Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Shades of a Summer Day

Around here, summer days and evenings are anything but dull or boring.  There is always something to do.  It is a never ending list of chores and projects.
Now mind you, a lot of the projects get put off, as there just isn't the time to do them, till cooler weather.

I don't mean to sound as if I am complaining, as the garden is a blessing, but also a chore!
The yard - well what can I say?  So much heat and so much rain equals weeds every where.  We did have an extended dry spell for several weeks and many things just looked like crap.  So I started just cutting them back to the ground - and now they are arising once again (although they look better!)

Work, work, work - something we all need to get used to.  So many today, don't want to get their hands dirty, or think things are trivial and not worth the effort. 
Me thinks they are!!!!!!
It gives us something to be proud of - something for others to admire (pretty yards) - and often times, good food to eat.

I am currently writing this in between waiting on the slaw to set for a while before canning another batch, and picking more tomatoes.

Todays pick:
Todays harvest of tomatoes - 12 lbs.  Look at the size of those things.  I do this about every day now.  Be careful what you wish for!!!!  I couldn't wait for the first one and then they took off.  Remember this is just 10 plants - part of my 8' x 15' garden.

Part of the slaw fixings in the sink before chopping.  That cabbage about covers the bottom of the sink!
I can't begin to tell you how many times I have mopped in the past two weeks - I guess I am not the neatest canner!!!

I try to spend some early mornings out pulling weeds and cleaning flower beds.  Oh my, they have gotten so out of hand.  I dead head flowers when needed, and the weeds.....................
I truly wish we could cross weed genes with garden genes to make our gardens grow like weeds!  Wouldn't that be something?

Weeds and more weeds and dead plants.  If you notice there is a metal trash can in the back right, so you can judge how big the pile is.  This is only one of two out there that need to be bagged up.

This is mint and snow on the mountain plant - I cut these back to the ground about a week and a half ago - you could see nothing when I finished.  They had gotten so nasty looking beforehand.
Well, it surely didn't hurt them - they are growing again and looking healthy.  That means a second crop of mint!!!!!!!

OK, I guess I am done rambling about the woes of a summer day. 
I am blessed and I am busy and I am getting tired! 
BUT I AM ALIVE AND HAVING A BALL!
As G always jokingly says "it keeps you out of the bars!!"   LOL LOL!!!   (he really is joking!)

No lazy days of summer here.
How about you?  I bet you are all keeping mighty busy too!

14 comments:

  1. You and I jumped off the same star! This is my life in a nutshell.

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    1. LOL- that is cute. Busy, busy, busy. I can sure think of worse things to be!

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  2. Busy, busy, busy here too! We're awash in tomatoes. I'm going to make sauce in a few days, probably after the next batch my husband brings in. School starts tomorrow for my son, and I'm finishing up my giant basement cleaning. Feels SO good to be almost done with that! Up next- my bedroom, specifically, my closet. It needs a good overhaul. :)

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    1. YAY - glad you are getting lots of tomatoes.
      You go girl - I have so much indoor stuff I want to do, but it will wait.
      Good going on the basement - that is a huge accomplishment.
      Hope your son has a good year.

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  3. Cheryl, I'm seeing a delicious BLT in that pile of tomatoes!!

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  4. My tomatoes have played out. I *bought* (gulp) tomatoes yesterday. :-(((

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  5. I just came back from the garden after a rain. Picked green peppers (for stuffed peppers tonight) and picked a bunch of Jalapenos. Why my husband came home with double the amount of Jalapeno plants this past spring I'll never know. I'll probably make Poppers. Gave some to my granddaughter when she was here. The tomatoes are trying to get somewhat revived after the past hot and dry weeks. Some of the old timers are saying SW Missouri hasn't had a drought like this since 1980. Farmers with cattle are standing in line over 3.5 hrs. just to get their cattle to auction because round bales of hay are going for $65.00 ea. And there is a shortage of hay.

    I've made a couple of bags of roasted tomatoes for the freezer and we made 13 qts. of tomato juice. We've been eating BLT's one, two sometimes three times a week. We REFUSE to buy those things they call tomatoes in the grocery stores. So when the tomatoes are done, they're done until next year!

    It sure has been a strange year garden wise. I made some beet soup and roasted beets, but whats left are rather small yet. Hope the weather turns nice so that they decided to grow to a decent size.

    I need to order some garlic for this fall. I pickled what I harvested this summer. Maybe we'll get lucky and get a break from the oppresive heat and humidity we've had this summer!!

    Have a great rest rest of the week. Looking forward to your next post!

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    1. Kris you are keeping busy - that is for sure.
      I love to make poppers and then freeze them for eating in the winter. YUM.
      Fresh tomatoes are glorious.

      That is really sad about the cattle. I hate that farmers are having to change their lifestyles. Hopefully things will turn around soon.

      Homemade tomato juice sounds good. We had a BLT tonight - so good.

      I hope you get a break and everything else does great.
      Don't over work!

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    2. Try drying the jalapenos, they keep for many years and are great added to meals, even one at a time.

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    3. YUM - they would be great added to anything in my opinion Ellen. I have always canned mine (like refrigerator pickles) or stuffed and froze.
      I bet you needed a good ventilated area. They sure sound like a great addition to the pantry!

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  6. I am from SW MO too. What a small world in blog world. I am laughing at Kris's comment about old timer's and 1980. I am still in my 40's and I don't think I am old. I got a laugh from it. I do feel sorry for our cows here. It is a bad drought. Hopefully, the rain we have been having will help.

    Summer, Fall, Winter & Spring is busy, busy, busy for me. Summer is actually my quiet time. I call it my busy quiet time. I got the best tip about weeds. Do them fifteen minutes a day. Learned the hard way when I attack weeds in one big session I am in the hospital with asthma. Now, I do fifteen minutes.

    I love those tomatoes. They are beauties. That cabbage is to die for.

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    1. You are still a kid in my book, I am in my 60's now. Time flies!
      Yes the droughts have been awful. I sue hope it ceases soon.
      Good idea on any project to not over do. That is my attack mode on doing bigger projects in the house. 15 minutes - then move on. I can go back as many times as necessary ad I don't get burned out.

      We have been lucky with the produce this year, for sure.

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