There’s a new page in my sidebar - check it out! Just in time for the holidays we have a special offer for blog readers — we hope to tempt you to give yourself - or a gardener you know who already has every*thing* - the gift of a Blithewold membership! (Even if you don’t live close by, there are benefits you can take advantage of. Blithewold participates in the American Horticultural Society’s Reciprocal Admissions program. So by supporting Blithewold, you can visit other public gardens closer to home!) Take it from Gus-gus who says, “It’s the coolest present ever! …buuurrrrupp yup…”

It was blissfully peasoupy this morning - a sauna bath still but a welcome relief to the scorching asphyxia of the last couple of days. I love the sounds of fog - amplified birds, dripping tree percussion and fogbound ship’s blasts and foghorn echoes. The siren songs lured me on a long early ramble past dewy smokey smoke bush and a diamond encrusted spiderweb, down to the shoreline. The buildings and grounds committee met Monday night and among other necessary projects shelved for lack of funds, the salt water pumphouse and dock restoration was discussed. The salt water pumphouse was used to send baywater to bathtubs in the house equipped with a third faucet — can you imagine?!! Of course, these days the bay is slightly less pristine than it was a century ago and bathing in it holds less actual appeal… Nonetheless a rescue is necessary because the historic water’s edge building is being undermined and is in danger of falling to the beach in a heap. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen before the funds to fix it are procured! (Anyone interested in donating money to the capital campaign please click here. Another project needing fundage is a new roof for the mansion to the tune of a cool mil. Those amazing 3rd floor archives need protection from the elements!)

As I write this it’s vacillating between stinking hot blazing sun and windy fog. The North Garden Soiree (sold out!) is tonight and we’ve been madly dashing around making sure every bloom is looking-alive and crossing our fingers that the thunderstorm in the forecast holds off (at least until much later tonight - we need the rain!). I’ll update you on the event’s sure success tomorrow or the next day! Anyone else out there feeling conflicted about wanting a big rain?