As the Spindle Turns . . .

Good and not so good weekend. The art show failed to live up to my expectations. Will try to give them useful ideas for another time but they can try them out without me being in attendence. I believe in their cause, but their clientele may enjoy a garden show or flea market better. Most participants enjoyed looking at art as if they were in a museum but did not interact with the art, which means cranky impoverished artists. 90 percent of the artists I talked to were new to the show. Very few coming back from previous years. The show is in its 36th year. That is not a good sign. On the flip side, we met some fantastic artists! More on them later when I fish out business cards.



So to lift our spirits, we headed to the Chicago Botanical Gardens just as the rain hit. It was nice to put up our umbrellas and walk in the English garden. We toured the Bonsai garden as well. It was very spiritual. Then off we went to the Plant Science Center to wait out the lightening. When the fury abated, we went up to the roof to view the green roof gardens and solar panels. Ed Begley Jr would love this place! We learned about the necessary layers to make it work.





We also learned about invasive species and found several that inhabit our yard. Buttercup has toxic sap and needs to be pulled with gloves. The little blue flowers are forget-me-nots and spread rapidly. (The ones we thought were Forget-me-nots are actually Siberian Bugloss, which is a good plant.) And the garlic mustard must go! Invasive species choke off native vegetation.