Our part of Missouri is cooking. I’ve been spending time watering my flowers and putting mulch around the plants that are fragile or need cool roots. I’m amazed at some of them that just keep on going with no help at all. Our temps have been in the mid-90’s for most of a week so we’re all griping like I knew we would when we said we wouldn’t…….last winter. We’re so bad!

I continue to work on the clearing in the back and it’s showing progress. I must be getting more acclimated to the heat and exercise because it isn’t taking the toll it did at first. I’m enjoying the work, actually. Gardening is pretty much of a puzzle to me. Yesterday I was cutting out poison ivy from the other side of the fence and where I had dumped some cat litter once….guess what was growing up in it? Poison ivy. Now I think that’s astonishing.

We have a lot of scenic rock roadways in Missouri. Out of the layers of limestone and nooks and crannies everything from cedar trees to wild flowers have found places to hang onto and do quite well for their situation. I guess with nature it’s much like humans. “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.”

Every year I attempt raising hollyhocks. They are full of big pretty leaves in the Spring but when the horrible heat comes and lack of rain, something eats the leaves and munches right up the stalks eating the buds and new growth. I’ve tried everything. ‘Seven’ works pretty good but it can only be put on once a week. The bugs don’t wait. Now I’m trying plain water with a few drops of dishwashing soap (recommended to me) in the sprayer and it did chase the bugs and ants off the leaves………so far.

This is aggravated by the fact I see hollyhocks growing in the yards of deserted homes and vacant lots looking vibrant with lots of foliage and blooms. It seems the more I baby something ……… the worse it gets. Well, maybe I should just be content with a few. The picture is one of the colors so you can see them.

For years and years my maternal grandmother had a triple terrace from the house down to the road and it was full of hollyhocks. I spent a lot of time at grandma’s house and when I see them it brings back pleasant memories of warm summers and dogs and cats to play with.

We never know what will remain in us as we grow older and then discover it is the simple things that bring back the sweetest memories……………..

Essentially Esther