Act One of Midsummer: check. Today, Act Two.

The eventual delivery of the O’Keefe & Merritt stove has set up all sorts of subtasks. Isn’t that always the way?

Cleaning under and behind the stove. Cleaning the walls. Deciding to paint the wall before the stove arrives so we don’t have to move the stove for future painting. Picking out a paint color. Deciding I need to paint the trim around the windows as well. Don picked up the yellow paint yesterday, along with the primer. I need to buy some TSP and trim paint today.

Don came in the house yesterday and told me that he had decided that we needed to open up access to the back of the house, where the propane tank will be. So we opened up the fence, then we assessed the area directly behind the kitchen and decided we needed to pull all those weeds and perhaps put some gravel down so that there will be a flatter surface for whatever we put the tank on. Which means I may have to buy some gravel. And Don bought some pavers to make a little path in that area.

Then, as we stood outside, I asked Don if he thought it would be a good idea to take down the fence that we originally put up to keep Scout in the lower part of the corral when she began to have difficulty walking. At first, he said no because he considered it part of the Memorial Garden, but then he rethought the whole thing and we took it down.

It looks so much better! We reminded ourselves that our memories of that section of the fence are not happy ones, as Scout often fell there when she lost her balance in her final days. The memorial garden is not the fence, it’s the plants and the ribbons and the prayer flags.

I tracked this beauty to the butterfly bush, late yesterday afternoon. Since he was completely absorbed in the blossoms, I was able to snap a few pictures.

Beautiful.

Then, as I was walking around the house, I saw these tiny bugs on the milkweed plants.

Aren’t they incredible? The markings and colors are beautiful!

A closer look. I’ve just identified it. It’s a candy-striped leafhopper. They’re pesky little eaters that often feed on plant sap. I’ve never seen them before!

But they’re pretty.

I’m off to make another list. I leave a week from tomorrow, which is too soon.

Happy Wednesday.