The Garden and other bits

Zucchini continues to produce nicely, but our yellow squash has mold. 

And since it was 90 degrees with 70% humidity, and outdoor work slowed for a blip in the week, I made a cake. 

Zucchini snack cake with lemon butter cream frosting.  

Hubby's favorite, and made only once a year.  It requires fresh blueberries.  We haven't found them in bulk form yet either, so these were not cheap.  This cake requires fresh blueberries, hence why it's only baked this time of year.  Although, as Hubby has graciously reminded me, we sometimes find organic blueberries later in the season.

Here is a close-up photo of the drying radish seed pods.  We are tickled pink.   It's the first year our plants went to seed.

What we'll do without this season?


Cherries.  Too expensive to buy organic.  No jam this summer, but I'm okay with that.  Blueberries too.  Prices went up to $3.99/pint, but we may have found a source where they are lower.  If not. We'll do without.  It's frustrating, as we cannot grow blueberries on our property either.

I'll have to net our black raspberries and our red raspberries.  The birds have located them. 

Note to self - add that to the "List."  And I'm out of straw now too. Adding that to the "List."

The indoor regular housework continues along with the garden harvest.  Sunny days, the laundry goes out on the line, rainy days we deep clean in bits and pieces. I'm doing a lot of dusting lately.

The usual garden-ish activities continue - tying up the tomatoes (again), picking vegetables, freezing, canning, picking tomato worms off plants, etc.  

The cucumbers (two varieties), bell peppers, and hot peppers are starting to produce.  Those jalapenos are nice size, but only weighed in at 6 oz.  I need 3 lbs. to can cowboy candy.  That will require between 38-42 jalapeno peppers.  I may need to visit the farm-stand down the road to add to my own.

I have to lay off weight lifting, or anything heavy right now.  Back when I fell in the chicken run, landing on my bum, I must have used my arms to catch myself.  My left shoulder has been back and forth in pain, and last night I could not sleep one bit.  It hurt so bad, and I had not worked out.  Hubby said, "lay off the weights."  I pulled the muscle and I'm aggravating it.

We visited with Sister "L" who is still in the SICU.  They took her for her swallow test while we were there (which was good news), and her neck IV came out. They can't use her right arm (used for dialysis) or her right side of her neck (blood clots).  They attempted another area, but took her to surgery to put the IV back in the neck, and administer medication to dissolve the clots.  She was talking to us, but we could tell in pain. Every day her blood pressure gets better, so we are all praying and hopeful.  It's just taking quite a long time for her body to recover.   Some days we can't visit right when we arrive, so it can be hours before we arrive back home, and exhausted.  I continue to take my handiwork along.

It's Saturday and I had plans to pick beans, peas, cucumbers, and zucchini.  It's too wet from rain, so plans change.  I'll be back to update you on the big barn soon.

Not. Enough. Hours. In. The. Day.

Even when it rains.