Summer is here!

This morning I found the first daylilies of summer bursting open like fireworks. Gary and I both have the day off- that is a big deal in itself. Every year we go to Swedish Days in Geneva and today was the perfect day for it. We enjoyed lunch outside and visited lots of shops. Afterward we stopped at the Natural Garden- one of my favorite nurseries and also visited Mainstreet Fireplace to see what's new. Then we met our son, Brian, at St. Charles Place for dinner.

In the morning, before we left for Geneva, I did a little trimming and weeding in the front of the house. A robin finally gave away her hidden nest in the magnolia tree by squawking at me furiously. I had wondered where her nest was. I've been watching her for awhile as she carried little bits of twigs from the butterfly garden daily.

A dragonfly followed me around for awhile, flitting from one branch to another. I also saw an orange butterfly that I did not recognize by the arbor. I really enjoy watching all the summer bugs and flowers.

Swedish Days was fun as usual. One of my favorite things is the Rosemaling competition and show. As usual, the Japanese artists were the top award winners in this Norwegian folk art. Their brush strokes are exquisite. I really need to find time to pull out some of the patterns I have been saving and "brush up" on my skills. I bought a huge arched mirror with great wood carvings that I want to add some roses and vines to give it a little more color and detail. I found it at Banbury Fair a few weeks ago. It just seems like I always have more ideas than time to get to them.

At the Natural Garden, I asked them for some suggestions about my clematis. I have several growing vigorously on the trellis, but they haven't bloomed. First she thought that the roots needed some ground cover plants or more mulch to keep them cool, but then she remembered that it takes two years for the root systems to really develope and that probably is the explanation, since these were planted last year and this year. It's hard to be patient. I took a picure of a beautiful white clematis vine in Geneva. The flowers were smaller than the usual variety, but they were everwhere. I will have to research that variety. I loved it.