Pitting Party

Not to be confused with a pity party, because this was definitely NOT a pity party!

Yesterday Reynald and I picked the rest of the pie cherries.  It was forecast to be 107 degrees so I was anxious to get the fruit off the tree.  We spent about 2 hours picking and got every last cherry!  When we finished at 10:30 am, it was already 95 degrees.

The forecast held true.  It did indeed reach 107 degrees!  Set all kinds of high heat records, which are not records one would like to set!

This afternoon, my best friend from high school arrived with her two girls.  They live in Maryland, but come to Washington State every few years to visit family and friends.  I told the girls we were going to have a "Pitting Party" today and they looked at me puzzled.  They did a great job of helping to pit the pie cherries, something they haven't ever had the "opportunity" to do!

My mom came out, and between the five of us, we pitted 37 quarts of pie cherries!  They are all safely in the freezer, waiting to be made in to pies.

The Pitting Party crew!!!

Alicia, my mom, Allayna and Amy Jo!  Alicia and Allayna had never pitted cherries before.  They have another experience to add to the farm camp adventure!

Baxter wasn't much help. 

Pitted cherries, ready to be bagged, boxed and frozen.  

Cherry Pie

The pie cherries are ripe!  Or at least half of the tree was ready to pick today.  Chemyn and Louise came and we all three picked, then pitted.  We ended up with 10 quarts, or in other words, 10 pies!  I baked a pie this afternoon, and Reynald pronounced it "better than sex"!   Well, I know it was good, but that may be a bit of an exaggeration!!!  There definitely is a difference in taste though, between fresh, never been frozen berries.

More picking and pitting to follow in a few days......it may be our 4th of July project!  We are having a party, and we may require that guests pick a bucket before you get to eat!  It's a thought......

Ladders and buckets assembled, ready to pick pie cherries.

The fruit is bigger than last year because about half the blossoms froze.   

Chemyn picking cherries.

Baxter and Cheymn''s dog Tucker were a lot of help!

Buckets of pie cherries.

Chemyn pitting cherries!  Tucker is like Baxer, never too far away from his people.

A fresh cherry pie for dessert on the porch, watching the sun go down.

Cherry Pie!!!!

Happy Father's Day........

and happy summer solstice!

Yesterday was supposed to be a calm and quiet day, and for the most part it was.  The peace and tranquility of the sunset was a wonderful cap on a day of celebrating dads.

But, before that could happen, this happened.......

One of the nearly 100 quills that we pulled out of Baxter's mouth, nose, tongue, chest.  Thankfully he didn't have any down his throat or in his eyes.  That would have meant a trip to the vet.

Baxter got in to his first porcupine in the morning.  It was in the pasture.  He was barking and barking and Reynald went to investigate.  As is typical of terriers, once their humans show up, they get even more brave and that's when Baxter attacked!  He ended up with a face full of quills, which we pulled out, one by one.  It was very painful for him, blood all over the place.  Once we were finished with him, he still wasn't finished with that porcupine.  He stood at the door, whining to go back out and finish off the varmint!  Obviously, we didn't let him out, and Reynlad took care of the problem.

If you have ever seen a dog with a face and chest full of quills, you will understand.  It's not a pleasant experience for anyone involved.

But, by the end of the day, all was quiet and we enjoyed a glass of wine on the porch and a beautiful sunset.  Happy Father's Day to all our dads.....

Reynald with his "youngest and most high maintenance child"!

Moose on the loose!

This morning when Baxter and I got up and went outside to do our morning chores, we both noticed something amiss.  He sniffed and sniffed at the lawn, and I wondered why there were large indents where he was sniffing.

Then it struck me.  A moose had been sighted just a few miles north of where we live, and I wondered if she had wandered down to our house.  That's when I noticed the huge print left in the damp soil around one of the sweet cherry trees!  Sure enough, this was a moose track!

Can you see the indention left by the moose that walked across the lawn?

Here's a photo of the print in the damp soil around one of the sweet cherry trees.

And my hand in the photo for perspective on size!

Tonight was the most incredible night time display.  The moon is a Cheshire cat moon and both Venus and Jupiter are right next to the moon, very bright and brilliant.  These photos were taken shortly after 10 pm and you can still see some light on the horizon.  Just a few more days until the summer solstice and the longest day of the year.

The moon is the lowest object.  Jupiter right above the moon and Venus slightly to the left.  The light on the horizon is a neighbors yard light and has nothing to do with the night time sky.  

The moon tonight.  Soon it will set and then the stars will be out, as bright as can be.  Billions and billions of them.  We're just a tiny speck in the whole scheme of things........

So incredibly beautiful.  Aren't we lucky to get to experience the night sky in all its brilliance?

Mary, Mary, quite contrary

how does your garden grow?

I spent a little time yesterday morning taking a few photos of the garden and of course, more flower pictures!

I'm pleased with the garden so far this year.  There are even some tomatoes set on!  I'm not good at growing tomatoes so this is really exciting for me!

So, if you will once again indulge me, here are more than a few photos of the yard and garden.

Corn and greens.

Corn hill, a closer look.   Hoping it will be knee high by the forth of July!

This is an heirloom variety that Les' friend sent from Maryland.  They look terrific. 

I usually sow onions from seed, but this year I bought sets and they  are doing so much better.

Beets....one of our garden vegetable favorites.

This variety of potato is doing well.  I had some germination trouble with the red pontiac and the russets.  Not sure why.

Fruit is just starting to ripen.  Again, very early this year, but that's ok!  Who's going to complain about getting to eat raspberries early?

Red raspberries.  I've been eating a handful of goldens each day, for a week or more.  Picked the first three red raspberries two days ago.  Oh my goodness.... both varieties are so good!

The thornless blackberry is covered with blossom and fruit!  Probably won't be enough for a batch of jam, but that's ok.  They're so good eaten out of hand.

The pie cherries are beginning to ripen.  There's ample fruit.  Not as much as last year, which is fine.  It just means the cherries are bigger.  

It will still be a few weeks before these are ready, but a fresh cherry pie is in the near future.

A few sweet cherries survived the frost.  This is a purple cherry, so though this may look like it's ripe, it's not!  Needs to get that pretty sweet cherry purple.  The robins are happily pecking away at the fruit however!   

And now for some flowers..........

Love this poppy and so do the bees.  I think I'll save some seed and scatter it out around the windmill bee garden.

Here's that vigorous rose that I pruned so hard this spring.  She's so happy....

so happy that she is having more babies.  They will be ready for adoption next spring if anyone is interested!

These lilies are pretty but spindly.  They need to be moved this fall to a more sunny location in the yard.

Oh man, I love this rose!  I bought it two years ago and it's really doing well.

And this one too.  Bought at the same time.  I LOVE yellow roses!

Always seems to be a cat and a dog tagging along!

Also love this little gillardia.  I let these go to seed so that they will self sow.  They don't seem to be invasive, traveling only a little ways in the yard.

And now look at Mr. Mozart!

More Mr. Mozart!

And a close up.  I'll have a job deadheading this fellow in a week or so!

This is such a pretty lily.  Every year I intend to tie it up so it doesn't flop, and I have yet to do that!  Maybe next year!!

Another rose that is just covered with bloom.  This guy (Morden Fireglow)  will bloom all summer, though not quite this heavily.

Another favorite!  Elizabeth of Glamis is her name!

Dublin Bay with some veronica.

Happy lavender,  The bees love lavender so I've been moving seedlings out to the bee garden.  Nice that both the bees and I like the same thing!