Weeding as therapy after stressing out about schoolwork during the day.  Got a good, sharp 3-tined hand-cultivator and dragged it through the massive clover patches in the front yard for hand-pulling.  It gets down in there and helps to pull up the knotted mess of tendrils.  Pulls up some grass and lots of thatch too, but it'll be worth it.  An hour every evening clears about 100 square feet.  Four more evenings should do it.  In places, there is no grass left once the clover is gone.  Over the weekend, need to spread compost over the front lawn, overseed with new grass, and keep it moist for a few weeks.  If  August is as rainy as usual, germination should work out pretty well.  Did some serious thinking about selective herbicides, but just could not bring myself to use them on the lawn.  They say that healthy grass will out-compete clover... we'll see...

Next step, the massive chickweed infestations in the back and side yards.  At least that's an annual, and we can go after it next spring with a pre-emergent.

Replacing the underperforming heliotrope (planted in really big planters anticipating large plants that never appeared) with 2 upright begonias, which I know to be massive and right-sized for the big planters. 

Finally hung up the remaining hanging planters by attaching rope and drilling a couple of new holes in them.

Godetia finally started blooming around the yard lamp.  It's a much taller and leggy plant than advertised in the literature - almost 2 feet tall, nearly as tall as the cosmos which were supposed to be their background.  Hops vine is starting to pick up steam and really climb up the pole.  Dwarf variegated nasturtium is disappointing, appears sunburned all the time.  Might replace it with some leftover trailing nasturtium.

Lillies starting to bloom, hollyhock still growing.  Cosmos are very massive and growing very well - definite do-again annual. 

Can't find a carpenter who will look at our deck for repair.  Disappointing.

Baby and Mommy coming home on Saturday, can't wait!