Summer Garden and Yard

 The coleus were seeded in a McDonalds salad plastic dish in March and set out in June.  Starting to grow, although windblown and a little dry today.  Have to water ever other day now. 

Found grandpa's old wagon in the barn and filled it with begonias and petunias.  Deer leave both alone.

Mess of sunflowers, pansies, petunias and weeds

My deer fence.  The deer eat the geraniums right down if you don't protect them.  Temporary fence until I get some electric fences around the yard or eat the deer. 

The deer destroyed these geraniums

Margo has been in West Bend, WI., with her father helping him recover from a stroke since the beginning of April.  She planted lots of flower seeds, but has not seen them in bloom, so I am sharing them with her  today.    Saturday, her father moves into an assisted care apartment.  He is doing well, but not really able to be on his own anymore.  He is looking forward to it--some of his friends are there and he has both independence and help --meals, pills, and some assistance when needed.   
   
Margo will take a break, coming back to our Pine Island place and setting up some doctor's appointments to find out why her leg and hip are so painful when she walks.  My guess it is the wrong chair, the wrong bed, and probably some hard work in hoeing in the garden will set her straight!

Got the last items delivered back to the Polk Co Museum after having them on display at the fair.  I asked the fair officials about the fair---much better than last year when the cold wet weather severely dampened attendance.  Saturday was especially busy.   We had 1600 folks drop in at the Red School House to view the historic building and exhibits.  
  

A volunteer beet with late planted zinnias behind

Volunteer lettuce and dill come throughout the garden when I let them go to seed each year.  Very pretty and about 4 feet tall with some dill 5 feet 

Yellow Transparent apples--very early and a Blue Ribbon at the County Fair.  Pie on the menu for Sunday!

The Tiger Lillies (in the shade) are just opening attracting humming birds

Catalpa tree -- huge green leaves shading my lawn of Creeping Charlie

I have to hide the geraniums right next to the house to keep the deer away from them.  Note the weeds around them--I call it "natural plantings."

The TV antenna is stuck in a pipe driven into the ground so I can rotate it north to get WI public TV out of the Grantsburg repeater for Menomonee and then back to the Twin Cities.  It is shedding it's branches.  When Margo comes back, I will have her turn it--sort of like a remote control!