I'm really not trying to be anti-social...

...but I can't help it, I'm drowning in peppers and haven't had time to blog!  The temps are now down to the mid-upper 80's which is divine compared to the past 6 weeks.  I had dreams of tackling the garden head-on yesterday and getting a whole lot of neglected chores done, but as I walked out into the pepper beds I realized I was going to be stuck in the kitchen all day despite the relatively cool temps outside.

Despite the horrifying state the tomato plants are in, they continue to ripen.  I think the saucing days are over now, but still getting enough to make stewed tomatoes or salsa.

Upon seeing how many peppers were on these plants, I decided to pick them all and get rid of the plants for the year.  Below are the Sigaretta di bergamo peppers, I will not be growing these again since they are sweet peppers and are pretty to look at, but small and thin and really a pain to process for long term keeping, just too labor intensive for seeding and freezing.

Below are the Sigaretta di bergamo and Pepperoncini plants that got tossed.  There were only a few new blooms and quite frankly, I have enough of them!

The end result - madness!  Several pounds of pepperoncini and sweet peppers came out of that little planter box - I had 2 of the Pepperoncini plants on the left side, and 3 of the sweet Sigaretta di bergamo plants on the right side.  You definitely don't need much space for peppers.

I still have other pepper plants that I will continue to let go until they decide to stop.  The center garden contains Poblanos that are just starting to ripen, my regular size Quadrato di Asti bell peppers, and jalapeno and fish hot peppers.  Actually, I'll probably rip out the fish hot peppers soon, as I already have several strings of them drying in the kitchen.

Below, clockwise from the top position:  Sigaretta di bergamo sweet, Poblano (Ancho), Quadrato di Asti Rosso bells, Jimmy Nardello Sweet Frying Pepper, Pepperoncini, Fish Hot pepper, Mini Stuffing bells.

After a long days' work...

Pickled Pepperoncini Rings and Sweet Pepper & Onion Relish, bring on the Panini Sandwiches this winter!

Still haven't started in on the tomatoes on the counter, I'm a little upset that it appears that we have another day today of nice temps and I'll be stuck inside doing those as well as squeezing blood out of turnips - that is - paying bills :)  At least hubby is off today and he is outside right now getting started on some of the chores that have been neglected in the past 6 weeks of torture chamber temps.  I'm actually getting a bit excited to rip out the summer garden, but I need to keep on preserving what is still coming in.  I know I'll be glad I did come winter!  

A Good Day...

...right when we needed it most!

A manageable harvest day -

Tomatoes enjoyed on hamburgers while we still can -

A very good mail day, thanks to Apple Pie Gal! -

  

Finn is a huge fan of honey, so he got the honors of opening the package...

It wasn't even a minute before we were sampling spoonfuls of honey goodness!  Tell PigPen it's fantastic!  Thank you so much for the honey, and what timing - we needed a good spoonful of honey this week!

A follow-up to yesterday's post as well... there was a really neat "paddle-out" where surfers all lock hands out in the ocean and toss flowers into the surf to honor one of our fallen yesterday, check it out, make sure to click on "view all 3 photos", they are awesome!

American Loss

To follow the last post, another reason I haven't posted in a couple of days is emotional shock.  I'm sure all of you have heard about the RPG attack that took the lives of so many of our forces this past weekend.  It has hit our community here very hard, 22 of them are from right down the street from us, many wives and children were awakened by that dreaded knock on the door Saturday.  Most all of the Team members were husbands, fathers and sons, I know a couple of the Team members and their families and even though I am fully aware of the sacrifices they are willing to make and knowingly do so, it still comes as a shock.  If you met any of these Team guys the first word that comes to mind is indestructible - that's the feeling you get from them, they make you feel safe beyond any doubt, but I guess that's why they are so good at what they do.  Truth is, families have been destroyed, some are still waiting, and we are all anticipating the tears that will come tomorrow as we watch all those caskets being carried off the jet in Dover, DE.  I can't help but think of how terrible it will be for all their kids to start back to school in just a month and be around all their friends again talking excitedly about what they did this summer...  

I don't like to get political very often because of the very fact that I am highly opinionated and I'll admit, biased, but maybe now eyes will open to how much we are not ready to pull troops out overseas.  For many of us military families, pulling out before the job is truly done to allow these countries to fall back in on themselves makes us feel that our sacrifices were in vain.  I know most of the opposition comes from a very good place in peoples' hearts in the basic need to have our members home, but they are doing a very important job, and they don't want to do it half-a$$ed.

Please keep these families all over the country that lost a part of themselves this weekend in your prayers, and if you aren't the praying type, send healing thoughts their way, I know they are appreciated.  

via: http://short-sharp-shock.blogspot.com/

 http://www.patrickjhughes.org/

http://www.patrickjhughes.org/

http://www.upi.com/

I hope everyone takes a minute to look at these photographs of dignified transfers, I was shocked to learn that many Americans never see these images.  From Dover, DE these heroes will be flown to their respective families all over the United States using regular airlines.  If you ever fly and are asked to remain in your seat "for a few extra minutes", please tell the impatient people complaining around you to be quiet, and look out the window... some amazing heroes were traveling with you, most passengers never know, although there are many pilots that are prior military and will be proud to announce their special added mission on the flight.  I only say this because I nearly knocked someone out for their ridiculous behavior in an airport while a flag draped casket was being wheeled out of a cargo bay of a plane.  I have hope though, that the majority of Americans are respectful and emotional about such things the way I am.

Hot and Smoky

The wildfires in the Great Dismal Swamp are burning again, leaving us with air conditions that don't allow any outdoor work, although with a heat index over 100 again I wouldn't be out anyways.  The smoke is unusually heavy today and feels like you've got a tree stump on your chest trying to breathe.  It's infiltrated the house and it smells like a campfire in here!

Wildfire smoke

I'm neck deep in overhauling my entire computer system by erasing hard drives and installing software upgrades and all the fun that goes along with that.  I was tired of doing temporary fixes and figured I'd better just go ahead and devote the time to it now rather than risk waiting.  The good news is that it's a mac, so it's never really dead, it just needed some "me" time :)  I apologize if I missed any of your blogs, it looks like all my blogger reader settings migrated fine but I can never be sure without visiting every blog!  This is all incredibly interesting stuff, right?! 

Another reason for quiet on my end the past few days deserves its own post...

Scenes from Sunday...

While the cat's away...

The mouse will work!

No?  That's not how that rhyme goes?  My kitchen says otherwise.

Maybe I should learn how to high pressure aerosol can this stuff LOL... nah, my neighborhood isn't that bad... 

What was the weight limit on glass top ranges again?  I seem to have misplaced that manual, LOL

  

It's a lovely day out there, heat index of 105º, hot breeze blowing.... how 'bout you?  I will need medication to live here much longer!

Friday Night Fun

I meant to have some photos of the declining summer garden, but hubby has my camera this morning on his bike ride.  I think this weekend will involve several bike outings with the kids instead of the garden since school starts back up in just a few weeks and with the heat we've been having I feel like the kids didn't get much of a summer vacation.  I hope we can give them at least a little bit of fun in the next couple weeks!

First, here's what I was making...

Red isn't really my thing, and I have nothing to match this bag except.....

....meet Betty!  Although I do have another "real bike", the one that I worry about it being lightweight and that takes oodles of abuse, but Betty is different, she's "a ride"...

So Betty has a bag now for all that random non-essential stuff that a barefoot beach bike needs, you know, like sunblock, sandwiches, cameras, a book, towel.  Notice Betty has a cupholder instead of water bottle cage - yes, Betty is definitely a ride.  Hubby laughs at Betty, I think he's just jealous.  I'm thinking of a sewing a seatcover or basket liner next, and maybe a matching beach quilt - maybe rigging up something big enough for Sprocket to ride in, like a milk crate!  I definitely don't worry about weight on this one, pile the junk on!  Hey mom, Betty is the bike we'll put you on when you get here, you'll love her!

Last night we rode down to the Boardwalk to take in a free concert.  Grant Austin Taylor was performing and I am a huge fan.  Not sure if you know about him but he's a kid who also happens to be an amazing blues guitarist.  I've been watching him since he was about 11 or 12, he's 15 now and will be going places, if he can free himself of the bubble gum sidekick...

We were a bit disappointed that last night's concert included none of his blues stuff, but he was doing a beach city tour with an up and coming young country girl and the event is part of our city's "FamFest" series, which features free family and kid friendly entertainment, so I guess I "get it"... let the Bubble Gum music roll... the tweens sure seem to like it.  To get an accurate representation of this kid's talent the rest of the time, check this out!:

More fun was had prior to the concert...

Loch doing the Limbo

Finn the Hula master!

Here's one of those rickshaw like contraptions in action, later that evening one of them almost took out Finnegan!

What the hey?  Where's the What Not to Wear crew when you need them?  Seriously, LOL?

  

The kids were slackjawed when she walked by LOL, as they were with the surfer dude evangelizing on the boardwalk railing.  I gotta admit, he was awesome LOL, but it was too windy to hear him on my video so I can't share that one!  Have a great Saturday everyone, I'm headed out for another day with Betty and the family - right after I go outside and cry over my squash bed, there's thousands of bugs in it!

It's a boy!

I'm speaking of my new nephew!  My brother and his wife in Saint Paul had their baby the other night, everything went well and I'm an aunt again!  The boys are so excited to have a boy cousin, although they adore their other cousin Nora.  I had to hurry and finish sewing the outfit I made for her, since she's a "big sister" now and deserves to be showered with some love now that she has to share mom & dad!  It's a little sundress type thing with "bloomers", that's what I call them anyways!  SO fun sewing for a little girl, I'm missing out on it!  I hope they fit, it's pretty hard going off measurements over the phone without her little butt here to try it on.  Maybe Grandma might have to alter it a bit?  :)  I can always count on my mom to fix my mistakes!

This is the pattern (#5416) if you are interested in it, it only took a day and was relatively easy & good for beginners.

Not much else going on except a lot of tomato sauce and crock pot cooking, nothing too exciting.  Still hot, still humid!

Anyone else have "Mr. Funny Guy" partners?  I sat down to the computer where THIS page was still open...um, yeah, look at the price...

Upon hearing my "pfffft" noise in the other room, hubby starts laughing and said "just kidding".  Umm hmmmm.

Started a new project today... any guesses?  

I won't be able to get to the sewing stage today, gotta run the boys to music lessons and then dinner, and then I'm usually done after that :)