I hate submitting a thoughtful comment on a blog entry and then having a window pop up to tell me it won't appear until it's been approved. I've resisted setting up my blog to do that to commenters.

The spam, however, is getting to be too much, and I've reluctantly changed the comment setting to require moderation.

I was able enter the e-mail addresses of approved visitors, so with a little luck most comments from regular readers will appear immediately as always. I can easily add anyone I've overlooked or any new commenters the first time I moderate their comments. I'll try to respond promptly.

So, why haven't I been writing many entries this summer? I'm not sure myself. The main reason is nothing seems interesting enough to write about! We worked hard to get caught up on a lot of things before having a barbecue last weekend. None of our guests seemed to notice the yard, which really didn't surprise me. I was proud of it, though.

This weekend I dug up some irises and gave them away, and Phil cut off all the hollyhocks. They're beautiful when they bloom and a mess when they're done.

Hardly anything is blooming here now. I'm admiring the rose of Sharon bushes around town, but I've never been able to get one to grow here.

I hate to admit it, but it's starting to feel like fall.