Wednesday

 Two good friends...

        The Katterhenry men visit every Wednesday.  Son owns the business; dad works on Wed. with son.                      I've made a Monarch man out of dad who loves to see the garden each week. 

Garbage day, mowing day.  We never had those at my growing up home.  Times have changed.  We did mow the lawn but only when needed.  That could be mowed any day but Sunday and garbage...well, we composted everything even though I never heard the word compost.  I was given a pan of vegetable peelings at the end of meal preparation and told to throw them in the garden.  And there was a man who came around looking for tin or iron or things like that perhaps once a year.  I think the newspaper probably was used for lining peck baskets filled with eggs on peddling day when the garden products, eggs and just butchered chickens were put in the car and sold to customers in Canton. Fresh sweet corn and strawberries were sold at the road and in town for 60 cents a dz. or quart.  Eggs were 60 cents a dz. for large size. Pullet size 30 cents a dz. And we had paper drives that made money for school, and or the big war!  There were contests between grade levels to see who could collect the most.  

                                            Another flower to add to the those with character.

But now, July 16th '25 it's the middle of the week sort of day.  And all the usual Wednesday stuff is happening.  I did the morning walk, and the one big discovery was, I found the deer eating spot.  I think the garden is a deer version of the food truck.  The menu changes a lot, and they never tell me what is up next. 

                                            Nothing but sticks and one leaf for now.  
Last night it was the smallest of three Baptisma plants also known as False Indigo plants.  This one is a perennial volunteer and I'm sure it will be back next year or perhaps even this fall.  I'll give it a burr cut and fertilize it well.  Surprises! Surprises are found in the garden almost every day.  

                                            A taller version when the deer find another food truck.                                                                                No hair cut here less than two feet from the little guy.

This morning, my mind went back more than 20 years to teaching.  One of the perks was a one day a year called personal business day we could take. I almost always took that day.  My sick days piled up big time.  I was never sick.  Today, I decided to take that personal business day perk.  No work for me requiring a cold shower in the middle of the day.  No sitting on the chair only to catch my breath or needing a nap only to once again find myself out garden working. 

I checked on the Monarch caterpillar which seems to be munching away at the milkweed growing just a little bit bigger than yesterday.  All seems to be well with her or him.

                         And the yellow Swallowtail visited reminding me there is such a butterfly.  

 Grandson Eli and Kimmy and I texted.  Eli was in the process of cooking on a small backpack type camping stove.  Kimmy received a grill cheese and scrambled egg meal.  I suggested trying pancakes.  Eli popped some corn.  The menu selection is expanding. 

                    There was a grilled cheese and scrambled eggs for his mother this morning.                                                             I would say a winner of a meal.  Keep it going kiddo.  

I took some pictures, polled some weeds but that count was under ten. The piles will be picked up tomorrow.  TV watching was interesting.  I fixed my lunch with another big ice water on my side table.

                                                                            Anticipation.  
 The personal business day was going very well.  Gina texted her need to make a trip to the woods.  Our vacancy sign has been out for days with no takers.  We may need to lower our price or add more sunflower seeds to the room entrances in a remodel effort.  The Woodpile Hotel managed by Gina seems to be having an upswing in business.  I offered the garden bunny a ride to the woods, but that offer wasn't accepted.

                    Six Canna are beginning to show their stuff.  There will be many more very soon.                      The Japanese Beetles are taking a break.  I think the cooler temps might have something to do                         with that.  I know they will be back.  The soapy water is waiting for their bath taking.

The rest of the day was pretty easy.  And my advice to all who are on this blog trip with me...a personal business day isn't a bad thing.  In fact, it's a pretty good thing.  Try it.  You might like it.  

                                    The off limits Brier Rabbit Cabbage Patch is doing very well.  

Yes...the Fever won last night.  Yes,yes.  And they play again tonight.  This weekend is the WNBA  All Star game right here in Indy.  So that makes about a 6 day regular scheduling break.  Go Fever! 

Now the deer had something to do with this flower bed.  I'm not complaining.  You see the white flocks.  There were more in front of them, but the deer nipped the flower buds.  They have regrown, are a bit shorter and when blooming soon they will not cover the taller flowers.  I usually trim the flocks and asters to create a bed like this if I don't forget. Most years I forget. Some years the B Eyed Susans get a trimming to avoid a flop over.  I got help this year but never the B E S girls.  The leaves are a big rough. 

                                         Slow but oh, so good.  I guess Rome wasn't built in a day. 

    The chicken wire is bunny protection for the Cosmos which are getting ready to bloom very soon.       Cosmo flowers are usually fall bloomers.  This is a crazy summer with crazy weather.  Go figure!

 Near the beginning of this blog entry, I mentioned the big war.  Another thing school children did was collect as many milkweed filled seed pods as we could.  Burlap filled bags came to school which were then used somewhere to make parachutes for the soldiers who were para-a-troopers.  No one talked about Monarch Butterflies!  Para-a shouts were more important at that moment in time.

Another Wed. another blog entry, another mowing and garbage day, another of many another's.  God is good for the many another's that have peppered my life.  And I'm looking forward to more another's that are planned to come my way. I hope that is true for you, my reading friends as well.