1) survived an earthquake large enough to wake us up at 4:40 in the morning, which is a pretty big deal in the Midwest

2) helped R discover the “grassy plant” he wanted for the middle-height area of his water feature—blue-flag iris

3) learned that there are such things as scented annual geraniums that has culinary uses

4) walked in the rain without melting, or even complaining

5) visited the indoor regions of the Missouri Botanical Garden that we usually miss because we never want to go inside on nice days