mysteryluvr54's Blog

It's been in the 90's for the past couple of days and doesn't look like it's going to cool down.  I need to get out and water after dinner. 

I finally got the brilliant idea to move the chewed pepper plants inside the fence where the radishes were.  They are coming back and I hope it's not too late to get some peppers.  Everything else is doing well.  We finally can eat some carrots with the lettuce.  I just discoved why my husband won't eat the veggies from the garden.  The cat is buried out in the back and I tried to tell him it wasn't anywhere near the garden.  My kids explained a few things that farm workers may do to food and then we had to stop cause we were eating dinner.  Strange, but I guess I can see where he's coming from.  Oh well. . .

My sage hasn't been looking too good.  The leaves are curling and turning dark brown.  Not enough water? too much water?  bugs?  I have to do some research to see whats going on.  All the other herbs are doing well and tasting great!   The Bleeding Heart is producing new foliage, so maybe it isn't a lost cause after all.  Just have to wait and see. 

Hard to believe its almost August.

Oh, dear. . . have been neglecting the house a bit.  My oldest had her tonsils removed on Thursday morning, so been in & out of the hospital rotating with my husband keeping her company.  She came home Friday late afternoon and we've been just keeping things quiet around here. 

We got some good rains and the weather cooled off nicely for the weekend.  On Saturday her & I picked all the peas that we could find that were ready and I blanched and froze them.  Looks like we are getting a fair amount of tomatoes.  Some nice big ones, too.  I hope nothing eats them. 

Got all the dropped apples cleaned up from under the trees.  I was having a hard time walking without twisting my ankles. 

Going to go online and see what I could plant now in the empty spot of the garden for a fall harvest. 

My pepper plants are done for.  Something (rabbit?) broke the green pepper to get at the top leaves.  Same with the Serrano pepper.   I know I should have gotten some fencing, but just kept forgetting when I was out and about.   Urrgghh!  Oh well, I will know better for next year. 

I pulled a carrot just to check how far along they are.  That one needed more time, so no carrots yet. 

Picked some peas to test out, but my daughter feels they need more time on the vine.   I'll give them a try for dinner tonight. 

I'm going to have to really start thinking about a new tree for the back yard to shade the porch.  The green apple tree is slowing dying or at least a big branch of it is turning brown and dropping its leaves.  

This has nothing to do with gardening, but the baby birds have left the house.  Their hangin around in the apple tree close by.  It's so quiet now.  I miss their little chirping every 5 mins when the parents came with food from morning till night.  My neightbor has a duck nest in her ground cover that we've been watching.  We had a scare yesterday, because another neighbor's cat was checking it out.  We think the babies will hatch sometime next week provided nothing happens to them. 

In the garden the carrots look like they are growing well.  Lots of greens at least.  My daughter picked a pea pod yesterday and we tasted them to see if they are ready.  This is my first attempt at peas and they looked and tasted fine.  We will be having peas for dinner this weekend.  Most of the spinach is gone and what's left I may try to save the seed.  Same with the radishes.  I've been reading up on seed saving.  The lettuce is half gone.  The pepper plants are starting to come back after being reduces to stalks by the bunnies.  I think it may be too late for them though. 

It's sad to see some flowers die out as the summer progresses, but then there is always something new blooming. 

PS:  My neighbor just informed me that the mommy duck has not been seen since 6 AM this morning.  She saw the cat around 7 AM and chased it away.  It was then that she noticed  4 of the 8 eggs were strewn in her front yard and emptied of their contents.  Was it the cat or something during the night?  Sad day for us as we were eagerly waiting the arrival of her babies.  We just hope she will return again and all will be well for the 4 surviving eggs, but it's not looking too good.

PSS:  Just missed a great shot of a hawk on my neighbors fence.  No wonder the birds were going nuts.  I bet he/she is looking for that chipmunk that scurries around here.  I'm still trying to get a shot of it myself, but it's too fast. 

Finally! ! !   I have been trying to capture a picture of the parents, feeding their young in our birdhouse.  I hear them all day long, but the minute I get as close as I can . . . they stop.   Plus working with a digital is hard because I can't hold it still and my eyesight just ain't what it use to be.  But I crouched down behind a foot stool and got the shot I've been waiting for.  Not as clear as I would like, but good enough.  You can even see the babies mouth open inside the house.  I almost had a Monarch feeding on my coneflower, but as soon as I snapped it the butterfly flew, so all I got was a nice shot of the coneflower. 

Well, back to reading before the sun gets too hot on the back porch.  I finished my outside work early this morning knowing it was going to be a hot one today.  The humidity is low so the 90 degrees isn't as bad as it can be. 

Things are growing good around here even with the lack of rain.  We've been enjoying lettuce and radish salads with store bought carrots.  I've been cooking with the fresh herbs.  Kids have been picking the raspberries right off the bush.  I sure hope the grapes produce next year.  I'm enjoying the cost savings, too. 

I'm already planning what to add, what to change and what to keep the same for next year.  My kids are really pushing for watermelon, cantelope and pumpkins.  The pepper plants have been eaten all the way to the top.  I didn't have enough chicken wire to enclose them, so I will plant only one row instead of two of radishes and move the peppers inside the fence.  I will try the watermelon, canelope and / or pumpkins in the pepper spot and train the to go out into the lawn, I guess.  I will have all winter to plan.

Today I will water and feed my containers plants.  They have been producing beautiful flowers for us to enjoy.