Where in the world is Susan?

I'll bet someone back east is going, "Now why don't (s)he write?"  (from Dances with Wolves when Timmons sees the skeleton alongside the wagon trail)


Where the heck have I been? Well, friends, I've been busier than a one-armed paperhanger with the itch. That last post nearly did me in with editing and rewrites...I felt as if I were writing the Great American Novel. Then there was a guest for a couple of days, so there was the cleaning and cooking in preparation for that.

Mark, David, Rene', and Pam...cowpokes extraordinaire!

My guest was hubby's cousin Rene', who is a year older than I am. She and David and her sister Pam, and brother Mark were really close when they were growing up. David was like their big brother. We hadn't really talked in years and, honestly, she and I didn't know a thing about each other except what we knew from other family members. And a lot of what we knew was incorrect.

We found out we had a ton of things in common, and we talked and laughed nonstop the first afternoon and evening for about ten hours! As soon as Rene' came downstairs the next morning, the first words that popped out of her mouth were, "Where did we leave off?"  So, we talked for another four or five hours until she had to leave for home. Thankfully, she and her husband only live a couple of hours away and we're planning on many more visits.

Lunchtime with the Cubbies

As soon as Rene' left, I plunged into Cub Scout Day Camp, helping herd vast numbers (well, it seemed like it) of six, seven, and eight-year-old boys through the rigors of such activities as cornhole games, whiffle ball, BB and bow and arrow target shooting, obstacle courses, craft-making, baking oatmeal cookies in an aluminum-foil-lined box in the sun (it really works!), etc. I only participated for two of the four days, but it felt like ten! Poor Nathan was so exhausted from traipsing around camp in the summer sun from 8:30 until 3:30 for three days that he missed the last day. I knew exactly how he felt. Of course, there's always cleanup duty, so today I went back to help load the enormous amount of gear and supplies that it takes to run such an event. I never knew you could get that much stuff into one van!

Nathan at lunch

Gaige shooting the bow and racing to the finish in the foam boat regatta.

While I was there, Michelle (the Cubmaster) convinced me to take on the task of being the Trail's End popcorn sales coordinator for next year. I'm sure you've all been accosted at some point in your life by a cherub-faced Cubbie asking you to buy some popcorn. It is the only Cub Scout fund-raising event for the entire year. It is a worthwhile cause, and it helps make a lot of little boys happy by paying for such things as day camps and overnight camps and field trips, awards and patches for their achievements.

Then there is the gardening which is now becoming very time-consuming, as it usually is this time of year. The weeds are sprouting and growing like crazy, and we're starting to harvest a few things. I've pulled up all my garlic and got quite a bit for such a small space. I'm drying it for a few days before I braid it together for storage. There is nothing like garlic that you grow yourself. Today I also harvested turnips, onions, a few beans and peas and some herbs. I'm going to have a LOT of green beans to pick on Monday. A few days ago, I finally got tired of fighting the cabbage worms and picked my cabbages, even though they weren't yet full size. Better small than not at all, I suppose. 

 I used to think those little cabbage white butterflies were so pretty...not any more! Now they're my sworn enemies!!!

Along with the activities listed, I managed to squeeze in an overnight with a couple of grandkids, and several hours here and there of watching the other ones.

My writing and photography brain just isn't up to speed when I'm extra busy, and something has to suffer, so in this case it was my blog. I've also neglected a few of you and have not left comments as often as I would like, and I am sorry for that. But now that things are mostly back to normal, hopefully I will think of something interesting to write about in the coming weeks and be back to visiting all my friends and exchanging witty repartee with each and every one of you.  

A stroll through my gardens

I'm planning to add annuals inside the pots this weekend.

And now the veggies....

That's no lady.....

......that's my lady's thumb.

Or if you you are a botanist, you might call it polygonum persicaria

I just call it "that damned weed".

I pull and yank and pull some more and it just won't go away. It will take over your flower beds and gardens and lawn, if you let it get away from you.

According to the USDA, it is an edible plant that can be steamed or eaten raw in salads. I haven't tried it. It might be delicious, for all I know. I don't really intend to find out as I don't usually eat my enemies.

Apparently it pretty much blankets the entire United States and Canada, so if you decide to give it a try on your dinner plate, let me know how it tastes. I'm open to being convinced. In the meantime, to me, it is still "that damned weed".

I'll have some peas, please!

With all the sunshine and warm weather we've been having lately and the help of the two hundred feet of garden hose, our garden is really taking off. I picked the first batch of peas yesterday, and while there were enough to serve for dinner, I decided to save them along with others I will pick in the next couple of days for the whole family to enjoy on Saturday. There is nothing like fresh peas from the garden. They are so tender and flavorful. When I was a kid, my mom always made them with a cream sauce and they are very tasty. But for myself, I enjoy them the most just lightly steamed with a pat of butter and a sprinkling of salt. The simpler, the better.

 

The zucchini, green beans and cucumbers are starting to bloom. I also have teeny little green peppers, Early Girl and Celebrity tomatoes the size of golf balls, and even the heirloom tomatoes have tiny little fruits set on. My eggplant isn't doing as well. One of the blooms has fallen off, but it has another one coming on. The lettuce has been pulled up as it was turning bitter from the heat of the sun, and in its place, David sowed beets and carrots.

 

 

 

I'm making some pesto this weekend, too. That's flat-leaf parsley in the background and petunias on the right.

 

As a relief from all the green, how about a little color?

A delicate evening primrose.

 

Yarrow

 

A perfect day lily

 

This is penstemon which the hummers and the bees love. If you look closely, about two-thirds of the way down the stem, there's a bumblebee sticking his head inside.

 

Butterflies and gardens

Yesterday I was taking pictures in the morning hours. Probably why I didn't finish cleaning my living room carpet and putting everything back together until after 8:00 PM. Exhaustion ensued soon after.

Black swallowtail sipping nectar from my lilac bush.

 

Mr. Bumblebee finding something yummy in the chive bloom.

 

A silver-spotted skipper enjoying both.

 

 

 

My very first hen resting in the herb garden.

 

From the herb garden: mint, chives, cilantro, sage, thyme, flat-leaf parsley, basil, oregano, lemon balm and green onions from the veggie garden.

 

Lettuce from the cold frame pictured below. There are a few pea plants mixed in with the lettuce. The grandkids planted those in early April.

 

 

Our first time for raised beds. Green onions in the front and peas in the background. We're also trying the Joy of Gardening method.

 

We're experimenting with this method from Mother Earth News for raising our tomatoes. We're trying a few heirloom varieties: Cherokee purple, brandywine, hillbilly and Elberta peach.

 

Green beans

 

This label says it all, folks!