We had a serious storm last night, ushering in a beautiful, cool day. Alas, the winds did bring down a big piece of the fence I damaged last week, and many branches.
A mighty wind 
Rhubarb took a beating 
Horses would not come to the gate until the branch was removed
We had a nice ride – no dust, but some serious puddles on the ring. Jane jumped, and we are both about as ready as we are going to be for Thursday and the ensuing horse show.
Connie arrived to work on the water feature stream, which has become the project from Hell. Ironically, the guys who initially installed it (not Connie!) knelt and prayed before starting.
The deer overlooked two daylily blooms. I am very sad that the deer have become so bold, because I have come to love daylilies, and the deer do, too. Well, a couple of blooms are better than none!
Damn the deer! 
Survivors hidden in the lilac leaves
Our good friends, Linda and Ted, arrived midday for a visit. Linda was in Columbia over the weekend teaching a riding clinic, and Ted met up after a trip south to see family. Now they are wending their way together back to Michigan. We were delighted that they were able to stop and spend some time with us. Jane came for lunch, and we relished time with beloved pals on a glorious day.
Along with a prodigious knowledge of horses and horsemanship, Linda knows birds, particularly catbirds, which I have grown to love. Also, she comes up with plant identification for me regularly. Today, she identified the forgotten perennial I planted last year as Spigelia, or Indian Pink.
Catbird 
Spigelia (Indian Pink)
It was a lovely day for being with friends, and evening chores were pleasant, both in temperatures and with thoughts of the day’s conversations. How strange to have Spring end with record heat, and Summer waltz in uncommonly cool!
Woodpecker and tanager
Stay safe, stay well. Peace.
Deer ate all my day lilies. Sad.
Anne, I use a home made deer off recipe from the U. Of Minnesota. You can find it online. Very effective and very cheap. Spray it about every 2 to 3 weeks.
Blend 2 eggs, a dash of cayenne pepper, garlic powder. Then fill container with up to a gallon with water. Let sit for 3 days and you are ready. Commercial Deer Off is just raw eggs spoiled!