Yesterday was another double-misery day for Jackie and Jillie. Not only did we abandon the poor little tykes early in the morning to get our grocery shopping done -- and no amount of reasoning suffices to convince them that even little dogs that can be deposited in a bag at the front of a shopping cart to help in making food choices are not permitted in grocery stores -- the assault on their sensibilities continued when in the afternoon we took them off to the groomers.

After all, they have the experience of our weeks away in New Hampshire where they do accompany us into the supermarket and there it seems that everyone is fine with their presence. They provide amused entertainment for other shoppers as they quietly give us orders while perusing the food aisles and making their selections. Reminding us we needed to get low-sodium chicken soup to moisten their kibble, a can of chicken bits to enhance the kibble, and lots and lots of vegetables, fresh and colourful for their salads.

Doesn't work like that here. No.dogs.allowed. Their pitiful howls of distress as we leave the house would melt the hardest of hearts. Our hearts are harder than that. On the other hand, when we take them to the groomers they aren't thrilled at our leaving, but they are soothed by the warm embrace of the young women who will be bathing them and administering their perfect haircuts. They're quiet when we leave the establishment, not a peep out of them. On our return several hours later we see them looking out at us from a window as we mount the stairs to enter the spa. And that's when the excited yipping begins.

We decided we'd have barbecued hamburgers today, for a change. We had a light meal yesterday of fresh corn on the cob, little tasty sprats, cucumber, tomato, and cottage cheese with sour cream, finished by a bowl of clementines. For today I decided to make a green bean/tomato salad to accompany the hamburgers. And baked potatoes. The salad included green onions along with halved grape tomatoes and par-cooked green beans, with a vinaigrette of grated garlic clove, salt, pepper, vinegar, sweet basil and olive oil.

And then we went off for our afternoon ramble through the ravine. Now is the time, it seems, for a renewal of wildflowers as we enter a new part of summer's season. More of the stately sunflowers are blooming. As are the jewelweed with their bright perky little orange orchid-like heads, smaller than similar but hot pink Himalayan orchid blooms. We were surprised to see pussyfoots beginning to flower; a single plant we see year after year and looking really robust this year.

Nothing quite prepared us yet to see a single white aster, a fall aster of all things -- when it's not even the end of July -- in bloom. Asters and goldenrods have been steadily maturing, but it seems so early this year to see them beyond aspirational to actually blooming. Reminders that summer is fleeting. It seems like only yesterday, we were excited at the entrance of spring...

It's been a beautiful day, early morning cool and sunny and by afternoon a warming trend. The humidity is gone, the air feels fresh and scrubbed. A light wind and an accumulation of dark clouds taking the sun's place. Some of those clouds had the appearance of thunderclouds but no thunder, and no rain. In the ravine, it was extraordinarily quiet. Our time in there serene and blissful, freeing our minds to just relax and enjoy the atmosphere.

Later, a little bit of gardening was in order. Sometimes I look at the garden and sigh in exasperation. Although the annuals and the perennials are thriving, so are the weeds. They need constant attention. I feel a bit haunted by the prospect of it all getting away from me. So from time to time the garden calls out for some tidying-up. The spent flower wands of the hostas, flowers that have wasted away, unruly shrubs. 

When we returned from our hike there was a notice hanging on the front door. It said 'Hi, I'm your neighbour and would like to nominate you for Ottawa's best home garden. Evidently there's an annual contest, and this is its second year. We received that invitation last year too and this time again. Volunteers go about their neighbourhoods and if they like someone's garden landscaping they leave such an invitation. The homeowner registers and submits three recent garden photos out of which a winner is chosen. I may register, why not?