wednesday morning in the garden

This summer we’ve enjoyed having season tickets to the Muny – our spectacular outdoor theater that hosts six or seven musicals a summer. The girls are a great age to start this tradition in our family, and they’ve loved every minute of each show. Our tickets are on Tuesday nights, which has meant that we’re out late pretty early in the work week. On a few occasions, we’ve skipped our early rise to visit the garden on Wednesday mornings in an effort to let them sleep as late as possible on their post-show mornings.

Yesterday they needed to be dropped off for a camp field trip just down the street from the garden, so I decided to play the morning by ear. Both girls woke up reasonably well, and so we decided to pick up a quick breakfast nearby and spend the rest of the morning until drop off time in the front portion of the garden.

The temperatures have dropped a bit from the stifling heat wave we’ve been sweltering under. The humidity is still so high, but yesterday morning was pleasant enough for late July.

So many pinks, everywhere – even on the leaves. The girls wandered from fountain to fountain while I kept my own pace with my camera. They are pretty self-sufficient here and are good at occasionally checking back in with me when they run ahead.

I let them laze around at a snail’s pace, and really focused on the flowers blooming in a few of the closer gardens. The air was heavy, but we only had a few sprinkles while we were inside. Everything was covered in water droplets and looked lush, despite the heat.

The water plants are really phenomenal right now – particularly the water lilies. We also studied this interesting plant that has quickly fanned out across the pool like a Christmas tree. The girls imagined that it was strong enough to walk across, and were a little disappointed that I wouldn’t let them try it.

It’s Thursday morning, and I’m tired. It’s been a full week, and I’ve been burning the midnight oil here on the house project and watching the convention speeches. We have an early meeting in the morning with the contractor, and I’m really excited about that. But I’m also excited about catching up on some sleep this weekend.

On garden mornings I always wonder if sleeping in a bit would benefit me more than getting up and out the door to this place. Once I walk through the front doors, I’ve stopped wondering. It’s always worth it.