July? You have got to be kidding!

I guess I can say that the month went out with a bang. Last Friday my friend Dalene and I were caught in a severe storm while down in Pocatello. Thunder, pouring rain, and dime to nickel size hail. It lasted most of the afternoon, and southern Pocatello was flooded! What a mess!

When we got back to Idaho Falls, we got to experience the storm again. Thankfully, it was not as severe here. The hail certainly ripped up our vegetation though. My hostas are a wreck!

Summer Intensive is over, and it seems very strange not to be driving to Pocatello evey day. Bailee is especially melancholy about seeing it finish. She really had a good time. The photo was taken outside of Frasier Hall at ISU right before their recital. Her friend, Brianne, is showing off her first pair of pointe shoes. They are SO tiny! Cute! The performance was amazing, especially when you consider that everything they did was learned and perfected in a few weeks.

We have been trying to catch up on the yard and the house - both of which have suffered horribly in the past 1 to 2 months. The end of the school year, Summer Intensive, the relentless rain - they all combined to make a right proper mess (and we did). I don't see how I will ever catch up on the weeding in the garden, but I am going to try. If I have the courage - and am successful in my resolve, I may even include a before and after photo.

We'll start July with a visit from Marsha Perry, our friend from Washington. It has been fun planning for her visit. Bailee went nuts preparing a 4th of July Pyrotechnic Extravaganza for her. Now I just hope the weather cooperates! They're predicting wind for the 4th - wouldn't you know it!

My roses are in bloom right now. I was worried about them, as it was an awfully hard winter. They did suffer, but are slowly making a comeback. I wish I could say the same for the container plants. The excessive rain and the hailstorm of last Friday took its toll.