A family visit!

I was doing gardening and found a wee bird's nest on the ground. I imagine a hummingbird or red-eyed vireo. It's so small. 

 

My theory of the perpetrator, AKA the culprit who was knocking over my plants left evidence! 

They left paw prints. Butch Raccoon for sure!

 

They even did a number on Emily and her Lobelia. I replanted it. Sigh.

The kids came over for a sleepover Friday, July 24. Aster plugged in the car. Aster has just begun in-car driver's ed!  The in-class sessions are finis.

Dinner was fun. Sausages in a bun, corn from down the road, birthday cake! Caitlin had brought souvenirs from her trip. Grampa was given a Lithuanian cap.

We have jokes. The year Jordan turned 15, I made a mistake and thought he was 16. Since then we always add a year to the birthday.

She is actually turning 47!

 

I gave Caitlin her birthday present, even though her birthday isn't until Aug. 16th. You never know what they will be up to next month.

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Aster was given a few items to celebrate summer. Another joke, 'beer and chips' is what Grampa always says we used to give the grandies. 

It is tiger lily season. The hummingbirds adore it.

Aster did a photo reprise!

Saturday morning the kids went swimming! Back home, we were told it was a great time swimming. Aster drove there! 

Then it was time to go home. But first, the family made a visit to the candy store, and a visit to Stewart Park for old times sake. Grampa used to take the grandies there during Gramma Camp.

Jordan is doing well, working in a grocery store stocking shelves. He is in heaven. He's quite the organiser.

Crumbly Acres in bloom

We've had some cool mornings! It's more like August. 

Blue Cardinal flower! They have seeded themselves and come back every year. The hummingbirds like them. I've put my hummingbird feeders away. There are lots of blooms out there. 

My first tiger lily bloom!

I have spent hours clearing out and pruning. 

We've one big green frog in the goldfish pond. He's getting along with the gold fish. 

There is a very green frog in the frog pond down in the forest. There were several, but I'm still working on managing my new camcorder.

One trumpet flower! They have reseeded themselves.

This popped up in my memories section! That was my blue year, 2017! 

I went off for a pedicure. I thought I'd perk up my hair. It's a spray-on thing, that washes out quickly. I just needed a lift.

It was very relaxing, and she pulled out a sliver, likely a thorn, from under one toe! 

Flower time!

As I prepare this post, we have glorious rain! Thunder and lightning. 

It cleared off in an hour.

My canna lily was tipping over, it's been hot and dry. 

I've been watering in the cool of the afternoon or morning, depending upon my schedule. It seems to be helping. This morning, 16.5 mm of rain, only 21 mm this whole months. Usually we get more than that.

We have had grandies, and critter posts. Time for some flowers. The petunias in the basket are doing well. The primrose is good, but much of the garden has needed watering.

Clover, the deer, has decimated my hosta, but I have saved the lilies with the fence. Cluny named the momma doe! 

 My other rose bush isn't doing well. It was decimated by the caterpillars last year, but regrew later in the season. I was sure it would come back.

 One out of two ain't bad. Look at my roses! It's a bush that has hung in, after the LDD caterpillars attacked in 2021.

Monday morning the roses were gone, but not the lilies! Hah! Fooled you, deerios. At least I have photos! Isn't nature grand?! 

Caitlin and family are flying from Istanbul to Athens this morning. They took off around 6:20 our time. There is a 7 hour difference. They'll spend several days in Greece before taking a ferry to Heraklion.

Caitlin has a whole spreadsheet of their 3-week travels, with their flights, accommodations, and planned activities. The adventure continues.