Opened in 1868, but then boarded up in the 1990’s, the Afton Inn has been an eyesore on Main St for years. It’s currently undergoing restoration and will be offices, retail and apartments when finished. Yesterday, these flower panels by a local artist were put up on 2 sides of the building, and definitely help the building’s appearance.

Elliott and I finished Memorial Day, after dinner at Pavemint, watching the American Legion Community Band playing at the gazebo in town. They were great and even did a version of Stairway to Heaven!

While I was putting in plants in the front garden, Malcolm preferred the shade under the weeping cherry, from where he could keep an eye on his property.

This barn used to be abandoned and always made me sad when I passed by, expecting it would tumble to the ground. So I was delighted to see it today, fully restored and being used by a landscape guy for his business. It has a new roof, has been painted and plants put in the ground. It looks gorgeous.

We’re good at fulfillment jobs at our company.Here, we’ve had pins made at one place, boxes made at another, and then we package them for our client. This is for a big company that specializes in zero gravity flights. We ship them all over the country to their flight locations.

After I finished working from home, I went straight outside and began work in the back, or I should say, side garden raised bed. I dug up all the weeds, replanted 2 perennials that were being overshadowed by others, stripped the new ivy off the back fence, stripped the old ivy off the far back fence and gate, pulled it off the carport roof, and trimmed back the tree. And then after a short break, I put everything I’d dug up or cut down into garden waste sacks. And now there’s plenty of room for new plants!

My morning commute is hell again now the traffic has built up post COVID. This started just after Gainesville and didn’t loosen up until I was well past Manassas. Ugh.

Waiting behind the school bus on my way home. Rural life doesn’t always stick to the law, and I was actually impressed that Dad picked up his kids, who then sat in the bed of the truck for the ride home. As it’s been done for decades.

I spotted this huge cricket in a crevice  of the outside wall at work. It was shedding its skin. I hope it survived and got to a tree before becoming a tasty breakfast for a beady eyed bird.

The one and only black iris in the garden, called Darth Vader.

Lemon and Basil wheat beers at Backroom Brewery where we got a couple of plants at their Herb Festival, although there were very few plant stands.

Stuck in a 1 hour 40 minute commute to work, I took a detour past the Manassas battlefields and caught the sun dawn breaking.

I spotted this painted rock in a nook of a tree at work today, and loved how someone had put it there with the intention of it being found. There’s a group in Front Royal that paints rocks and hides them around the town, but I haven’t found one yet.

I nearly disturbed this tiny spider, but his web gleaming in the sunlight caught my eye. So he remained and I left him in peace.

Malcolm was waiting for me on the porch when I got home from work, wanting his dinner.

Another chunk of lawn was removed tonight. I dug up a 3’ x 6’ part of the bank and transplanted 4 perennials from last year’s bed then planted a serviceberry bush and another golden rod. The clumps of sod at the bottom will be taken to the garden refuse dump once they’ve dried out. 

The fringe tree planted in the front garden last year is doing really well. A native tree, with the bark used for liver, kidney and gallbladder disorders, while the native Americans made a poultice for wounds or sores, as it fought off infection. The flowers have a sweet lilac-like scent in the evenings.

Having our first barbecue of the year, starring Elliott as the Chef. I made the potato salad and beans.

The press is ready to roll tomorrow. The squeegee on the left and the trap on the right have been aligned with ink loaded on the screens. The black screen is in the background.

The nasturtiums haven’t been in the ground 2 weeks but have already taken off. I love these in my salads.

The pond is coming to life. The watercress is flowering, the cardinal flower is bursting up at the back, and the curly reed and the pickerel plant from last year that I thought had died, have also resurrected. I had also added a couple of water hyacinths so the little pond will be blooming well this year. And the bees are still coming down to drink.

I was behind this car, as I left Front Royal, on my way to work, and spotted this plate. I assumed this guy would be pretty cool and wondered what the highest tree he’d climbed was. As I overtook him on Rte 66 I was amazed and impressed to see it was a lady in her late 60s or early 70s. You go, girl!

Finally! The bee house I got last year has got 2 tubes filled by bees, likely mason bees, adding their eggs. Hoping other bees will use the lower tubes and that we have a full house by the end of summer.

I noticed a lot of graves with new flowers on today but this balloon stood out and made me feel sad.

Me and my bestie pollinator friend, Carmen, went to a plant sale today in the pouring rain. We got plants and garden ornaments.

One of the early irises. What a beauty! Hopefully we won’t get too much more rain to ruin any new blooms.

After work I stopped to get annuals to fill some pots and had to look around the home decor area at Merrifields. I loved this doorway, framed with branches and ribbons. And the shopping cart certainly added some appeal.

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Malcolm sitting in the canoe, as still and silent, as Captain Purrcard, and both on sentry duty.

Elliott bought me a book to read, one he enjoyed immensely, The Bone Clocks. I’m halfway through Riverman, a superb book, so I’m good for reading material for a while. I always get anxious if I don’t have a book to read.

This is the first time I’ve seen this iris by the front steps. I dug all the tubers up 2 years ago, removed the dead ones and replanted some back in that location. I had thought they were all blue, so it was lovely to see this one had recovered to put on a splendid show this year. 

The boys hanging out on the front porch.