That's beautiful. I failed with my Russian sage, maybe sometime or just buy some. It looks like Japanese beetles doing their thing on those cosmos, which are a really pretty color BTW. Do you fuss over the beetles? They make me crazy and I go out 3 or 4 times a day and drown them in soapy water. They sometimes go for my yellow cosmos, too. Just got done spraying a few plants but nothing blooming that attracts bees or ladybugs. Monarda, I suppose it depends on the variety. I'm switching to Raspberry wine but the white ones I have for this year bloomed maybe just a little over a month starting early July IIRC. They're done blooming, all mildewy and icky now so I'm trying a more mildew resistant variety, hopefully.

George, Wish you the best of luck with this seminar. If I was closer I would love to attend. A person needs to learn every day. I have several plates of seeds drying now. I've been saving 1-2 batches every night. I have to have a system where I can remove and save the seeds in an hour or so. Let us know how it went. Hope you have a large crowd. Jay

Here are some dressings/marinades for grilling. From Fine Cooking Italian Dressing Marinade Bottled Italian dressing is a popular marinade, but this is so much fresher, and you can change the herbs to suit your taste. The small amount of mayonnaise helps emulsify the ingredients. Use for steak, pork, lamb, chicken, fish, scallops, shrimp, or vegetables. Yields about 2 cups, enough to marinate 2 lb. food 2/3 cup red wine vinegar 1/3 cup dry white wine 1 tsp. mayonnaise 3 medium cloves garlic, chopped 2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano 2 tsp. chopped fresh sage 1 tsp. dried minced onion 1 tsp. dried minced garlic 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes Fine sea salt 1 cup olive or canola oil In a medium bowl, combine the vinegar and wine. Whisk in the mayonnaise until the color is milky white and there are no lumps. Whisk in the fresh garlic, parsley, oregano, sage, dried onion and garlic, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Slowly whisk in the oil until completely incorporated. The marinade will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Asian Citrus-Ginger-Sesame Marinade Most Asian-style marinades are heavy on soy sauce, but it's used just as an accent in this bright, citrusy marinade. Confectioners' sugar may seem an odd ingredient here, but it's an ideal substitute for granulated sugar because it dissolves so easily. This marinade is great for steak, pork, chicken, fish (especially salmon), shellfish, vegetables (especially asparagus and zucchini), or pineapple. Yields about 1-1/3 cups, enough to marinate 1-1/2 lb. food 1 medium orange, finely grated to yield 1/2 tsp. zest, squeezed to yield 1/3 cup juice 2 medium limes, finely grated to yield 1 tsp. zest, squeezed to yield 1/4 cup juice 2 Tbs. Asian sesame oil 2 Tbs. canola oil 2 Tbs. lower-sodium soy sauce 5 medium cloves garlic, grated on a rasp 2 Tbs. finely grated fresh ginger (from a 2- to 3-inch piece) 1 Tbs. Sriracha or Asian chili garlic sauce 1 Tbs. confectioners' sugar Fine sea salt Combine the orange zest and juice, lime zest and juice, sesame and canola oils, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, Sriracha, confectioners' sugar, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a medium bowl. The marinade will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Spicy Mexican Marinade Mayonnaise is the perfect base for a marinade. Here, it takes the place of oil and keeps the marinade ingredients suspended. The lime juice cuts through the richness of the smoky chipotle marinade, and the beer adds depth of flavor. Use for steak, pork, chicken, or fish (especially tuna or halibut steaks). Yields about 2-1/2 cups, enough to marinate 2-1/2 lb. food 1 7-oz. can chipotles en adobo 1/2 medium white onion, coarsely chopped 1/4 cup dark beer (such as Negra Modelo) 1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro 2 Tbs. fresh lime juice (from 1 medium lime) Fine sea salt 1 cup mayonnaise; more as needed In a blender, puree the chipotles and the adobo sauce until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl. In the blender, puree the onion, beer, cilantro, lime juice, and a large pinch of salt. Transfer the mixture to a large nonreactive bowl. Fold in the mayonnaise and 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the chipotle puree, to taste. (Refrigerate the remaining puree for another use; it will keep in an airtight container for at least 1 month.) Three-Mustard Bistro Marinade This marinade combines three favorite mustards with classic French ingredients: butter, white wine, and scallions. Honeycup is a brown sugar and spice mustard available nationally; if you can't find it, substitute a honey mustard. Use for steak, pork, lamb, chicken, fish (especially salmon), or vegetables (especially mushrooms and potatoes). Yields about 3 cups, enough to marinate 3 lb. food 1 8-oz. jar Dijon mustard 1/2 cup grainy mustard 1/4 cup Honeycup mustard 1 cup white wine 4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter 4 or 5 scallions, trimmed, white and green parts chopped Fine sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper In a medium bowl, whisk together the Dijon, grainy mustard, Honeycup mustard, and white wine. Melt the butter in a 3-quart nonreactive saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the mustard mixture, scallions, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper and heat, whisking, until the sauce has emulsified. Cool completely before using. Red Wine and Coffee Marinade The wonderful thing about this marinade is that you're likely to have most of the ingredients on hand. It doesn't contain added salt, so remember to salt your food just before grilling. This marinade is especially good for steak or pork. Yields about 2-1/2 cups, enough to marinate 2-/2 lb. food 1 cup brewed espresso or very strong black coffee, at room temperature 1 cup full-flavored red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, or Zinfandel 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 4 medium cloves garlic, grated on a rasp grater 2 Tbs. Dijon mustard 1-1/2 Tbs. packed dark brown sugar 1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon Coarsely ground black pepper In a medium nonreactive bowl, whisk the coffee, wine, olive oil, garlic, mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, cinnamon, and 2 tsp. pepper until well blended.

We went back to see the surgeon on Monday afternoon, to have the staples out. They fit Moe in at the end of the day. Apparently it wasn't as bad an experience as I was imagining. Moe said that about 10 out of the 60 pinched or stung a bit, but other than that it wasn't bad. And it was a relief to have them out. They had started to pull as they healed and that was making him uncomfortable. The doctor was happy with his progress. Apparently good blood flow and a strong pulse in his foot. Still going to be another 7 or 8 weeks for recovery. I refuse to drive home through the Malahat Mountain in the dark and rain so we stayed the night in Victoria and came back early yesterday afternoon. It was the right decision as it was already a tiring day for Moe and he really didn't need another hour or more in the car.