Friday, August 1, 2014

Lesson 313: How Does Your Garden Grow?


It's August!
The harvest has begun.


Betcha you that was the haul from my garden, huh?
Nope.
This the the sum total of my garden this year.


One.
Cherry.
Tomato.

That's it.

I didn't plant my usual garden this year.
Here are some old photos of my little raised bed, 8 x 8.  

Sam used to love to put on his "farmer hat" and go pick my vegetables for me.
He's 4 in this set of photos.


He'd whistle the entire time.


And pick most things whether they were ready to be harvested or not.


Sam, donning usually just his underwear,


would gather my goods in a hat.



As you probably noticed in the photos, my garden was never picture perfect for Better Homes & Gardens.   I refused to use Round-Up or any type of weedkiller based on this research.


So, by  mid summer it would get quickly overgrown.  Still, I got a harvest just the same.

This year, instead of a garden, I moved my four cherry tomato plants (Eloise's favorite of all tomatoes) along side of the house in the landscaping.  Unfortunately, they failed to thrive and really and truly, all I have from four plants is one green tomato. 

I want to name it and photograph its growth.
Any suggestions, Readers?



 This is tough for a girl who takes pride in her seeds, babies them with drops from an eyedropper, and has asked her Daddy for numerous greenhouse aides.   Instead we joined the Post Apples Community Supported Agriculture Co-Op this year.  It has been lots of fun!

I took my three little peas from my pod


out to pick peas this week.
My trio got a taste of how hard farm work is.

Six peas picked into the adventure Sam announced, "This sucks!"
(and promptly got in trouble for it).

Ellen told me to go easy on him because she said,
"He speaks the truth."


To get my seed fix, I am conducting a little seed experiment at the Lamp Post this week.
I'll let you know what Eloise is up to when the experiment is complete.


August is a month for squeezing the most out the dwindling summer days.
Time with friends is always important.


 I got these for the kids this weekend.


In the cooler next to the check out at Giant Eagle,
Ellen found these three sitting next to one another.

One for Natalie.
One for Sam.
One for my friend Leslie.


We stole these empties from Dan and Megan's wedding in June.
We are adding all of them to our Coke can collection.
I started mine when I was just a kid.


I don't drink too much Coca Cola anymore, but I still really like the cans
and the marketing behind them.  This campaign with the names and words
is the most clever I've seen since Have a Coke and a Smile.


Here are some other neat ones:






For Eloise's Favorite All Time Coke Commercial.
Hint:  It's from my birth year--1971


These friends didn't drink too many soft drinks this summer.
Here are the winners of Challenge Erie 5.

Michelle in the center won $500,
and Cindy on the left won $250.  
Congratulations!


I didn't win this time around, but I'm steadily improving my own Wellness Quotient.  I entered Dr. Krauza's programs two years ago educably mentally retarded.  Now, I'm knocking on the door to Good Health.


I'm hoping to score into the green for the next round and keep climbing to excellent health as an overall goal.  

One way I can do that is to keep working on my speed.
I'll need it if I am going to outrun my sister Kenyan at the Barber Beast on the Bay.

The intimidation factor is working well.  These Beauties saw my axe and took off running
this week.  It's all mine Kenyan!  Hands off!


I've been working out, but it never hurts to have a back up plan.
Sam is all set to defend my inheritance if needed.



He even ran a few hill sprints with me this week.  That's him on the left.
According to Sam,
"He won!"


Other news for the week:

I finally completed my Beautiful Challenge on facebook.
Two friends nominated me.

Instead of posting pictures of myself--the best shots that make me feel beautiful,
I chose to post things that make me feel beautiful on the inside.

I don't believe that was the intent of the challenge, but I twisted it and made it my own,
as I do most things.

Because beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder,
I chose this photo of a peacock feather.
Nature is beautiful, especially when it looks back at me through my lens.


Words are beautiful.
Quiz:
What was this famous first line of a story?

Bonus:
Name the work of children's fiction and the author.


Faith is beautiful.
I collect Bibles.  
Some of these have been passed on to me.
I also purchase a new one after I finish reading one cover to cover.
In my lifetime of 43 years, I've read the Bible 4 times.


My gnarly, arthritic feet are beautiful.
They defy what the medical community has deemed a lost cause.
These feet carried me 19 miles recently with very little discomfort.
I am proud of every lump, bump, hook, and crook.


Saving the best for last--here is what makes me feel the most beautiful.
My family.
The whole lovable lot of them.


I notice numbers a lot.
I love the 6 ones for my all time page views earlier this week.
Neat!



Page views today
252
Page views yesterday
92
Page views last month
4,843
Page views all time history
111,111


For the most interesting article share of the week,
I'll post the one I received from my friend Tracy Southern.
It is a study of restaurant behavior, comparing 2004 to 2014.
 Don't skip over this one.


Most interesting findings!


Excitement of the week:
I found a countdown clock to Tim McGraw's new album,
Sundown Heaven Town,
which will be released September 16th!


















For the Countdown to Sundown Clock, CLICK HERE

Major Bummer of the Week:
Downtown Abbey Season 3 ending!!!!


I love this show so much that the characters have become real to me.
I just finished mourning the loss of one of my favorites earlier in Season 3,
and the finale was another punch in the stomach.

I'm starting Season 4 next week, and will be all caught up when the 5th season airs this coming January.

If you haven't given it a whirl, please do.  You won't be disappointed, even with the loss of some favorite characters.  It is well worth the time investment.  

For now, it's time to say goodbye to this week and welcome the weekend.  How better to do that than with a new song by Billy Currington.  We Are Tonight is the perfect fit for the photos from this week.  After all, it's a Friday night and I'm a small town girl.

As in the words of Lord Grantham---Carry on, Shrimpy!

Until next week,
Eloise

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