I don't have to do much in preparation for our visitors. They're family, in any event, so it's a relaxing and relaxed event. The bed in the bedroom they'll be occupying was made up in preparation for the next visit at the time they left after their last visit. The spare bathroom is always ready to receive visitors. They'll be arriving late because they couldn't get away around the intended time. But it's summer and there's no need to have a heavy winter-type comfort meal prepared to greet them.

 

The last time they arrived around 8:00 in the evening I had a cauliflower/garden vegetable/chicken salad waiting for them and they enjoyed it, so I'm planning on the same meal for them today. Lots of fresh cherries for a casual desert. They called to let us know they were just on the road, and it'll take around five or six hours before they arrive. It's been an otherwise busy day for us, so this just gives us some relaxation time before their arrival.

 

 

Irving was busy doing a few things around the house earlier. There's always something to be done. In this instance he decided to change two of the door-handle sets, one to the living room the other to the door leading to the basement. He'd bought two sets of brass doorknobs to replace a crystal set at the living room and a black wrought-iron one to the basement. The former was annoyingly loose, the latter annoyingly unaesthetic. These were actually doors that Irving had installed himself many years ago, in our originally open-concept house.

 

It's turned out to be another blazing-sun-day, so ample heat, lifted somewhat by a cooling breeze, but not if you're out in the sun for any length of time. Irving had decided to do some hand-weeding on the front lawn, so that's pretty direct exposure. He's disappointed in the condition of the grass that he invested so much effort in re-seeding time and again, laying down new soil and seed and nurturing it to no avail. The garden beds, in comparison, are relatively carefree.

 

In the afternoon we set out to explore nature's garden in the forested ravine. Jackie and Jillie are familiar with every square inch of the forest floor and everything that grows upon it, given their daily jaunts through the forest trails since they were puppies. Once under the canopy of the tree mass, we're treated to the shade and it makes quite a difference. The breeze had decided it would remain up at street level when we descended into the ravine.

 

Passing an immature wild cherry tree we were somewhat surprised to see that the cherries have already turned red-ripe; last time we saw them red hadn't yet entered the picture. We came across another little patch of purple coneflower growing amongst the thicket of nettles and burdock, thistles and pilotweed. Because they're a cultivated flower whose seeds had somehow entered the forest confines their presence is a surprise. They've become part of nature's tangled summertime garden in the forest.

 

Taking their place amongst the goldenrod, ragweed, mullein, daisies, fleabane, and clover. The mullein tends to grow mostly along the banks of the creek in areas we can't really approach given the thick press of the undergrowth. We can see jewelweed growing along the lower regions of the banks as well, not yet in bloom and equally difficult to reach since it would mean balancing ourselves carefully on the rough rocks that line the creek bank.

By the time we returned home after our ravine hike, we were feeling fairly heated. It's the time that we rest awhile in the gardens, look about and take a kind of inventory of what's blooming, what could use some attention, and generally appreciating the form and colour of a garden that has contributed hugely over the years to our summertime pleasure.