Yesterday I finished hauling hoses and setting the water pressure on a faucet-based watering system. Battery operated with four outlets. It came with two electronic connectors and I could buy two more, but I think the original two are enough. I have a 75' hose running past the garage door into the long veggie garden and it has 2 lengths of soakers weaving through the garden. I have a small plastic sprinkler on the end of a second hose to water the garden and along the foundation next to the side door. Programmed to water every other day in the morning.

The new hose stand is in the front yard and there is a soaker hose extended around the foundation. Those both operate off of the faucet on the front of the house in plain sight of the street, so I don't want it to look interesting for anyone doing a five-finger discount through the neighborhood. At night anyone approaching that spot will trigger the sensor for the porch light, but most theft happens in the middle of the day. Ask me how I know . . .

I mowed everything over the weekend and for the moment it looks lovely. The lawn is going to start going dormant in the heat, though rain is predicted later in the week so I'll probably have more mowing through July. And since I'm watering the gardens the grass will grow boldly in those beds.

One of the callers to my favorite organic gardening radio program reminded us this weekend that self-rising flour is found helpful in fighting grasshoppers. It is thought that the baking powder in the mix causes them to burst. The caller said he has treated his tomatoes and found a lot of dead grasshoppers on the ground. I'll share this with the rest of you gardeners and report any benefit from using it. I sprinkled some on parts of the garden last night. And if this doesn't work, I have the kaolin clay mix called Surround WP that is mixed up and literally spray painted onto the garden.

Didn't do much in the house. I did make a lemon meringue pie and I'm taking most of it to work today.

SRS