Polka Dot Rain

We had a polka dot rain this morning.  Just enough to make a few dots on the sidewalk and delay harvest for a few hours.  The crew is up and running now, marching right along.

I get to be home these days, since Roni is driving Starbucks and Alicia is driving Arthur with the grain cart.  Reynald of course on the machine.  I took some time this morning to take some photos of our garden, which is growing happily.  The temperatures have cooled off the last two weeks which has been welcome relief for man, plant, beast and machine.   The forecast is for hot again beginning this weekend.  We will enjoy the mild weather while it is here!!!

The bee garden has filled in nicely and the bees are enjoying it!  So are we!!!  It's so bright and cheery!

The bee garden is blooming!

I didn't expect this purple cone flower to bloom this year, after I moved it from the main yard, but it did!

OK, I know these are going to take over, but I love them.  Black Eyed Susan, Gloriosa Daisy, what ever name you want to call them, I love them!!!

This is what it looks like when you just throw some seed out, add a little water, and watch things grow!

This is such a pretty gaillardia.  All these things will self sow.  I may be sorry!

OK, this is a poppy, not a peony!  Chemyn's friend, Louie, gave me the seed.  It's spectacular!  There are other poppies in the bee garden as well, but this one is the most unusual.  

Sweet peas growing around the sulky plow.  They are sooooo fragrant.

More gaillardia and the super cool poppy.

Here's a closer view.   

Not sure what this is, but I love it!  And so do the bees....

Sunflowers!  

The bees love sunflowers for their pollen.  And since this is a bee garden, I felt obligated to plant quite a few!

Look at the pollen sacks on these girls.  Good thing it's a short commute back to the hive!  They are so loaded down I don't think they could fly very far!

The vegetable garden is producing.  We have been eating green beans and more green beans.  I'm hoping to get some put up for winter one of these days soon.

 

And now, the vegetable garden.  These are half the potatoes, and the squash is in the background.  

A very happy squash patch, especially with the cooler weather.  They have found their legs and are running, running, running!

Squash blossoms are so beautiful.  Some day I may try cooking some!  I've always been a little reluctant to pick the blossoms, because I like to have the squash!

Well, we know there will be at least one pumpkin for a jack o'lantern! 

More potatoes in the foreground, then lots of other stuff!

The corn is happy!  It might be taller than Crayton now!!

This is the early corn, just starting to make little ears.  The stalks are not as tall as the late corn.

Cherry tomatoes!  Nature's candy!!

K, didn't know this eggplant was ready to pick.  It's huge!  I think an eggplant parmesan  dinner is coming soon!

Hot peppers!  The sweet peppers are producing like mad as well.  I'll let these guys turn red before I harvest.

Green beans.  So good right out of the garden or cooked.  

Kohlrabi goes in lunches daily.  It smells awful but tastes great!

The cucumbers are coming on as well.  I didn't plant any pickling variety.  Just this slicer and also a lemon cucumber.  

Strawberries!  I moved these plants this spring and they are much happier!

Here are a few photos of the yard.  The roses are trying to bloom again with the cooler weather.  They won't be happy with the next heat wave.  

Baxter is always searching for something to kill!  Like a mouse or vole.  Quite often, he is rewarded with one!

Purple Cone Flower.  

One of the roses that is re-blooming.  I think this is called Regansburg, but I'm not positive.

The Russian sage loves this spot.  The bees are goofy over this too.  I have a few babies that I'm going to move out to the bee garden later in the season.

Not much color here, but I thought the clouds were pretty with the flowers that are blooming.

The view from the east porch.  You can see that I need to fertilize the lawn.  The places where Baxter takes a leak are showing up.

I'm usually not allowed to fertilize the lawn, but I can't wait until Reynald has time.  He doesn't like how I do it!  Normally, that's fine, but I just have to get some nitrogen on.   He'll live!

We have a few days of harvest left.  We're looking forward to having some house guests for the weekend and most of next week, and then we'll be off to the races again.  Just when you think you are caught up, you realize that you are not!  Isn't that a delightful state of affairs?  Never at a loss for something to do to keep life interesting......