Sunny Seattle

When the sun shines in Seattle, it's a good time to work in the garden. Our recent house-sitter S is an expert gardener and did a lot of weeding while she was here, especially in our vastly overgrown herb garden. It's basically bare ground now, with a large rosemary bush remaining in the center and a few other items that have been given a "haircut." I've invited several local friends who have lovely gardens to come over and give me the benefit of their expertise. Who knows what I will decide to plant there now that it's no longer crowded with weedy mint, shasta daisies and other unwanted plants?

I have been able to weed the strawberry patch myself. Working slowly over several days, I've been able to get rid of about half the grass and weeds growing among the strawberry plants. My aim is to finish this week while we have good weather, working in the mornings when the strawberry patch is in some shade. Then I need to seriously mulch this bed so that I'm not repeating so much of this work again in the spring.

Rik has uprooted some unwanted plants for me, taken away my weeding remains, and done a lot of outdoor house maintenance today. It's his last day before returning to school and I think he feels the pressure of a self-imposed, unfinished summer to-do list. His last project, after a lunch break, will be to cut back the laurel hedge lining our driveway.

It might be Labor Day, but we're working hard!