May 23rd

On this Memorial Day and weekend

we honor military personnel who 

died in service to our country.

Remember...

our flag doesn't fly because 

the wind moves it,

it flies with the last breath

of those who died to

protect it.

"Greater love hath no man than this,

that one would lay their 

life down for another"

John 15:13

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🐔

The weather is starting to get hotter.

I knew that the "Goldilocks" days of

spring wouldn't last, but I still wasn't 

prepared for a veritable furnace when 

I stepped out of the back door onto the patio!

The chicken girls don't seem to mind 

the warmer weather at all.

They were clucking to get out of the coop

before I could even open the back door.

I unlocked the coop door and they 

did a bump and rush

to get out as fast as possible.

I was trying to walk toward the 

backyard and they were coming the 

opposite way.

I felt like a desperate salmon

during mating season!

And all the while they were clucking

so loud they woulda drowned

out the Boston Pops during

The Star Spangled Banner!

That's Nugget giving me the stink eye

because I didn't have a handful of

freeze dried worms.

Hazel and Pepper doing the same thing.

Jeez girls,

gimme a break.

It's always about them,

they never think of me.

Lucy was following us but

she's been a bit skittish lately so

she stayed behind me.

Ethel is in the coop.

Again.

She's broody, so we have to physically

take her out of the laying box.

She'll fluff her black feathers

and cluck, trying to hatch the

unfertilized eggs.

Bless her little chicken heart.

We get the eggs out several times a day

so there's never anything

under her for very long.

It's like she chronically constipated

and sitting on the only

toilet in the house.

There are several laying boxes 

in the coop, but they all wanna use the

same cockadoodie one!

This is part of the reason for the

hen's crazed moves this morning.

There are mayflies everywhere!

This one was on the patio umbrella.

They had a literal feast gobbling them up.

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The cucumber plant is doing good.

The CEO calls it the "pickle" plant.

The eggplants are still blooming.

This is a one day harvest.

In the little green leaf dish 

with a mirliton is some blueberries.

More tomatoes, broccoli

and celery spears.

Figured I'd get creative

and make a still life.

Ha!

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Our sunflowers are starting to bloom.

Love them.

They look like a painting, they are beautiful.

Marigolds in a pot on the patio table.

Brussels sprouts.

An embarrassed carrot. 

(Or maybe he's gotta pee really bad?)

The CEO planted the carrots in 

a large container where they 

couldn't grow downward into the soil,

so they grew the best they could.

We thought the container would be deep enough.

Lesson learned and next time

they'll go into one of the 

veggie beds.

This guy looked so sad.

(But we ate him anyway)

😆

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For all of our friends,

relatives and acquaintances

who have passed on

and we'll never forget.

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

🌜

Well it's getting late 

and 

I'm in the middle

of another book,

so 

I'll go relax and finish reading.

😀

Mother's Day - May 10th (I think?)

To all Mothers', 

I wish you a sincerely happy day.

I've mused on this subject before, 

but

it's completely different now in the

age of a global pandemic.

Mothers missing their grown children,

not being able to see their grandkids,

it's profoundly hard.

But,

Mothers aren't defined simply 

by a celebrated day.

We are defined by our children.

Mother Theresa said it best in this quote...

That is how I hope my children remember me.

It is pretty much the way I remember my mother.

Some words to describe her world be...

Strength, Determination, Confidence,

and Smarts.

I wouldn't describe her as stunningly beautiful

in the way an artist would paint a woman,

but stunning in the way she held herself.

Her green eyes held her pain and dashed dreams

that she never let surface.

So, my sister and I became her world.

Not in the smothering kind of way,

but in a single minded determination

to let us have the best life could offer

in the face of our collective losses.

For that I am continually grateful.

If you can hear me Mama,

I miss you...

❤

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Some of last week's harvest.

That's blueberries and cherry tomatoes.

The dark brown cherry tomatoes are

called Kumato's.

The flavor is milder than a typical tomato.

This makes them incredible in salads

and other dishes because they don't

overpower the taste.

More of the harvest.

More tomatoes, artichokes, broccoli, Italian sweet peppers

a mirliton and yellow summer squash.

The first cucumber this season.

More for my homegrown salads, yay!

Know what these are?

That's right!

Brussels sprouts.

They aren't ready for harvest yet.

This is our second attempt.

We had some last year,

but the plants all died.

Maybe it was too hot then.

Potato flowers.

That means these guys are ready for harvest.

Tomatoes

A plethora of blueberries

A small sunflower.

It isn't one of the huge "plate" sized ones,

but it looks like we'll find out in a few days what color.

Part of my herb garden

And,

as usual, I have an audience.

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

The front mailbox garden.

The mums like it in this spot.

All of these are last fall rescues.

So very true

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Deep thoughts on chips and dips.

Ha!

Ever eat a thick dip like this one and have 

the chip (a bagel bite in this case) crack?

I deliberately put a gentle pressure on the chip

while scooping to avoid cracking,

but

inevitably it did.

Now the dip has pieces of bagel and crumbs

 imbedded in it.

 I had to send in reinforcements.

So, I chose a sturdier looking chip to

rescue the remains of the wounded one.

I vetted that particular chip for its muscularity.

so, now I was feeling optimistic that he'd 

get the job done,

but was it up to the challenge?

That answer was a resounding, NO.

So back I went to have the others stand muster

because my "A Team" chips were falling

steadily to the cause.

I recruited a likely challenger and went in slowly

after my recon of the dip and its terrain.

It's all systems GO.

Gently, I began the scoop,

but then I felt a tell-tale crack!

Not again!

I immediately stopped, considered the

alternative, then employed a sturdier finger.

It turned out that it was a win-win situation.

I got 3 chips and way more dip.

It was finger-lickin' good.

Story of my life.

😞

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Stay Safe!

March 62nd - or May 1st (who knows?)

May Day.

Beautiful cool morning.

I was sitting on the patio this morning,

drinking a cup of jasmine tea,

thinking about how things aren't so bad.

My Blessed Mother statue didn't have

very much to say about the current situation.

I mean, in my microcosm sense of 

our local environment,

the virus hasn't touched my family or 

friends and that is a blessing.

We've practiced safe hygiene and socially

distanced ourselves as warranted.

Those who can, worked from home

and realized it wasn't such a bad thing.

Families became closer.

Healthcare workers shouldered a Herculean

work load through this and hopefully

will finally be acknowledged

for their sacrifices.

Yes, globally, there will be a huge economic fallout

when all is said and done, 

but maybe the hard earned lessons 

in this fiasco will help us,

 if......

God forbid, 

there's another one of these buggars in the wings.

And,

it's odd's on favorite that there will be.

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This artichoke plant has produced

nearly 12 artichokes!

That's amazing.

We haven't had that kind of yield

in past growing seasons.

Banana Peppers,

almost ready to harvest.

Cherry tomatoes.

That small patch of brown is a hen.

Namely Pepper.

A line up of smaller plants 

before we replant in the bigger

garden.

There's leeks, onions, several kinds of lettuce

broccoli, tomatoes, basil and celery.

Russet potatoes we're starting in smaller

pots before planting in the bigger garden.

You can never have enough help.

Pepper is hoping I'll dig in the garden

so she can get first dibs at an earthworm.

Mother Aloe and her babies with Desi

the Cuban oregano.

Potted mint.

There's all kinds of mint flavors.

Spearmint, Apple, Cotton Candy

and Chocolate Mint.

We never plant mint in the ground.

It becomes a weed and will take over 

a flower bed.

As I said, 

you can't have too much help.

Nugget and Pepper are accompanying

me on the garden rounds this morning.

\

The cherub is watching over the

Spearmint and the Oregano

The herb beds with my ever

present helper, Nugget.

Gladiolus and mums.

More mums

This is a Dracaena

otherwise known as

Mother-in-law tongue

or Snake plant.

My son gave it to me many years ago

and during a frost, it basically died.

We nursed it back to health and

in the last few years it's been

trying to rally.

Now, it's producing babies!

Yay!

We aren't sure about this plant.

We think it's a Stargazer Lily,

but it could be something else.

The thing is, the CEO brings home 

rescued plants all the time 

and we try to grow them.

Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

It'll be like Christmas when it blooms!

The lavender lily looking plant is a 

False Garlic - not eible,

but cool nonetheless.

Alliums are the genus that contains,

onions, garlic, leeks, shallots and chives

as well as ornamental alliums.

The CEO is something of a Pack Rat.

Ha!

He picks up things that he thinks I'd like.

In most cases, I do.

Like this little gator guy.

He's made of iron.

And..

This grate cover that we use as a door mat.

Several other grate covers that we'll 

use in the gardens.

2 little iron birds

and even the iron table and 6 chairs.

We've got several more items waiting for a spot

in the gardens.

Gotta love free stuff!

Right? 

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Before Covid-19

After

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Stay Safe!