Friday, July 22, 2011

Feel Good Friday- Another Week In Pictures


It's time for another rendition of FEEEEEEL GOOOOOOD FRIIIIIIIDAY. I don't have a linky on the bottom of this one, so you'll have to just leave a comment and your blog address and we'll come snoop around and see what you've been up to. 

I don't know where thegirl went off to, but I'll hold down the fort until she comes back.

It's easy to play Feel Good Friday. Go to your blog, write a post about what made you happy this week. It can be ANYTHING. Come back here and leave a comment and we'll go see what you did.

It's fun, it's a great way to meet other people and it makes you happy. Especially if you had a sucky week because your house didn't sell or it's so humid your skin is rotting off your very own body or your read a book that sounded hysterical and was mildly so.

This is how Gwenstopher (and maybe her owner) like to spend very hot summer days.  Thank God for this hammock.  That's all I can tell you.
When she isn't lolling about in the hammock, she's usually busy getting high.  Gwenstopher, not her owner.  On mint, of course.
My niece seems a little sad or humiliated that she was put in a bumblebee hat to match that really cute outfit.  She was very happy in pictures with just the outfit but then when the hat came on, she became very contemplative.  Or horrified.  It reminds me of what Missfit used to look like when we put her in doll clothes.  Just appalled.  Babies look much cuter in outfits than cats.
Here, she's auditioning for a local performance of Popeye or perhaps something with a pirate theme or maybe she's doing a jig.  No, auntiesparkling didn't make that quilt.  Grandma did.  Auntiesparkling doesn't have a lot of patience for pointy things in quilts because they are a pill to get perfect!

Ok, here's a bunch of green.  If you're afraid of weeds, look no further.  If you are sick of reading about the glowing progress in my gardens, you can leave now.  If you're just a little curious, keep reading!  I do not share these pictures to brag. I just love to share the amazing things that can come from ONE SEED!

Jack called, he needs his bean stalk back.  This thing is really out of control.  It's a couple of plants in one container and I thought they'd happy climb some twine and produce some beans.  Instead, they just keep climbing and reaching. They've broken several pieces of bamboo, so I brought out the big guns.  Between them and the wind the other day, the whole thing was leaning.  It can't be stopped!  And it's not even close to producing flowers yet, so no beans!

Because I'm a little weird, I don't really like to grow things in plastic.  Especially food things.  I figure we ingest enough plastic in our daily lives, we should not encourage more of it to seep into our food.  I write this and see that yes, there's a big red, plastic bucket right there with basil in it. I TRY to keep plastic away.  I had a few new tomato plants and I can't remember which type they are, so I wanted to keep them out of the gardens ( I am trying not to cross breed so I can save seeds) but I didn't want to put them in plastic.  Years ago, EVERYONE was selling metal buckets for use as ice buckets at cookouts and stuff.  Think I could find them this year???  It took every last ounce of my searching abilities, but thanks to k-ster's ever so long reach, I was able to get a bunch of these metal buckets for my tomatoes.  They are sooooooo small in these buckets.  My plan is to be able to take them into the greenhouse to finish reddening up when the fall comes.  I have them in various places around the yard.

I think Morning Glories are really pretty.  But I let them get out of control last year and now they are a weed.  I didn't toss out the seeds and they've reseeded with a vengeance.  I have done nothing but pull them up as weeds all year.  I need to get them back under control.  Like here. 

Garden #2 in all of its lushness.  I cannot get over what is going on in here.  Even with some munchers that have come and eaten leaves, things are just humming along.

You'd think I thought you'd never seen a zucchini, what with all of the talk and pictures I've had of them this year.  And I really don't even like zucchini!  I have 2 plants and they are like the models of how zucchini should grow.  They are just gorgeous plants!  Now, if their cousins the summer squash would just produce squash instead of flowers, we'd be in business.

My 25 cent packet of marigolds from the Dollar Tree are finally opening.  These are some impressive plants, I tell you.  I have one in garden #1 that is almost as tall as me.  That's all of 5'2",  but still, a marigold that tall???  Obviously, I feed my plants steroids.

I've tried growing pumpkins a lot.  I've grown those cute little mini pumpkins that people use for decorations and they've done really well.  But the bigger pumpkins either don't get very big, or the plants just produce one, or something (squirrels, I think) gets in and nibbles and ruins it.  I've had one pumpkin grow for each of the last two summers that has been about a pound or so, pretty small.  I've put it out, in all of its sadness, and then as winter comes, it explodes from the frost and the seeds go everywhere.  When spring comes, I pick up what seeds are left and plant them.  This might be the result of one of those seeds.  Or it might be a random packet of Jack O Lantern that came in something for free.

All I know is that pumpkin and the others that are starting are on this ONE, I repeat, this is all ONE pumpkin plant.
With flowers so huge I could almost stick my head in one!

My corn is as high as an elephant's eye, or taller than I can reach.  Some of it. Some of it is knee high to me but it's still sending out its flowers.
See the little corns starting out?
Some are even getting little silks on them!  Watch out animals who steal corn.  We will NOT, I repeat, WILL NOT have a repeat of last year's corn devastation.  If I have to set up a cot out there, I might just!

I have lots of winter squash vines rambling around with pole beans around the corn because they are the "three sisters" and they are supposed to benefit each other at the roots with lots of good things.  They aren't really behaving all that well with the climbing, so I bought some things for them to climb and I've stuck them where I want them to go.  Never be afraid to put your vines where you want them, even tying them sometimes if you have to.  I like my squash and cucumbers OFF the ground, if possible, so I do a lot of coaxing.  This is my first butternut/winter squash this year.  Again, lots of flowers but not a whole heck of a lot of fruit.  If you've never grown pumpkins or winter squash, they start out green and then when they get the size they want to be, they turn the appropriate color.

My tomatoes are a-comin'.  My dilemma is that with all of my careful planting, I am not sure which variety ended up where, so it's going to be a guessing game all summer!

I put two tomatoes outside the greenhouse and I have no idea which type they are.  They are growing identically, so I would say they are the same as each other.  And they have a million flowers which would make me think they are cherry.  But I didn't plant cherry tomatoes...

Bee balm. I bought it to attract bees to garden #1 and it's weird.  It's like a bush but it has had some difficulties.  And it sort of drifts.  That bare spot is where the original plant was planted but it has moved.  The smell is odd.  It's kind of spicy. Kind of something I'd rub onto turkey.  But it's also kind of heavy so I haven't used it.  It's pretty and the bees LOVE it so I like it too.

I've had a couple of cucumbers so far and they've been good.  They aren't super long, but I also like to pick them kind of early to avoid heavy seeds.  I like to get things smaller because they taste better, in my opinion.

I planted another whole group of corn in garden #1 about a month after the bunch I put out in garden #2.  We'll see how this all turns out.  With less sunlight, they may struggle more.

Chard is giving me two thumbs up.  I've used a bunch and it keeps on pushing out more!

My sad peppers.  I think they aren't seeing enough sunlight and they are pretty small.  They are giving it the old college try with some flowers this week, but they are not happy. I grew peppers in this same place a long time ago and determined it was a lack of water, not sun.  But they are getting water, so I just don't know.

My Brown Eyed Susans.  There's another plant that drifts away from where I had it the first year.  And they ALWAYS fall over so I have to tie them up every year.  The pretty lilies in back are popping out every day and I love them  because they are not the usual orange.

Ok, that's enough.  I might have maxed out my pictures for the year.  Now go write your own and come back and tell us where to go!

5 comments:

  1. Hehe "afraid of weeds"

    I am jealous of your zucchini! I love zucchini and meanwhile mine just keeps producing gigantic flowers and no zucs. I am beginning to think the seed pack that reads don't be discouraged if the first set of flowers don't produce zucchini is some sort of psych experiment. I get excited every time I see a new flower and think "finally! This is the one!"
    But my tomatoes just started to turn red this morning so if I can keep them alive in this md heatwave I should have some ripe ones soon! Caprese salad here I come.

    Oh and baby was very confused by that hat. The only one she's worn before is the gigantic (for her) white sailor style hat that we place on her head when we're hiking and she's usually asleep for that. Speaking of popeye you should see her in that ridiculous hat! :)

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  2. I just posted a Feel Good Friday! Hope you can link to it. Tis all about a Tea!
    WWW.suziesmusings.blogspot.com

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  3. So now that I had time to really read your blog instead of just rushing to put the link up, I have more comments.
    First, I believe Lena's Popeye costume has a crab on her bum. Lily has the same outfit. I am not sure how I feel about babies with crabs on their bums, but it is a cute outfit. But I like the bumble bee, too, with or without the hat. I told AJ that on FB, not that you'd know since you aren't allowed to go on there.
    Second, I think it's interesting that we both had similar thoughts about cats sitting on us and how that makes us feel.
    Third, very clever, sneaking that Lia Sophia commercial in on your pumpkin shot.
    Fourth, I think your mother just loaned me that book you are talking about. Should I read it or return it before it bums me out next week!

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  4. Your garden is looking great! We finally picked a few tomatoes the other day. They were delicious! Yea! I am envious that you grew those marigolds from seed. You are awesome!

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