Today’s sunny hours have been filled with organizing and caging tomato plants, watering thirsty seedlings throughout the gardens, weeding perennial beds, cutting back expired tulip blooms, and transplanting greenhouse flowers into deck pots. I’ve also begun work on cleaning the garden shed now that the chicks have vacated to join the big hens. A pecking order is being established in the Chicken Mansion, and so far all is well.

A surprise in the center perennial bed, our one dogwood tree is blooming for the first time since we moved here. The variety is unknown, but it’s most likely Cornus Kousa, a Japanese Kousa dogwood, characterized by late-opening pointed flower petals and brilliant autumn color.

Just about a dozen blooms grace this young tree.

Dogwoods bring to mind our years in Virginia and the many wonderful dogwood trees there. My heart’s in Virginia today with my amazing first daughter who celebrates her 29th birthday there. Happy Birthday, dear Maddy! You are loved.