We just returned last evening from a week with our "German" kids and grandkids, who are renting a house on Lake Michigan during their 3-week stay in the States.  We had great weather, great food, and great times all week, which went by at light-speed.  Now, I'm back to reality.

     Fortunately, we had a lovely, much-needed rain last night, so everything in the gardens looks fresh and perky.  The weeds should pull easily, too, once I get through all the paperwork and e-mails that accumulated while we were away.  I've been able to mark several jobs off my to-do list(workshop confirmations, payroll, getting supplies for the trough workshop, bank, grocery, post office, laundry, get Wicca from the kennel) and next is "photograph daylilies" for our Daylily Day next Saturday.  Isn't it a shame that a daylily flower only lasts a day?  Guess that's better than "flower for an hour" (whose real name escapes me at the moment!)  While I was away, the shipment of new daylilies arrived, were potted, and are already showing strong growth.  We'll have some lovely new varities to offer, and I must be sure to grab a few for my own gardens before they are all sold!

     We are still harvesting lavender and are nearly finished clearing out the coldframe.  I need to start taking a lot of cuttings of the perennials that bloomed earlier in the season, and also of the newer lavenders.  I'm also going to collect seeds and deadhead.  Those are jobs that go on all summer and autumn, both to keep the gardens looking fresh, and to extend the bloom period on many perennials.  And, believe it or not, I still have lots of planting to do!  There just hasn't been time to do some of it yet!  I'm also planning to extend the lavender field, so I need to begin work on the plans for that.

     So, I'm heading to the gardens, camera and clipboard in hand.  While I'm there, I'll gather some herbs for a salad I plan to take to a club meeting tonight and start a new job list for tomorrow.  Optimism that I will finish the one I made for today still holds......we'll see!  Happy gardening, Carolee