We're gearing up to take off again. As such, I'm feeling a bit rushed and frantic and wanted to take a moment to sit back and chill. Here are some photos I've taken over the course of the past week, scenes and such that bring me simple joy.
How delicious does line-dried laundry smell? It is energy efficient (dry times are a bit annoying on humid days...), no dryer heats up my house, and no neighbors have complained yet. Because I do laundry twice a week we have smallish loads allowing for easier line drying. I also set up the folding dryer as well.
And then, there are the gardens. Who knew I could find such joy in gardening? Seriously. :o)
This is the one basil plant that looks even remotely decent. I'm a bit worried as to what will happen to it (and all my plants, really), when we're gone. Yikes!
I had planted cherry tomatoes in the bed that get scorched and they've done nothing. I also planted two plants in pots and here are some babies growing. Hooray! Cherry tomatoes after all! :o)
My crazy garden. The onions are almost ready to be harvested. I'm going to harvest the beans tomorrow, pull out the plants and plant more beans. I'm so excited! The tomatoes were recently staked and the peppers look great. :o) 
And the corn. :sigh: The corn would look amazing if it weren't for the darn treachery squirrels. They've been eating my baby ears and breaking the stalks to boot. Drat. :o(
The tomatoes in this bed are the slicing variety and I've got some green babies coming in here as well. Yippee!
I know it's rather difficult to see in this photo, but this is one of the many volunteers coming up from the compost bin. There are grape tomatoes growing on this. Wow. Who'd've thunk it? 
And, Hannah's garden continues to produce. Look at these beauties. There are tons of buds so it looks as if they'll be with us for a while yet. The last of the lilies are blooming as well. 
I'm not quite sure what this is--again, remember, Lil helped "clean" the garden by pulling out all those handy little signs--but it smells sweet and delicious. 
I'm not sure what this guy is either. I remember I had initially thought it was a weed to be pulled but decided to wait and see what happened. This is what happened. :oP
The shade garden is doing well too. The columbine have really taken off, as have the hucheras. 
Jules, this is a huchera/coral bell. I also have one in lime green and one in a garden green. They're supposed to flower, but so far nothing from mine this year. 
Alas, as good as the garden is looking, I'm plagued by pests. Anyone know what leaves these sorts of trails and what I can do to curtail the action? Three of my columbines are affected and I'm getting sort of grumpy about it. Gr. 
And, finally, one of the day lilies. I'm really thinking of turning that bed behind the pergola/porch swing into a day lily bed. They are hardy and beautiful and easy peasy to grow. This one looks more Hokie colored in the natural light. :o) ****************************************
Today's Sparklies:
1. I made that enchilada casserole for dinner again this evening. It is time intensive, but boy is it GOOD.
2. I got some good news from school today. I can't share yet, but I will as soon as everything is set in stone. :o)
3. I love summer with all the reading time I get. Ahhhhh.
4. I made the cutest template today (a take-off from other cards I've seen) to use for Lauren's welcome baby card. :o)
5. The tree frogs are back--sort of. They're not here in mass quantity yet, but I've seen them peeking around here and there and I saw goldie on top of the front porch light the other day. :o)
6. Pop let me know about free movies at New Town theaters on Tuesday and Wednesdays in the summer. I'm going to try to find a schedule to see if Lil and I want to go tomorrow.
7. It was a nice low-humidity day today. Ahhhhhhhhh!
No milestones.
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Oh how I wish Han were here to not eat supper, telling me she doesn't like it and it's gross; to help with the garden and composting; and to exalt in all the beauty the backyard has to offer. :sigh:
15 comments:
Your garden is looking wonderful and thanks for sharing all the gorgeous photos. Is there anything as wonderful as the smell of tomato plants?
The enchilada casserole sounds delicious - will definitely have to try that soon.
Cate, I had to LOL at your comment. I couldn't stop smelling my hands after we had staked the tomatoes. Tomato plants just *smell* like summer. :o)
Hi Rach,
I don't understand why hanging washing outside is a problem in the US? Can the neighbours complain and have you remove it??
I am cooking lasagne tonight. When Thomas complains and says it is gross, I will think of you and Hannah and will bite my tongue.
Love,
Jane
Hi Jane,
The only trouble with hanging out was here is if you live in a neighborhood with a strict home owners' association which states you can't hang out. It would seem *some* people are offended by the sight of others' laundry. :eye roll: Thank goodness I don't have to deal with that here. :o)
Enjoy that dinner! Sounds delish to me! :o)
Hugs.
Okay, I'll start with the first sweet smelling flower as Bee Balm (I think.) I love bee balm. It smells sooooo good.
Critters eating stuff? I've had some bugs eat a few of my bean plants. But your blossoms on those tomatoes! Wonderful! That makes for good eatin'!
Hannah a picky eater? She'd make up for the eating by dancing through the gardens, yes?
Hey Amy, I *thought* that was bee balm. It is yummy. :o)
And, yes, Han would definitely make up for the eating with the dancing. :happy sigh: What a kiddo! :o)
your garden and flowers look great. I hope you have a neighbor who will water while you are away. I so wish I could hang clothes out but our neighborhood association doesn't allow it.....which I think that rule was written about 18 years ago and they need to change with the times. It would save energy!!
Rach, If you want to keep those squirrels away from your plants sprinkle some Cayenne Pepper on them. It will not hurt the plants or the squireels. I promise the squirrels will stay away from you crops.
Best of luck! Garden looks wonderful!
I love your gardens! Wow. And I'm so thrilled that you've found the joy in gardening. It is just one of those "things" that brings such
pleasure to me too!
Gabe is such a picky eater too. No way would he eat enchilada casserole-the smell alone would send him into a tizzy. Ella on the other hand will try anything. She asked for a bowl of cottage cheese for a snack, and "yummed" her way through it as if it were ice cream!!
On another note, this last Sunday she and I were playing with the Barbies. I have one that has a microphone, and Ella wanted to have Barbie sing. I was shocked when Ella started to sing "Country roads take me home"...and then proceeded to sing the ENTIRE song.Nothing cuter than a 3-1/2 year old singing an entire John Denver song!!!
Have fun this weekend!!
What a beautiful backyard!! The flowers are gorgeous and I absolutely love your decking with the swing!! I'm envious! :o)
I spent some time yesterday in mom's garden so I now know a bit more of how much work is involved in getting one into the ground and such - you have some beautiful pics there, Rach! Awesome!
Have a great trip! I've been reading your posts on my Reader but now just getting the actualy blog page up :) Hugs!
Rachel, I love the concept of laundry drying in the sun. But do you get pollen on your laundry? I'm in Fairfax VA...seems like I just park my car for an hour and pollen gets on it.
Your garden is B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!
Alice
Hi Alice,
Thanks about the gardens. :o)
We're THANKFULLY past the worst of the pollen. You better believe I wouldn't do it during spring, LOL! Right now, no pollen. Whew!
My friend Amy has had to contend with bugs and bird poo, however...;oP
I found a great way to get rid of bugs in the garden. My squash was eaten up with bugs and I had to pull it all out it was so bad. Mix 1 cup of flour (regular bleached flour) with 1 cup of milk, add enough water to make it thin enough to spray out of a squirt bottle. Spray it on your plants and let it dry. Once it is dry the water your garden. It takes the existing bugs off the plant and the residue tends to keep new bugs away. Whatever was eating my tomatoes is gone and my banana peppers aren't being munched on either! Plus it is non-toxic. Safe for pets and kiddos. Hope this helps!
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