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A Full Summer Day

It was an active day in the garden, probably because the weather was picture-perfect. Before my morning jog I walked around and made a mental list of to-do's for the day.

- The tomato cages I bought in the spring are like the Grinch's heart - two sizes too small. Their size as well as at least three violent storms this summer have resulted in me playing "keep up the tomatoes" with various bamboo and metal stakes - anything to keep the them off the ground and allow more sun and air to pass through the vines. Need to stake them up more today. And pick some. Also pick Cucumbers.

- Prune Roses.

- Trim bushes in the front bed.

- Weedweedweedweedweed.

I jogged, made coffee and blueberry pancakes for us (Steve working from home today), and pruned the roses. Dad stopped by out of the blue. He ate the last pancakes, and he and I staked up the tomatoes. We used the reflector poles that we line the driveway with in the winter. They were the strongest thing around, and I was really happy to get them up higher and off the ground:

Bounty keeps coming in. At dinner we had a wonderful cucumber-tomato-onion-celery salad.

I trimmed the bushes in the front, and began weeding. I weeded from about 1-4, with a small break to run to Home Depot. My back is a little sore, but mostly it felt really good. Weeding is therapeutic. I think of all the aspects of myself that need weeding, and end up feeling a little lighter. I pulled up at least 4 buckets full of weeds. We don't have a compost bin yet, so I've been tossing them near the fire pit, and Steve throws them into the bonfire when they are dried.

While weeding - two lovely surprises! Both at the far end of our Rock Garden, and not facing the house, so I don't see them unless I walk around there. In the past week, the Panicle Hydrangea have bloomed! So pretty:


And the Viburnum berries have sprouted:


We walked after dinner, and I saw some yellow leaves on a few Honey Locusts. I also saw some red leaves the other day. Could Autumn be whispering a tiny hello?

Comments

  1. Next year, definitely make your own cages out of concrete reinforcing wire! It's the only way you can keep those plants off the ground, here in the windiest place on earth! (I am near NIU)
    I am jealous of your cukes. I will never not plant those again!
    Your viburnum is incredible! You surely will see loads of good birds go after those berries!

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  2. That is a fabulous idea. We've really been blessed with the cucumbers. I never get tired of them for some reason. This summer I've used the bounty to make cucumber salad (traditional with dill and sour cream), cucumber-tomato salad with red onion (we've had lots of that), and gazpacho. We are in the NIU area often, as we are football season ticket holders - go Huskies!

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