May thru June 6th

Sadly, most of those who fought

so valiantly in this war have

passed on.

We honor those who gave their life

for our freedom on those beaches that day.

My dad was not there. He was in Italy,

France and North Africa with the 5th Army.

He was one of approximately

16 million Americans who served.

He was lucky to make it back home.

I noticed in today's newspaper an article

about a celebration of

"Rosie The Riveters" at the 

WWII Museum.

The article talked about the large

number of women involved in

the war effort.

Over 6 million women filled jobs

on the homefront that were

historically reserved for men.

My mother was a "Rosie" and 

I'd like to honor her too.

When my dad left for Europe,

she took a job as a clerk/bookkeeper

at the Port of Embarkation.

It was a massive military logistical

hub operated by the U.S.Army.

It was located at 4400 Dauphine St.

in New Orleans,

and deployed tens of thousands of

service members across the globe 

and millions of tons of cargo 

from 1941 to 1945.

Situated right next door to that 

massive port was the

Higgins boat complex, where

the finished boats were shipped

overseas. 

Both of my parents were

actively participating in

the war.

I'm forever proud of them.

****************************

The veggie garden is doing great!

We've had a lot of rain

and the plants love it.

May 2nd

Eggplant, Peppers, Asparagus,

Cherry Tomatoes and

Blue Berries.

Cucumbers

May 24th

Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Eggplant

and Blackberries.

The tomatoes went into my homemade

tomato sauce. 

May24th

Heirloom Tomatoes, Roma and Cherry Tomatoes.

May31st

Tomatoes and Peppers

The tomatoes are Romas and the assorted

peppers are sweet not hot.

Most of these went into my tomato sauce

that gets frozen for later use.

Tomatoes!

Eggplants

Banana Peppers

Garlic and onions

Asparagus

A dragonfly resting on my Basil

Thai basil, parsley, thyme, oregano, basil and

some assorted flowers to entice the bees.

More of the herb garden

Mint

***********************

Gladiolas

Magnolia flower

Mary's Garden

The Cymbidium orchid

May 2nd

By May 4th the blooms had fallen off.

But, as of June 3rd, both orchids

are sending out flower shoots!

Yay!!

***************************

This is what makes me happy:

We live on a planet where

whales sing songs that travel

for miles.

Where trees can recognize 

their own offspring and

protect them underground.

Where dolphins give each other

name sounds and lightening

can create glass sculptures

in the sand.

Where horses can read human emotions,

rain has a smell, oceans

can glow in the dark

and the stars that we see at 

night might not even 

exist anymore.

And to think of the abundance

of food we get with such 

little effort.

We are so privileged to 

call this our home!

💗💚💙

 

April 30th

This spring brought out the Gardenias

in full blossom!

The scent they emit when we walk to 

the front door is amazing.

These waxy delicate blooms don't last

very long before they turn yellow,

but they are always the 2nd 'bloomers'

in our garden after the Amaryllis.

I had to cut some to bring inside.

They also attract bees!

We've learned to watch closely

for any of them flying around.

The Gladiolas are 3rd on the bloom list.

This one is stunning.

Although, this one looks like an Amaryllis,

it's a blood red Gladiola.

It's top half broke off in high winds the day before.

There's a few Amaryllis still blooming.

And...

the Cymbidium orchid is still

blooming!!

It's been almost 5 months and those blooms 

are still fresh!

Unbelievable.

********************************

Daily salad harvest.

I pick some lettuce, tops of onions,

celery leaves, some basil, oregano and thyme.

Mint - several varieties.

Herb garden with a few flowers to encourage bees.

Bay Laurel bush

with Amaryllis and Zinnias.

Once a week, I give the herbs a 

"haircut" and remove some of the

longer stems. 

Then, I wash them well and hang upside down

in my east facing window to dry.

This always brings that earthy, herbal

scent to the house.

We have several tomato, bell

pepper and eggplants that have small

veggies on them.

Soon we'll start that harvest.

The CEO planted potatoes, carrots,

and garlic. All of them are beginning to sprout.

There are some blue berries, black berries,

and asparagus also growing well.

The sheer joy of being able to eat

pesticide and growth hormone free

is amazing. The taste is always so

much better than the vegetables 

in the grocery. When we get way 

more produce than we can eat fresh, 

I either preserve it or dehydrate it.

Dehydrating it helps us to

enjoy the fruits of our labor well

after the growing season is over.

To prove a point, last week I used

the last of the tomato gravy I made 

and froze from last year.

Freezing, canning or dehydrating doesn't

diminish the flavors one bit.

***********************

I have come to the end of an era.

My youngest grandchild is graduating

from high school with honors.

It's bittersweet.

No more ferrying to and from school,

no lunches or extra curriculars.

You know that they grow up and 

that is good, but you also kind of grieve

the loss of a part of yourself.

I'm still Grammy, still needed,

but differently now.

All 5 grandkids are grown.

I'll miss those baby cuddles but

I look forward to observing

the adults they become.

💗💙💙💗💙

***************************

Sometimes it's nice to just sit,

smell to flowers and remind 

yourself that under boob sweat,

dirty fingernails and a slight

heat stroke, will bring forth

the best fruits of labor that

a mere twenty dollars at Aldi 

could have accomplished 

in air conditioning.

But the rewards aren't the same.

😉

****************

💚💙💗

March/early April

It's Spring!

Happy Easter.

Late March and early April is one of my

most favorite times of the year.

The flowers are simply spectacular.

We thought the Amaryllis garden 

wouldn't be as showy this year as

it's been in the past.

It started out like this on March 11th.

There were a few buds, but we 

had expected many more,

then, on March 23rd,

they started to burst into bloom

and they didn't stop!

The tall blooms eventually covered

up the solar lights and the

big fleur de lis.

I even cut a few to bring the

beauty inside.

My annual Easter chick.

And Bunny

And Spring Chicken

😉

On the kitchen window sill,

the cymbidium orchids are still in bloom!

They must like this spot.

This is a picture of them from December 21st!

The buds were just starting to open.

The Gladiola garden under the Magnolia

tree is hinting at some beautiful blooms. 

It's always a surprise when they 

finally open as to what color

they'll be!

The peppermint Amaryllis steal the show.

3 small pots of Zinnias

are providing bees with

a bunch of pollen.

They are also edible and safe

for human consumption.

I don't add them to teas

because the petals are slightly bitter,

but they are great in salads. 

Mary's garden is just starting.

We planted Geraniums and Marigolds this year.

   

All of the flowers near Her are edible.

I make teas from them.

😊

*************************

The herb garden is doing great.

Holy Basil.

Bib Lettuce

Thai Basil

English Thyme

Italian Oregano

Periodically, I give the herbs a haircut.

This is the Italian Oregano.

I cut a handful and bind it with

string or a rubber band.

Then I wash and hang them in the

bay window to dry.

In about 2 weeks, they are ready

to remove from the stems.

Then I put the dried leaves in a 

Mason Jar with a desiccant pack

to keep them fresh.

Rosemary

The last of the Broccoli.

It had started to bolt

(bloom)

so the CEO cut it and 

removed the base plant

to compost.

Doing what he loves ♡

He comes in from the garden

speaking so loudly that it can change 

the migratory pattern of birds,

to tell me to come and see the 

buds and blooms that have

sprung today.

He smells of dirt and the warm sun.

His enthusiasm is infectious,

so,

I grabbed my shoes and garden gloves

to join him!

***********************

So true!

PSA

Just in case you see these little guys...

We misidentified them for a long time.

*********************************

My sister.

Her battle is being fought.

I thank God every day for her.

🙏

Thanks for allowing me to

show our backyard "farm" efforts,

and remember,

as the Beatles once said..

"Ob La Di, Ob La Dah"

😁