Oooh, there's that blue flax again! Looks even better this year! Love the shizanthus! It all looks great. I'm hoping to get my stuff planted out this weekend - I better, or I'll still be waiting on tomatoes and flowers in December! PV

I didn't bush-hog today.....DH thought my tractor sounded funny, so I stayed and got semi-caught up in the yard and garden. This was the year I mulched almost everything in the garden, even the sweet corn. You should have seen me (no, you shouldn't!) I crawled between the corn rows on my hands and knees to weed and thin the corn which is now about 36 inches tall. I kept thinking of snakes as I crawled along......We have seen so many this year. I am now watering and have been since 7 am this morning. It will take me 5 days to get everything. Christie, I finally planted all those old flower seeds I had and the zinnias came up overnight practically. I finished today with marigolds, more zinnias, cosmos, rudbeckias and whatever else I had. I am trashing the rest and starting fresh next year. The zinnias are saved from last year. Be interesting to see if I get flowers by planting so late and so hot. I know I will have to water them to get germination. Blooming now, more daylilies, a few shastas, larkspur almost done, two clematis (I think Polish Spirit and Etolie Violette), zinnias (seeded themselves from last year), gaillardias, petunias, stokesia, Annabelle hydrangea, melampodium, salvias, feverfew (I love this plant), monarda Marshall's Delight (and the delight of the hummers), a few geraniums, a few lilies, russian sage (I trimmed it this year and it looks pretty sad), asclepias, and who knows what else! Oh, I forgot my pride and joy: very dark blue delphs. These are from seed and I didn't know for sure the color. Hope they make it through the winter. Something came in during the night and pretty much wallowed my pumpkin patch....I could see dog tracks or something of that nature. Ruined some plants. I wish the garden was fenced. Yolanda, when you get to Ozark, you are pretty close to me. We live just northwest of Springfield. I have often told DH I would love to tour the old southern mansions in La. So far, he hasn't taken me up on it. The 1800's are my favorite period in history and my favorite novels are of the south during that time period and earlier. I sometimes think I was born out of my time. I could have lived the pioneer life. Let's hope for a cool down and more rain.... GD

My farmers market day and the other vendor's sales were the same. Lots of people, but no one buying anything much over $2. I sell cookies at 50c each and they usually buy 3 or 4, a half dozen, or more. Yesterday - ONE cookie per customer, and no more. I discounted my jams and jellies at $1 off to celebrate my birthday for the month of June and people bought the little $2.25 jars of 4 ounces and didn't even look at the bargain 9 ounce jars at $5. I thought I'd phase out those little jars (to me - a sample taste size - it's only a half cup for Pete's sake - two pieces of bread size - and well, maybe!) but I'm rethinking that now. Perhaps people are thinking cheap, not value. My dad sold stuff at a flea market in California years and years ago. He told me that if he had stuff for $1 he'd sell a hundred. If he had stuff for $5 he sold just a few. It wasn't value - it was price. Are we back to that? Teresa - I started playing the mountain dulcimer when I married my DH 10 years ago. He handcrafted it; he's a guitar player and custom woodworker; so he built it "because", but never intended to use it. I never could sing; failed at playing folk music on guitar because my hands had surgery eons ago; and the only other thing I could play was the radio. LOL The hammered dulcimer takes more coordination than does the mountain, which I sorely lack, but may just be your vehicle. If you need to make music - I'm behind you 10000%. Anyone with a music need should try every instrument. You'll never know, as my totally music un-gifted son said, "that a harmonica can set you free". Nancy

I love all the pics everyone posts on these threads. I will have to figure out how to set up my camera on this computer and then start posting a few pictures. You all have beautiful homes. Judy I love your porch! Gazania, I collect pins and brooches and have a huge collection but they are spread out in boxes and bowls in drawers and on my dresser. I don't have any of the pins that you have though. I love your bee pin. I never thought to look for a bee pin even though my nickname is Higgybee. Very nice. Casey, I have that same Willow Tree Angel on my buffet and it is one of my favourites. I feel like I get to know you all a bit more through the items you post in your pictures. Jodi, I love that smiling Buddha! Anne