Not realizing how dry the soil was, I hastily watered the plants near the cottage, some of which were already withering. This reminded me of how this task of daily watering will continue throughout the summer, at times having to water the plants twice each day. But, if I happen to complain about that, I must remind myself of the beauty they offer, not like the empty pots standing alone, without any vegetation all winter. This morning I picked half a cup full of red currants from the bushes that were planted a couple of years ago, and now they are sitting in the refrigerator, waiting to be used while I cannot decide how to use them. I noticed that the gooseberries are large but not yet ripe enough to pick.