I pulled the weeds out on Sunday, discovering a million carpenter ants. P pulled up the old wood edging, discovering a billion more. It was raining a bit when I got home yesterday, but I shovelled out the soft dirt anyway; I put it down by the brush pile. Now I just have to rake it flat (already cleaned the edges with a garden hose), haul up the gravel I dug out of Sarah-Flah’s garden, and dump it in. I’ll need more gravel, then a layer of sand, and then the patio stones. It’s going to rain all week, so I guess we’ll see how it goes. In the meantime, there’s a really ugly 32 square foot hole in the patio.

Not ugly. My Cherry Queen zinnia.

Mystery floor-sweepings flower by the morning glory.

One little pheasant’s eye. Blurry picture. My phone is water-resistant, but I don’t push my luck.

First butterfly bush bloom.

Elegant stinkhorn. Looks more phallic than elegant to me. Can you tell it’s been very damp lately?