So this is Okra

I've never grown okra before, though I do remember when I was a kid and Dad sent me out to weed the garden, and I pulled out the okra seedlings thinking they were weeds! I thought the whole row was supposed to be green beans....oops! Daddy wasn't mad - pretty frustrated - but not mad.

I love both pickled and fried okra, so I got seed for both Burgundy Okra and Perkins Long Pod Okra. It's obvious which is the burgundy...and the Perkins is HUGE. I had hoped to have at least 3 of each - having no idea how much is needed to feed the three of us. As it turned out 2 of the Perkins and 1 Burgundy survived, so we'll see how that works this year and I can adjust next year.














Sunset this evening from the southeast corner of my garden. I love the peaceful time just before the sun goes down out in the gardens.

Homegrown Goodness

The payoff for all my effort! A nice, big pot full of fresh veggies from my kitchen garden.














In February I sowed the pepper seeds and in March the tomatoes. The cukes and squash didn't get in the ground until late May.

Here we have a purple bell pepper, Tam Jalapenos - supposedly a mild jalapeno - but they are hot to me! Also a green banana-type sweet pepper that was knocked off the plant in a recent storm. I much prefer waiting for the sweet peppers to turn color - it adds so much flavor - but won't let a green one go to waste.










Lemons? No - but they are fun to look at. The darker yellow trio are plum tomatoes - very meaty with hardly any juice - very mild flavor. And the lighter yellow threesome are summer squash. Perfect to use in any summer squash recipe - I like mine stir-fried with onions, garlic, mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes with a bit of hickory salt, fresh-ground black pepper and a couple teaspoons of the sour cream and chive seasoning we get at the Mennonite store.

And the cukes are going crazy! I had hoped to make some pickles, but there just isn't enough time, nor enough small pickles at once. That's ok - I eat them raw, as refrigerator pickles and share with family and friends. The long one is an asian type called Suyo Long. Very prickly, very long, with lots of ridges. The other type is Snow's fancy pickling - also prickly, though not quite as much. Both are delicious!

Kitchen Flooring Success

It is done. At last. I'm happy.
We knew it was going to be a huge project, but it went way beyond our expectations. It exceeded everything - number of foreseen issues, extent of known issues, time anticipated to do the work, costs, and - one good thing - final results. The beginning was overwhelming to say the least (see post "From Sagging to Bragging")

But now we have a beautiful, sturdy, nearly level floor. (What can I say - it is an OLD house!) I am grateful for our kids and kids-in-law that helped make this happen. And Josh, son #3, has earned the right to be our "Favorite" for a very long time with all the hours, blood, sweat and tears he put into this!

The floorcovering is a wood laminate in a beautiful walnut that suits my style, my cabinets, my walls - me! If we still love it this much in a year, we may do a couple of adjoining rooms in the same flooring. I need a year to be sure it stands the test of daily life around here - and to get the energy and funds to do more!

Sweet Cherry tomatoes and more

I loooooove tomatoes! And I love trying new plants. So this year I tried some more new-to-me varieties of tomatoes. And I think I've found a cherry tom that will become a staple in my garden. Small as a marble, ripening to a creamy, lemony yellow - called Matt's White Cherry - these heirlooms are sweet and delicious as they are pretty. The only thing wrong in my opinion is that there aren't more ripe already.















And while my tomatoes ripen on the vine and the cucumbers flower and set fruit, the marigolds are putting on a show with their gorgeous orange (or yellow or gold) blooms. And I believe they really do help repel the bad guy bugs. I NEED to believe that!