So who’s cuter, Anna or her friend? Anna!!!!
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We’re thinking it’s the red visuals – two huge planters full of million bells on one side of the porch, and orangie-red cannas on the other side. Ah, and then there is the nectar. Ever-so-sweet and enticing nectar. We boil 1 ½ cups of water and add ½ cup of sugar. Some goes in the feeder. The rest goes in the fridge to be used in 2-3 days. Please change yours often too! We’ve tried before to attract hummingbirds to this same area without success in past years. We never planted red there before. So we’re figuring it’s not a rumor – red appeals to hummingbirds since they are around so much. And for your viewing pleasure (till you get your own hummingbirds) here is the rescue of a baby hummingbird on U-tube, as sent to me from Lynn: Here’s a cute kid with a cute scarecrow by a cute sign. Look for the sign again this year. Certainly we’ll have scarecrows. And maybe even the kid! And watch for the green T-shirted workers. Like Mike and Dawn below, they’ll also be wearing smiles.
Join us at Pioneer Days on Sunday, September 19th, from noon to 4 PM. The event is held at the Elk Grove Farm House Museum, 399 Biesterfield Road. For more info, www.elkgroveparks.org. Here’s the deal – I’ll try to post another scarecrow picture every day from now till October 31st if you’ll try to come back regularly to look at them. Deal? Deal!
It wasn’t always like this. Some 10 years ago, we ran into Frank Campise at Friendship Gardens. Frank was tending the huge Dahlia garden that was there at the time. Life hasn’t been the same since. Frank and the other members of the Central States Dahlia Club have helped Mike to become the addicted Dahlia grower he has become. And I love it this time of year when there are beautiful blossoms everywhere! The 8 Dahlias is this picture are Alfred Grill, Peaches and Cream, Blackberry Ripple, Jessie G, Colorado Classic, Kiara Pompadour, Gloriosa, and Safari Sunset.
This project tends to get forgotten with higher priority projects taking, well, priority. Let’s see if my commitment to a blog update on June 15th of 2011 will give us the incentive to make progress by then. Please mark your calendars – I did. I gave myself an Outlook task dated June 10th. Knowing that you are going to make a calendar task for June 15th to check up on me should get us moving along. So what makes this fit in the Work Less category? We have a lot of mulch in our yard, including paths and the area where the tables and chairs are. It’s work to remulch, and it’s work to weed. The work has got to stop! Wondering what our bricks really look like? Here ya go… Come back and put me to the progress test. P.S. Don’t tell Mike. Let me break it to him gently.
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Remember those alliums you had in the garden earlier this year? Cathy’s got a great shot of them here. They’ve been repurposed as scarecrow hair. Thanks for sending in this picture!
These cuties were seen perching on an Elk Grove Village porch.
Sometimes all it takes is a little color to make your scarecrow unique. The orange hair does it for this ladie’s scarecrow.
Gotta love the creativity in the design of this Door County scarecrow.
We are really enjoying the hummingbirds this year. The hummingbird feeder is right outside the window, and they don’t seem to mind us being around. How do we get hummingbirds to come to our yard? 
I have to admit it. Fall is here, even if the calendar doesn’t quite say so. I know because the Elk Grove Garden Club is gearing up to make 100 scarecrows next weekend. We are part of the village’s Pioneer Day Festival, and our scarecrow making is always a hit. Its as much fun for us as it is for the families making the scarecrows. 
I’d say the operative word in the title of “We’re planning a patio” is “planning”. We’ve been planning it for a while. Ever since the driveway bricks from a neighbor found their way to our yard. You don’t want to know how long ago that was. Really, you don’t. So if you think our patio looks like the one in the picture, afraid not.