You may remember our rhino friend from an earlier blog. Rhino holds court in our kitchen where he reminds the younger children all the kids everyone under twenty five and their half zillion friends a cast of thousands from all walks of life to put their dishes in the dishwasher.

Here is our friend Rhino on the job yesterday AFTER the breakfast dishes had been dealt with (by Rhino’s friend the mother), but BEFORE the lunch rush.

And today, same time. This makes me Rhino wonder how many mid morning snacks do people need?

Let’s face it. Things are not going well for Rhino. He gets no respect. Job satisfaction is zilch.
He’d rather be….

Hiking small peaks.

Observing the Flowers.

Sunbathing in an adirondack chair with his girlfriend.

Frolicking with big game.

Visiting or napping with Riley.

Rhino has gone AWOL since I took these photos. He packed his bags and blew town to an undisclosed location. I may join him. No one will notice I am gone until all the clean dishes are used up. That should give me a good ten hour three hour forty minute head start!

It is very hot today. Part of the crew has settled into the Arbor Garden for the day to sort Red Shiso. This time of year we need to finish sorting the rest of the Red Shiso from last season so the building where we hang the Red Shiso is empty and ready for this year’s crop.

When we sort, we pluck and save only the most purple leaves from each stalk of the plant. It takes a long time to do but it’s the reason why our Flower Essences are pink. I just went out there to take this photo. Everyone was laughing. There was a bit of a breeze and it was nice and shady under the grape vines. The dogs, of course, were out there supervising.

Speaking of Red Shiso, so far, so good. The leaves look a nice deep maroon. We are hopeful that the crop will dry a deeper purple than last year’s crop which dried mostly green.

William, Jim, and Lizzy took a day last week to climb Mt. Liberty and Mt. Flume in the White Mountains. Will and Jim have decided to try and climb all 48 of the peaks over 4,000 feet tall. Here they are resting at the top of Mt. Liberty.

Here they are on Mt. Flume. Guess what number Mt. Flume is for the boys? Only 45 to go!

Back at the ranch, we are enjoying our new 3 bottle boxes. They look like Skittles and we love ’em.

In the office we do not climb mountains, we make them! Here is a small mountain of orders ready to fly out the door to you!

And because it is the summer of 2006, when it rains ( and it rains most every day) it pours and everything is about two feet taller than normal and sooooooo green!