Preparing For Some Special Guests

It's a busy, busy time here at the Prairie as I prepare to welcome some special visitors next week.  One I have met, one I haven't met in person before, but I feel as though I've known her for ages.  I look at my house with critical eyes--why haven't I replaced all this carpeting by now?  Can I get the windows washed and the clutter put away before they come?  How much cat and dog hair will Toby and Sophie shed after I've vacuumed??

And then there's the garden.  They are gardeners, too, so I know we will be walking around the garden,  inspecting it much more closely than my house.   I've been trimming and weeding and even some deadheading, but it's a never-ending cycle.  It's been such a hot and dry summer that the garden is looking pretty sad.  The native asters and some remaining goldenrod are the only new blooms standing in the butterfly garden that otherwise is going to seed.

  Too late, I realize that I've focused too much on spring and summer blooms in my garden.  I hope my visitors find the seedheads of coneflowers interesting, because the big stand of blooms is long gone.

I wonder what they will be expecting; will they be disappointed?  I always warn visitors ahead of time that my garden is small.  Don't expect drifts of anything, unless an eight-foot border of lantana counts as a drift.

These Monarda blooms are not from my garden, but I do have plenty of bees, which should delight one of my visitors especially.

Perhaps the bees and the butterflies will make up for the lack of blooms . . .

. . . and distract them from seeing the weeds:)

It won't take us long to walk around my garden, so there should be plenty of time to sit and chat.  I know we'll find so much to talk about; we might sit on my front porch,  if Tarzan and Marmalade are willing to share their seat.

And from this vantage point they might get to see my hummingbirds up close and personal instead of the blurry photos that are all I seem to be able to get.  I just hope the hummers' migration doesn't start too soon.

Fortunately, my visitors are all dog lovers, which is a good thing because Sophie is excited about their arrival, too.  She loves visitors!

Although we received two inches of rain last week, we need much more.  But not next week!  I am hoping for sunny skies to enjoy visiting gardens with my special visitors, who I'll tell you all about later next week.  I know we're going to have a wonderful time, and I can't wait!