ypsi~dixit

...and the lovely clothesline is included for your viewing pleasure.

That funny dark thing just to the right of the leftmost cornstalk is not a corn but a columnar apple tree. This is the first year it and its twin (not visible) have had apples.

In the left rear may be seen the rabid coreopsis patch. What started out as two humble plants two years ago has exploded into a rapidly marching tide of huge coreopsis. It's odd--it's growing about 5 feet high now, but the original plants were only 12 inches high! My theory is that the original plants were hybrids, and as they self-seeded for a couple of years, they reverted to the genes of their original selves. Isn't that supposed to happen with hybrids? At any rate, I love the giant coreopsis.

Don't forget the Ypsisongs CD release show at the Elbow Room tonight!

Good reminder; thanks, Brandon! Would you kindly remind us what time it starts?

(I hasten to add there's nothing corny about this great project!)

8 PM sharp. 18+

Mercury, that plucky messenger of the zodiac, stalks into the sign of the lion. It's the second time this year that Mercury has made the safari through this jungle of the sky. This time around, it's going direct, and so is our communication style. Loud and proud is the motto, and if you're wrong, at least you're strong.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). There are plenty of reasons you can be proud. Write them down! Celebrate your small wins, too, so you'll have something to build on. These days, it's all about momentum.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). The spirit of competition is alive. You're sensitive to how others feel about you -- not always good -- but sometimes, you have to chalk it up to the game you're playing, nothing personal. Employ more of your sensual charm!

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). It's your day to be lazy and lucky. Find the correlation between doing absolutely nothing and creating good fortune. (The universe was born of nothing, and most of everything is nothing, plus a few particles.)

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Gossip is a big energy suck -- unless you're gossiping to the person you're gossiping about. Then, it goes under the banner of working through your "issues." This could ultimately free your energy instead of spend it.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). The questions seem overblown, impossibly complex and way too important. Luckily, the answer is right in front of you. Maybe it's as simple as going for a walk -- exercise is a wonder drug!

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Everyone who contributes to the social mix is taking a risk. Give yourself credit for that! If you're not as eloquent as you'd like to be, shake it off and keep going. The best people eat their feet from time to time.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You've earned the right to be unreasonable once in a while. Loved ones want to please you, but they don't know how until you dare to ask for what you really want.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You can be so profound! Often, you accomplish this through carefully executed silences. Also, you're a master of stillness. You can use these powerful skills to attract an admirer now.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Inside, there are secrets that you're willing to let out only for a moment through your artistic talent. This afternoon, you feel that you are hardly in control of your creation -- a muse works through you.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Around certain people, you feel you can let go and pour yourself into the moment. Other people make you want to control the minutia of everything. You're most successful today when you seek the former and avoid the latter.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You spend your day pitching out interesting ideas, insights, jokes and plans. The wonderful part is that everyone seems to get you -- the stars help you adjust your wavelength to your various audiences.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). There's a time to do nothing, and this isn't it. Work it. If you leave it up to others to motivate you, you'll get nothing accomplished. Push yourself. Through self-discipline, you prove yourself as a leader.

Thank you, kindest Oracle. Luckily, the answer is right in front of me.

Go, go, GO to Recreation Park and see the Three Sisters garden. I just put up the wonderful informational signs. It's just west of Rutherford Pool, beyond the basketball courts. It's a thing of beauty.

The Ypsisongs link in Brandon's message is broken.

Oh my. I don't think that's what Brandon intended at all.

Here's the link.

HA! When I first clicked on it, it 404'ed. Now, it is rather more interesting...

(disdainfully) gold stripes on one's bustier are so last year.

Lovely sunflower. Our's are blooming also, but they seem to be the "teddy bear" variety, very pretty and great for cutting. I'll try and get my daughter to take a pic to send. They sit out front, along with a volunteeer pumpkin and daliahs and purple petunias. I love Aug. I wish it would last 2 months.

For me, it's the "August Lilies," aka Hosta. Mine are 3" across, pure white, and smell like jasmine. They are heaven. They're all around the front porch and last night, I got my first taste of what the coming late summer nights will be like.... Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Maryd: I love August too. The first notes of fall gold first came into the light early this week-very noticeable. I was out in my back yard last night, merely looking at different plants. Imagining the whole yard frozen in snow, and trying to appreciate the yellow coreopsis, the mega-sunflower, the soft air and sound of birds, the long evening. I was kind of lost in beauty. Fleeting beauty.

Lisa: Hm. That's interesting. I never noticed that hostas were particularly fragrant. I have a few, but they're tucked away in front of the house, kinda out of the way. Late summer nights....ah me, just reading that phrase makes me nostalgic.

Mmmmmmmmmm, the hosta certainly were sweet this evening while I weeded in the breezy twilight.