Flowers, joy, and learning

This morning we met in the park with our homeschool group. It was cool enough to meet at the park at 10am which is incredible but absolutely lovely for June in the Sonoran Desert. I came home with 5 garbage bags full of grass clippings to use as mulch. I've been needing some mulch and the Universe does always provide. The park folks even bagged it and stacked it up for me. Thanks.

Jasmine wasn't feeling too well this afternoon but she followed one of her latest passions--a DVD series our library carries called Families of the World. A couple of nights ago, she watched this one. She had wanted to watch something else but it didn't fit in the available timeslot. So a 30 min movie was perfect...


Yesterday she went down to the library and checked out two more and she watched these this afternoon.

This evening we went on a bike ride--enjoying the unseasonably cool weather and dropped off books at the library and Jazz checked out 3 more...

She watched another this evening as I prepared dinner.

What a multicultural day. I also spent some time reading Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine to Jazz this afternoon and finished it before bed tonight.



Into the garden...I'm shamelessly stealing this idea from Stephanie over at OrdinaryLifeMagic

Some of her posts have a section beginning---Into the garden...

This morning I was out pollinating a squash blossom when 2 bees flew out of it. Since our lovely wildflower display this spring has mostly disappeared, the bees have been scarce. Most of the summer flowers I planted were planted too late to establish before our intense summer heat although I'm hoping some will pop up during monsoon season in July and August. But looking around this morning I realized flowers are happening here and there and the bees are coming back.

A few batchor buttons are still hanging on...

Here with some Amaranth that must have been in wildflower mix I planted.

And a couple more summer flowers that were in wildflower mix. They'll bloom all summer although I've only got one plant of each. But who can complain..

Gaillardia

...and a Plain Coreopsis

The Armenian Cucumbers have a pollination strategy. They are covered in male flowers for a while before a female appears. I have at least four hills of these. Meaning quite a few little yellow flowers.

The dwarf Zinnias in Jazzie's little garden have been blooming for a while

...and now other Zinnias I've planted around are popping out. I planted these along with the veggies 6+ weeks ago.


And last but not least......

A dwarf sunflower in Jaz's garden is unfolding in all it's glory