usual sunday update

So after writing the post yesterday I was still pretty tired and wiped out so I didn't get the things done on my list. I did join (or crash to be technical) Kate's party with her sister and nieces. We made a fire (fortunately a cloud came over the sun and cooled it down quite a bit) and had hotdogs and smores and starbursts and lots of laughter. Have you roasted starburts on a fire? Its fun, especially watching Laura (Kate's sister) drop every single starburst she put on her stick.

I did get the new rasberries and blackberries planted before joining the feast. That made me pretty tired too, its amazing how much heat sucks your energy. Not a fan (have i mentioned that before?). I ate one raspberry off a bush yesterday. Wow. I'd forgotten how good those are. I'm very excited for next year! I've had currants, dewberries, saskatoon, and of course strawberries this year. Saskatoon are like blueberries only not as gushy and very tasty (I'm not a huge fan of blueberries but I really like these).

For dinner today, since I didn't go shopping yesterday, I made a zuchinni caserole and fresh green beans (with really good sweet onions from the garden). And cold applesauce for the fruit. They were pretty good. I cooked everything outside on the electric skillet to keep the house cooler. Mamma wanted to bake lemon bars so we got out a wooden door from our garage, ballenced it on a couple of cinderblocks and a storage container and cooked outside (with the toaster oven and skillet). It was fun. I was able to sit on a little stool, and stir and chop and spread my stuff out. I think I'll invest in an actual table, and get one of those burner thingys that angela has so I can cook more then one thing at a time. My goal for the summer is to not cook in the house. I can also use my bread maker out there, crockpots, and the grill of course. I wish Mama's toaster oven was bigger.

I really want to go to farmers market and go garage selling to find a table and chair set for the patio.

Anyways here is an update of my garden. Its growing pretty good.

I've got lots of hollyhocks. The babies of my originals are blooming (first year no blooms on the originals, next year bloomed and got some babies the following year, which I transplated throughout the yard, and they don't bloom the next year, so finally getting blooms). They are all white and doubled. Huh? I thought that was hybridized. My originals were a white doubled and a single dark pink/red one. I thought I'd get single whites and pinks, but nope. Just whites. they are pretty but i perfer others. Also it means the babies I transplanted around this year are probably white too. I did start some from seeds the last couple of years so I'm hoping if they live they will be normal looking. I've got this pink one and a really light pink one right next to each other, but thats its for divirsity.

Beans are growing. Here is a before and after.

I've got some squash/melons growing (besides zuchinni). Butternut, pumpkin, watermellon and cantalope. The wattermellon has been really slow, but at least something is started even if its only the size of a golfball. I've got 5 cantalope growing strong and I probably should've only allowed 2-3 to grow cause they're small. Oh well I think they are mighty cute. I've also got squash bugs for the first time. Makes me so mad. I think they came from the replacer squash from the nurshry. grrr.

I love that the perenials take turns to bloom. It really makes the gardens look different from month to month. I'm in some inbetween times right now. But things still look pretty good. I wish the cosmos were bigger as I use them a lot for fillers.

This is the stump garden in the spring and now.

The blackeyed susans against the nicotania just really pop. They are so bright and cheery. Wish my phone could do justice to the colors and textures.

My hot peppers have not been doing so hot. Although I took a tiny bite of this "cow horn" pepper and it was firey. They didn't really enjoy the wet spring and then it went to super hot and I don't think they developed a good root system so now they get dry. (the water was too easy for them and so they didn't send the roots down deep). This tiny pepper is supposed to be much bigger and milder. Thats probably why it was hot. packed all the heat into one tiny red pepper. I have hopes that as the season progresses they will do better.

This is not brocoli. Thats what the lable said. Its cauliflower of a crazy nature. Its somewhat purple, and I think overdone. I don't know what to do with it. Its pretty strong in flavor, almost a little "spicy."

Well thats a long enough post. I was going to complain about the primary kids but I think its just me. I figure that after 5 months they should know better and behave, and I found myself getting annoyed with them cause I don't know what to do to make things go better and smoother.