Inch Nineteen: A Letter to Ramona

Dear Ramona:

It is hard to believe that it has been almost seven weeks since you and your mommy and daddy were here. A lot has changed outside during that time and I thought you might enjoy seeing those changes.

The purple flow-flows (pronounced like "cow," for all of you readers who don't know how Ramona talks) in the chives are done blooming. The blue flow-flows out front have hit a low spot too. But don't worry: there are lots of other flow-flows blooming. Here are the coneflowers:

And here are the blackberry lilies:

The day lilies are all in bloom too. I think Grandpa Warning and I are going to plant a whole bunch of day lily bulbs around the pine trees this fall. Next summer they will be in full bloom and there should be large swaths of color in the yard.

When you were here, you more than once rolled your daddy's juggling balls into the rudbeckia bed at the end of the deck. Then, the rudbeckia was just above the height of the deck, which is 18 inches off the ground. Now the rudbeckia is taller than me, taller than Grandpa Warning, taller than your mommy, daddy, Uncle Sam, and even Papa Joe. If you rolled a juggling ball into it today, your daddy would have a very hard time finding it.

The yellow flow-flows on the tops of the stalks are starting to open, too. In another week, there will be lots of bees in it. I have already seen a few.

The biggest changes are in the vegetable garden. Most of the marigolds in the border bloomed. You would love to pick those flow-flows! And remember those little, little, tiny tomato plants that I had just planted when you came? Remember those? Boy, did they grow! They are much, much bigger than you now. And there are tomatoes on them! I am just waiting for them to ripen. (You would probably be a little disappointed if you were here today because you can't eat them yet.)

So that's the garden update! I hope you are having a good summer, Ramona. I know we are.

Love,
Grandma April