Catching Up - My Lovely Garden

All summer long I have been, as usual, frantically working in the garden. There is more work to do than I can ever possibly keep up with. On weekend mornings, I get up, put on my grubby clothes, go outside, look around, and then go from one thing to another, rarely feeling like I really get something done, because it is never finished. Occasionally, when we have cleaned up the patio and have guests, and actually sit down and enjoy it, I realize just how nice we have made our back yard. But those times are rare. Usually I see the weeds and the work to be done, rather than how much we have accomplished and what a nice place we have created.

On Saturday morning, a few weeks ago, I did what I usually do. Only this time, I was in the middle of the vegetable garden, and all of a sudden, dramatically, I was struck by how lovely everything was, and I had to stop and just look. I felt elated. I tried to take some pictures of it at the time, but the sun was shining pretty brightly so it was hard to capture.









This is the arbor Rich made for me, leading on to the patio.





And this is my little bed of amazing zinnias that just bloom and bloom and bloom.















And my gorgeous red and orange and yellow peppers!

Uncle Bub comes to visit

Back a few months ago, I was talking to Rich's brother Bub on the phone. He mentioned that he wanted to come out to Oregon some time, that he had turned 65 and had never seen the ocean. So Rich and I got him a ticket, and here he is. He arrived late Saturday night. This was after a near catastrophe when he called Wednesday or Thursday last week because he didn't have anyone to take care of his dog, Dickhead. He and Rich ended the conversation with Rich promising to check with the airline to see about bringing Dickhead along. Instead, happily, Sharon arranged for a kennel at a very reasonable daily rate. Reports from the kennel are that they love Dickhead, and are treating him like a member of the family.

So Sunday we hung out at home. I was busy making tomato sauce and salsa. Sent Bub and Rich to New Seasons to buy lemon and lime juice for the salsa at one point. Bub was very intrigued by the high prices at New Seasons and wants to go back to take pictures of the meat case. Rich is going to take him to Whole Foods instead, which is much worse. My sister came out to join us, and we barbecued the fresh Wisconsin brauts that Bub brought with him. During all this time, Danny was in the process of moving out, to a house he is sharing with some other people in N. Portland.

Bub had promised to stop smoking before he came, because he knew I wouldn't allow him to smoke here. He ended up not getting acupuncture, unfortunately. Instead, he got some patches. Put one on on Sunday, but it made him a little nauseous. And he was still smoking. So by 10:00 at night, instead of being asleep, he was wired from all that nicotine. I gave him some Calms and then I went to bed. Sometime in the middle of the night, he stubbed his toe on a table in Oliver's room, where he is sleeping, because Danny had shuffled some stuff around while moving.

Monday we went to the beach, so Bub could see the ocean. We stopped first at Lincoln City, which is the first beach we come to when we take the road directly west to the coast from Newberg. The weather forecast promised 80 degree weather, but as is often the case when it is really hot in the valley (in the 90's), the fog hangs in over the beach and never quite burns off. So he could see the ocean, but could not see very far out into the ocean. After a brief stop in Lincoln City, we headed south, hoping for better weather. We stopped at Depoe Bay and Devil's Punch Bowl, then went to Newport.
We stopped at Yaquna Head Lighthouse, which was pretty cool, but because of the fog could not see much. We were hoping to see some whales. Then we had lunch at the original Mo's on the waterfront in Newport, and then decided to head back north as it just seemed to be getting foggier the further south we went. We went on past Lincoln City, and finally about 4:00 in the afternoon stopped at Neskowin, where the sun was actually shining on the beach, with the fog hovering just a little ways off. We stayed there for a couple hours, so he at least got to experience the beach. But neither he nor Rich wanted to even walk down to the water. Bub's toe was hurting him, and Rich's ankle is still bothering him.

On the way home, we had dinner at the Rooftop Bar at McMenamin's Hotel Oregon.

Tuesday we took it slow in the morning, then took the kayaks down to the boat dock in Newberg on the Willamette. We had a little picnic first with crackers and Wisconsin cheese, and Bub was drinking pop instead of beer.

He was also wearing shorts for the first time in 25 years. I had to get a little sunscreen for his legs from some other boaters - didn't want to add first degree sunburn to his little list of ailments! He was very cute.

All the photos of the beach and kayaking are on my public album in Picasa.





Bub ventured out a little and paddled around, so got to experience kayaking.















I think we're going to try another trip to the beach later in the week, and combine it with some kayaking, maybe in the little river at Seaside. We'll see how it goes...

This morning I sent the two of them off to Yamhill to get a load of mushroom compost for me. Then they are going to tour around Yamhill County while I stay home and work in the garden and do more tomatoes.

Drunk Robins

We didn't get a picture of them. Too bad. Last night we ate dinner out on the patio. Then I went over to pick a few grapes. Some had dropped on the ground, and there was a robin at the edge of the patio eating them. I stomped my foot at it, and it hardly moved. Sort of hopped into the garden a little. Then I picked up some of the grapes that had fallen to the ground and threw them out in the yard. A little later Rich came into the house and commented that the robins were all over the blueberries. (Blueberries have been pretty much done for a few weeks now, and he had taken down the bird netting.) Then he went out a little later and the robins were out in the middle of the yard. A whole bunch of them. Just sort of staggering around in a sort of stupefied daze. They were drunk from the blueberries. We were going to take a picture of them tonight, but there aren't any out there. The orange cat from next door was wandering around in their midst last night, and it didn't even phase them. I wonder what happened to them?

Summer in Newberg

This weekend was one of work and play. The tomatoes are starting to ripen just enough every few days to make a batch of sauce. Friday I stayed home and made and canned one big batch - 7 jars I think half liters. I also pickled and canned the rest of the beets. 12 jars. That was a lot of work!

Saturday I made 3 hypertufa pots and had a birthday party, drank piña coladas and ate salmon. And Rich is making my arbor off the back patio for my birthday present. Pictures to follow when it is done.

Today I made 2 more pots, and another batch of sauce. We picked some corn and beans from the wild and crazy 3 Sisters Garden, and froze them.

We saw this blurry little frog while we were trying to find the beans...

Also picked some wild blackberries to freeze.

The cat loves Baba's chair, except there are some books in her way. Cats always love that chair.

New Residents in the Neighborhood

When we got home from wine tasting today with Hope and Sue, I was working on our new Three Sisters garden. Rich was wandering around the yard, thinking about where to put a new sheep/goat/chicken house, and noticed a new little home behind the big storage tent.


When we had our garage sale a couple weeks ago, a beekeeper guy came by and asked if it would be okay if he put a hive on our property. He and Rich walked around and figured out a good location, and he said he would bring it by some day soon. So he must have come while we were out. Very exciting! He is going to give us some of the honey, and teach Rich how to manage a hive. So someday we'll get our own bees.

Also, while I was working in the garden, the blue jays were flying around and making lots of noise, so Rich got Daryl's BB gun again, and this time, he got one. Shot it right out of a tree!

A Contest

What I didn't tell you with the blue jay story, because I think I already told someone in an email, and it was a lot to write, was that after he knocked the nest down, he put the 3 babies in one of the live traps and put it over by the blueberries, thinking maybe he could catch the parents by using the babies as bait. But instead, the babies wandered out of the trap and wandered off. Then all the other stuff happened with the BB gun and all, and he forgot about the trap sitting over by the blueberries.

Meanwhile, something has been living under the sheep/goat house, and digging out underneath. We didn't think it was skunks this time, because there was not even a faint odor.

So when I got home from my weight training class tuesday evening, this conversation occurred:
Rich: I have to tell you something, but I don't want to because I'm afraid you'll put it in your blog
Me: Tell me! I won't put it in my blog.
Rich: I don't want those Washington liberal elites to make fun of me.
Me: Just tell me, I won't put it in my blog.

And so I didn't. But I have given you a few clues. So you guess. Make up a story.

Something You Don't See at Our House Very Often

Rich is hunting bluejays. With Darryl's BB gun. He tried getting rid of them by knocking their nest out of the camelia bush and turning the babies loose to fend for themselves, hoping the neighbor cats would eat them. (Our cat is afraid to come out of the house because they have been dive-bombing her and even trying to follow her into the house.) But at least one of the babies survived and now the parents and aunts and uncles and grandparents are all flying around and squawking. He missed. Made them nervous though.

It is STILL cold here. Yesterday we had a garage/plant sale. We sat outside all day and froze. It was cloudy and windy and below 60 degrees. Every once in awhile the sun would come out and we would warm up for like 2 seconds, and then it would disappear again. Sold a lot of plants though. Not too much other stuff.

Today I planted 14 tomato plants and a tomatillo. Still have at least 2 tomatoes to plant. Going to make much more of that wonderful sauce that we have been eating all winter. Four varieties of paste/sauce tomatoes. So I'm going to try some different recipes to have some variety in sauces. Mmmm.