A Slower Sunday Morning

DH talked me into a much slower, relaxing day today......he can't understand why I can't just sit and do nothing....after all these years (54).

So, I just trimmed  the path by the garden fence where I removed the peach trees and saw the sorry little cucumber vine was still trying to grow and needed watering.....did that and then watered the two roses left in the driveway bed that is no more.

And I know I shouldn't because it is rampant enough, but watered that gigantic squash plant for an hour.  I am pinching tips hoping that several of the squashes will ripen before frost.

Then I trimmed  some on the cellar bed and saw some young saplings  I had missed...red bud and elm (of course).

All total time not over an hour.

Food

I found some overly ripe bananas in the fridge yesterday evening and made cupcakes.  I used the banana cake recipe in my 1960 era Better Homes and Garden cookbook.  It is an excellent recipe.  I had to sub sour cream for the buttermilk but it didn't hurt it at all.  If you can find an old  copy of this book, not the updated version, grab it up.  It is still the 'go to' cookbook for both my Sis and me.

From Food

Banana Cake BH&G Page 80 (old issue )

2 cups all purpose flour

1-1/2 cups sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup mashed ripe banana (usually two)

½ cup buttermilk or sour milk

½ cup shortening

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all dry ingredients and ½ teaspoons salt. Add bananas, buttermilk, shortening, eggs and vanilla

Beat on low until mixed then on medium for three minutes.

Pour into 2 greased and floured 8 or 9 inch cake pans. Bake 350°for 30 to 35 minutes. Test with toothpick .Cool for l0 minutes before removing from pan.

Note: I ice with cream cheese icing and freeze some in pan for later.

Flowers in the Yard

The clematis paniculata on the barn lot fence is doing what I wanted it to:  Screening that ugly lot!
I have let a few Grandpa Otts morning glories stay.  I love that color!

From Flowers September blog

The cosmos are finally in full bloom

From Flowers September blog

My old standby self-seeding annual salvia farinacea, mixed colors now!

From Flowers September blog

Fruit

I have  a Kieffer pear tree back by the barn lot.  It has lots of fruit this year but, it is not the ordinary pear tree.  It is hard as a brick and you have to pick it when it is ready (my problem is when is that?) and let it ripen in a cool place for some  time.  It is used mostly for pear honey and  cooking.  It was supposed to be resistant to fireblight.......it isn't!  I am bothered with fireblight in all pear trees every single year.  I can see where the possum has been eating a few on the ground.  Does anyone have any experience with the particular pear tree?  I have pulled a few and have them inside now but I can't see that they are ripening at all.

From Fruit Trees 2015

From Fruit Trees 2015

Have a wonderful Sunday.

Haying at Last

The weather is still very hot and humid.  The rains have let up somewhat.

The cut about 15 acres of hay yesterday and it is now waiting to be raked.  The showered on it very briefly yesterday evening.  We still have a chance of getting it wet, but it was past time to get it put down.  Max is making all the decisions regarding the hay.......I get  torn  between wanting  it  cut and afraid it will get rained on.....I am not good at making decisions whether they are large or small.

I haven't done much outside the last two days  for one reason or the other.  I did finally get 4 bales of straw mulched on the garden fence border and the sweet potatoes.  I hated to do it but I resorted to herbicide for some weed control.

We put the trail camera out to see what was happening around the compound during the night.  First night in the chicken yard we caught zip until we turned the girls out the next morning.   Then we did another night and I put  the memory card in backwards................no excuse for that dumb thing.

We  put it out around the feed room last night and just caught ghost figures of light colored cats moving about.  We did get
some nice shots of some of the  cows (Jersey and friends) when we moved it the the gate in front of the garage.

From night camera

Varmint No.l before he took the memory card out.



We have been enjoying our morning coffee on the new porch.  This morning it was just 72° which was perfect.

When the sun came up I took a picture or two:


This is the seedling peach right outside the kitchen window.  I didn't  realize it had peaches until they turned color.



This is the hill of Long Island Cheese Squash (pumpkin) that I planted in the new bed in front of the gas tank.  I thought I would use it as ground cover so I wouldn't have to cut  the crab grass.  It  worked!  I am guessing it is at least 15x20 feet.  I still need to wade in and pull some taller lamb's quarter.



and another gift from the birds:



This is a perennial rudbeckia 'Herbstonne' that has been growing here for several years now.  I should figure a way to stake it because it gets 6 feet tall in really good years and tends to lean or fall.


The only productive thing I have done is make a  batch of Lemon Thyme Shortbread Cookies.

This recipe is from Bonnie Plants:

If time is short, you can bake the cookies immediately. However, placing the cookies in the freezer to firm before baking helps the cookies maintain a perfect shape as they bake. You can substitute chopped fresh rosemary or lavender for the lemon thyme.

Servings: 2 dozen
Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon thyme leaves
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  

Instructions
Combine flour, thyme leaves, and salt in a small bowl, and set aside.
Process butter and sugar in a food processor until smooth and well combined, stopping to scrape down sides. Add vanilla; process 15 seconds.
Add flour mixture; pulse 10 to 12 times until dough pulls away from sides of bowl and forms a ball.
Divide dough in half. Roll each half to ¼-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface, adding just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking. Cut with a 2-inch cookie cutter, and place cookies 1 inch apart on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Place cookie sheets in freezer for 20 minutes or until cookies are firm to the touch.
Bake at 275 for 30 minutes or just until edges begin to brown. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.