Wednesday, July 25, 2012

a bit of a break

According to the National Weather Service, today is to be our last day in the 90s or above for the foreseeable future. (Mid to high 80s will be warm enough.) In the past several weeks I've been on watering patrol, just to give Mother Nature a bit of support. On Monday night and into Tuesday She took over once again in the watering department.


And this evening as I said good night to the chickens I could hear the deep, distant sonorous sounds of thunder. There is a chance rain could come tonight once again.


Despite the drought, the vegetable garden and orchard are doing remarkably well.

kale


tomatoes
eggplant
cinderella pumpkin
cucumbers climbing
moonvine
new growth on the honeycrisp apple
spreading raspberries

While Jerome was up here this past weekend we were able to get the blueberries planted. They went in the new fruit bed we cleared parallel to the vegetable bed, in line with the raspberries. We were able to mulch them with some of the mulch we made with the trimmed branches and dead trees we had been collecting since we bought the farm.

Can you tell it was nearly 100 degrees? We took very frequent breaks to sit beneath the apple tree and finished off a half gallon of raspberry lemonade while getting this job done! I'm wearing a neckband that is filled with a water absorbing gel. You soak it and it collects water. In theory it is supposed to cool you while keeping your neck moist. Well, it helped keep the sun from burning the skin along my collar bones while I was wearing it.
A few other joys in the garden right now:
a nearly ripe peach which no wildlife has noticed so far
daylilies in the front flower bed


and jasmine on the back porch.

Beauty, bounty, blessings.



4 comments:

  1. Sharon your garden is looking verdant despite the drought. I am sure all the exta watering you must be doing has managed to save your delicious looking crops. I hope you enjoy many cooler days to come and the fruits of your labour.

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  2. What a fabulous post! I feel like I have just taken a stroll through your gardens with you. Your TLC is paying off, Sharon.

    A few nights ago, Gretta was here on her day off and we sat on the porch and watched a huge thunderstorm lumber across the sky and into our valley. It was spectacular and brought some welcome rain. The next day dawned clear and crisp and delicious!

    What a summer this has been, from one end of the country to the other.

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  3. Everything is looking wonderful there! The berry beds are quite a change from what that space used to be. And all those yummy things coming along!!

    Can't believe your grass is so green, too. I'm looking forward to seeing everything next month!

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  4. Your gardens are so beautiful, the result of much hard work, I'm sure, Sharon. Thank you for sharing these photos - it's so good to see you doing well. And I always love seeing pictures of you and Jerome.
    We will soon be visiting all of Bill's siblings who are gathering in Maine, then off to Toronto to see our daughter.
    Wishing you all good things, Sharon.

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