The Garden in August

Dear Friends,

The last full month of summer is now upon us!

Frankie found a tiny kitten when he was looking for a lost baseball in our yard, and fortunately we found someone with a mama cat who took it in until it was weaned (The kitten is not showing signs of being tidy with a litter box, so we will be looking for a new home for him where he can be outside!).



It was quite hot for a while, but we've had some nice cooling rains that have helped us not have to water so much. The lilies were especially lovely in the rain!

Japanese beetles have now almost completely defoliated the hollyhocks and de-flowered the roses, so I'm grateful that we have cameras to capture fleeting moments of perfection.

Japanese beetle damage

......The zinnias, on the other hand, are bothered by nothing!

We grew sword beans for the first time this year, and although they are nicely covering our cattle panel arbor, they have yet to put out any blossoms. Gardening is such a process of trying, trying again and experimenting that you can never tell what results you will get from one year to the next. I usually try to plant many different varieties, hoping that at least something will do well. This year it is proving to be "dragon tongue" beans.

Everyone besides Mr. Graham, Audrey, Hyrum, and I have been performing at the annual "Laura's Memories" outdoor play in honor of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Here are Tasha and Evangeline rehearsing with a few of the other girls~

I hope that you are staying cool and enjoying time spent in nature wherever you are!

Love,

Marqueta

*******************

"When the mind is festering with trouble or the heart torn, we can find healing among the silence of mountains or fields, or listen to the simple, steadying rhythm of waves. The slowness and stillness gradually takes us over. Our breathing deepens and our hearts calm and our hungers relent. When serenity is restored, new perspectives open to us and difficulty can begin to seem like an invitation to new growth.

This invitation to friendship with nature does of course entail a willingness to be alone out there. Yet this aloneness is anything but lonely. Solitude gradually clarifies the heart until a true tranquility is reached. The irony is that at the heart of that aloneness you feel intimately connected with the world. Indeed, the beauty of nature is often the wisest balm for it gently relieves and releases the caged mind."

JOHN O'DONOHUE