(Princess Bride quotes are always apropos)
So much has been going on...here's a quick catch up.
The garden is doing great this year. We've managed to stay caught up with weeds (you're never really ahead) and the tomatoes are probably the best we've ever had.
So some of this --
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| Japanese eggplants, green beans, purple carrots, yellow squash, cucumbers, tomatoes and yard-long beans |
Turned into this--
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| Squash casserole, cucumber salad, rice & tomatoes, and sautéed green beans. |
And then suddenly the tomatoes all seemed to ripen at the same time.
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| Tomatoes, eggplants, green bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, & beans |
Which I was very happy to turn into lunch!
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| Ah yeah! |
We had both bush and pole beans, so when the bush beans started ailing I ruthlessly yanked them out. Pole beans are so much easier to harvest!
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| New additions: jalapenos and cucamelons (aka Mexican gherkins, aka mouse melon) |
Yard-long beans really live up to their name, too!
Chopped to size
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It hasn't all been gardening and cooking though; I also had to deal with the leftovers from last year's garden. I let the gourds dry in the barn over the winter, then drilled holes and cleaned them out. We're hoping to attract some bug eating purple martins.
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| These got spaced out along the fence after the photo. |
Meanwhile, we've got plenty of other birds, namely barn swallows and bluebirds.
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| These bluebirds chicks have already grown up and now are raising a family of their own. |
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| Almost ready to leave the nest |
Yes, the swallows returned to our front porch, rebuilding their nest in the same spot as last year. They are pretty skittish around people, especially for birds that choose to build on human habitation! They're out of the nest now too, but they come back frequently to check in.
We stopped by our favorite nurseries (a few times), and then had to get all of these in the ground or in pots.
Which my other bug eaters really appreciate!
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| This guy (an Eastern Pondhawk) was actually eating a bug when he landed next to me. (thanks to Science Twitter for the ID) |
We had to entertain some unexpected visitors stopping by, too.
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| Lulu was happy to host! Despite appearances that quail was A-OK and proved it by leading us all on a merry chase. |
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| Once we finally caught her she was released in the woods. Where Lulu promptly tracked her down and retrieved her by following Craig's backtrail. The second release was more successful. |
It isn't all work around here, we find some time to relax, too. Although fishing is a not exactly relaxing when Lulu helps.
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| She was completely oblivious to how close she came to getting hooked! |
Finally time to relax!
