It's been a busy summer for us. Friends came to visit from Dallas and we traveled to Dallas to visit others. We've had several new guests stay with us in the past two months in spite of the hot temperatures. Unfortunately the gardens here have suffered from the extreme heat (105+ temperatures) and the grasshoppers. The more we water and plants try to grow, the more the grasshoppers have to eat. BUT, on the bright side, we bought some guinea hens and they really keep the grasshopper population down. This has been a whole new experience. We purchased ten chicks and have had to keep them in a pen most of the time, letting them out to forage for a few hours every day until they are old enough to fly up into trees and get away from danger. They are just now at that point. But we only have 7 left because a snake got three of them when we first got them home. We had them in a pen on the patio and somehow a snake got into their pen. After that incident we put their pen up on a table, off the ground, and have had no trouble since then. At the end of the day they were easy to herd back to the pen but difficult to get them back into the pen. Then, I came up with an idea: I put a piece of plywood up against the table as a ramp leading into the pen. That worked! I was able to herd them into the pen by myself with little difficulty, and with two people herding them they went right up the ramp and into the pen! They are really funny to watch, catching grasshoppers and fighting over them. Next year we'll get more and start earlier to keep the grasshoppers out of the gardens! The Phoenix Circle Foundation has held two Liquid Art evenings in conjunction with Brad Stinson and the Whirlwind Winery. Both were a success. We have limited space at the winery but it has been full both times and every one leaves having had a good time. We have another evening scheduled for August 25. We proudly display our works of art. Even though they aren't "professional", they are pretty decent works! We had a couple of days where the temperatures were 100 or below but this week the heat has returned and it has been 102 and 103 degrees. that's still better than 105+! There is still plenty to do around here -- a couple of our guests have spent time at the State Park, both at the natural springs and at the big swimming pool they have. The Winery is open on Friday and Saturday. The Liberty Theatre has had some great music groups playing there through the summer. Come for a relaxing visit!