Back by popular demand......

Garden Update!!!

Well...maybe not by popular demand exactly but I do like doing it. So without any further interruption....

The zukes continue to take over the world. I think people are starting to avoid me for fear I will put a zucchini in their hands! Here's a baby just itching to be made into some yummy bread! Knock, knock...is anywhere there...
The green peppers are coming along nicely. I don't think they are going to get big enough to make stuffed peppers but maybe some nice fajitas will be on the menu here shortly.
The cucumbers are just about done so I'll be making some pickles soon.
My tomatoes have really been a disappointment this year but so have nearly all my neighbors so I'm gonna blame it on the weather. Here's one that's red and I'll pick that one today for lunch. I tried picking some that were just starting to turn and then ripening them on the counter but I wasn't real pleased with the results. Darn Mother Nature!
I'm really excited for the acorns to finish up. This is the biggest one so far.
The corn is ready and I picked one this morning and cooked it in the microwave in a zip and steam bag. It was pretty tasty! I'll pick more later today and cook them on the grill. SwimBoy is mowing the grass at church so don't tell him that CarGuy and I shared the first corn -- I think he wanted the first one...shhhh.
Oh, yea, and we have some corndogs too -- hehehehe -- I just crack myself up!
And for the finale of this update...here is the newest member of the flower garden. I won this beautiful mum at the ladies luncheon last week for having the most unique item in my purse at my table -- Peanut's harness! Don't ask me why I have been carrying the darn thing around for nearly a month but it paid off in the end now, didn't it?

He's Home!!!

What a wonderful morning!! CarGuy is home and I was able to finally get a good nights sleep! Peanut is still jumping and woofing at every little noise but I'm sure he'll get back to his "I just can't be bothered" attitude very soon. Perdy's already back to her old self and snoring away on the floor. It's nice not to spend all day at the hospital on an uncomfortable plastic chair and bundled up like a Russian peasant in the middle of winter -- I think I forgot to mention that the room was equivalent to the arctic!

CarGuy's blood levels are ok in some respects but leave something to be desired in others. His WBC is really something the docs are happy about but his platelets and red blood cells (RBC) are lower than they want them to be. Not unexpected they say but still lower. That means I have to be very diligent about disinfecting stuff and chasing off stray visitors (sorry -- I'm not really this mean normally). I'm sure CarGuy and SwimBoy are sick of the "sanitizer Nazi" squirting them with the smelly stuff every time they move and wish they could go visit someone else for a while. Speaking of, I need to go to Sam's and buy the industrial size barrel of the stuff today.

Also, now that I am home I can start shredding and freezing some the 3,000 zukes that showed up in my garden this week! My tomatoes are really leaving something to be desired. By the time they are ripening up they split open and get all gross. I might start picking them while they are green and seeing if they can ripen on the counter without growing any larger. Any advice anyone? The peppers are looking great and the acorn squash is putting out fruit that look reconizable. I'll try to bring you all a full blown garden update tomorrow.

But, for now...I need to go disinfect something and force CarGuy to drink another gallon of water. He needs to flush those icky dead cancer cells out of his body -- I'm on a mission!!!

Gardens, Twilight, and Rain

Well...here is the only garden update you are getting today!! (Grrrr....I hate that stupid tent thing my neighbor insists on leaving up constantly -- it messes with my pictures!)
It is pouring rain and has been since Thursday night. It's raining so much that Perdy won't leave the porch. She just looks around and then looks at me like I could make all this ickiness stop so she can go play. I would, Piddygirl, if I could...I love you that much!
And Peanut won't even get within 10 feet of the door that leads to the porch that leads to the rain. (Yes, those are socks and a baseball hat and stinky running shoes and overflowing diet coke cans by the recycle bin but they are not my things and I refuse to pick them up anymore. The house can become overrun with socks and hats and other miscellaneous stuff that is not mine and I will do nothing about it. That's my story and I'm sticking with it!! Mom's on strike!! Now those muddy paw paths on the floor, I might mop those up because my furry darlings don't have opposable thumbs and can't hold the mop. They get a break that way!)
Now me...I just finished this book about 10 minutes ago...there are no words.....
And I absolutely must go buy this book...even if it means going out in the rain because being the sugary being that I am I just might melt....because....
I cannot go on living another day until I know what happens...please, please, please, don't let the author leave me hanging at the end. Gosh I'm so glad I didn't hear about this series until it was finished...I never could have survived having to wait for the next book. You've got to read this series -- this gripped me more than HP...sorry J.K. but I think this is now my favorite series. But...you were always my first...that should mean something to you!

See you all when I've emerged from my fantasy!

Gosh, I'm so far behind on blogging! Sort of like my housework and projects at work too. I haven't given you a garden update in forever and I haven't posted a new recipe to my recipe blog in over a week. Our pastors have given awesome messages the last few weeks and I took loads of notes but haven't put them into a coherent set of sentences for you yet either. I haven't given you the latest Peanut & Perdy stories (Peanut ate my fabulous lunch bag with my monogram on it and he also ate my favorite work shoes -- that dog is definitely in trouble today and he knows it!) Sheesh, what is up with me anyway?!? So...here's a garden update and then I'll go over and post a new recipe for you too! I hope that giving you 2 posts in one day will help me start to win my way back into your hearts!

Up first is the big proliferator in our garden.....Zucchini!! What you are looking at here are more big greens getting started. Did you know there are girl blossoms and boy blossoms? The slender stalks are the boys which don't produce the fruit but are needed in order for the fruit to happen (that's all I'm saying there cuz I'm all G-rated up in here you know) and the more rounded stalks are the girls and will turn out the zukes once they have lost their beautiful blossom and expanded to nearly bursting -- sort of like in real life, huh? I know, I know, girls, it's just not fair.
Here's a basket of what I've picked just in the last few days:
In that basket are some of the first cukes of the season. I can't wait for more to follow so I can get to putting up some pickles. Here's one still a-growing - isn't he too cute?
And finally we have some little peppers showing up and boy do we have a bunch of them!!
Those tomatoes are still growing and I'm getting really impatient! On my walk yesterday I peeked at some of the neighbors tomatoes and they are all ripe and ready to eat. No, I didn't steal any but I am not guilt free of the envy I felt. Hurry up tomatoes!!!
The corn is really starting to come along -- yummmm!!!
Here are some acorn squash blossoms -- I have a great recipe for these little darlings so stay tuned for that!
I haven't given up completely yet on that poor little yellow squash plant and I think I'm starting to see some blossom buds showing up:

And last but not least...the bane of my existence today:
I know he looks all sweet and innocent but don't let that adorable little face and cute little pink tongue fool you! It's all an act and he's just biding his time until he figures out how to unlock the locking trash can!! OK...I'm off to go find some shoes to replace the ones he chewed up!

Another Garden Update!!

Wow...things are hopping in the garden!! We even were able to consume some of our produce this week!! We had fried zucchini and it was yummy! (I'm trying to ignore how many WW points I consumed that evening!!) I'm working on a separate recipe blog and will certainly post that recipe for you shortly. In the meantime here are some pics to get you completed updated:

Here are some zukes that will soon be some yummy dish but I'm not quite sure what to make...any suggestions?

And look at one of their many cousins soon to be gracing my table!!
The cukes are doing great too -- I planted the kind made for pickling so I'm sure I'll post all about the pickling process soon.
I don't have any peppers yet but I've got lots of blossoms -- won't those peppers hurry up!?!The tomatoes are doing great too -- I can't wait to pick some of these!!

Look....corn tassles!!!!
And you know what comes next!!!
The boys are waiting for this part of the garden more than anything else. And speaking of boys, look what CarGuy has been nursing along....
Yep....those are little sprouts off the jalapeno that Peanut destroyed!! I told him that he might have some peppers for Secret Squirrel come Christmas time!!

Thanks for coming along with us -- I hope watching my plants grow isn't horribly boring! BTW...I love watching plants grow so if you have some garden updates of your own, post a link in the comments section and I'll come check it out!

Garden Watch

Good afternoon all! Well it's time for another Garden Watch!! I know it's just so exciting but keep your knickers on and here we go.....


The corn is getting really high! I haven't noticed any ears starting yet but I'm keeping a close eye out for some!
We've got some cuke blossoms!! Woohoo!!
I know it's hard to see on the picture but there are dozens of pepper buds on this plant. I have know idea how this relatively small plant is going to hold up those peppers.
The peas are getting bigger but they still don't look too healthy. I've been watering them more so we'll have to wait and see what happens.

The tomato has completely outgrown it's cage -- this is how much of the plant is above the top ring.

The yellow squash is not looking too good since being transplanted in the garden. I think it's homesick for all the other clearance plants at the store. I'll have to keep an eye on the pepper next to it to make sure it's not bullying this poor little guy.
I am going to have more zukes than I know what to do with if each and every one of these blossoms turns into a veggie!! They're awful pretty though!
Here's one of the first zukes -- isn't he cute?!?
Here's the newest member of the garden family -- meet acorn squash! I picked him up today for only $3.00!! I hope he stays as healthy as he looks now. I love acorn squash and I have a great recipe I want to share with you all for making a yummy baked acorn squash dish. Stay tuned and as soon as we are ready to harvest one of these we'll have a cooking lesson! I don't have adorable cooking assistants like Kay or Mama Kat but hopefully the recipe will be so yummy you won't mind my lack of adorable cooking assistants!

Now I have a sad story to tell you...remember my little jalapeno? Well yesterday when I took all the pics for today's update this is how it looked... When we got home from church today this is how it looked...

Now I'm sure you are asking yourself how could this horrible catastrophe happen?!?! Well...let me show you who I think is responsible....

Yep...that would be Peanut!! The CSI testing has not come back from the lab but I'm pretty sure the pawprints in the dirt and DNA traces on the decimated jalapeno leaves will prove he was definitely a naughty dog today!!! Those jalapenos were for a friend ours, Secret Squirrel, who loves all things hot. Peanut better hope Secret Squirrel likes him more than the jalapenos he was expecting to be brought to him!!