The Butterfly Garden

There's not much I feel good about in the garden by the time mid-August arrives. But in early spring, I put in the vague beginnings of a butterfly garden directly in front of our big living room window, including a last minute blitz of zinnia seed scatterings. The other plants in place include two butterfly bushes, a caryopteris, a Russian sage and a few roses.

When the unrelenting heat left us wilting and needing some midday shade, I set up an indoor viewing spot for our butterfly garden. I tracked down a photo identification chart of Virginia butterflies and we now spend our time looking up who visits and learning the new names. A hummingbird also regularly visits, but strangely enough, Corey is the only one who sees it. I tease him that it must be his soul animal.

It looks like the butterflies love the really, really huge varieties of zinnias. Smaller butterflies, like fritillaries, appreciate the Thumbelina zinnias - but they can handle the smaller landing pads.

Thrift store butterfly wings were a well-timed, completely unplanned score. I'm unsure of the variety of this butterfly, but have learned that it likes chocolate and Dr. Seuss.

The Thick of Summer

We seem to be alternating between air conditioning, cold swimming holes and eating anything we can coming out of our garden and the gardens of others.

My vegetable garden is starting to look like typical early August. Totally overrun with weeds and neglected by me. This has been our relationship for years now. I need to be okay with it, because I don't seem to make any attempts to change how it plays out. Grumbling about the weeds, without the where-with-all to do anything about them, is just starting to feel silly.

Inside with a book and a tall glass of iced sweet tea is where I want to be, not hacking away at weeds in 98-degree heat with high, hair-raising humidity.

There, I said it.

More on indoor pursuits:

Reading: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks; Bossypants; The Glass Castle; Old School (by Tobias Wolff); The Little House (a childhood favorite that Uncle Chris bought for Willa).

Watching: True Blood Season 3; Kitchen Nightmares (the early, more palatable seasons with more coaching, less screaming); and we are starting Treme tonight. Also, I went to see a Sunday afternoon matinee of Crazy Stupid Love with a friend - *GO*.

Eating: Homemade applesauce with those tart, midsummer green apples from Henley's; also from Henley's - their peach ice cream; pickles (still); 'Sugar Baby' watermelon ice pops (just puree watermelon in the blender and pour into molds); Sungold tomatoes - warm from the garden; corn-corn-corn; iced Republic of Tea Ginger Peach refrigerator tea.

Visiting: Various Sugar Hollow swimming spots and thinking about Grand Caverns sometime this week. Where it stays a cool 54-degrees year-round.

Thank you: To Albemarle Family for a sweet LISH mention in their magazine.

Feeling Satisfied In The Garden

Hmmmmm. A whole-lotta doing and not much blogging these days.

Finally, here's a sneak peek at our new play area - for Willa and myself (note the baby camp on the blanket - Click on the photo for a larger peek). Earlier photos that I had promised just looked brown and gray.

But now-a-days, the pale greens make for a satisfyingly-verdant show. It has been a nice change from this, remember? Tho' there is still a lot to do, I am relishing the challenge.

I've been busy planting daylilies and putting seed down for bachelor's buttons, cleome and love-in-a-mist. An Easter trip to Edible Landscaping included a juneberry purchase, which was also planted. *Sale alert* - All of the plants at Edible Landscaping are 20% off right now.

The bulbs that I planted in the fall dot our landscape in such a cheerful way. Tulips and daffodils here and there. Some of my native plantings are coming back, too - Virginia Bluebells, spring beauties and mayapples. Scattered around The Blue Bench.

In the veggie beds, the greens, radishes and rhubarb are flourishing. The kale, however, seems to be somebody's evening snack and has been munched down to pathetic nubbins. Thank goodness for the upcoming CSA deliveries!!

I am hurrying along spring these days. As I do every year. That last frost date can't seem to come soon enough. And then, of course, we'll shoot straight to bug-swatting madness accompanied by 80 degrees and humidity.

Walderkindergartens

Also known as forest or wood kindergartens, Walderkindergartens focus on children (usually ages four through six) attending a daycare that is held exclusively outside. The antithesis to computers and video games and TVs! My kind of school.

Children spend their days exploring, gathering toys from nature and enjoying their preschool without a ceiling. Low temperatures and rain don't necessarily chase them indoors.

I first read about these kindergartens in this month's issue of Mothering Magazine. There is also a terrific story about German walderkindergartens (with gorgeous photos) from the Wall Street Journal.

Wishing somebody would offer something like this in Charlottesville (anyone? anyone?). Willa and I *will* be going to a new outdoor class for wee ones on Wednesday afternoons at the Ivy Creek Natural Area for stories, crafts, songs and explorations. Starting tomorrow. Willa has no idea what she is in for. But this mama, can't wait.

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Photo from here.