Winter

Winter

Monday, May 19, 2014

A Beautiful Morning


This is my friend, Mr. Bluejay. He is my companion along with the dog and the cat. We make up quite the odd bunch. This morning, I pretended to be fooling with the water as I turned on my camera. Normally, when I turn it on and point it in his direction he takes off. Today he just sat there. As I walk around looking at things, he is never further than about 5 feet. I noticed him flying from tree to tree as I turned off water. I wasn't paying attention to him, until he broke off a dead branch that dropped at my feet. I looked up and there he was with a sparkle to his eyes and a grin.  I have noticed, that the birds will stay very close until I look at them directly. They don't like to be stared at.


My largest tomato plant, the only one with blooms so far. I was thinking as I was taking pictures of my garden, it is kind of looking at a new baby. Only the mother and daddy see the beauty. I think my garden is like that right now. I see all of the beauty and promise, but I am sure it won't look at pretty to you as it does to me. I thought I would share anyway.


This is where the tomatoes and peppers are and the tomatoes are little. I think Ron said we have 42 tomatoes and 44 pepper plants here. We went around with a bag of Diatomaceous Earth  and sprinkled on every single seedling. Ron is going to be using Neem Oil to try and stay ahead of the bugs we have out here. We are going to stay as organic as possible, as I was on my hands and knees I did already find those stink bugs so I know we will have to be proactive if we want anything to grow. After all of the years of drought and heat we have had, this will be a tough year to get any kind of crop.


The egg plants never missed a beat, I already know we are going to have more egg plant that we can ever eat. I hope with the tomatoes to make lots of spaghetti sauce so we can have it with Egg Plant Parmesan.
I have found that out here the vegetables from the nightshade family do better as they seem to really love the heat and bugs leave them alone.


We have never grown okra before. When we met Nik, one of the first things he asked was if we grew okra.
I said no, as my memories of it is eating it  all summer long in lots of creative ways. I remember the real all time low was when my Mom served it boiled. She could fry it pretty well, and I could choke it down with lots of ketchup. So we planted all of this and every one came up. I do hope Nik likes okra that much. I might pickle it as I do like pickled okra. When I was a kid, my Mom and Dad only had one car and my Dad used it for work, in the summer  we stayed home, that was why, we only ate out of the garden in the summer. We learned to eat lots of things because there were no snacks. Only if you picked it off a tree or a plant or  the pinon nuts from the pine cones. We spent many happy hours pretending to be Indians collecting food.


I know you can't see all of the pumpkin plants coming up, but there are so many. I really get excited seeing these lovely things coming up. I planted such fun things such as a Knucklehead pumpkin and one called Warty. There are some Cinderella and some Moon Shine. There are lots of Jack be Littles. I planted a row of sunflowers with jack be littles and I hope they will climb the sunflowers. This morning as I was like Silas Marner counting my gold, in my case pumpkins, Ron said, " You know you should really thin those pumpkins." The voice of reason, to my greedy heart. I know I should too, but I really doubt if I could.


I made my first batch of boysenberry jam. There is nothing more wonderful than the smell of that jam and the sound as the jars pop as they seal. I thought as I made this, I am throwing my hat in the ring. I am back and it is so wonderful to be alive and enjoy the golden light of the early morning and the colors of the berries that are dusky purple to warm red to so purple it looks almost black. I am so thankful to finally be through this last trial, and how thankful and blessed I am. God is so good, in that what I thought was bad, and turned out to be such a blessing. I wish I would learn that about everything. My fear I admit wins most of the time.

 Emilie and Nik just had their first Anniversary. I am so glad I only have boys left.
Well, Monday is here, lots of work to be done today. Summer is here. The boys are out of school. Their friends are home from college so my house gets lots busier. I hope you have a wonderful week.

~Kim~

---Fear is the darkroom
Where negatives are developed."
Author unknown.

19 comments:

Jacque. said...

That garden is huge!!! I've never even heard of those different pumpkins, so I am looking forward to seeing the photos of them. God is good...he gave me you. xo

TexWisGirl said...

yay for jam! not really cheering for okra. i'll eat it fried, but not my fave. :)

TexWisGirl said...

p.s. i like your jay pal. :)

Debbie said...

your garden is so special kim!! i love looking at your jam!! and your cute jay!!

cards4ubylouise and other treasures said...

Wow jam how awesome and your garden looks wonderful, can hardly wait to see it in full bloom. Fun to have a bluejay follow you around, maybe he is your guardian angle in the form of mr bluejay!!

Pom Pom said...

Hello darling dear! Aw, wasn't the wedding a day to remember? Beautiful! I bought seeds at the drug store this morning. Dill for my cucumbers when they grow, so I can make pickles.
I think you should make a jam video. You could make your learning target: I can take the jitters out of jam making.
I haven't made jam since high school and I am to get good at it now.

Susan Kane said...

Before long, your soil will be covered with vines and happy little vegetables. So jealous out here in our stamp sized California yards. I have tried planters but the desert heat took them faster than I could keep up with water.

Julia said...

Not a single weed in that huge garden. When I plant my tomatoes in the garden I put a scoop of composted cow manure, some Epsum salt mixed with skim powdered milk and mix it all together before I stick my tomato transplant in the soil. It a recipe I got from a gardening book. I can't remember the exact of each I use. I also use epsom salt around my rose bushes. It's supposed to release the nutrients in the soil so the plant can make use of it.

You'll have a huge harvest this year. Good luck. Hugs,
JB

Kerin said...

Love, love, love visiting your blog, and you always have such wonderful things to share!!
Lucky you to find a sweet little friend; in the blue jay.
Your jam looks delish, and the garden is gorgeous!
Wish I could chat longer.. but I need to get busy on this beautiful Mon. as well.

Smile :)
Kerin

Nellie said...

What a lovely post, Kim! We have no luck with egg plant.:-( Pumpkins don't do well for us, either. We do have some green tomatoes in the garden, but they are very small. That bluejay is very sly, isn't he? xo Nellie

Debbie said...

loved this as always. I'd love to smell some jam cooking...yum. Our weather is beautiful today! Hope yours was too!

Buttons Thoughts said...

Oh I think your Mr. Bluejay is a message of hope much like a certain turkey I know:)
Your garden is huge good luck with that. I like your summers of living off your garden as children that has many long lasting good effects. Take care and enjoy that jam. Hug B

Dog Trot Farm said...

Kim, What a wonderful way to spend a day, working in the garden and making jam...It has been so cold and wet here that not one think has been planted...we are so far behind...I just learned about Neem oil and as of yet I have not found it, but will keep searching...Kim your house is so lovely, warm and inviting...How wonderful to have all your boys home, they keep life interesting...Glad to read your vision is improving...Thinking of you, sending hugs from Maine, Julie...

Kim said...

Another huge garden. Better shine up that hula hoe. I have bluejays and they hate me. They disappear the second they see me

Three Sheep Studio said...

At the end of the summer, I will be looking for your pictures of your pantry, with row after row of canned goods ! ;)
How fun to have a blue jay as a buddy.
Rose

Kathy ... aka Nana said...

As a fellow gardener (although not anywhere close to the magnitude of your garden!!), I love seeing your garden's progress!

annie said...

the garden will be wonderful!
can't believe it has been a year since the wedding!!
something has been going on here, yesterday, I told my husband, "I am sick of being afraid of this, I feel like just saying to heck with this and get on with it!" we both laughed about that, and the rest of the afternoon went better, grin
fear feeds itself, I don't need to let let it fee on me!
have a great rest of the week!

Pom Pom said...

I meant "I AIM to get good at it now" so I must correct. I'm a bad proofreader! Just like the students!
I shall have apricot jam for breakfast (NOT homemade - sad face).

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

I've missed stopping by to see what's going on in your world. I'm glad I found you again. Have a great week!