Sometimes there are experiences you just can’t pass up. I was reading one of my weekly business newsletters a few months ago, when in the newsletter they proposed a unique opportunity. You get a day in Nashville with a marketing pro to work on your business plan for the year, plus at lunch you get to pop out and view the Total Solar Eclipse. I thought – how cool, some work, some play, and then suddenly it occurred to me that one of my best friends lives in Nashville, and it is summer at the Garden Center. So what did I do? I abandoned the idea of a business trip and said to Kim, let’s drive to Nashville and check out the solar eclipse with the girls. It’s not a common occurrence, and it’s not too terribly far. So we did it, and this past Monday, we experienced 1 minute of total darkness right in the middle of the day. As the total eclipse approached, the temperature dropped, the shadows became sharp, the light through the leaves became eclipse-shaped, and if you listen in the video, you can even hear the crickets chirping. I’m not going to lie, it was a little eerie watching the sun go away, but amazing. We were able to take off our glasses and marvel at the sun and the corona bursting out from it. We did not get great pictures because we were too busy enjoying the moment! (We figured NASA had us covered anyway.) The girls enjoyed the experience, and I hope they’ll remember it someday when they are older. Check back in next week’s newsletter to see why I was actually so excited to take them for an astronomical experience.

Since we were viewing the eclipse this week, it has me thinking about night-blooming flowers. There are some pretty cool ones out there: Dragon Fruit, Night-Blooming Jasmine, and Moon Flower, just to name a few, so why not find a spot in your garden to plant some of these Flowers of the Night? Maybe someday there will be an eclipse in our area and you’ll get to see them bloom during the day. (Would the plants know there was an eclipse?) They’d be perfect on a deck or patio area with a chiminea or firepit where you could enjoy the blooms in the evening. OK, now I’m dreaming of the Fall! It will be here soon. Have a great week in the garden.