Keep an eye on that plant, flutter, and make sure it is really a hollyhock and not something else. We had a velvet leaf spring up in our garden this summer, which is in the same mallow family as the hollyhocks. It has similar leaves and buds as the plant you posted. Yours may very well be a hollyhock, but since I just had this issue this summer, I thought I’d post a warning.
I do like swimming so a little bit of summer is good. And fresh veggies. But I hate hot overnight temperatures so I’m really really looking forward to fall with its crisp nigh air. And I like the winter holidays and then (if it ever snows) the winter sports - snowshoeing and x-country skiing for me - so I like winter. And spring is always so optimistic after the darkness and cold of winter. So I like all of the seasons. Probably summer least. But it’s still ok for a few weeks.
My first real summer job was a dishwasher and then a short-order cook at Howe Caverns. It was actually a pretty good job. Because it’s a tourist attraction that sees most of its visitors during the summer, most of its workers are seasonal employees and therefore mostly high school and college students. So a fun atmosphere. And I really liked the fast-paced kitchen environment.
My desk:
- Two pictures of KT and me in NYC a few years ago, including one of us on the Brooklyn Bridge.
- Pictures of our honeymoon
- A philodendron. Boy, do they like office light. Mine’s very happy and a couple coworkers have them as well, and they’re all thriving.
- A kitty calendar. 'Cause a little cuteness never hurts.
- Various swag from conventions that I went to with my old job.
- A sample of bullet-proof glass with a bullet in it. My ex-bf’s father used to work for a company that makes (and tests) it, and they always had samples lying around their house and said I could have one. It’s pretty cool. And most people don’t know what it is.
The big excitement at our house over the weekend was that our cat - who used to pal around with our hamster, showing no predatory instincts - caught and killed her first mouse ever! (Although we like small animals and do have two gerbils, mice are pests. This mouse has been tormenting the cat since early spring when she caught and released it.) She was out on the patio while I was getting breakfast, and I heard her come running up the stairs. I turned around to see her, and there she was with the mouse in her mouth! I panicked a little bit because I assumed it was still alive and that she was going to let it go in the house. I ran upstairs and woke up KT who came running back downstairs with me. But fortunately, the cat had done her job, and the mouse was dead. No chasing the mouse around in the house. Whew! Go kitty!
I still think one of the less frequent starters should volunteer for next week. C’mon you slackers! Step up!!