It's mid-July and the sun is shining and it's been HOT! Two days last week I got into my Jeep at 1:30pm at the temperature reading was over 100 degrees. HOT! We are so thankful for good air conditioning, our rainbarrel, and tall trees for shade.
The garden continues to produce beautifully. We've had lots of trouble with squash bugs and stink bugs, but my super-hero husband battles for the good of our harvest and we've been able to save the zucchini, the butternut squash, and the HUGE pumpkin plant that grew from a surviving seed in our compost pile. This one pumpkin on the vine is now about 14" across and about 6 " high!
There is another vine in the front yard (yes, we are true farmers in the middle of suburbia!) that has a nice little pumpkin growing as well.
Eggplant and peppers continue to thrive in the heat. We've been roasting and grilling the eggplant... YUMMY! Cucumbers must be picked continually or they swell huge while your back is turned!
The amazing taste of fresh tomatoes is indescribable. We planted 13 varieties this year, many heirloom. We've lost one or two, but the rest continue to bless us with goodness.
And then there are the garden visitors. We have so many little friends that visit us almost daily to inspect the plants for pests, to pet Scarlett, and to exclaim with glee, "There's another cucumber under here!" We offer little garden lessons, and Husband shared tomato plants with a couple of the small friends.
We also have other guests: lovely finches feasting on sunflowers, writing spiders journaling in their webs, and busy bees going about their work.
This garden is a safe place for me. A place for quiet meditation, a place for prayer, a place for nourishing the soul as well as the body. What's a delight to you in your world today?
first of all – you are too kind to the "writing spider" - spiders! I don't do well with spiders. But the birds eating the sunflowers – that's all whole lot of awesome. And your superhero husband – a fist pump and a bro hug to him. All this color – all this goodness – and all because you worked the soil. Spectacularly well done Donna Rae! God bless and keep you and all of yours. Thank you for this.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the visit, Craig!
ReplyDeleteAunt Donna -- your pumpkin is going to make an AWESOME jack-o-lantern in the crisp fall weather ;-)
ReplyDeleteOh, Amanda, I can't wait for the crisp weather. I like to make polka dot or monogrammed or striped jack-o-lanterns... otherwise I'll scare myself!!!
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