Here is a bee update! Right after this picture was taken---we really made our bees mad! We were switching around the bottom board which we inadvertently put on upside down and we knocked over one of the boxes! There were mad! And came after us! In our bee suits! We calmly walked away and they followed! So we proceeded to do our job and switched around the bottom while the bees were buzzing around our heads-----trust me, you can tell when a bee is upset. After we were finished, they followed us to our car and it took awhile before they let us alone. But I am happy to report we did not get stung. And tomorrow----we have to go back and add more sugar water for food. We decided to wait a few days for them to settle down and forget what happened.

The garden is (in my opinion) at it's peak! And I have to plant some more of these coneflowers. They absolutely GLOW at dusk!!!! And they look so pretty next to the Black Eyed Susans!

It has been the dog day's of summer here---literally! And it i sn't even August yet! Temps in the 90's, grass is parched brown(until this afternoon when it downpoured) and no energy. The boys decided it was time for a dish of ice cream to cool off.

It is finally finished---my garden art that I started last year after going on a garden tour and viewing pricey whimsical pieces in other peoples garden. I found a bowling ball and pulled out some pieces of a broken ceramic Halloween pumpkin that I was saving for something just like this. Do NOT confuse me with a hoarder! So here it is----my broken ceramic shard covered bowling ball. And when the orange day lilies come into bloom, it will look pretty good------but not pricey!!

Time for a bee report! First----I was stung. It is true---a sting on the ankle. Second---I did exactly what I shouldn't have done, I jumped and hollered and then my husband---who was not wearing a bee suit--came to my aid and he got stung. But---it was my fault. I wasn't careful with what I was wearing. I had on my beesuit and sandals. The good news is the bees are thriving. No signs of mites or beetles and we added a second box or "super". So now we sit back and let the bees do the work, add sugar water so they eat that instead of the honey and check on them periodically! The more I read about bees, the more I am amazed!

This is what happens when you allow 2 creative and artistic young ladies to set the table for a holiday party. I don't think Martha Stewart could have created a better holiday setting. They created the ambiance and when we sat down to eat----we didn't want to get up so we carried the party into the dark--sitting by the pond. The finishing touch was all the private firework displays from the community we were able to enjoy reflected in our pond.

Another item ticked off my bucket list. This weekend we went fly fishing. My brother took us to a trout club in Castalia Ohio and after by brother taught us gals the technique and the other males got us gals started------the females caught all the fish and the men? Empty handed. And the young lady who was teased about wearing a dress-----she caught the first and the biggest fish! It was a lot of fun!