We made a very ambitious plan yesterday: get up, get dressed, and conquer the garden. And somehow, against all odds, we actually followed the plan. We marched outside like professional landscapers and came back as sweaty, dirt-covered garden warriors. Final score: one 90-gallon trash can stuffed with trimmings, seven old tomato plants evicted, and two humans questioning every life choice that led to this level of productivity.
We ended up with a box of tomatoes, including a few LARGE green tomatoes, which we will turn into fried green tomatoes.
Tomorrow, we are going to Roger’s Gardens to get a “Disney Rose” and have lunch at the Farmhouse with Bob and Robin. While we are there, we will get seven tomato plants to replace the ones we removed today.
We eventually went out to the patio, and Mary planted the violets Donna had given her on the 4th of July!
Here are some fun violet trivia facts:
• Violets are edible — both the flowers and leaves of many violet species can be eaten, often used in salads, teas, syrups, and candied decorations.
• They symbolize modesty and faithfulness in the language of flowers.
• Napoleon Bonaparte loved violets so much that he was nicknamed “Corporal Violet” by some supporters.
• Violets can “self-pollinate” using hidden, closed flowers called cleistogamous flowers that never fully open.
• The scent of violets seems to disappear and return because a compound called ionone temporarily numbs your smell receptors.
• Ancient Greeks associated violets with love and fertility, and they used them in perfumes and medicines.
• Violet is the state flower of several U.S. states, including Illinois, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.
While Mary rested, I put away the folding chairs and worked on the drip lines, making sure all the plants could get their drinks!
By 3:30, we were getting ready for tonight’s forage into Elkdom! But first, we strolled through the garden, admiring that all the dead leaves were gone, the onions and garlic had finally been planted, and the green beans were reaching for the sky!
The green beans grow a foot every day! We will be swimming in beans in another two weeks!
Tonight’s Elks event was a welcome-new-members night and a tribute to a 51-year member of the lodge who just became a nationwide Elk officer.
That’s Paul on the left!
We finally got to the Elks around 5:45 pm, where we met up with our new German friends, Hans and Hannah!
We met them Thursday night at the Elks!
Mary and they talked German for a good hour, which they all enjoyed.
They seem like nice people, and we enjoy their friendship!
We had a lot of fun!
We met up with Bill Capps and his wife, along with Will and Iris, and Gail Petersen. We had a table right up front and had a wonderful meal. Mary and I ordered one steak and one chicken, then shared and compared them.
Mary and Bill greeting each other before dinner
Sandy and Bill sat next to us, and we chatted all evening long!
Good friends are a good thing!
Bill and Sandy are fun to be with!
The life of the party!
Gail joined us this evening, and we had a good time visiting with her since we haven’t talked in a month!
Gail and tonight’s entertainer could have been mistaken for a duo act; they were both in blue outfits!
We left around 9:00 pm and decided to swing by the Tartan Room for a nightcap. One glass of wine later, we were fully nightcapped and ready to make the long three-mile expedition home.
We had planned to do a little dancing, but the place was packed tighter than a suitcase before vacation. So instead of tearing up the dance floor, we ended up sitting in the dining room, bravely dancing only in spirit—and possibly with our eyebrows.
By the time we got home and after visiting with Grace, we crashed!
