while bundling the rudbeckia flowers in tomato cages so they're not drooping on the ground, i accidentally beheaded one of the flower stalks. it's not until you're holding one of the rudbeckia flowers in your hand to realize just how big they are. the amazing thing is the flowers seem to last a long time. we've had flowers that've been in bloom for weeks that still haven't lost their colors.
while inspecting the squash vines, i saw a place where it looked like vine borer damage. it just happened to be the one vine that's climbing onto the bitter melon trellis with a medium-size squash. i cleaned up the frass and injected the vine with Btk solution. i wonder if i can just inject the concentrated version? or does diluting it with water activate the bacteria?
i sprayed neem oil on any powdery mildew infections i saw on leaves. it seems to affect some of the western bed squash leaves, the zucchinis in RB3, and that one peony in the southeastern perennial bed (though the other peonies seem to be mildew free).
since i was at it, i also brought out all the orchids because earlier i spotted a mealybug, and i sprayed them with neem oil as well. i then watered them with special orchid fertilizer infused water.
i finally got around to planting some daikon radish seeds in RB2. it was hard work, i could only get into the raised bed from a small opening in the back. i was on my hands and knees the whole time, balancing on a wooden plank so i wouldn't compact the soil, and the all the time mosquitoes are biting my legs and arms.
i ate a bunch of ground cherries, next season we may grow one in a larger pot for easier access.
finally, my father and i cleaned out the barbecue grill. i was going to spray clean it with foam degreaser, but my father gave it a simple clean, collecting all the debris at the bottom of the grill. 
i'm not even sure what they are. layers of charred food grease? when was the last time we cleaned the grill? my father thinks this is the last season we'll be using this char-broil grill. we bought it (model 463211511) back in june 2012, it was a consumer report best buy for $200. i think we can still continue to use it, just need to replace the burner tubes, which is just $29 including burner shields and crossover tubes. we only just replaced the burner shields last october; they're still usable, but we never clean our grill so there's already some corrosion.
we grilled a bunch of things for dinner: zucchini slices, dozen ear of corn, pork rib roast, and some spicy smoked sausages. we were already done with dinner before 6pm. i started falling asleep lying on the zero gravity chair, i left for home around 6:30pm.
i started noticing a few drain flies in my house a few weeks ago. i blocked all the drains hoping to put a stop to them but they still appeared. i wonder if they've somehow found a home in the damp insulation? or maybe there's a hole in the main septic drain and they're getting out that way? i shudder to think about that possibility. whatever the reason may be, i never had drain flies before. the house is just really buggy these days, from the annoying fungus gnats to the mysterious mosquitoes that seem to be able to get into the house on a nightly basis and now drain flies.