For those of you that have been to the in-laws, you may recognize this garden. Except it's looking really full this year. About 2.5 months ago we spent a weekend tilling, raking and de-rocking this patch of ground that's about 25 x 40. We planted seed after seed, row after row. We had a handful of starter plants, but about half of them succumbed to the hot and dry spring we had here in the East. In the foreground are tomato plants, with squash plants directly behind. I'm most excited to see if some of the heirloom squash that I planted will grow by fall. To the right of the tomatoes are pepper plants. Near our ugly scarecrow (we really need a scaregroundhog) there's a few remnants of corn. All of the cool greens are in the center 1/3, and in the upper left corner, lettuces.
Laika enjoys laying in the dirt, usually right where we're working. She spends her time watching the road, protecting the property.

At home, our hydrangeas are doing amazing things this year. D took these beautiful pictures of the hydrangeas in the front. They are forming in a multi-color of deep purples and pinks this year which is breathtaking. We've never seen them be different colors on the same bush, the same flower, because as you know their color is determined by the pH of the soil. I'm wondering what variety they are, because the blooms on them are a little different than other hydrangeas I've seen, with a pinpoint center and a star-like flower.

In the garden behind out house we have a couple of tomato plants (to supplement when we can't get down to the in-laws), a giant rosemary bush that has grown to this size over 3 years, and lots of herbs. The bees seem to be frequenting our purple flowered herbs--creeping thyme and lavendar. I've been wanting to cut the lavendar buds off, but I enjoy watching the bees on them, and thinking about how much I like honey.