One of the many good things about my job is that I don't have to go in till late in the morning.

This morning I got up around six, and took my morning walk. It's not exercise, it's a covert spying operation on every garden in the neighborhood. (I have a one-mile and two-mile route mentally mapped out that include the nicest ones!) Made a mental note to think about underplanting roses with forget-me-nots next year, and admired the hollyhocks that grow wild behind the church.

Came home and made a smoothie, then sat in my garden and surveyed the property while I breakfasted. Drifted around and deadheaded some roses, harvested some chamomile, picked up six hundred spent rose-of-sharon blooms. The I got down to business, extending the "shade" garden a bit, and underplanting the mock orange with some new herbs.

I'm sitting in the grass, brilliant blue skies and a playful breeze keeping it cool, wrapped in a cloud of lily/lemon verbena/pineapple mint/rosemary scent, and I thought -- it really doesn't get any better than this! It's a tiny yard, some things are wilting, some things have bugs or blackspot, not everything is planted, the trellis needs work, and the less said about the dog vomit mold the better -- but what a way to spend the morning; in your own little corner of heaven! Coming in to dress and go to work was made a little easier by the fact that my hands (still!) smell of mint and scented gernaiums, and there's a fresh vase of lilies and pink roses on my desk.

What's going on in your corner of paradise?