Fresh Peppermint Tea

I'm still slipping outside to pick fresh mint for Ed's morning tea. This is Black Stem Peppermint, a favorite. I have dried some for the winter, but for as long as the plants are producing nice leaves, we will have the fresh. It's worth putting on a jacket to go out, and it gives me a chance to walk around and watch all the plants as they progress into their winter dormancy. The annuals are for the most part gone, by that I mean dead. The perennials slip into their hibernation at different rates. The kettle whistle blows. The tea is ready. A small bit of summer lingers still!

Butterfly Bath

This rock was specially chosen for the top of the shade garden wall. Ed sealed it so that it would hold water, and give the butterflies, and the birds for that matter a place to bathe on a nice hot summer day. It has water in it today. It is a beautiful day, and I did see one yellow butterfly. Still it's probably a little cool for bathing. Perhaps everyone had a sufficient shower yesterday with all the heavy rains that a bath is not high on their list of things to do. Next summer though, I hope the butterflies will flock to our nice puddle. It will wait there until then.