And what is so rare as a day in June? Then, if ever, come perfect days; Then Heaven tries earth if it be in tune, And over it softly her warm ear lays: Whether we look, or whether we listen, We hear life murmur, or see it glisten... (James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) Good morning.... :-) I have been reading bits and pieces but just feeling blah with little to say of much interest. Enjoying just reading along. The weather here was wet all day yesterday off and on and last night we had very loud thunderstorms that woke us up. Only about an inch and a half of rain though. This morning the sun is in and out and the air is cool and dry. No watering for me today! Had a nice tour of Monique & Les's Garden. Such loveliness. The clematis were gorgeous. The green fish and matching pot tickled me. Great containers and that garden shed looks like a fun place to work. Must be a pleasure to get out there everyday and enjoy it. Thanks Deanne for posting the photos. Gardenbug....sounds like your life has been quite busy. Busy is good though. :-) Sorry you are having a hard time getting in a visit with Grandsons and DD/DSIL. Quite a bit of weather you've been having too. Reed is getting big awfully fast! Loving all the Clematis photos and I am thinking I could really enjoy starting to grow more of those. My problem is always trying to figure out structures for them to climb on. I don't know why that becomes such an obstacle to me, but it does. Your Patty's Plum is gorgeous and looks quite different from one that was given to me as seed. I thought it was supposed to be an Oriental Poppy but it didn't look like it. Your foliage does look like one. Woody...that Airedale puppy is so cute and looks like he is full of it. V....Lovely benches...redwood? Kathy....LOVE your 'Argentine Skies' Very pretty color. Reminds me of the way 'Black and Blue' grows. Do you find it attracts hummers? They would be annual here and not sure if I would even get much bloom until late in the season. I did buy the 'B&B' this year but so far it isn't doing much. We have only had one week of heat, so I am sure it will wait for more. Another orange/purple fan here. I LOVE your pottery with the fluted edge on the bottom. Denise...that spiraling Aloe is amazing! Thanks for posting that. I think I missed the news that Mitch has a Getty internship. How exciting for all of you! Congratulations! Saucy...the color of your house siding is a wonderful backdrop for your pots on the deck. Yes, I find that melancholy with transitions sticks with me for awhile. When my two youngest went off to kindergarden I was feeling it for a couple of months. Most of my friends were excited to see them finally get off to school. [g] Are you having a celebration for Jake next week? Is he excited about it? Michelle....I feel for you. It is tough to be away from people you care about. You will have to visit a lot! :-) Also, I was noticing, that on our new Apple laptop there is a built in camera and software to video conference. I would figure a way to set something up so you can see and talk to each other every day if you want. Anita...Glad your party went so well. Really nice when everything works out. One down, one to go. [g] Tax Law sounds like a very useful degree to have. I hope he is doing your taxes for you every year. :-) Martie....nice to see you. :-) I had been wondering about you. Glad you are all set with your surgery decision. So when is the big day? Really looking forward to more Park photos. Great news about Kyle, will he be traveling a lot? Well....time to get moving... y'all have a great Tuesday! Anyone for a lawn ornament? [g]

Claire, I just took pictures of mine to show you the differences - yes they vary. This is the leaf and flower of the tree in the picture above. It is the unnamed variety kousa from the arborist. I have gotten a few babies, maybe 3, gave away 2, and this year there is another little guy next to mom, but I'll wait till fall or next year. This is a $3 pot I bought from a woman who propagated solely in pine bark mulch. Different leaf and bracts and grows like it's on steroids. This is a transplant from the first picture (arborist tree) which has not yet bloomed - another few years maybe - but the leaves look more like the one above which I 'imported', if you will. This is the one I stumped 4-5 years ago and has bracts that overlap whereas the others do not overlap. And lastly, what may/may not be a rough leafed wild dogwood out back that has struggle for a decade, but produced offshoots which I'm leaving in place. They are too close to the root of a large maple, but they planted themselves there, so let nature take it from here. The wild struggler that I hope someday will succeed and bloom. (that is persicaria polymorpha in the background) There is a Golden Shadows dogwood tucked in in front of the persicaria and this was its best year - until the deer came. I was too late spraying and it cost that poor dogwood a lot of leaves and young branches. (damn) Whatever you have, and who knows, some may be pink tinged, they're a gift and seem happier in full sun. Jane

Queen of the Desert: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell - Georgina Howell

Annie, I am in total agreement - you are the winner of Bingo! Our other winners are: Margo for the Father's Day Word Scramble Game and Erica has just been selected from a random drawing from all the names of those who participated in the Famous People in the World of Plants. (Those who participated got a number assigned for each time they listed information about someone for us.) Thanks for a fun and informative month. I have the prizes ready and will try to get them mailed tomorrow. I'm hoping they might make it to you before the July 4th holiday. We'll see... Jeanne