About Town During and After Storm 7/12/11

Wordless blog post.

Garden Harvest Time for 2011

I have been eating fresh summer squash and cucumbers, added to my lettuce and radishes and green onions. The smaller the cucumber the crisper and better tasting they are.












Oh, there is nothing quite like the first tomatoes out of the garden. Steve and both had silly smiles on our faces as we ate our hamburgers with fresh sliced tomato out of my garden.
I ate the little cherry tomatoes in salad for lunch the nrxt day. And they were just as good.
Tomatoes are slow ripening, but they will pick up in the days to come.






Fresh canned french cut green beans are heading to my shelves. I have a total of 15 pints canned, and I only planted 2 rows, one 12 foot, and one 14 foot.
First picking was on July 4, then second picking was July 8. Not bad for a twice a week production. And they are still loaded with blooms.





No more store bought veggies for the summer. Now with tomatoes ripening, I am anticipating the sweet corn to get ready.
I think I am in heaven. God has blessed me with a bountiful garden, and in return, I am working it and keeping it weed free.

Flowers

I transplanted this spider plant into a bigger planter this spring when I moved it outside for the summer.

I sure did turn a deep green, and has the hardiest sprouts with babies growing from it.

My other spider plants are green with white stripes on the plant. This one is a baby from those.

Maybe I need to transplant all the others for more hardy plants.

I have a mother-in-laws tongue plant. Don't know the true name for it, but that's what it was called when I bought it 28 years ago.

I have seen pictures of them blooming, but never experienced one of mine bloom.

This summer, one of mine bloomed. I was so excited to see it's flower stalk.

It is a pretty small lily like flower opened. And during the sunny part of the day, they close, and open in late afternoon/evening. Another plant which goes out for the summer and in in winter.

My zinna's are finally sprouting out from the tall plants that looked spindly.

Guess all the rain we have gotten really got them growing.

I planted mixed color zinnia's and they sure are pretty colors as well as flower shapes.

I started the flowers in planters, but am transfering them to the ground, as the ones which I planted in the flower beds, they are all taller, hardier and more vibrant than the ones in the planter boxes.

And the squirrels left the soil planted ones alone, but dug every chance they got in my planter ones. Little buggers.

This calla lily is my pride and joy this year so far. It's like 3 years old, and this is first year for an actual lily to appear. So happy with this one, as it started white and turned light then medium pink, now it's almost purple.

I love bright beautiful colors.

Sewing for Kiley

I made 3 dresses for Kiley over the weekend.
I have had material for years sitting in my sewing supplies.
So after seeing how hot it is going to be this summer, decided to use some waffle weave, very light material so she isn't so hot while playing outside.
I sewed for my own girls when they were little.
Made special outfits for the holiday's.
Over the years, I have only done little things, curtains, table clothes, napkins, seat covers, tractor cover, and table runners. Simple things.


I have to confess, I can't use patterns. I see what I want in my head and make my own patterns on brown paper bags. No instructions needed, I just cut out, and sew.
Sounds weird, but all those lines on the patterns to chose a size, then all those little tabs to connect, then in the end, it doesn't look like what I wanted in the first place.







Just seems easier to make my own simple patterns and sew from there.
Loved her new dresses, and I loved sewing them for her.
I have more material, and when time allows I plan to make her some more. I also think I will make her Christmas dress this year. I have an idea of what would look cute on her, and hoping to find the lace I want to use. Then I have to wait til closer to Christmas, as she is growing so fast.




This last picture is of the front of the green dress. It's open in the back. This was the first one I made, for my girls each had these sort of summer sun dresses when they were little. And they were very cool and they looked gorgeous in them.
Since garden is producing, I have to set sewing aside for now. Canning and freezing time.

Finally got my mower motor back

We finally got the motor for my 582 Cub Cadet back from the repair shop. They had it since Dec.10.

Steve got it put back into my mower, but had to fix the old clutch problem it was having before motor lost compression. My, did we have some hours on this mower, and it was used when Steve bought in back in 2004, for his Dad to use.




We mow like 5 to 6 hours a week with our mowers, so we put some miles and hours on them.
Steve's 782 mower is down with seals out again. Seems like every 30 hours or so, the seals leak, and he has to put new ones in it. At least we keep an eye on it and shut it down as soon as we notice the leaks, and he can repair it.
The other 782 is holding up really well. Thank God. As that's the easy hydro one that I use when mine is down.
I mowed after Steve took it for a test drive last night, and I need to get the feel of it again, as it's clutch is different now, than it was before. But I felt good in the seat. lol Funny how we get used to something, then have to change and come back to the old just to feel the appreciation of a loved one back. Wonder if that's how it will be in heaven, seeing and visiting with our loved ones. Dark thoughts evoked by a dream I had, I suppose, as I have been missing the folks lately. Heaven is a long way into the future, but their memories are like yesterday.

Father's Day weekend - 3.5 inches of rain fell

Father's Day weekend, our area got lots of rain.

Here at our home, we got 3.5 inches, at farm just 12 miles north, we got 4.5 inches.

Creeks were on the rise, and our river towns to the south of us had flooding issues again.

My garden and our field corn loved it. As did many of the area's crops.

Here's a tour of how things are growing since the rain.

Happy 28th Birthday Leslie

June 21st marked the 28th Birthday of our oldest daughter.

Happy 28th Birthday Leslie Anne.

Your Dad and I couldn't be more proud of you today, than the day you entered our lives and became our world.

We love you with all our heart.

We wish you the very best life has to offer in your adventures.

You've come along way baby !