I don't know how things are in your neck of the woods weather wise . . . . I had to turn off the news after the fifty-thousandth day of coverage on Casey Anthony. Triple ugh. And, yes, this is exactly how I think and talk. I'm married to a man with an engineering mind, and have two children wired the same way. Imagine how hard it is to understand one another sometimes. But, back to the weather. As Bill would say, "It hotter and drier than a popcorn fart." Anyhoo . . . right now I wish I were anywhere north of here. It is HOT! All of June, we kept hearing "Today's temperatures will be over 100F," That's just wrong. We don't usually get this kind of weather until mid-July and then into August. Instead, 2011 has been all about century temperatures and little to no rain. Oklahoma...

Back in the days before I went dairy and gluten free, I ate a lot of Caesar salads at various restaurants. My favorite was the one the Metro Wine Bar and Bistro in Oklahoma City served, although Juniors made a delicious one too. I like the Metro's creamy salad dressing, and the way the chicken was grilled to perfection, crispy on the outside with a moist interior. I also adored the Metro's famous bread and the croutons they must have made from it. Then, gluten freedom came and soon after dairy liberty. Now, when I eat out  at a restaurant, I often feel like the management is saying, "No croutons for you!!!" No Parmesan either by the way. Half the time management also considers eggs dairy (although they aren't), and so they won't let me have a good salad dressing based upon eggs. I question. I cajole. The other night...

The last three weeks have been a blur of activity. My nieces came to stay for several days while my sister-in-law, Maria, helped out with her mom and dad. They are around Bear's age so they made good playmates for her. A client came over a couple of days ago to see my garden. She'd never seen it, and she brought little ones to visit. So fun. We had the log cabin stained by a professional for the first time ever. I was so glad it wasn't Bill and I out there in 104F heat spraying the stain and painting windows and doors. So, that took three weeks. It's a long house. I want to thank the painters for trying so hard to work around my roses and other plants. It wasn't easy. Meanwhile, we're over halfway through daylily season. I entered the Central Oklahoma Hemerocallis Society's show again this...

At the Red Dirt Ranch, when the daylilies are blooming, nothing else can compare. Not even beautiful Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle' although she does give it her best shot as she peeks from behind the variegated weigela. Can you see why I never want to leave home? I've enjoyed the 'Atomic' glads so much I've added some other types. Scott from Old House Gardens Bulbs had a great suggestion to plant a few glads at a time. That way you get a succession of bloom. So far, all of my glads have come back every year and multiplied just a bit. They may remind my mother of funerals, but they just make me think: COLOR! Right now, the entire garden is an explosion of color. Bright, bold, beautiful color. Don't be afraid. Instead, in the south, work it. Above, 'Jan's Twister' is really showing off. The bloom is larger than my...