Wednesday, August 13, 2008

I Miss My Blog!


I'm just waiting for things to get back into a routine here after a three-day weekend spent geocaching in beautiful urban Kendallville, Indiana, followed by two days of working, one night spent at Jenna and Joe's, and seven-mile and four-mile runs on Sunday and Tuesday. I'm kinda tired.

But once again, there's much to blog about - new things since the last time I got behind and posted a list. I've got some nice photos taken at Earth Girl's haunt, the Gene Stratton-Porter Historical Site. We visited there on Saturday and enjoyed the beautiful weather for a stroll through the wildflower gardens and a tour of the cabin.

Meanwhile, the garden has gone on in spite of our absence. The tomatoes are coming on and how! This is absolutely by far the best tomato year we've ever had. There's one large Brandywine ripening, but we've been enjoying the yellow pears and Sungolds and other minis for a couple of weeks now. Well, Romie is anyway. I don't care for raw tomatoes. I like them in salsa though, and might make some this year.

We've picked the last of the sweet corn and have enough for a couple of meals yet. We decided we need to grow 'Sugar Pearl' again next year because it took the prize for the crispest, sweetest corn we've ever eaten.

I'm thinking of tearing out the purple bean plants because they're looking very tired although they're still producing a fair amount of beans. We prefer the green ones, but we're actually getting tired of eating beans.

I don't want to jinx it, but I haven't found a single Japanese Beetle in the last three days. Maybe their invasion of Our Little Acre has come to a close. This was the worst year yet for them, since I started keeping track in 2006.

The honeysuckle is blooming again, and the hummingbirds have returned. They also like the red daylilies, as well as the 'Fireball' hardy hibiscus.




'Plum Crazy' is blooming, too. The size of the blooms on those things is amazing. Ten-plus inches across!






Some parts of the garden are looking like they're preparing for fall. Some plants have finished blooming and are starting to dry and die back. I'm sure the hot, dry weather we've had has played a part in that. The daylilies are mostly finished, although 'Franz Hals' is in its prime, providing striking color in the middle of Max's Garden.

Speaking of cats, we've had two strays that are getting braver and seem to want to join our already large family. One buff-colored tabby and a skinny black one have been sneaking into the pool house and garage to get some food. Romie calls them "Blondie" and "Blackie", which goes against his rule that no cat gets a name until they let us pet them. Blondie is close to that point, but Blackie is very timid.


We don't need more cats...


11 comments:

Ewa said...

Your tomato are huge! How the plant is able to carry them? How many are able to ripe in your climate? Greetings,

Anonymous said...

It's meloncholy times. I'm glad to see it come to an end as I'm ready to have fall and winter. I like the changing season and think about a better next year. I learn so many lessons each growinig season. This year I learned I only need one tomato plant;) I can't win against the squash bug, and I need more trees for shade. So blogging is going to pick up again. We'll start hoping for next year.

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

No, you certainly don't need more cats but oh, how they tug at your heart those stray ones. There's another stray in my life too, a gorgeous black and white boy who has let me pet him eventhough he's very much afraid. I've named him Jeeves.

Your garden is looking great with lots of lovely blooms and I'm having a pretty spectacular tomato year too.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Japanese beetles stay away!

Rose said...

I love this last photo, Kylee. I am like you--I don't need more cats, but if one wanders here in search of a home, I'm not going to turn it away!

I remember reading Girl of the Limberlost when I was young; I've always wanted to visit the Gene Stratton-Porter site.

Barbee' said...

Your up close photo of 'Plum Crazy' is gorgeous! That slight bit of back lighting, and those ripples make it beautiful. Love the cats, too. All your photos are great. (You can tell I enjoyed my visit very much.)

Kylee Baumle said...

Ewa ~ We'll have many, many tomatoes ripen between now and the end of September. There will still be some green ones left on the vine when first frost comes, but we'll have plenty before then, believe me! Yes, it IS huge! The biggest tomatoes we've ever grown!

Anna ~ I'm not really ready for the gardening season to be over, but I too enjoy the break. I've learned some thing this year, as well. One of them is that I just can't grow Bells of Ireland!

Yolanda Elizabet ~ Oh, another kitty at Bliss! You know we have two black and whites and they're so handsome. Well, Baby is pretty, since she's a girl. Love the name Jeeves! Perfect!

Rose ~ The fate of both kitties has yet to be determined, but I know exactly what you mean. And can you believe I haven't read "A Girl of the Limberlost" yet? I have an old copy and I must get that read. I've got a couple others of her titles, too, which I've also not read. Must remedy that situation! Yes, you really do need to visit her home. Such a lovely place!

Nancy ~ The hummingbirds can't stay away from the honeysuckle either! It is over an arbor entrance to Max's Garden and I can count on seeing a hummer or three at least once a day sipping nectar there.
I've found posting to my blog hit or miss of late. Too many other things going on around here!

Barbee ~ I'm so glad you enjoyed yourself! Please visit often! Yes, the 'Plum Crazy' is really pretty. I love the color and the size of the blooms is amazing. 'Fireball' is much the same, only it's deep red.

Cindy Garber Iverson said...

Your tomatoes look phenomenal! I'm like you, though, I don't like the taste of raw tomatoes but give them to me salsa anytime (just no cilantro).

What variety is your honeysuckle? I'm looking for another one that has color and really like the one you've posted.

Hugs,
Cindy

Connie said...

Pretty honeysuckle flower...and a uniquely colored lily!
I was glad to see your reply to Anna that you can't grow Bells of Ireland. I have been trying to grow it for about 3 years now, as my grandmother had them in her garden. I think hers just reseeded themselves. If you figure out how to get it started, let me know! Maybe I should plant in situ in fall? I had one tiny wintersown plant this year that I thought might grow, and then it got stepped on when we were painting the house. :-(

Anonymous said...

Great pics, and I'm so impressed by your long runs! Also, your Japanese beetle count on your sidebar cracked me up. I hope no more get added to the "ones that got away."

Kylee Baumle said...

Cindy ~ That honeysuckle is 'Dropmore Scarlet'. It's one of my favorites. I'd love to have 'Goldflame' too. It's really a pretty color combination, I think.

Connie Aww, Connie. Sorry to hear about the plant getting stepped on. I've done the same thing. I wonder too, if winter sowing might be a viable option for the Bells of Ireland. I had one actually make bells last year, but it was pretty sad looking. I think they're gorgeous, but I'll have to admire others', I guess.

Pam ~ Well, don't be too impressed with those long runs. I'm really struggling, as my latest running blog post says in detail. It's a tough time with running right now, but I'll work through it. Thanks for giving that encouraging comment, though!

Yeah, those darn Japanese Beetles. They don't do a lot of damage here, because I try to stay on top of them, but there's plenty of evidence that they do their work when I'm not around. I found three more today, darn it! Not on the beans though! They seem to be leaving those alone now. I found two on my 'Memorial Day' roses (they always love that one best, for some reason) and one inside a spent daylily bloom when I was deadheading.

Unknown said...

Awww... but apparently, the cats need you. :)

blogger templates | Make Money Online