Monday

 The blue cans are at the road full of Doug's trimmings.  He thought it was Tuesday.  NOT!  So a day early never hurts.  A day late hurts a lot.  With great thanksgiving I woke up to a decent night of sleep.  Not perfect but just great to add the word decent.  So the day started for the Russell's.

This pot held a big surprise this spring.  All the winter hardy succulents were not to be found that should have been growing.  Instead of spending more money I just dug up a Spilt Milk Hosta to fill the pot for the patio.  It worked!  Lake Superior rocks can fix anything. 

I was out and about thinking about the day and wanting to get something finished.  Just something.  So I set the goal to finish what I'm calling the butterfly garden.  The milkweed is flooding the place and there is now a fair number of zinnia plants beginning to look a bit tough.  Woo that's a great sign.  The few that look otherwise number three and then there are six more needed to finish lining the path.  So far I've counted nearly 40 well on their way.  One never has enough zinnias.  I added the 4 O'clock seed to the bed that is full of things that eventually will fill the spaces.  That is if all goes to plan as much as a gardener can be guaranteed.  It was an overcast day so what was watered yesterday is still in great shape.  

                        All three tomato plants have flowers.  Now the pollinators need to show up. 

I checked the milk jug flower farm and transplanted anything that was big enough to the butterfly garden and then started the process all over again.  It won't be long before the blue bells will completely disappear and then it's dirt time again with something that has color. 

 These little guys will grow up to be big guys.  They came from seed saved from last summer's flowers.

Right now there is one more bed to finish and this afternoon Doug and I took a trip to Kathy O's to collect the 4 dahlias that now are in line for planting tomorrow.  While we talked we spotted a bard owl sitting high in a tree.  And it felt the need to show us its flying procedures.  It was wonderful.  

                                                        Empty spaces.  Woo, Woo

                    Four Dahlias to start the process.  I'm sure in a few weeks there will be zinnias,                                                            I'll fill in with cosmos and snapdragons if I can find them.

 With a little effort, by the end of the week I'll be sitting on the patio with a glass of ice tea and a big stack of library gardening book.  

This afternoon was my last session with my PT teacher.  I've enjoyed our times together but tippy is still something to work on.  I must be careful. Then Sarah, my end-of-life planner dropped by for a signature we forgot, bringing her mother to see the garden.  We had a great visit and I hope she feels inspired to spend more time in her garden.  

Neighbor Kathy was working on a garden bench she's sprucing up for placement in a new area developing at her house.  Transforming spaces can be a lot of work.  The reward of creating something new for the summer, I think is worth the effort.  Kathy will add a lot of pillows to the bench.  

The garden has a lot of seasons.  Lately I've been thinking about the wet feet season.  Today was tie up season.  Some things think they need to sprawl.  It's time for the perennial sweet peas to get reined in with a tie up.  It happened.  It will find new ways to looked relaxed. 

Soup tonight was cauliflower, celery, asparagus and onions thickened with potato flakes all processed in the blender.  Yum.  A summer treat.  

After supper is always blog time and picture time if that didn't happen during the day.  It's been another great Monday.  I'm ready for the chair, then bed, and then Tuesday. Thanks be to God. I've got things to plant and miles to go before I sleep.