Garden guest

Last week I had a helper in my garden. My dad's dog, Sammy, came to visit. I had taken a week of vacation, and had the opportunity to puppy-sit, so we spent a couple of days in the great outdoors. He, napping in the shade, me, pulling weeds in the half-moon garden, potting up the smaller few cherry tomato plants, and other random tasks. We had a wonderful time, until some workers arrived next door and he made a valiant effort to protect me from them. The barking was too much, and Sam had to go back inside. He is a very well-behaved, snoozy little guy, and was a welcome addition to my yard.

There is finally the beginnings of a female flower on one of my pumpkins, so now begins the race against time. By the time I get home from work each day, the male flowers are already closed, and when I leave in the morning they aren't yet open. I'm incredibly nervous and excited to watch the progress this week. The photo doesn't do this plant justice, but I wanted to preserve my handiwok of training the vine in the same wave shape as the garden's edge, and then into the forest of sunflower stalks, which it absolutely loves, as it's been tendril-ing like crazy.