heat! Wasn’t sure about Summer Breeze until I listened to it and – whoa – summer memories came flooding in. Definitely heard this one years ago. A family reunion sounds like the perfect way to kick off the summer! Good luck, Perrianne!

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  19. What is your favourite summer food? Fresh fruit – any kind, I just enjoy fruit in the summer!

    Favourite summer activities? Hmmm… enjoying the a/c doesn’t count, does it?😁 How about hibernating indoors until fall?😜 Truthfully I do enjoy gardening, ironic since I can’t stand the heat or bugs!

    What is a song that reminds you of summer? The first one that comes to mind is A Summer Song by Chad & Jeremy.

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    1. Fresh fruit in the summer tastes so deliciously wonderful! I can’t get enough of it either. I would definitely count enjoying a/c as a favourite activity (says the woman who doesn’t have a/c!) The heat does me in too — and those little ‘bitty bugs’ that fly around your hairline when you’re gardening. So annoying! Ohhhh, I had to google A Summer Song because I didn’t recognize Chad & Jeremy but, yes, I totally do recognize the song. And the artists! Oy, so adorably geeky with suit and ties and shaggy hair. Bwahahaha! Good luck, Sabrina!

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  20. What is your favourite summer food?

    Fresh blueberries and fresh tomatoes! On our family farm we grow about 10 different varieties of blueberries, and I love eating handfuls straight from the bushes. Fun fact–many people are surprised to learn that each variety of blueberry has a different taste and look.

    bookgurl60 at gmail dot com

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