How Does Your Garden Grow?

I'm so glad that it's finally Friday; even with the day off in the middle, it's been a long, busy, HOT week. The heat wave hasn't let up just yet, but yesterday afternoon, after we'd had several days with clouds and thunder but no rain, we finally got a quick storm and a much-needed downpour. The garden has really needed the water, and I was thankful I didn't have to go out and water in the heat, especially because yesterday was the hottest day yet in this stretch. As long as I was thinking about it, I thought I'd share a little update on the garden. If you recall, here's how the big side of the front yard looked right after I'd planted my Mother's Day purchases:

And here's how it looks now (you can tell that we're running a rain deficit from the color of the grass):

The tomato, eggplant, and zucchini plants have absolutely exploded in the planter, and the hydrangeas, salvia, and lavender are doing well. I've been dutifully watering the impatiens and polka dot plants along the border, but I'm also fighting a battle with the bunnies who like to eat the flowers, so they aren't looking as robust as I'd hope. The other side of the yarn isn't looking as good, but we do have a couple of "snacking peppers" growing! In the back, I've got one sunflower in a pot that I'm about ready to transplant up front (last year the bunnies ate all of them, so I thought I'd wait until I had one that was bigger), and though the hostas have mostly been eaten, the pachysandra is looking pretty good. Unfortunately we've had some vermin in the composter again, so I am taking a break from throwing our kitchen scraps in there. I might just take a pause, spread out what compost we have, and put down some mesh underneath it to keep the critters from digging up under it.

Though the weather has been entirely inappropriate for knitting, I have been getting some in every evening (thank goodness for air conditioning!). I finished up the Bousta Beanie and found I had enough yarn leftover for another, which I started last night (and it took two attempts because black yarn + aging eyes = the wrong number of stitches the first time).

The heat is supposed to continue through this weekend, so outside activities will be at a minimum. On Sunday evening we're headed to our synagogue's big fundraising event that's held every two years, and it feels a bit like the culminating event of my board service. I don't have anything to do other than attend, however, and it's one less meal I'll have to worry about for the week.

I hope your weekend is enjoyable, relaxing, and as physically comfortable as possible. Stay cool and stay hydrated, friends!