Tuesday 21 July 2020

July 21st 2020

It was a very good day. I accomplished a lot. It's funny that I always feel it's a better day if I get stuff done, check things off a list, have a sense of good tiredness. Others may think it's a good day if they do very little, rest and relax. Everyone's different.

Husband had been finishing a home project involving our front hall. All the messy, dust producing work is totally done, with just paint touch up left, so I got to work cleaning up the dust in the house. Naturally, that led to other cleaning because one thing leads to another... but it felt good to pull furniture out, really see how bad it was behind things, and then give it a good cleaning. I know, I know, lots of people did that during their isolation, shut down, lock down time, but I didn't. I was still working from home with two other people working / studying from home. 

After I had a bit of lunch, I tackled the great outdoors. My Christmas present trimmer (whipper snipper, weed eater, whatever you call it) got refueled and I proceeded to cut the long grass along the rail fence, by the house, by the pool fence, by the chicken coop... My arm was shaking by the time I was done. Oh but what a joy to use a gas powered trimmer instead of the battery powered one I was using for years. I didn't have to stop with a job half done while the batteries recharged.

I've been doing really well "keeping ahead" of the weeds in my vegetable garden and this is one of the best years so far. 





For the past two years I have had hardly any success with tomatoes due to blight and just very little growth. This year is a whole different experience. We had very heavy rains and wind a day or so ago and although I had caged my tomatoes, they still tipped over. I ended up staking them now. The picture may not really show it, but they are lovely and big and healthy. I grew them from seed that I purchased through Mackenzie Seeds. 


My pumpkins are crawling through everything else and have had lots of blossoms. I love growing pumpkins but haven't done so for years. All of this is due to digging out all of my strawberries last year. Now I have room for lots more vegetables. Ignore the weeds in amongst the beets and carrots. If I pull them out, that will disturb the roots of those vegetables, so they can all grow merrily together.





I can't seem to get my words lined up along the left-hand side without some problems, so if the next bit looks odd, that's why. I had to replant quite a few things: beans, peas, cucumbers (x4), but everything is great now, except I gave up entirely on the cucumbers and have a couple growing in big yogurt containers. I may stick them in the ground when they look like they can handle themselves.

Here are two more tomato plants that I didn't have room for, so I stuck them in a big planter on the porch. They grew so much, I put a tomato cage in there with them. For interest sake, I am growing Big Beef and Mortgage Lifter tomatoes.

The following flower pictures are what is in bloom at the moment, all glorious "hot" colours with echinacea, daylilies, crocosmia, and trumpet vine. 



Oh dear - that's rather out of focus, isn't it? That's the problem with looking at your little phone screen without your reading glasses on!


This is daughter's very first car of her own, purchased with her own money (which wasn't much considering she's been a university student for a while). Husband is a handy guy, never afraid to tackle anything: electrical, plumbing, construction, pool-making, and mechanics and body work. (Not big on cooking, however) He is just starting to take care of the rusted sill plates (do I even have that right?). Everything else is done for it to be certified, this is the last thing that needs finishing. There's always a project going on!

I've been doing some reading. I really enjoyed Magpie Murders written by the same author as Midsomer Murders. At the Edge of the Orchard was a bit of historical fiction - not bad. I've read Ann Granger before, so I knew Rooted in Evil would be another good mystery. I tried to start Brett's Death on the Downs, but it was so unnecessarily wordy that I just couldn't stomach much past the first chapter. I wanted to shout, "Just say it!!" All of these books were ordered online through my local library's website. Now I have to think about what I want to read next.

That's it for today - now I shall read your blogs!

32 comments:

  1. Our firewood guy put the load of logs on our former garden plot, so we had to start over. The Mr. built me three sturdy boxes. (My daughter said they look like coffins for sumo wrestlers!). I'm so impressed with how well everything is growing in them we are planning several more for next year. The wind ravaged my biggest tomato plant the other day. 😕

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    1. I would love raised beds! Was your tomato completely destroyed or will you still get fruits from it?

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  2. I feel the way you do--when I go to bed at night, I smile to myself when I can count (or feel) all of the "productive" things I got done. A sense of accomplishment is one of the best feelings we can have, and I think that makes us sleep better.

    Your garden is doing tremendously good! The tomato plants are awesome. And you started them from seed?!!! Yum, you are in for some great sauces, stews, stir frys, salsa, and big ol burgers! Do you can?

    I'm reading a lot as well. I usually buy my books on Amazon, as myself and my family pass around books like crazy so I rarely have to fork over a lot of money.

    Have a lovely week!❤️

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    1. Yes, I'm looking forward to canning some tomatoes this fall.

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  3. Your garden looks good. We're not having a very good growing weather this summer in the UK, our strawberries are rotting before they ripen and our tomatoes are still very green.

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    1. Tomatoes here won't be ripe until August / early September. Too bad about the strawberries!

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  4. Wow, your gardens are definitely more robust than mine this year! Mine look - anemic for some reason... the miserable humidity, perhaps? I'm reading the Outlander series.

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    1. I read the Outlander series long before it was a tv series and so when I watched it, I had forgotten a lot of it.

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  5. You have been busy. Your gardens & especially those tomato plants, look very lush. Hopefully the number of tomatoes does justice to your work. Nothing like buying your first car & I'm sure your daughter is thankful to have a handy Dad - I did chuckle at the duct tape sitting on the wheel ready to be called into play. ... Mary-Lou =^[..]^=

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  6. Beautiful! Do you lift the crocosmia corms each fall? I have those exact same lilies starting to bloom here now! I have softball sized pumpkins growing, finally, after tons of male flowers. Your trumpet vine is lovely, and something I've always wanted to establish.Is it orange or red? (hard to tell in the pic) I've heard they are aggressive, is it? It does feel good to get things stroked off of a list. Isn't it great to have someone around who can turn their hand to just about everything? I'd never survive without my 'handy-half'!

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    1. The trumpet vine is more orange than red. A neighbour around the corner has a more red trumpet vine. No, I don't lift anything in the fall. My garden is a collection of "survival of the fittest" plants.

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    2. I was looking at crocosmia in the Vesey's bulb catalogue, thinking it would be a nice addition for the Hummers, but apparently it is not hardy in my zone 3.

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  7. Lots of hard work but so worth it. Look at those pumpkins and the flowers!
    Hope you find some more books which hold your interest. These ones looked like the sort of thing I'd like too.have made a note

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  8. Great "catch-up" post! Love seeing the pictures of your garden. I think we had those same HUGE winds a couple of days ago that you did. I didn't think it would ever stop. I'm still struggling with my battery powered weed whip and I'm about to throw it in a lake somewhere. Husband's gas powered one does such a better job faster and I sure wish I could do it myself, but it's way too heavy and l-o-n-g for me to handle. I, too, feel so good when I'm tired at the end of a day knowing I've accomplished something. Well, let's face it, we accomplish A LOT every day. Some days just feel different than others!

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  9. When I asked for a trimmer for Christmas (yes, I did), I went out and lifted and held possible candidates because I knew I wouldn't be able to deal with a really heavy one. This one (Stihl) is good for me. It also has a strap that can take some of the weight off for you.

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  10. Lovely lot of colourful flowers in your garden - and healthy veggies too.

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  11. Much prefer your whipper snipper name. Almost poetic.

    My inherited with purchase of cabin died at the beginning of the last big yard work week began. I had put considerable finances into it so let it go rather than toss more money at it and will purchase a new one before next Spring.

    So much going on at your place! Love the flower garden. Especially your echinacea. Beautiful!

    Thanks for the catch up carry on you are doing a great job.

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  12. After reading this I feel like a total slug! Well done, much accomplished. Your garden looks terrific. Oh, those flowers. And pumpkins soon. Big, happy sigh!

    I loved Magpie Murders. I haven't read Simon Brett in probably 30-plus years. I wonder if I would like him now? Didn't he have characters set in the theatre? I'm not sure -- might be mixing him up.I think his detective was Charles Paris. I like Ann Granger, too, and haven't read her for a few years. I need to catch up!

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  13. Your garden is very nice. You have a good man at your house , if can do about any kind of repairs. :) The colors of your flowers are beautiful. Blessings, xoxo, Susie

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  14. Your garden sure is pretty and those tomato plants are so big and healthy looking. Like you, I feel so much better after a hard days work and crossing a few things off my list. A day of doing nothing drives me crazy. Your flowers are beautiful too.

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  15. Great garden. I love your showy flowers. I dug up a garlic yesterday but will leave the rest for a bit.

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  16. Beautiful garden. I can't remember ever having a garden look so grand!

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  17. Your plants are looking really good. I didn't plant any tomatoes this year. I never get to eat any of them. The critters get to them first. I love that vine plant. You have a wonderful day, hugs, Edna B.

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  18. what lovely gardens! I remember working continually in mine at keeping down the weeds.

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  19. Oh, your flowers! What a beautiful array of colors! I could just sit and gaze at them for hours. I am intensely envious of your weed-free garden. I have never been able to get even halfway there and especially not this year. And thank you for the book titles! I was able to find Magpie Murders in audiobook format from the library!

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  20. A VERY good day! It is great when everything goes according to plan and you drop into bed at night exhausted but content. Flowers, veg, things being mended - life is good!

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  21. Wow Jenn, your garden looks amazing! Mine is totally stalling, but it may be because I planted too late, we'll see - I'm hoping for a late summer! I'm growing big beef too, they are really slow growing.

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  22. HI Jenn...thanks for always stopping by...your gardens look good!!
    Despite the crippling heat and humidity...
    Enjoy your week...
    cheers!
    Linda :o)

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