Abandoned No More....

Last Sunday was beautiful.... cool, breezy, no humidity. I was enjoying the patio thinking about all the stuff I needed to do in the yard and what did I - finally - see?

TWO - not one but TWO of these little fliers!

How exciting is that?!?!?!?

They spent the afternoon fighting over who got to eat - like there wouldn't be enough for both of them. I couldn't help but think how much energy they were wasting.......

I think there are three visiting now.....

I wasted very little energy and kept thinking about all the things I needed to do - most of which still need to be done......

Abandoned.......

If you've seen the scene in Star Wars where Hans Solo and Chewbaka are being tortured in Cloud City -  I think I have figured out the inspiration the sound effects used in the scene... the chicada.

This bug makes a very annoying sound while hiding in the trees.   They seem to be active at night and when they outgrow their ectoskeleton - they leave it behind... on planters, patio furniture and foundations.   They are kind of scary and I don't like them.

Hummingbirds and dragon flies are two of my favorite flying things.   I can't quite figure out how to attract dragonflies but thought that maybe - just maybe - a simple feeder might get a few (at least one) hummingbird.

On May 23 the feeder was hung and it has been kept filled, clean and ready.   So far - not one of the nine varieties* they say we get here in AR have been seen at the table.   I stay hopeful......

*Anna's, Black-Chinned, Broad-Tailed, Buff-Bellied, Calliope, Green Violet-Ear, Magnificent, Ruby-Throated and Rufous

Gotta love those impatiens........

It's hard to see here - but there are impatiens planted in this pot with the fern......

The brown-thumb news is I forgot to water the pot last night and they are looking a little droopy.   Actually - they look pretty sad.......

A quick drink and they bounced back - not even an hour later!   Imagine how good they would look with regular watering..... ha ha ha!

These little flowers are hardy and forgiving while bringing a great show of color to shady garden spots (which is most of our back yard).

Love the colors!   How fun would they be in yellow, orange or "fiesta"..... yellow & orange combined?!

It's decision time........

July 4th was the goal and it is 3 days early!

My first thought was -  wait until Saturday.   THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN and now the big decision is "how should this be enjoyed?"  

Any suggestions?

UPDATE:   This was written July 1 and not posted; the tomato has stayed on the counter - so far anyways........

7 days and counting.....

I've always thought it would be great to enjoy fresh home grown tomatoes on grilled burgers while celebrating the 4th of July.........   looks like it could happen this year!

Fireflies......

The darkness of night was alive Saturday.   It was hot and humid - pretty typical for a summer night in our part of the South (or mid-South if you're not a transplanted Yankee!).   Hundreds of fire flies were busy in the back lot - their glowing show starting low towards the ground and then moving up towards the stars on a  short flight of fancy.   It was magic - they reminded me of so many things.......  summer vacations, the lake, popsicles, Shasta pop, "bbq'd" hot dogs, homemade ice cream and of course the smell of freshly mowed grass!   We walked out front and the whole neighborhood was "on fire" with the strange little creatures - it was an amazing sight!

I decided to learn more about these little bugs.   Could they really look like this?!   Even more “disturbing” was the Wikipedia definition - which I won't even go into....   Don't get me wrong - knowledge is good and we should always learn new things - that makes us better people!  But as far as fire flies go, I think it should be kept simple and magical - just like Faith Hill sang about on her appropriately named album “Fireflies”

     “I found mayonnaise bottles and poked holes on top

      To capture Tinkerbell

      They were just fireflies to the untrained eye

      But I could always tell

      I believe in fairytales and dreamer’s dreams like bed sheet sails
      And I believe in Peter Pan and miracles
      And anything I can to get by
      And fireflies”

Happy Summer!!!!!

The magic beanstalks?????

The green beans were so good - more had to be planted.   These mighty sprouts were put in the ground just 5 days ago and have taken off  like, well, "magic".     This little patch of 25 plants is only about 1/3 of what was planted  last Sunday..... and all are doing just as well!   A buddy asked the other day if maybe we would get tired of fresh green beans by the end of summer......  hmmmmmm - I wonder (but doubt) if we will!   A small harvest is ready from the first planting and will be a nice addition to the smoked pulled beef that is planned for the grill sometime this weekend.     

Just barely visible is the lone surviving Poblano pepper from the back lot.   It wasn't getting the sun it needed and was struggling.....  Quick work with a hand shovel and a few snips with the shears gave it a fresh start.   Sporting a lot of new growth - it seems to like its new home.   

These cucumber vines are going crazy too - not necessarily in a good way only though.   They are loaded with blossoms and even a few baby cukes, but something else is going on.   I think aphids may be the culprit and so there is an all out organic assault planned for later today.   

How does the garden grow?

When we were looking for a house - we found a nice "vintage" property that we purchased just before Thanksgiving 2008.  Until mid-March - all our time was spent working inside and we gave little thought to the blank canvas that was waiting for us outside.   When the weather started to change - our focus shifted outside and with a few days work - two new garden areas were built.   The driveway garden is narrow that was planted with green beans, peas, carrots, onions and cucumbers.   In the back lot, a raised garden was planted with 4 varieties of tomatoes, raspberries, asparagus and peppers.   The lacy fern-like growth of the asparagus reminds me of the times my grandmother and I harvested it as it grew wild on the ditches near their farm.   For grins - a couple hills of watermelon and cantaloupe have been added to the mix.   The recent heat has really helped everything take off - it is fun to see!

June 7th was the first bean harvest (and a few peas) from the driveway bed.  The beans were DELICIOUS slow cooked with some bacon, onion powder and garlic salt!    Another harvest is coming soon and they were so good - we planted two more packages of seeds!

The peas are a different story.  After a "harvest" of about 10 pods - we decided to over-plant this section with  beans.....  maybe next year for the fresh peas!

I had hoped for at least one fresh home-grown tomato by the 4th of July - but that doesn't look like it will happen.   All plants are loaded with green tomatoes so we are waiting.... patiently (sort of).