The same spot on the back step as January. This is the picture I wanted all year.

The tomatoes are over the tops of their cages, the Kentucky Wonder beans are up to the tops of their poles, and the Mammoth sunflowers along the back are taller than the fence and still going. The zinnias in front of the step are State Fair, the same kind my mother grew along her clothesline, in every color they come in.

It was a hot, dry stretch. You can see the lawn going brown. The garden gets the hose, and the lawn gets told to wait for rain.