The idea of having your ‘head in the clouds’ always seems to sound like it’s a bad thing. But when you have had a long day, where the minutes were glued together with sweat, duct tape and a drop of blood, then wrapped up in barbed wire for good measure, I think it’s a good thing to do. Especially if you are doing it with a fresh glass of lemonade.

We have been suffering through the normal heat and humidity of a Louisiana summer. By around 10 in the morning, it is already too hot to do too much more. But today we were blessed with a cool breeze and a sky full of clouds. Soft thunder rumbled around us, but those clouds hung on to the rain. I just needed a break, so I poured me a glass of ice cold lemonade, then headed back outside to enjoy the coolness and the clouds while it lasted.

Not sure how to make lemonade?

 

It’s easy. Here, let me show you how:

 

 

Cut 8 lemons in half, and juice them. (Be sure you grate the zest off of them, put it in the freezer and save it for another recipe!) Measure the juice (it should be approximately 1 cup – give or take).

 

 

Measure out the same amount of sugar as you have juice. For sweeter lemonade, add a bit more sugar. Put both the juice and the sugar in a saucepan. Cook on low, just until the sugar melts. Don’t boil it!

 

 

 

Pour the lemon juice/sugar mixture into a pitcher that has been topped with a strainer. Add water, leaving room for some ice. Stir. Add ice, then store in the refrigerator.

 

 

See? Wasn’t that easy? Now. Grab yourself a good book, pour yourself a glass, then go stick your head in the clouds for a few hours. Trust me – those chores can wait for just a little while!

Julie Murphree is a blogger, newspaper columnist, and speaker on all things ‘Living a Simple Life on the Farm’. She is the author of \\\'The Farm Wife – Living a Simple Life on the Farm. She and her husband have 60 acres in NW Louisiana where they actively work on living as sustainable as possible.

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