Libby was digging in the mulch tonight. Quietly playing while her parents were working on the shrubs, Libby’s penchant for accessories took control of her curiosity with the mulch.
Ladies and gentlemen… I present Ms. MulchHead:

It took a good 20 minutes of scrubbing in the tub to get all the grit and dirt out. Probably the first of many incidents that make us howl with laughter then scrub with vigor.
Our cosmos (aka Cosmos Bipinnatus) have sent up a few more blooms. Here’s one catching the last of today’s sun (click for super-sized version):

Like all houses, ours has a fairly long list of things we would like to improve. A big item on that list is a new deck on the front of our house, but coming close in second is to re-landscape the sides and back of the yard. For the most part I don’t mind the current landscaping, but there are certainly areas that need some love and elbow grease.
One thing that I am very attached to, though, are three stargazer lilies on the side of our house. They are simply gorgeous, and Shannon and I will definitely integrate them into the final design of our yard.
Like most images on this site you can click for a closeup - those colors are real, the picture is unmodified.