All in favor of today please raise your hand!

I'm having sort of a running competition with myself to choose the most beautiful day of the year for my garden.  Every day I think to myself, "It might be today."  But the next day I think, "No, it might be today.

It is so interesting to me how much I've learned to love gardening.  I truly have to say that the first thing I think about when I wake up is the yard.  I jump out of bed and look out the window.  This is an incredibly beautiful time of day -- everything looks fresh and green, the sprinklers have usually gone on and the leaves are still wearing glistening drops of water.  The ground is wet and looks dark and rich.  It's still cool and there's lots of early morning shade.  After a quick look out the window I venture out into the yard for a close-up inspection -- yes, barefoot and in my pajamas.  It's kind of my way of saying "Good Morning" to each little plant, as well as an opportunity to assess what work needs to be done that day.  I can sustain this enthusiasm until about the end of August, and then I start thinking about frost.