Garden walk season is seriously under way!
There are a half dozen or so this weekend alone - in Lockport, Niagara Falls, Akron and elsewhere.
There's more next weekend and then, of course, Garden Walk Buffalo is coming up July 25 and 26.
In the meantime, this weekend's tours are listed in today's Garden Notes column. Have fun, and share any fascinating ideas you see along the way.
If you think these are freezer pops, you are wrong. They are scented soaps -- Soapylove soapsicles, to be exact.
I saw them in Romantic Homes magazine, and while many adults will get a kick out of them, kids especially will love lathering up.
Which raises the question: Won't kids want to eat them?
It makes sense not to let kids lick the soaps, but if they do, here is what their creator writes on the Web site, www.soapylove.com: "Sometimes kids want to taste the soaps because they look like freezer pops. If they do, the soaps are totally harmless if swallowed. My recommendation is to explain to the child that it isn't food and they usually get it."
The Soapsicles shown here are Bath Blasters, and the layers smell like cherry, lime and berry. Other designs include Pink Grapefruit, Orange You Cute, Peachy Keen and more.
Visit the Web site for more information on designs, ingredients, etc.
Looking for some music to play at your Fourth of July gathering? Here is a list I found from McClatchy Newspapers of songs suggested on www.evite.com:
1. "Freedom" by George Michael.
2. "I'm Free" by the Soup Dragons.
3. "Pink Houses" by John Mellencamp (pictured here).
4. "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood.
5. "American Girl" by Tom Petty.
6. "America" by Neil Diamond.
7. "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin.
8. "Rocking' in the Free World" by Neil Young.
9. "This Land is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie.
10. "The Star-Spangled Banner" by Jimi Hendrix.
Pass this one along: "Hedges are prettier to look at than hedge funds."
This is just one of the insights from the new book: "40% Off is the New Black: Reasons Why Less is More," by Lisa Birnbach (of the "Official Preppy Handbook" fame), Ann Hodgman and Patricia Marx (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $9.99).
A few others from the book:
* Your pets wouldn't like you more if you were rich. (I mention this one in my upcoming Sunday Current column.)
* Double coupons are sort of thrilling.
* If you keep the lights turned off, dust won't show as much.
* C'mon, it will be fun getting your car up to 300,000 miles!
* If you call a hotel and ask for a better rate, they might just give you one.
* "Less" is easier to clean up than "more."
The Aurora Sewing Center is opening its newest location at 8575 Main St., Williamsville. The new location replaces the former Clarence store, which also was on Main Street. It opens to the public on Tuesday.
The original Aurora Sewing Center is still in East Aurora.
The store sells and services several brands of sewing, quilting and embroidery machines and also offers fashion and quilting fabrics and notions. Learn more at www.AuroraSewingCenter.com
Here's a dessert idea I really like for summer (especially with the Fourth of July weekend coming up fast).
In a serving-size white (or clear) bowl, layer 1/4 cup vanilla ice cream (softened), 1/2 cup raspberry sorbet (softened), and another 1/4 cup ice cream. Garnish with blueberries (as delicious-looking as the ones shown here).
So, there you have it -- your red, white and blue.
I saw this in Martha Stewart Living, but the food stylists also added homemade spoon-shaped cookies!
Whoa, not me. I'll just serve the sundaes.
So what is this man doing? Why, he is modeling the new Ript Fusion T-shirt designed to "support your core, shave inches off your belly and enhance your posture."
The key is the polyester/spandex body panel. The T-shirt was created by designer Heather Thomson, the woman behind Yummie Tummie shapewear for women and the celebrity stylist who created P. Diddy's Sean John clothing label.
Retail price: $58.
Check it out at www.riptfusion.com
If you have an old, tattered American flag at your house, make plans to attend the Flag Retirement Ceremony at 7 p.m. Sunday (June 14) at Forest Lawn.
The ceremony "will provide a formal, reverent and respectful way for Western New York residents to retire their flags," according to the promotional flier.
The ceremony is sponsored by the Erie County American Legion; the Buffalo Professional Firefighters; Forest Lawn Cemetery and Crematory, and the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts of the Greater Niagara Frontier Council.
The ceremony will take place at the grave site of Flag Day founder Sarah Hinson. Families also will be able to purchase a new flag; talk with firefighters and see their pumper trucks, and more.
Last Friday we published a list of upcoming garden tours happening this summer throughout Western New York. Here are two more to consider:
The Akron in Bloom garden walk is scheduled for noon to 4 p.m. July 12. It's a fund-raiser for the Newstead Historical Society, which owns and operates the Rich-Twinn Octagon House in the Village of Akron.
Presale tickets are $5 (buy them at Bedford's Greenhouse, 6820 Cedar St., Akron); tickets are $7 the day of tour. The tour begins at the Octagon House, 145 Main St., Akron, where maps will be distributed. Rain or shine.
Also: Clarence Hollow In Bloom will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 18. On tour day, $5 buys you a ticket and a map; purchase them at the Pavilion at the back of the Clarence Hollow Farmers' Market. The market is located on Main Street between Ransom and Salt roads in Clarence.
Ticket sales begin at 9 a.m., which allows you time to shop the market.
Any plans this weekend? Looking for a road trip? Fans of MacKenzie-Childs' handcrafted ceramic tableware and more might be interested to know that the Finger Lakes company is having a Barn Sale this weekend at its headquarters, a 65-acre farm one mile north of the village of Aurora, N.Y.
That is Aurora, mind you. Not East Aurora. And it is a bit of a hike from Buffalo - about 2 1/2 hours. But the company promises savings of 50 to 80 percent off original retail prices on selected merchandise.
The Barn Sale will feature more than 30,000 products including: handcrafted ceramics, enamelware, glass, furniture, etc. Merchandise will include high-quality seconds and discontinued items, according to a press release.
Thousands of shoppers are expected to attend, and there are tours, live music, food.
Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday (June 12-14). For more information and directions, visit www.mackenzie-childs.com/barnsale (where you can see a video from last year's sale).
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