A Garden In Pictures

The garden here is in full swing.  We had a huge amount of rain last weekend--four inches--and a little more during the week.  I took the Mantis out and did some roto-tilling when the soil was dry enough earlier this week, but the weeds are already coming back again.  The tomatoes are getting big, the beans are getting tall, our peas are about done for the year, the corn is slowly getting tall, the sunflowers are coming along, potatoes will be ready to dig up soon.  Flowers are beautiful after the rain.  Enjoy a photo tour of a garden in the middle of a great growing season!

A yard full of clover is the perfect home for honey bees!

Lavender in the morning light.

Basil, thyme, oregano, sage...tastes like summer!

Snap peas...these were so sweet and delicious!

Pumpkin plant flowering.

Pumpkin on a stick, AKA ornamental eggplant.  I'll let these dry on the plant and then use them for decorations.

Close-up of the pumpkin on a stick leaf.  These little spikes are on each leaf, and they are sharp!

Beautiful nasturtium.

Viola in the morning sunlight.

There are few things better in life than a bowl of sun-drenched strawberries picked fresh from the garden after a long day!

Yard Critters: 1, Me: 10 (pounds)

I didn’t want to do it.  I didn’t plan on doing it.  But the creatures of the urban forest forced my hand.  

I dug up my potatoes tonight.

It was either this, or sit on my back stoop 24/7 with heavy artillery and vaporize all offending critters that enter the yard.  Ain't nobody got time for that!

It’s a little early, but in my defense, they are an early variety.

Something has been gnawing on the stalks of my potatoes, digging up potatoes near the surface, and chewing on the potatoes.  Not the whole potato, mind you, but just a little nibble in one spot—enough to render them unusable for humans.  I have found four potatoes dug up and used as a chew toy in my bed, and after finding another one tonight, I decided enough was enough.  I can’t confirm my suspicion, but I suspect either the squirrel posse that terrorizes our neighborhood or the rabbits I’ve seen scoping out my backyard.  Fortunately for me, the plants were yellowing anyway, so I called the potato game on account of animals and took a shovel to the bed.  I had nine plants, and this is what I got:

Ten pounds of potatoes!  Would have been more if the furry fiends hadn’t dug some up to snack on.

We've finally been getting some decent rains lately.  It's really helped everything growing outside.  Here's a flower to brighten your day!

Some Pictures For Your Enjoyment

No, nothing to eat yet from the garden.  It's still a bit early.  But here are some more recent photos of the garden for you to enjoy!

Okay, not the garden.  But my African violet just keeps blooming...it's so pretty!

The cucumbers are really taking off!

My corn.  I planted four, and a squirrel dug up one.  Now there are three and a sprout.

Two pumpkin plants.  I can almost smell the pie...

One of the pepper plants.

My parsley from the Farmer's Market.  I used some in my lasagna tonight.  Yum!

My patio plants--from top left, clockwise: mosquito plant, red maple from Greenfield Village, miniature rose from my co-worker on Secretary's Day, mosquito plant, and parsley.

 A side note--I took a stem from one of my mosquito plants to see if I could get it to grow.  I tried soaking it in water for a few weeks to see if it would sprout roots, like some other plants do.  It didn't, but the stem is still very much alive and healthy, so I'm going to plant it in a pot and see if I can get it to grow like that.  I'll let you know what happens!

There has been quite a lot going on in our lives here lately.  I don't feel like going into the details, but the past few weeks have been emotionally and physically trying.  Sometimes I wonder why life can't be all sunshine and daisies and chocolate, but really, life hasn't been that way for anyone since Eden.  We have to take the good with the bad, and find a way to cope with whatever comes.  For me, coping comes from the faith I have in God's control over our lives.  In John 16:33, Jesus is speaking to His disciples, telling them that He would not always be with them in the way that they have always known, and their lives were going to change dramatically: "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”  Whoa.  That's quite a statement.  Not too many people can say that they have "overcome the world" and actually mean it.  But Jesus did, and wasn't lying--He did something that no one else could or will be able to ever do!  He conquered death.  He won the battle, and the enemy could not change that outcome, no matter how much he tried to (and oh yes, he tried hard over the centuries).   I have heard people say that there are only two constants in life: death and taxes.  And guess what?  No one can escape from either of those.  Many have tried, especially the taxes (Willie Nelson is the first that comes to mind), but ultimately, no one succeeded.  There is nothing to fear with death when you have faith in Christ.  Yes, your body still dies.  You have to say goodbye.  But you will live again with the One who created you, and among loved ones who also believed.  That's how I want to spend eternity.  And we will pay our taxes faithfully each year until then.