Motley Monday - July 27, 2026

Let's start the week off with some love in the form of sidewalk chalk art at the splashpad.   

 A short garden update.  In case you haven't noticed, there aren't as many posts about gardening as there used to be.  That's because I'm doing less.  The far back had been the vegetable raised bed, now I just have four container tomatoes and a container full of bush beans, near the house.  With the hotter summers, often with wildfire smoke, I just got tired of tending them, dragging the hose out, setting the sprinklers.  Let's be honest, some of the tiredness is due to aging!  And while 2023 was a while back, I had COVID that spring and the garden was neglected badly, and weeds took over a lot of spaces.  So...

Here are the tomatoes, which are doing well.  Other than the Pantano Romanesco which is having trouble with bottom end rot.  It gets the same care from me, and the same sun, as the others. 

Pantano Romanesco

Golden King of Siberia 

Bonny Best 

Sungold 

Daylilies of course.  I shouldn't say "of course," as some of them have already finished for the season.  Some will be reblooming, some not. 

Happy Hunting Grounds 

Longfield's Pink (a bit more orange than earlier blooms)

This unnamed one has HUGE flowers! 

Many pollinators are enjoying the woolly apple mint.

My air quality is better, and the fire bringing the smoke (26 miles away) is nearly 50% contained.  This aircraft is one of the VLATs (Very Large Air Tankers), which I read is a DC-10 converted for aerial firefighting. The red containers underneath hold chemical fire retardant.  The airport is 3 miles, from my house.  Commercial aircraft don't fly over my house, for which I am glad!  I don't often get my phone out fast enough to open the camera.

Mickey is an odd duck dog.  Dusk worries him.  Here he is surveying the scene before committing to "go potty" for the night Saturday!

Hope your week goes well. 
Come back tomorrow for another episode of Tuesday Treasures.