Our government is always trying to fix the wrong thing! We do not need “gun control”; we need to go back to the way things were before the 1960s!
As we hoofed it through the garden today, we were stopped in our tracks by the yellow corn; it “tasseled” last night and became a man! In the VT stage, the male reproductive portion of the plant, the tassel, will emerge.
The tassel produces the pollen required for fertilization. This stage begins about two to three days before silk emergence to ensure that pollen is available to fertilize the plant. Pollen is usually shed in the mornings and evenings.
Welcome, young man; your ladies will show up in the next few days (we hope)
We visited “Lemon-Limey,” and he is doing well in his new location. I cut off many dead branches, and tomorrow will give him a good dose of citrus fertilizer. That tree was in Mary’s yard for almost two decades, and we hope it survives the transplant; so far, it looks healthy.
He is a happy camper; now, he can grow as big as he wants.
The small tomatoes are beginning to ripen. We are going to have to invent a mess of recipes so we can use these little guys as they become ripe. We do enjoy nibbling as we walk.
As you can see, the tomatoes become ripe in an orderly manner; all we have to do is pick the ripe ones, wait a few days, and the next ones are ready to pick!
Looks like the red and green on a Christmas Tree!
Did you hear about the race between the lettuce and the tomato? The lettuce was ahead, and the tomato was trying to ketchup.
Mary asked me to put tomato ketchup on the shopping list that I was writing out. I can’t read a word now.
They were happy to see us!
This could get confusing!
The cucumbers got a slow start as they like heat, and we have not had much until this week. Twenty facts about cucumbers we didn’t know:
- Cucumbers originate from south East Asia.
- Cucumbers can be up to 2 feet long!
- China produces 76% of cucumber and gherkin production in the world.
- A raw cucumber is 95% water.
- A whole cucumber is just 16 calories.
- Cucumbers can be grown in a soilless medium, such as in water (hydroponic).
- The large leaves on a cucumber plant provide shading for the developing fruits.
- In Northern England, pickled cucumbers are sometimes called ‘wallies.’
- Emperor Tiberius had cucumber on his table daily all year round in Roman times.
- Cucumber plants climb by tendrils, which are thin spiraling shoots.
- During the 17th century, hygiene prejudices meant uncooked vegetables, such as cucumber, fell out of favor.
- Cucumbers can cool the body and the blood, which gave rise to the phrase ‘cool as a cucumber.’
- Cucumbers contain some carbohydrates to act as an energy pick-me-up mid-afternoon.
- A slice of cucumber pressed to the roof of your mouth for 30 seconds can kill bacteria and freshen your breath!
- The cooling effects of cucumber can soothe sunburn. Mix up a puree and apply it to the affected areas.
- Christopher Columbus is said to have taken cucumbers to Haiti in 1494.
- It takes just 12 weeks from sowing cucumber seed to harvesting the fruits!
- Some supermarket-bought cucumbers can be two weeks old; growing your own will be much fresher!
- Harvesting cucumbers regularly will mean your plant will produce more and more fruits!
- Cucumber slices can be rubbed on noisy hinges to lubricate them!
We took one inside, peeled the skin off, and ate it; it was like eating summer! Delicious!
The plants are producing well and beginning to climb as they should be doing.
Did you hear about the cucumber who sold his soul to be pickled? He made a dill with the devil.
A man who lived by the sea grew a cucumber so large he was able to turn it into his house. One day a bad storm flooded the area with seawater and damaged his home. Now he’s in a pickle.
On the trellis, the cucumbers are beginning to form. The flower will fall off as the fruit gets more extensive. From this tiny size to full size takes about two weeks, and we need to keep it well watered as they are 98% water.
They are so tiny, but they grow like Topsy as we need to keep track of them!
The one that got away; if you are not careful, they get high and challenging! It might be a “Chinese Yard Long Bean.”
The overhead trellises are working well; so far, we can reach the beans, and they hand down away from the foliage, making them easy to spot.
We are going to have a load of beans all summer long.
Did You Know? Yard-long beans really do grow to 3 feet long, although they are usually picked when about 18 inches long. They are related to black-eyed peas but taste and look like green beans. They originated in Africa or southern Asia.
They are best eaten when young and tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 feet long. They are also known as Asparagus bean, dow gauk, Chinese long beans, Peru bean, and Snake bean.
It looks like a yard long may be forming.
We picked one of the cucumbers, and it revealed itself. It was delicious and indeed 98% water!
A cucumber salad will be in the near future!
We were out at the OC Farmers Supply off Chapman in Orange when the security system notified us that someone had come to the door. I looked and saw someone in a private car delivering flowers. Flowers for me for Father’s Day?
Thank you, Linda.
When we arrived home, after emptying the new treasures, we found them to be some flowers sent by our friend’s daughter, Linda. The card thanked us for helping her mom. I wish we could do more, but our friend refuses to leave the house and will end up like my cousin Kat. We are sad about that.
The uniquely debilitating characteristic of agoraphobia is a self-perpetuating condition, often called an “emotional and physical cage.” It effectively prevents the person experiencing agoraphobia from doing the things that may bring healing—like taking a walk, taking a trip, visiting friends, socializing with people, etc.
Back to work, Mary got the whip out and snapped it several times. When I hear that sound, I grab a gardening tool, run for the nearest vegetable bed, and begin to dig like crazy; otherwise, I get the mark of Zorro somewhere on my torso! I am trained!
She carves her name is two pica font so you can’t see it!
It was a beautiful day, so we sat on the middle patio and contemplated our navels before getting cleaned up. Mine is easy to spot but has dirt in it!
Eighty degrees and sunshine; we have not seen that in months!
Our neighbor called me over and gave us an envelope saying he was so happy to be our neighbor and thanking us for watching out for his home while he was away. We had called him, or his brother-in-law, several times when things did not look right. Inside the envelope was a gift certificate for the OC Mining Company, about two miles from our home.
I thought I would give it one last try and called our friend, but as soon as I mentioned going out, we got the standard response! I decided to hang up and never try again; you can only attempt to help someone so many times before it gets aggravating. When they do not want to get better, they just stay the same and get worse as time goes by. Life is funny that way!
Off to the Mining Company, we went, and we enjoyed a delicious steak plus a good salad. We were planning to go to Renada’s for Italian with our friend, but when she opted out, we changed our destination.
Great food and an amazing view!
We skipped dessert and headed home to jump into the Swim Spa and enjoy the sunset in the soothing 95-degree water. We attempted to watch Nanny McPhee in our new theater chairs, but they were so comfortable we fell asleep immediately.
Finally, at 10:00 pm, we hit the sack, for tomorrow will be a busy day!
