It's a Love/Hate Thing

We've had various work crews going through and around our home now for over a month. It wasn't supposed to take this long, but you know how it goes, one thing leads to another...and five weeks go by. (Not to mention several thousand dollars.)

It's gotten so that the sight of a van with a ladder on top of it pulling into our driveway has become a welcome and dreaded sight all at the same time. So happy to see progress and yet so ready to be done.

As we approach October, I think the end may be in sight. And not a moment too soon.

Last Gasps

Now that it's officially fall, it's time to face the fact that the garden is winding down for the season. Part of me would like to go through and clear out some of the saddest foliage, but I know that the plant is better off if it keeps storing up strength for the winter months.

Besides, time is better spent enjoying the last blooms we'll have before frost arrives, and since our average frost date has come and gone already, we're due for one any time.

In August my blue salvia looked terrible. Some bug or disease had infested the whole bunch, so I trimmed them way back and now I'm getting a terrific second show of blooms.

The zinnias too had spots of mildew, but the pruning out paid off there as well.

I'm most excited---sad, but this is what excites a gardener---about my snakeroot plants. They are blooming!

It took years for them to get established and every year I would watch for a bud without success. Finally, this year I've got some blooms. They are beautiful plants.

And the hyssop. It's right next to my cherry tomatoes. So, if you want to steal a couple to pop in your mouth, you have to ask yourself if you're willing to take on the dozens of bees that hang out here all day. I suppose the bees are working hard to fill up for the winter, too.

Last, but not least, is this sedum that decided it wanted to grow in the rocks by our service door. Sure it's a pain to walk around it every time you want to go out to the grill. I simply don't have the heart to pull it out.

US Open 2010

Tennis, tennis, and more tennis.

For one last hurrah of the summer season, we flew out to New York to go to the first week of the US Open Tennis Tournament. As it turns out, this is not a sporting event for the weak--spectators included. Even though this was definitely not a restful vacation, the effort was worth it for the chance to see some incredible play.

As a former tennis Mom, I've watched my share of matches over the years, but of course, this is tennis at a whole different level. The court coverage, the power and precision, and the player's stamina is almost unbelievable. It actually took a while to get used to even following the speed of play. And while watching tennis on TV can be enjoyable, you simply can't appreciate a 144 mph serve from your living room.

Of course, the venue for this event is as much a draw as the athletes themselves. The facility is beautiful. We were a little disappointed by the foods provided after all the build-up, but it was still better than most. (And you are there, after all, for the tennis.)

Weather played its own role in the opening days. The heat and humidity were oppressive even for watching, which makes you marvel all the more at the fitness level of the players. And to top it all off, Hurricane Earl threatened to literally dampen at least one day of the event, but thankfully only gave us a few drops of rain and delayed play for only a brief amount of time.

All said, we had a great trip to close out the summer, and when we got back to MN, even the weather reminded us that summer is definitely over. So, it's time to get our son back to school and for us to get back to work.