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"ditch" lillies

I put my kids to work in the garden this summer and I got to embarrass my kids at the same time!  Making the girls roll their eyes at my geekiness was just a bonus but it was a fun perk.  I like to garden but I'm not very good at it.  Daylillies are almost impossible to kill and so I have a ton in my garden.  My favorite kind of daylilly is a wild lilly that grows only in the country, you can't find it at a nursery.  My family called this type of flower a "ditch" lilly, as these flowers grow by the side of the road in the country.  They are huge and organge and beautiful.  I love ditch lillies and I embarass the girls in the spring because I make them drive to the country to get some from someone's yard or by the side of the road.   I made the girls go out with me at the beginning of the summer to get my lilly fix for my garden.  The kids are horrified that I actually dig up flowers from the side of the road (on public property).  Their horror is doubled if I go and ask someone if I can have one of their ditch lilly plants. 

I actually go through this gardening excercise in the summer for two reasons.  I do it for my garden but I also do it as an excuse to get my girls out in the country and do some "country" things like knock on doors and talk to ladies about flowers.  I was raised in Wichita, KS.  It was a small city that was surrounded by wide open spaces.  My mom was raised on a farm so she loved the country and she loved to garden.  I try to do stuff in the summer to get my girls outside the suburbs because I think it's good for them.

I'd love to hear what types of activities your family does in the summer (with embarassing your kids as an added benefit).