Surprises, At Home and In the Garden

 The garden could not be more lush with all the rain we've had.  I had to take this aerial pic to get in the whole hydrangea.

Things are looking good. All the transplanted Annabelle's are blooming.  Not all the Endless Summer have buds.  Must be the cold and frosts we had after the plants first started growing in the spring..

Didn't bother these lovelies at all.   A bushel of hydrangeas,

 Dozens of day lilies...

...and the milkweed is in bloom! I didn't think I'd have milkweed this year because the plants last year never
had seed pods.  I have more milkweed this year than ever!  Nature is amazing.

Look at this beauty feeding on the milkweed.  He stayed and played with Penny and I for a while.  This butterfly delighted our girl.  First Penny watched from the safety of the screen door.  Then she came out and the butterfly circled us and came very close to us. Penny named him Jerry. After our last encounter with butterflies that didn't go so well, I was so happy Penny wasn't afraid this time.

We had to do a little shopping before we brought our girl back home. We found the elusive Hello Kitty Mermaid on a Surfboard.  Penny said, " Mom is going to be so jealous." What three year old talks like that? We got to spend a fun evening with the cousins and a sleep over with Grandpa and Grandma.  I can't tell you how much we enjoy Penny's visits.  The week is long until we can see her again.  We are so spoiled having her close by, how in the world did we manage when she was so far away?

The biggest surprise of the week,(maybe the year) was finding my two sons in our bedroom at midnight on Thursday!  I thought I was dreaming!  I expected Jon and Charlotte, so I wasn't alarmed when I heard a commotion downstairs, waking me up from a sound sleep.  Jon walked in and tells me he picked up someone on the road.  In walks Mikey!  It was such a wonderful surprise.  I was like that kid after the dentist...Is this real?  Mike's been working two jobs without a day off for weeks.He worked in the morning and then drove the 6 hours to surprise me.  I have been so so lonely for him, I told him I would come to his job just to watch him work.  My sneaky sons arranged for this surprise visit so Mike could  join us at a tasting for the big wedding in 2016.

This wedding is going to be Legendary! What a happy pairing, Charlotte and Jon are so wonderful together!
We had a great but short visit.  A wonderful dinner with Charlotte's parents and my boys.  Mike even went to visit his sister in the city and spent some time with Penny.  We got to spent time with our baby grand...
Life is good and our blessings are many.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy this beautiful day.