7/23/23 Place your hand on your heart.  Feel the beat? You are alive because God has a purpose for you.

 Dense fog, calm, 62 degrees.  Sun and clouds today with a light west breeze, a high of 83.  Clear tonight with a gentle west breeze, a low of 60.  Sunshine tomorrow with a SW breeze, a high of 86, a low of 64.  55% chance of PM thunderstorms Tuesday with an ESE breeze, a high of 85, a low of 63.  Partly cloudy Wednesday with a WSW breeze, a high of 86, a low of 66.  Partly cloudy Thursday with a stiff SW breeze, a high of 93, a low of 71.  57% chance of PM thunderstorms Friday with a stiff WSW breeze, a high of 91, a low of 66.  Partly cloudy next weekend with NW breezes, highs around 80, lows about 58.  A chance of a shower or thunderstorm every day from the 31st through the 6th except for Saturday the 5th.  Highs will be in the mid to upper seventies, lows about 60.  The forecast for the rest of the summer and early fall is for cooler than average temperatures.

   Yesterday was a good day.  Jay harvested lots of vegetables.  Darel's Heather helped Bekah water and made lots of lovely bouquets.  Bekah built a fence so the heifers had new pasture and got lots of maintenance work done in the perennial display.  There are so many perennials and shrubs, caring for them is an endless job!. They are glad to see some leaving for their forever home every day.  They will still be picking vegetables and watering today and tomorrow even though the nursery is closed.   The vegetable stand is self service.  They are looking forward to spending some time in their own yard!

   I have a small memorial garden for my grandchildren who are in heaven off the back deck.  I like to have the annuals planted by Memorial Day.  I finally planted them yesterday.  I had a lot of spring bulbs in the garden, they had taken over., along with grass. The bulbs' leaves had died down so they could be dug. It is necessary to wait until the leaves die down because when they are still green they are feeding the bulbs for next spring. Heather dug them all, she will plant them where she can harvest them for spring bouquets. I've been digging out the grass.   Bekah gave me two baby doll phlox, a small version of the regular garden phlox.  Their blooms will complement the pink and purples waves I plant in the boxes on the deck and in the garden.   The garden centerpiece is a butterfly gazing ball  symbolizing the children's new life in heaven.  After church today I will take time to sit on the deck and admire that little garden, carefully not looking toward the kitchen garden that still needs so much TLC.  I will give thanks because Jesus loved us enough to die on the cross for us some day Darel, I. and our family  will all be together again.

   May God bless you on this day, Sally