a barn yarn

A month or so ago, my need for a potting space and Todd's need for more storage merged into a concrete plan - we needed to build an addition onto our barn.

The supply truck rolled in last week...

...and now we're really moving forward!

It's not going to be huge, but it will be large enough to give us some breathing room in the main room, AND large enough for shelving, tables, and storage, all devoted to next year's garden.  Hooray!  Hopefully it will be done within 2 weeks.

We are frequently checking on the progress with our special inspector!

Thankfully, after two weeks of miserable hot, dry weather, we've had a torrential rain and a slight cooling-off period.  It's still 6 weeks until September, so I'm happy for any reprieve from the part of summer that I most dislike.  I've been able to work outside a bit.  So many pollinators!  It makes me happy that despite my garden being a total flop this year (front is too overcrowded and can't be corrected until fall, and you know the story with the back garden), it still provides a benefit to bees.

All sorts of little flies rest on the flower heads...

...and I love the tiny worms I sometimes find!  Is it just me, or does this inchworm (family Geometer) have a tiny line of hearts on his back?

The recent rain was so heavy that it broke the stems on some of my tall flowers, but I was able to make bouquets.

Yesterday, I staked the other tall flowers that had been flattened, but not broken, by the rain, and was able to take some quick photos to determine what exactly I had, and how I was going to fix my mess.

Gulp.

Lupine and baptisia are too difficult to move, but I could dig out the culver's root...heavily prune the baptisia...remove the winding trail of german chamomile and cosmos (that are smothered by everything else anyway)...relocate the clematis (on the wooden trellis) and the betony (totally smothered)...dig out every last cleome seedling...for starters.  I could preemptively stake the yarrow and coneflowers.  The coneflowers, especially, are four feet tall and sprawling everywhere, all over. Also, I've got a ton of pink obedient plant interspersed here that's been growing nicely all year, but not a single bud yet.  It must be a late bloomer.  Odd, because my white obedient plant in Indianapolis bloomed early and lasted all summer.   I'll wait and see if it's worth its space here in the front garden.

Here it is from the other side.  Double gulp.

At least I've got good company in Claudia.  My other cats are otherwise occupied.

Have a great week!