July 31st

Oh, look! 

August is coming!!

The only thing we look forward to

during the heat of July and August

is, 

the afternoon rains.

It brings the heat index

down from 110 degrees to 89.

That might not sound like much,

but,

to us in the deep South,

it's a God send!

I'm not a fan of hot weather.

I prefer fall.

I also don't relish the

thought of a tropical hurricane

that is so prevalent

during the intense heat!

It makes August the 

"anxiety season" too,

so,

we do our part to prepare.

I pray this time

it won't be too bad....

(we shall see)

So, for now, I'll just drink my coffee

and finish my crossword puzzle

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

 The only veggies we

have growing now, are the Eggplants,

Bell Peppers and Jalapenos

There are 3 purple Bell Peppers on

the bush, but they are too small

to pick.

These Eggplants are the regular 

ones and Japanese ones,

I can only find 1 baby watermelon

on the vines.

I hope we get a few more.

My Basil group...

I have Greek , Holy and Thai

Basil.

I love the flavors it brings to dishes. 

English and German Thyme

No,

they don't realize the time difference!

Ha!

😃

Italian Oregano

The tall leaves are sansevieria,

the purple, red and green leaves are

Ipomoea or Sweet Potato Plant,

and the Duck planter has

Chrysanthemum's.

More of the same, except this one has 

a caladium.

Yellow green Sedum

Pink Begonia

Gardenia,

still blooming.

Mandevilla

Echeveria

about to bloom!

I've had this plant for about 5 years

and it's never bloomed.

I'm so excited!

There are 2 blooms.

Another bloom!!

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

Minew

staying out of the heat.

She's a Tortoise Shell cat.

Lucy and Ethel

Lucy

Ethel

My latest creation...

Frida Aloe!

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

💙💚

July 12th

No,

that's not my produce,

although I wish it were.

It's kind of what I think of as a lost art.

Along with soap and candle making,

growing your own food,

raising livestock for food or eggs,

Knitting, crocheting,

mending and sewing.

Yes,

these are time consuming and its' 

way easier to buy these things,

but the simple joy of making

it yourself, can't be beat!

The CEO and I have been tending

our small backyard farm,

 for a few years now.

We are always learning

and improving our skill sets.

("We do have a particular

set of skills, skills we have

acquired over a long career....")

😆

It's a hobby that gives back

in so many ways other than

putting actual food on our table,

and that's a big plus.

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

Yesterday's harvest.

Jalapeno's

Refrigerator Hot Pepper sauce

I made it with Jalapenos, Lime,

Onions, and strawberries with a little

sugar and balsamic vinegar.

I was told (by my son) 

that its' very good.

I don't eat hot, peppery things

but since I got his 

thumbs up, I'm happy.

👍

Watermelons

A baby watermelon!

The cucuzza vine.

That's Lucy patrolling for bugs,

with Ethel in the background

making her way to the compost heap.

(Compost heap is behind the lattice)

Go, girl!

Cucumber flowers

Bell Pepper flower

The CEO gets free grass from

Jefferson Feed.

Yes,

 it looks dead, but most of it

will grow back.

They can't sell brown grass so they

tell him to dumpster dive for 

whatever he wants. 

A lot of times he's found other 

(almost dead)

plants and veggies,

that he coaxes back to life.

He just places the grass on top of the lawn

and lets it do its' thing.

St. Augustine grass is so

durable that even South Louisiana

summer heat usually won't kill all of it.

The backyard fauna...

Ethel

(she's still laying eggs,

about 1 every 2 to 3 days)

Lucy

She's stopped laying.

She just likes to walk around

and look cute.

😀

Minew.

Doing typical cat stuff...

laying in the sun and occasionally

getting up,

Ha!

😺

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

Early this morning, in my

window over the sink

that faces east, I checked on 

my rooting plants.

There's Purple Sweet Potato Vine

and lavender.

The Sweet potato vine roots easily,

but the Lavender takes longer

because it has a woody stem.

I just change the water every day 

till I see roots starting,

then I plant them in soil.

Lavender

(no roots yet)

Sweet Potato Vine

(a LOT of roots!)

On the bay window sill,

More Sweet Potato Vine

and

Variegated Kalanchoe

with

Succulents

Sweet Potato Vine

Some of my birthday flowers,

are still going strong.

Orange throated Gladiolus

The Glad broke off,

so we put it in with the

birthday flowers

and some Red Heart Iresine.

The Iresine will root in water

and I can re-plant it later.

Red Heart Iresine

and Caladiums.

Milkweed Leaf Beetles in love

💗

Bumble bee on a mint flower.

There's an overpopulation situation

in the Aloe Vera pot!

My plans are to thin them out,

but it has been soooo

HOT!

I'm hoping to get to it soon.

White and Yellow Lantana

Vinca

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

I just thought of other

"lost skills"

1) driving a standard

2) writing in cursive

3) dialing a rotary phone

4) telling time on an analog clock

5) giving change back when

the register isn't computerized

to TELL them how much.

and...

this may be the most important...

THINK CRITICALLY.

But, then again,

no brains,

no headaches!

Ha!

🤣

And...

I'm old,

So old, that if I look

closely,

my Social Security number

may only be in triple digits.

💚💙