Not only is the first of August gone, but I’ve missed the 15th, too! It’s been a busy month — and a good one, though.

It’s my birthday month, and I started off with some celebrating and travel to Las Vegas. A highlight? The Neon Museum after dark with sooo many great examples of signage from Vegas history on display. I highly recommend it! Vegas isn’t really my scene, but I went with a dear friend to see Adele in concert — which is very much my thing!

But it hasn’t all been fun and games around here! While I was playing, the garden was doing it’s thing, and I came home to weeds and overgrown beds and all the rest. So, I’ve been working feverishly to get things back into shape. That’s the problem with vacation: the gardening fairies never show up to take care of things while I’m gone!

But the Amaranth and sunflowers that I planted this year are stealing my heart! Both are native North American plants. Amaranth is actually a grain, but the flowers and seedheads are so sculptural and glorious, that they make huge, beautiful bouquets. Add some sunflowers — well, it is spectactular!

The Wildlife Garden is coming along beautifully! While I am doing a LOT of weeding, the plants are absolutely thriving. I have started a whole section about the Wildlife Garden here on MidModernMama. Not only will there be information here, but also on HighCountryGardens.com. And, of course, I’ll be doing updates on Instagram as well.

I am so proud of this particular project. I hope you will hop over and read all about it. I often feel pretty gloomy about the state of the world and the enviromental damage we continue to do. But wildlife gardening is so empowering! I am actually doing something that will have a profound impact on the flora and fauna in my neighborhood. And while my one yard isn’t going to change the world, imagine the impact of a hundred yards — or a thousand — or a million… That’s the thing about gardening. It is a tangible, real way to advocate for change without waiting around for other people to take action.

Anyway, I hope you’ll follow along!

Stay cool, everybody! And happy gardening!

Cheers!
Angela