Beans, Beans, Cantalope

The garden is in full swing, I've been able to pick green beans twice this week. This is my first year trying bush green beans. I'm very happy with them. I don't think that I'll go back to the climbing variety. These were just too easy and productive. What's not to love?

After picking  I quickly retreat back indoors. The heat is just too much. So there is no open windows, or laundry hanging out. Because it says 97 degrees but it feels like a 123.  Yes! this is a whine.

 .

Normally I like summer, I like to be warm,

I like the sunshine,

I like to see the butterflies upon the flowers,

these are a few of the things that say summer to me.

I caught this while going from the car to the house. Apparently it doesn't mind the heat.

But this week it is the sound of the air conditioner running, so back indoors are we are.

In an effort to find things to keep him busy, I let him make melon balls. There was a ton of funny faces involved, as he put way too much effort into this. It was seriously hard not to take over and just get it done. I successfully resisted that urge and by the end of it he was getting the hang of it.

Thinking that everyone may need a refreshing snack we shared our snack/rine with the pullets. I'm not sure if I have shared these 3 with you, we got them late May. Until they are get a bit bigger they are residing in the dog kennel.

Because these 3 believe in ruling the roost.

Summer Bug & FWQAL week 7

I was going about summer in my usual fashion, each day there was plenty to do.
The garden has and still is abundant in cucumbers. More than we can eat each week. So I made some bread and butter pickles.

Each of the boys have had doctor's appointment's, so we have spent plenty of time in waiting rooms. They are two healthy boys, or they should be after these appointments.

I managed to make 2 blocks for the Farmer's Wife Quilt Along. This seems to be the only quilting I manage to get done these days, and even this seems a challenge.

Block 84- Spool

How is it when there is more time to be had, I still can't seem as productive as when I have less time?

Block 91- Strawberry Basket

Anyway when I was busy doing all of these things, I got a bug bite. It got red circle and  I ignored it. Then it caught up with me in a big way. I started to run a temperature of 101.5. Once I got to this point I was getting nothing accomplished. It took everything I had to make through the doctor's appointment. There is a possibility it could be Lyme's disease, or just a really bad sinus infection, or both. As of right now I'm on a great antibiotic that should knock it Out!

I sure hope this summer time bug never bites you!

Garden update

I missed blogging last week, seems there just wasn't enough hours in the day. I wish that I could say that everything was eating icecream and enjoying the summer. But it was alot more like running around to doctor's appointments, and trying to keep up with all the normal activities.

Somewhere in all of that madness I was able to spend some time out in the garden. While I was there I found the start of this cantalope, and a few cucumbers. No matter how old I get it still amazing to watch vegetables grow, vs. just picking them up off the grocery store shelfs.

Since then we have been eating the cucumbers with lunch & dinner. It's just a simple sugar, vinegar, water, and cucumber mixture.

Not only does it look great, but thanks to a friend I finally have a use for these gallon size canning gars I bought years ago.

Upside down

Lately our weather seems as if it has been turned upside down.That or else this is a second Seattle, Nah! It has rained for days. Where oh where is spring?  The weeds grow by leaps and bounds. Hubby walks around complaining about not being able to mow the grass. Those are words you will not hear come out of my mouth.

But on a break of sunshine (it didn't last all day) we planted our upside down tomato. Yes, I have bought the one on TV, but it only lasted two years. So seeing as how we had success with that I decided to create our own. Really it wasn't that difficult possibly even easier. As the coconut liner made it easy to add a tomato to the bottom.

I can tell you from experience that this works best with a cherry tomato. I tried getting larger tomato's this way, and it just wasn't the greatest method. If you should try this on your own remember it's a hanging basket. So you will need to water, water, fertilize, water some more, repeat.

Really you are playing around with mother nature when your doing something like this. But that's the fun of it. Now if only there was some sunshine to go with this.