Day:  95-degrees  |  Night:  67-degrees
There is a certain elegance in a Calla bloom.  The subtle curves and the ebb and flow of the flower is simply stunning.  Flowers are a kind of grace.  We don't really deserve them, but we get them anyway. Sometimes we pay a lot of attention to them and give them all of the love and then we forget about them and let the languish.  Yet, they give us such beauty.  

I remember the author Philip Yancey gave this definition of Grace:  "There is nothing we can do to make God love us more.  There is nothing we can do to make God love us less."  I'm not smart enough to know if that is true or not but I like to believe it is.  We could all use a bit of Grace right now.

It's going to be another beautiful day here in the Garden.  Plentiful sunshine with winds out of the south at 5 to 10 MPH.  The morning has been absolutely perfect.  Just a lovely breeze and low humidity.  The perfect morning to sit on the porch, drink another cup of coffee and read the paper.  Be good and be kind to yourself and others on your journeys about.  Have a great Monday Gardening Friends!

Day:  88-degrees  |  Night:  60-degrees
Woke up this morning to a beautiful, cool morning in the Garden.  Low humidity, and the sun was just starting to peak across the horizon.  It's such a welcome break from the heat of last week. 

Yesterday was such a wonderful day.  Beautiful, sunny skies with great temperatures.  We were able to visit our friends and hold their brand-new baby girl.  What a joy to behold a perfect little child and have the privilege of holding her in your arms.  These are the moments that give you hope to carry on.  We need a bit of hopefulness in our lives right now.

The squash is blooming.  That, too, gives me hope.  Joy fills my heart as I witness these new creations growing and changing every single day.  Have some faith, keep the hope and share some love.  That is the only thing we can do and the only thing that will truly change the world around us.  

The weather is going to be stunning again today. Bright, beautiful, sunny skies with winds out of the SE at 5 to 10 MPH. It's a glorious day to be out in the Garden.  Praying with nature this morning.  Weeding, watering, planting, harvesting, and praying.  Praying for the faith to carry on, the hope that things can and will get better, and, maybe, the opportunity to share a little love along the way.  Have an amazing Sunday Gardening Friends!

Day:  86-degrees  |  Night:  58-degrees
We harvested all of the Carnival Blend Carrots yesterday.  They are beautiful to look at and sweet and crunchy to eat.  They were a bit of an experiment for me.  I've never grown a carrot before, but I will definitely be planting more next year.  These are delicious!

The heat is finally breaking a bit today.  We are definitely enjoying the lower humidity and the more seasonal temperatures for the next few days before the record-breaking heat returns to our Carondelet Garden.  We are expecting bright, sunny skies today with winds out of the ENE at 5 to 10 MPH.  Today is the day to get outside and enjoy your garden or maybe visit a farmers' market.  Be good to yourself today.  Be kind to those you may meet on your way.  Have a great Saturday Gardening Friends!

Day:  93-degrees  |  Night:  70-degrees
The electricity flickered on and off early this morning around 5:00 a.m. and the winds began to really blow.  It woke all of us and the Doodle Dog needed to investigate.  We let her out and then I remembered I had some seedlings on some sawhorse tables that would possibly be blown over so outside we ran, in the rain, getting seedling trays under cover and into safety.  What we won't do for the love of our plants!  Seriously, I've been nursing these seedlings through cats sitting on them and birds knocking them over, and they are finally starting to take off.  I'm not losing them now!  The good news is everything seems no worse for the wear.  The seedlings are healthy and happy.  No real damage to anything so, all in all, a good day.

The heat even seems to be subsiding a bit today.  Still quite warm but nothing like the past five days.  Partly cloudy with a stray shower or thunderstorm possible.  Winds are out of the NW at 5 to 10 MPH.   Hopefully everyone is safe and there's no damage around your gardens.  Be good and be kind to yourself.  The weekend approaches!  Have a great Friday Gardening Friends!

Day:  98-degrees  |  Night:  74-degrees
The last of the Hollyhocks are here.  The blooms are beautiful, but we have been fighting Rust for the past few weeks.  Time to cut things back and burn the cuttings.  We'll cut the whole plant down this fall and burn everything.  The rain this Spring followed by the hot temps certainly didn't help things.  It's all part of the process I guess.  You keep trying.  Sometimes you win and sometimes you don't.  The little joys of gardening.  Teaches us patience and perseverance.  Even this old guy needs to keep learning those lessons.

Another excessive heat day here in the Carondelet neighborhood of South Saint Louis.  A mix of clouds and sunshine with the slight possibility of a shower or thunderstorm this afternoon.  Personally, I'm not holding my breath!  Winds are out of the WSW at 10 to 15 MPH.  Take it easy today.  Be good and be kind to one another.  It's the best we can do for ourselves and our neighbors.  Have a great Thursday Gardening Friends!
​

Day:  99-degrees  |  Night:  77-degrees
It is Day 4 of Excessive Heat Warnings here in South Saint Louis.  It's been a pretty crazy middle of June here in the Midwest.  I'm pretty old and lived here all of my life and I don't ever remember this kind of heat in mid-June.  So far, with a lot of watering and care, the Garden seems to be hanging in there.  

We have an homage to an English Country Garden instead of a front yard.  I'm old enough to be able to admit that I truly enjoy watching Downton Abbey, Call the Midwife, and we even watched the entire Poirot series with David Suchet through the worst of the pandemic.  Loved every minute of it.  We just watched the latest Downton Abbey movie and thought it was quite good.  You have to be a fan to enjoy it probably.  We even sprung for a BritBox and Acorn streaming service.  Yes, we have an Anglophile problem.  All of that to explain why we have an homage English Country Garden and the flowers and plants are doing quite well here in Carondelet.

It's hot again today.  The Doodle Dog and I were out early again for her morning constitutional, and it was already in the upper 70s.  Today it will be hot and humid with mostly sunny skies and winds out of the SSW at 10 to 20 MPH.  Be sure to take it easy today.  Drink lots of fluids and take as many breaks as necessary to prevent heat stroke.  Be kind to yourself and others.  This weather is enough to fray anyone's nerves and you add into that the turmoil that is life in this world right now.  A little kindness goes a long, long way.  I hope someone extends a bit of kindness to you today.  Have a wonderful Wednesday Gardening Friends!

Day:  100-degrees  |  Night:  79-degrees
It was a very early morning walk with the Doodle Dog this morning and it was already 81-degrees at 5:30 a.m.  Just a crazy heat wave for June in Saint Louis.  Watering is almost a full-time job right now.  The good news is that tomatoes love this heat.  The other bit of news is the harvesting of carrots for the very first time here in the Carondelet Garden.  These were grown from seed planted back in mid-April.  They were direct-seeded into a raised bed between the sidewalk and fence.  It's this narrow little strip of ground that was just wasted but became the perfect place for carrots.  I love the "Carnival Blend" colors from Botanical Interests.  

We had our visit with the doctor yesterday and it looks like I'll be gardening for another year.  It was, in all honesty, a good visit with mostly good news.  This old gardener is still gardening and walking the Doodle Dog!  

The Heat Wave continues.  The high temperature recorded here in the Garden yesterday was 103-degrees.  The forecasters are calling for another record-breaking day with plentiful sunshine.  Winds are out of the SSW at 10 to 15 MPH.  There is an Excessive Heat Warning for everyone in the Saint Louis area.  Be careful if you have to be outside for any length of time.  Stay hydrated.  Rest Often.  Don't push yourself.  Be good and be kind to yourself and to others on your journey today.  Have a wonderful Tuesday Gardening Friends!

Day:  99-degrees  |  Night:  79-degrees
Oh, my goodness it is humid out in the garden this morning.  The Doodle Dog and I went outside to get the pots and hanging baskets watered.  I'm already dripping wet.  Incredible for this early in Saint Louis.  The tomatoes are loving it by the way.  They love those warm nights and soak up the sunshine.  

We both are heading out the door early this morning to get our doctor visits.  Age has its benefits but also its downfalls.  Off to the doctor we go to make sure we have those prescription refills and to be sure something else hasn't started or stopped for that matter.  It's a part of life.  You take the good and the bad and you make the best of it.  Not unlike being a gardener.  Some days everything looks amazing and the next you realize your wonderful Hollyhocks have rust!  You treat it and you move on.  I'm a bit rusty but there's a few miles left on this old gardener.

Clouds and sunshine with a slight risk of showers and thunderstorms.  Winds out of the SSW at 10 to 15 MPH.  It's hot and humid and downright dangerous so please be careful if you have to work outside.  Take breaks and keep hydrated.  Be good and kind to yourself and others.  People are going through so much right now and the heat will not be helping.  A smile and a kind attitude go a long, long way.  Have a good Monday Gardening Friends.

Day:  95-degrees  |  Night:  78-degrees
My San Marzano Tomatoes are starting to bear fruit.  We couldn't be happier.  This was my first attempt at growing tomatoes from seed.  It's an exciting experiment that seems to be working out pretty well.  I can't wait to harvest a few and make some more tomato sauce.  

It goes without saying that it is already pretty danged warm outside.  The Doodle Dog and I did our morning walk pretty early and it was already 80-degrees.  We came home and immediately started watering the plants and flowers.  I'm a very hot and humid old man right now!

Today we will see sunshine and clouds mixed with the chance of an afternoon thunderstorm.  Winds are out of the SW at 5 to 10 MPH.  There is a Heat Advisory for the Saint Louis Metro area so be careful if you are working outside.  Keep hydrated!  You and your plants.  Be good to yourself.  Try to get some rest if you can.  Have a great Sunday Gardening Friends!

Day:  89-degrees  |  Night: 73-degrees
The Sweet Onions are looking mighty, well, sweet!  Sorry, terrible pun.  Yet, they are looking good, and we are excited to try another new vegetable here in the Carondelet Garden.  I admit I pulled one just to see how it was fairing.  They are another month or so from being truly ready, but they are delicious.

It's a beautiful, sunny morning in the Carondelet neighborhood of South Saint Louis.  We can expect a mix of sun and clouds all day with light and variable winds.  A perfect day for a Farmers' Market or you could follow us over to Macklind Market to see some of our favorite makers.  Be good and kind to yourself and others as you wander about this fine day.  Happy Saturday Gardening Friends!