It's a date... I think

The landscaper sent me an email, setting July 5 as the start date for the installation. However, the yard has yet to be marked by the underground utility people. Also, next week is supposed to be rainy. I'm beginning to get a bit nervous. Or more nervous than I have been.

After all the spring rain, I don't want to say the D word (drought), but it hasn't taken long for my clay soil to crack open from the heat. It rained a trace amount yesterday, so plants absorbed some moisture through their leaves, but the soil is dry, dry, dry.

So instead of mowing, I have been watering. Not a lot, but some. I have some container plants: clematis (which is starting to creep across the top of the pergola), butterfly bushes, rhubarb, sweet potato vine, zinnias ('Profusion' I think), geraniums. The bed on the south side of the house tends to be dry because of the deep overhang. Thistle is starting to bloom, so I have been yanking that. I also sprayed herbicide along the back fence.

Initially, I could not figure out why the Bishop's weed under the hydrangea looked like a deer had been laying in it. Then I discovered that Watson is capable of clearing the fencing in a single bound. I'm guessing Clio is, too, since she has longer legs. My daughter wants some starts from there for her shady front yard once her front porch is replaced. After she gets those, I will take down the fencing and let the dogs finish trampling the Bishop's weed.
I bought a parsley plant at the local food co-op, but when I removed the plastic sleeve, the whole thing flopped over. It is under the grow light now, and starting to recover. It also looks like a bunch of unthinned plants instead of one or two. Not how I grow it.

The birds finally decided the berries on the serviceberry were edible. There have been lots of fledglings which are amusing to watch as they master the art of flying. The wren parents may be preparing their house for a second brood.

I hope you enjoy the holiday weekend. My dogs won't. They are okay if I am nearby, but otherwise any loud fireworks send them scrambling for safety.