Sylvie Ruth, the Cinnamon member of the Chow Nation, told me today that good fences make good neighbors. Sometimes Sylvie makes no sense to me but I nodded appreciatively anyway because she likes to dance to the Dixie Chicks, too. Anyway, Sylvie was a lot of help to me today and it was a wonderful day in the garden. I gathered lavendar, aromatic roses, and mint for potpourri. Or tea. One; we like to switch 'em up around here.

This morning, I had occasion to go to the rip off nursery that's up the street, around the corner and down the block as I bought a beautiful gazing ball in Oregon but somehow didn't remember that it would need a stand to sit in, nestled among the roses and blue thistles. So I found the perfect stand at 140% of standard retail at Less for More Nursery and found some nice catnip, too. We like to get everybody drunk at Bellemaison.

But the real highlight of the trip to was the discovery that Rosa 'Eden' has a sport! It's red! The remaining one is now mine! I dutifully schlepped it home and am now furiously rearranging perennials that have already bloomed to give it maximum exposure. I love 'Eden'.

And when I came home, it turns out that the Chows had been working on a major acquistion themselves; Cliffie had their new beds made and now they are perfectly positioned to nap the weekend away. I caught Cleo talking to Sylvia Ruth just as she circled three times on her new bed, sank into a deep heap and said, "There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home."