The greenhouse at a Nursery on Rte. 176, Crystal Lake, IL

Summer, as my friend Coleridge waggishly writes, has set in with its usual severity. ~ Charles Lamb

Today's Joy: Air-conditioning.

Whew! Reader, northern Illinois has turned into a greenhouse this week. The air is so thick with water that a mist has been hanging low over the cornfields well into late afternoon. Add to that the sweltering 90+ degree temperatures and all I can stand to do is come home from work and sit in the AC. Forlornly, I peer out the windows at my plants, who are in ecstasy and growing with great enthusiasm. Even the cat has been turning up his nose at going outside.

Alas, such is the price we must pay for experiencing such a glorious summer. Hope you're enjoying it, Reader. Seems to be especially delightful this year. And I've relished every moment--even the sticky ones.

Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. ~ Russel Baker

Passion Flower Vine on Bird Trellis

Today's Joy: Horticultural Housekeeping.

I thoroughly enjoyed my day off, Reader. After spending a leisurely morning sipping cappuccino and getting caught up with online stuff, I got out my trowel and repotted the last of my new plants. The gorgeous double-ruffled apricot hibiscus tree (a gift from Aunt) is in full bloom (see below) and looks very smart in its new pot. And my much talked-about passion flower, which has finally finished blooming, also has new digs. When I went to unwind its vines from the small bamboo trellis, I found they were already long enough to cover the new, larger trellis I planned to use. Now it looks twice the size it did.

I also fussed a bit with my Boot Garden and circled the house to snap shots of everything newly-opened. It still amazes me how much things change week to week and sometimes even day to day. Below, for your enjoyment, dear Reader, are the best of the shots I took today.

Boot Garden Reloaded

(New additions include Curly Wurly (pink pot on left) & Lime Bicolor Petunias (yellow pot on right.)

Apricot Double-ruffled Hibiscus Blossom

Freshly Potted

Apricot Double-ruffled Hibiscus

Iron Trellis

From the Top

Begonia Basket

Stackable Mini Herb Garden

(Little green shoots on lowest level are baby Basil plants.)

Lily

Herb Garden

Lilies Just Open

Herb Garden

Lily

Passion Flower Repotted

(After unraveling the vines & affixing them to a larger trellis, the plant seemed to double in size.)

Gerber Daisy

Today's Joy: Height of the Growing Season.
It's hot today, Reader. You can feel it in the air when you step outside--that heavy, wall of humidity. We're about to hit the dog days of summer. So, before it gets so hot I can't stand myself, I'm taking a good look around at the lush, summer landscape. The evenings are still cool. The Japanese beetles have yet to emerge from the ground to devour our roses. The grass is still vivid, emerald green.

Hard to believe spring is already over and this past week marked the longest days of the year. It's all shorter from here! But that's okay too. Just part of the life cycle. Season to season, we ebb and flow and move with the rhythm of the earth as our little planet circles the sun. Such a precious gift, life. To be blessed enough to live in the safest country in the world, with the best medical care and opportunities available, and where we are free to make our own choices and live as we wish is simply amazing. The odds of that happening randomly are staggering. Just something to keep in mind when you're feeling a little mistreated by life.

Here are a few lush summer photos I took in the garden this afternoon. Doesn't God do good work?


Bunny Ballerina Planter


Foxtail

Pink Gerber Daisies

Bunny's Boyfriend

More Foxtails