Sunday, July 5, 2009

Jasmine's Rose Bush


Sarah (my daughter that is across the ocean) picked out this rose bush in memory of her cat Jasmine that passed away last year. It was covered with aphids a few weeks ago and they were eating all the leaves. My green-thumb friend told me to spray it with water and a little bit of dish soap. I've been doing that twice a day for about a week and I don't see any more creepy crawlies. Thanks Spleen! Sarah is gone all summer so now it's my Sarah rose bush. This picture was taken pre-soap treatment...it has a lot more roses now and the new leaves aren't full of holes.

Empty Nest

I've been walking around in a fog for the last week. Two of my daughters are on vacation (one is across the ocean) and the third one is either working or with her boyfriend. Paul is either working or in the fields cutting, raking or baling hay. It's a strange feeling to go from a household of five to a household of one. It's peaceful but lonely...

Anyway, I've been holding off on updating my blog until I found my camera so I could add a new picture or two...but I still haven't found my camera. So without any pictures...here's the low-down on what's going on around the farm. The strawberries are done. It wasn't the best strawberry season but the berries tasted great. There were a lot of small ones this year...the rain didn't come early enough so the berries didn't grow to their potential. I didn't freeze any whole berries this year, we still have several bags from last year, but I did make several batches of freezer jam. The raspberries (which are not for sale...sorry) are just starting to ripen. I picked about 2 quarts today. Not enough for jam so I might just have to make pie.

We had a bit of a catastrophe in the garden. Paul didn't know where I planted everything and was very ambitious with the weed whacker and rototiller. The dill, fennel and parsley were wiped out, and half of the nasturtiums. He feels terrible about it...but what's done is done.

The potatoes are going to town this year and we still have about 7 sweet potatoes that are thriving. The pumpkins are slowly turning into a pumpkin patch. The cucumbers, melons, and zucchini hills are all looking good. The tomatoes are getting big...some flowers but no sign of fruit yet. I think the radish are ready to be picked. There is a scattering of lettuce but it's too bitter. I planted a mesculun mix but only one type of lettuce grew and it's not good. The seeds were a couple of years old. The pole beans are just starting to climb the poles. No sign of the praying mantis. The package said you won't see them until they are big. I'm hoping the chickens didn't eat them all.

The August chickens are outside now...they moved out yesterday. The July chickens have two more weeks until they are ready. In the barn are the hen chicks. The turkeys and more meat chicks will be coming soon.

Happy Birthday to my dear, dear friend Shari. I miss you!!