right now

right now

Jun 11, 2011

Saturday. (creative title, eh?)

The birthday party Loch went to last night went well, even though it finally did rain!  We dropped him off and came back a couple of hours later to pick him up and they were all playing outside after the rain and covered in mosquito bites, but they didn't seem to notice.

Finn was a bit upset that Loch was at a party, so I took him out for frozen yogurt.  I was amazed at this kid, there was a wall of dispensers filled with candy toppings and what did he choose?  Plain vanilla yogurt with strawberries, blackberries & granola!  I, too prefer the simple stuff for ice cream, but for a 6 year old to choose it was interesting.  It wasn't even the kind of fruit packed in syrup, it was the plain stuff!  


After that he was really nice to endure a short trip to JoAnn's for buttons and then to the bookstore to use my 40% off coupon for a nice canning book.  I already have the standard Ball Book (short version) and "Preserving Summer's Bounty" and they have been pretty helpful covering all the basics, but I wanted a really comprehensive one if I'm going to have the ability to can meat as well as the standard garden produce.  I did get side tracked by the ones with all the pretty photos, but found them lacking in lots of library type information as I figured and ended up with this one which is put out by the Rodale people which is a very trustworthy source of info for the gardening/preservation folk out there.


Speaking of the garden, this is today's harvest.  Once again had to take yellow pears off a dying plant, they are slowly turning and I'm hoping to get some before it's toast.  This is the remnants of a bolting lettuce, just took the good parts and had to compost it.  Rare around here to see lettuce & tomato in the same photo.


Not enough for a big salad, but enough to make tacos for dinner - nobody complains on taco night around here :)


All I did today in the garden was harvest and walk around after dinner, it was just too hot.  The mosquitoes are now out in full force.  Was greeted by this lovely find:


As Finn says "baby pickles are growing"!


The Brandywines are the only variety out there showing no signs of stress, disease, insects or other general mayhem.  They are getting quite large.


Turn the corner to check on the squash bed and get smacked in the face with...


#$&%!

My squash hasn't even bloomed yet and they are already here.  Found a few that were just hatching too, we smashed what we could.  Lots are turning metallic already, indicating they are very close to hatching.  I hope they hold out until morning when I can wage war in a proper fashion.

 Leaving on a happy note... look who's back!








11 comments:

  1. The three truths of life: death, taxes, and bugs. Good luck on your defense.

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  2. what a cool nest...rivals many a basket I've seen! love that Finn chose the good stuff and love it that you've posted your day's harvest. can't wait to see more of your site!!

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  3. Woohoo! So glad the bird came back and everyone seems to have had a good Saturday - bug eggs not withstanding.

    I'm off to do a bit of reading.
    Ribbit

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  4. My son is like your Finn, he doesn't go for all the really sweet stuff and has always loved plain fruit and berries over candy or cakes.
    It's good to see the mother bird came back. Do you think she has time to lay some more eggs?

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  5. Welcome home, Mama Dove!

    Ripe tomatoes? Phtttht.

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  6. Darn those bugs anyhow! That is just awesome that your kids choose 'the good stuff', you did good little girl!

    Glad the babies made it home to next!

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  7. It is very awesome that your kids pick the good stuff- I already have 2 teens with early on-set diabetes, learn more on the film "Food Inc"

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  8. Good luck on your war with the bugs. My farmboys hope you have the right "weapons". :)

    Love those baby pickles. Your gardens are so VERY far ahead of ours...

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  9. I bet it made you feel so good when Finn picked the "good stuff" for toppings on his yogurt!!

    Yeahh....for the maters, baby pickles and the bird finding her way back to the nest! Ugh about the bug eggs :(

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  10. I think Finn's choice of his frozen yogurt toppings just prove that all of your efforts at healthy cooking and eating ARE really paying off.

    When you wrote about the neat new Rodale book you got, I thought, "Shee-oot, now I'm gonna have to buy another book!" but I already have that one! I've had mine since '99 and can testify that it is one good book with boatloads of info. Good choice!

    You had tacos last night, we had taco salad. That's all the fixin's but in a bowl with no taco shell. But yours was better 'cause of your fresh garden ingredients. (Waaaah!)

    What an adorable picture of Mrs. Dove's little head peeking out of the basket. Wish her luck for me.

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  11. I never came back and answered all your comments - does this mean I'm working too hard LOL?!

    Mama Dove does have her standard issue 2 eggs in the basket, I had to have her scooch over so I could drip some water on the runner beans in her basket, she doesn't even seem to mind! I have to tip the basket so I don't get water in her nest :)

    I am loving that book, but so far have only thumbed through it, I hope to get into it more when I finish the fiction book I'm reading!

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