(Photo by Cheryl-Anne Millsap)

I was up before the sun this morning, wanting to get a head start on gardening chores before the expected heat of the day made things too uncomfortable. After a cup of coffee I went to work and got a lot of the heaviest work out of the way and was ready for a break by mid-morning, so my daughter and I hopped in the truck and drove over to the Moran Prairie Strawberry festival at the Moran Prairie Grange.

We strolled around, grateful for the tents and shade offered by so many of the vendors, and picked up a map of Italy for her room and a wrought-iron frame that will become a blackboard for the kitchen. The final find was my favorite: a heavy vintage concrete fountain base. The weathered figures of a girl and boy, still bearing traces of white paint, were exactly right for my garden.

I had to laugh. It's easy to see my daughter has been junking with me since she was born. After I paid the vendor she simply picked up the heavy piece and headed for the car. And when we got home she unloaded it and placed it in the flower bed beside the covered patio where we spend so many hours this time of year.

So far, today has been a perfect summer Saturday and there are still hours of daylight ahead of us. And tonight, when the air is cool again, I'll sit in the twilight, tired and probably a little sore, and enjoy the newest old thing in the garden.

The Moran Prairie Strawberry Festival will be on the grounds of the Moran Prairie Grange until 4 p.m. this afternoon. You can find more information here.

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