This has been a strange summer weather-wise. Almost every morning we have had a very thick fog that doesn't clear up until 7:30 or 8 in the morning. Temp wise we have been in the low to mid 60s at night and mid to high 80s during the day. It has been very humid.
This week TR has worked day shift (7 am to 3:30 pm) and modified second shift (4:30 pm to 1 am)!! It makes for a really long week! Wednesday was his day off, and he volunteered to help Tom (church custodian) strip and wax the cafeteria at church, as it is too big a job for 1 person. As it is, they only got half of it done (9:30 to 5:30 with a short lunch break). TR said he was a bit sore yesterday and his throat was bothering him a bit (probably from the stripper).
Garden updates.....
This morning I harvested the last of the blueberries this year. I have 1 quart in the freezer and 1 quart canned and 1 quart dried in the pantry.
Tomatoes are just forming on the plants (from the July replants). We have flowers on the bell pepper plants, but no fruit yet. The ground cherries did not take at all after the second planting. I think I will try to grow some in the house in a container during winter.
I finished drying the basil I got from Pat, and ended up with 1 filled quart jar of dried basil. The basil plants in the garden (from the July replant) are now about 4 inches tall and doing well.
The French tarragon is starting to yellow. I am wondering if I need to give it more shelter from all the rain we are getting.
The back flower garden has lots of greenery - but so far only the sunflowers, marigolds and nasturtiums have blossoms on them. I planted about 15 different types of flowers... what a year! :/ Actually the nasturtiums are growing gangbusters and we have been using the leaves and flowers in salads and the leaves on BLTs (with the nasturtium leaves in place of lettuce). The lily from Easter is blooming again and should open up within the next week. I am disappointed but hopeful that the cockscomb, flamingo feather, hyssop, zinnias, bee balm, calendula, poppies, etc... aren't flowering yet.
Pat gave me some of her yellow yarrow (I planted white in the back garden this year), since she was dividing and cutting back her garden this year. I am going to plant it in the front garden (now that the poison ivy is gone
). It will look nice there next to the purples (phlox and something else I don't recognize) and pinks (peonies). I saw that the Chinese lanterns are turning orange. These are also in the front garden by the bleeding heart.
The buckwheat is doing great and just about ready for harvest. The amaranth are getting seeds on the flower heads now. Some of the plants are close to 8 feet tall.
The scarlet runner beans are still producing, but I am leaving them on the vine to get large for drying.
Out of the vine-type plants, it looks like we will get something. Yesterday TR found a couple gourds growing.... looks like they might be Sweet Dumpling squash. So far there are no signs that this year's garden will produce cukes, zucchini, crookneck squash, butternut, buttercup, watermelon or pie pumpkins. I am a bit confused by this, as the plants had lots of flowers and they were covered with bees; so not sure why fruit did not form.
TR is planning the next planting session for cool weather harvest. We are thinking Swiss Chard Bright Lights along with some greens and peas.
Thursday was 1 week since the swarm. Although I checked the original hive the day after the swarm for a queen, I need to check again. If they don't produce a queen, one of the worker bees may start laying - and that would mean only drone bees (a working layer isn't fertile and cannot produce more worker bees). We have had rain every day this week, so I haven't been able to examine either hive too closely. The bees in the deep super are doing well, drawing beeswax and are about ready for another super to be added.
TR is off this week-end. We need to get another hive set up and do bee stuff - so I hope the rain does hold off one day at least.
I think the music this year is Randy Houser. Anyway, I think that is what was posted on the fair billboard - I think he does C&W, but I've never heard of him before, so can't say.
