• After a longish wait, the first little bloom on the four o’clocks has appeared. I planted these from seed in the Memorial Garden. But, as you remember, we didn’t get around to creating the Memorial Garden until late May/beginning of June, so everything that was planted from seed is going to bloom late in the summer. That includes the morning glories and moonflowers, so let’s cross our fingers that we don’t have an early frost this year. Pretty please?

• It’s been a busy couple of days. On Monday, in the midst of the euphoria that is the rare day without excess humidity and temperatures in the mid-seventies, I mowed: the corrals, the grass in front of the corral, the section of lawn by the shed, and the entire front yard. I had my iPhone in my pocket to check on my step count/mile total. It was about 2½ miles. I was pretty darned tired when I finished but I was also energized.

Until I crashed.

But it sure looks good out there! Yesterday I ran all sorts of errands and then went on a 1½ mile trail walk with Don. I’m trying to lose weight, which gets increasingly difficult the older I get. I’m not happy with the way my body looks at the moment, though Don assures me I look great. Bless him. Nevertheless, I want to lose weight and I want to get used to trail walks so that they become part of my almost-daily experience with the hope that I will continue them in the fall and winter. Because winter tends to be my sedentary downfall and I want to change that.

• I saw a gorgeous Monarch flitting around the big garden bed the other day, right after I’d seen an Eastern Swallowtail. Fortunately, Don happened to be outside, so he saw it, too. For once, I didn’t run for my camera. I just let him be. So, so beautiful.

• We’re back to watching old episodes of Inspector Morse, after a two week Olympic binge. Morse has a problem with women, doesn’t he? He starts seeing women who are involved in one of his investigations, which surely is a no-no, or he falls for a woman much too quickly, which leaves Don and I saying to the screen, “Stop. Don’t do it. It isn’t appropriate.” We’ve known a couple of guys like Morse and they never seem to learn, do they?

• I can hear a mourning dove calling as I write this. Our lone dove who has lost her mate was sitting on the edge of the birdbath the other day. I always want to go and comfort that dove, though I know I’d just scare her off and she’d fly away. The pair of doves are still hanging around, as well.

• I saw a bunny eating our grass yesterday morning. Not baby bunny, but a bunny. Baby bunny had a white mark on her forehead. I haven’t seen her since the temperatures went sky-high last month.

Missing my critters.

Happy Wednesday.

I love looking at the lawn just after it’s been mowed. In this case, by me, on Monday. I mowed this side of the lawn (and it’s much bigger than this photo indicates.) Don stepped in and did the other side. Now we have to tackle the corrals and the back forty. It takes a minimum of two days to mow all of our grass, sometimes longer. And we do it with a gas-powered push mower, not a riding mower. Even if we could afford a riding mower, I don’t think we’d invest in one at this point. The exercise is really good for us.

Checking out the gardens:

The first Black-Eyed Susan (or Brown-Eyed Susan, it seems to be called both) opened up the other day. There are many more to follow. I suppose I could simply call it Rudbeckia, and solve this problem.

If you look at the upper left hand corner of the coneflower, you’ll see a little bee, nicely blending in with the flower.

I can’t stand it, this is so beautiful.

All of the hostas have blooms now.

The liatris will soon be blooming. There are more spikes than ever this year, which makes me happy.

The morning glories are starting their climb up the chicken wire fence (this is in the Memorial Garden.)

Also in the Memorial Garden – moonflowers climbing up the trellis.

Since yesterday gave us temps in the mid-eighties rather than the mid-nineties, I spent most of the day outside. I cut back the catmint to encourage a second bloom, I weeded, I tried to tame the crown vetch, which likes to take over, I cut back the wild roses near the maple tree – I did a lot of ‘garden maintenance.’ It looks a lot better out there now.

And we meandered up to the back forty,

where we picked another bowlful of black raspberries!

Sort of a perfect day for yours truly. I ended it tired, but happy to have been out in the garden, with the little bunny chomping on grass at a safe distance. Until I apparently got too close and he ran up to the back forty. He’s dining on the grass outside our living room window as I write this post.

Happy Wednesday.