Storm

One night last week the radar told me a storm was very, very close to me. I went out to see for myself and discovered the radar was right.

I high tailed it back to the house and a few minutes later shot the rain from the shelter of the porch (Captain Crab's swallow nest in the corner).

It rained hard.

Hulles Lives

Once prolific blogger Hulles has been missing in action for some time. I feared for his life. But last Saturday I saw the living, breathing Hulles with my own eyes.

Hulles Lives

He promised to start writing again soon.

Family Jewels

My mother is a ruby and my aunt (her sister) is a pearl. Mom has honed her gardening skills to producing enough fruit and vegetables to feed half the county. Aunt Pearl has taken her little yard and turned it into a showcase of day lilies. Pearl has been sending me pictures of her flowers. Here are some of them. I didn't save all the pictures she sent me because, well, my computer is already filled with pictures.

Whazzup II

I'm still spinning my wheels and getting nowhere.

I went to a wedding last weekend. The setting for the reception was idyllic. The weather was perfect, though I am beginning to feel like a vampire who needs to hide from the sun. I am going to invest in some hats so I can take shade with me where ever I go.

In other news -- H is back! She said to tell my friends and this is the best way.

Busy With Stuff

I have been busy. I spin my wheels a lot. Sometimes I get somewhere, most times I don't.

Last weekend I was busy with taking pictures of a small town celebration for their website. After 2 days I had hundreds of photos that I had to sort through, optimize, build slide shows for and add to the website. The highlight of the two days was talking to these guys about Mush, who used to sing with the band before she moved back home to the left coast.

Jefferson County Green Band / Message for Mush

On Monday when I was still up to my elbows in trying to make crappy photos web worthy, I got a call that there was going to be an impromptu birthday gathering for my mom's birthday. I had to go and eat my favorite pizza.

Pizza

My mother has always had a garden. When they moved to the place they live now, she started having a really large garden. I tell her every year when she tries to give me food that I do not need that she should sell her stuff at the farmer's market. Oh, she couldn't charge people for food! She said that this year's garden was the best ever, though I have never, ever noticed a lack of produce or produce of sub-par quality. So before I went home to get back to work, I drove out to visit her "best garden ever".

Most things at Mom's start out in her little green house. Right now there are just giant tomato plants in there.

Tomatoes in the green house

Mom knows I love petunias. Last fall she harvested petunia seeds from a planter in town and this spring, started the little seeds in her green house. She gave me dozens of pretty petunias which are planted around my farm (getting lost in weeds now). She still has a few plants left.

Petunias

The sweet corn patch is smaller this year. I think my dad finally realized he did not need acres of sweet corn to fill his freezer. Part of the patch has rye in it this year as a cover crop. Dad wishes he had a little combine to harvest the rye instead of plowing it under.

Sweet Corn

Rye

Potatoes

On the other side of the house is the actual garden. I will let you stroll through it with this comment -- yes, celery. My mother is the only person I know who grows celery. This tastes nothing like the stuff in the store, this has flavor.

Celery

Peas

Cabbage

Onions

Carrots

NOT yams, sweet potatoes

Apples

Strawberries

Raspberries

Don't you wish you could munch your way through Mom's garden?