We are getting a light shower this morning. The heavier rains seem to be missing us. We are grateful for all we get.
Catch up time on the farm
We finally got the entire farm brush hogged. They put up some hay but it was so late, the quality wasn't good so we decided to just clip (brush hog) pastures and buy hay if we need it. We did have some carryover from last year. We hired the work because we don't have an air-conditioned tractor and the heat has been really bad with extremely high humidity.
Yard and Garden
Not much exciting to talk about. We are getting lots of cucumbers and a few tomatoes, eggplant and peppers. Also some greenbeans. The Japanese Beetles have been a constant challenge. They seem to like everything. So far, they haven't bothered tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers or herbs. They are voracious on almost all ornamentals and fruit trees.
Speaking of fruit, the varmint got all the pears yet again. I did manage a few peaches that I used to make jam. I bought a 1/2 bushel from a nearby orchard and froze them. I will also buy apples next month.
Household
During the first year of owning my Frigidaire range, white streaks appeared between the glass on the oven door. I couldn't clean them since they were inside. I just hated seeing those streaks.
One serviceman told me I would just have to live with it since a new door would cost a $l000 or more and that was the only solution. Well recently the oven went out and when the serviceman came I mentioned that I almost bought a new range just the get rid of that awful door. He told me just to clean it! I was stunned. He said to just take the door apart that it was not insulated with a seal. Well, I did it; it was a simple thing and voila! a new clean door,
I haven't taken any photos for a few days but here are some taken recently:
I have mentioned how I can't bear to pull up a good plant......this is from my Halloween pumpkin of (I think last year or maybe the year before). I placed a few on a bale of straw by the screened porch.....a seed germinated (I just left them to decompose).
and it is bearing fruit,
Another FYI, my BIL told me the sunflower seeds used in bird feed would be sterile; wrong!
and the little yellow canaries are already perching upside down to eat the immature seeds,
This is my zinnia bed run amok,
These were from packages of cheap seeds on sale from the hardware. I see some colors are missing. Next year I will buy them by the color.
Notice the tomato plant at the front edge.....It is doing gangbusters, but no fruit yet.
Catch up time on the farm
We finally got the entire farm brush hogged. They put up some hay but it was so late, the quality wasn't good so we decided to just clip (brush hog) pastures and buy hay if we need it. We did have some carryover from last year. We hired the work because we don't have an air-conditioned tractor and the heat has been really bad with extremely high humidity.
Yard and Garden
Not much exciting to talk about. We are getting lots of cucumbers and a few tomatoes, eggplant and peppers. Also some greenbeans. The Japanese Beetles have been a constant challenge. They seem to like everything. So far, they haven't bothered tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers or herbs. They are voracious on almost all ornamentals and fruit trees.
Speaking of fruit, the varmint got all the pears yet again. I did manage a few peaches that I used to make jam. I bought a 1/2 bushel from a nearby orchard and froze them. I will also buy apples next month.
Household
During the first year of owning my Frigidaire range, white streaks appeared between the glass on the oven door. I couldn't clean them since they were inside. I just hated seeing those streaks.
One serviceman told me I would just have to live with it since a new door would cost a $l000 or more and that was the only solution. Well recently the oven went out and when the serviceman came I mentioned that I almost bought a new range just the get rid of that awful door. He told me just to clean it! I was stunned. He said to just take the door apart that it was not insulated with a seal. Well, I did it; it was a simple thing and voila! a new clean door,
I haven't taken any photos for a few days but here are some taken recently:
I have mentioned how I can't bear to pull up a good plant......this is from my Halloween pumpkin of (I think last year or maybe the year before). I placed a few on a bale of straw by the screened porch.....a seed germinated (I just left them to decompose).
Another FYI, my BIL told me the sunflower seeds used in bird feed would be sterile; wrong!
and the little yellow canaries are already perching upside down to eat the immature seeds,
These were from packages of cheap seeds on sale from the hardware. I see some colors are missing. Next year I will buy them by the color.
Notice the tomato plant at the front edge.....It is doing gangbusters, but no fruit yet.
I love your zinnias "run amok"--very pretty. Who doesn't LOVE zinnias!!
ReplyDelete:)
I do love them! so do the beetles......
DeleteWe planted pumpkins just to see them grow. They will soon be ready but don't know what I should do with them.
ReplyDeleteLeave them on the vine until the stem is completely dry and the vine is almost dead. If they are good keepers just wipe them down and store above freezing. If they are not, process and can or freeze for pies and breads.
DeleteI chop mine in 3 to 4 inch chunks, add some water and cook on the stove top on low until the flesh is tender and can be scraped from the shell. Puree in food processor, bag and freeze.
I always let my volunteers grow. I have the bird seed plot and the compost plot. I have cucumbers, melons and tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteTractors have AC? Ours does if you drive really fast.
Have a blessed week.
Glenda,
ReplyDeleteThe birds last year attacked my sunflowers before the seeds were ready to harvest.
Love your Zinnia's!!! My clematis aren't doing too well. I believe that is because while we were out of town my sister failed to water them. Maybe next year I'll have better luck.
Gosh, had no idea you could take an oven door apart to clean the glass. I always thought they were sealed. I'm going to look at mine. The cukes here all have wilt (darn cuke beetles) so they're not producing anymore :-( . My zins are crispy as are all of my garden, we're so low on rain. And as for bird seed being sterile, what a laugh. I'm always pulling up random corn, millet, sunflowers, etc. LOL Sorry about your hay situation. I hope you'll be able to FIND good hay at a decent price when you need it. I'm so tired of this heat, humidity and lack of rain. Fall can't get here fast enough for me. Take care.
ReplyDeleteWe are getting now and again rains; enough that the yard still requires mowing.
DeleteI am ready for a killing frost!
BTW, did all the pictures come through? I am trying to use the new Googles Photo and it isn't going well......
When I looked at this post yesterday and early this morning, all the pics were fine. But now - the 2nd, 4th & 5th aren't showing.
DeleteP.S. Love the cattle pic in the header.
DeleteSome of the pictures are missing for me, too. :o(
ReplyDeleteThis summer has been wacko with a lot of the crops all across the country. We'll just have to hope for better luck next year. The hot weather and humidity we've had has been so unusual, but good for some of the garden. (Now if I had just planted corn and tomatoes this year . . . )
Glad you were able to clean the glass on your oven door. But doesn't it just frost ya that the first guy didn't have the knowledge to tell you you could do it?
I've left more "volunteers" to grow in my garden this year than ever before and you know what? I'm really enjoying them. They add whimsy to the whole layout!