Category Archives: garden

Massive raccoon tour group traveling through SW Washington this summer. I’m surprised I never heard them. We sleep with the windows open in the summer. You think it would be tough to move a family of that size without anyone hearing.

Side story: I’ve been mildly distressed about how dirty the bathroom sink and bathtub look. I’m only a medium housekeeper but I couldn’t figure out how they were getting so dirty.

Then I realized it’s me. I’ve been doing some big projects in the backyard and I get filthy from head to toe. This afternoon I was scrubbing my feet in the shower and watching the dirty water draining away and realized: that dirt is me.

I was in a long line at the store and the guy next to me sighed and said, “June was a long month.”

I said, “For me it went by fast. Usually July is a long month. Then it’s August and then it’s Christmas.”

He sighed again. “That sounds about right.”

Meanwhile, the raspberry situation is out of control. We have been eating them for breakfast although Bob was mixing them with all the usual fruit. I said, “I don’t want to keep wasting my time with apples, I just want berries.”

I made jam and I made a tart. Actually, 2 tarts but the 2nd one has all the berries.

They are slowing down but the blueberries are coming in and the marionberries. Marionberries are super prickly so they are not super fun to pick. I want to ask the women at the farmer’s market who sell giant trays of berries if they feel like they toughen up after while. It seems like the first time I pick I am covered with scratches but now I dig around the middle of the patch and I feel it but my skin is fine.

We have company this week and I expect to make a berry pie or cobbler to keep ahead the deluge.

These are from heirloom seeds that my sister-in-law gave me from Fort Vancouver.

This is 2 weeks ago. I ended up leaving the peas on a little long so I didn’t get those sweet early peas. When I did finally harvest we had a ton of those, too. We are in the process of eating a big bowl and I blanched some and stuck in the freezer.

I’ve also dug some potatoes and we’ve had lots of lettuce. I’m keeping an eye on the bush beans next.

I’m pretty excited about what’s going on in the garden except the part where the deer ate all the apple and pear blossoms. Well, not all of them. There are 4 apples and 6 pears. I counted. I took The fig tree is also not as impressive as I would have hoped by now, but still good.

Look at these blueberries! This plant only had about 6 last year. The branches are bending under all the berries. There’s an equally loaded plant on the other side of the yard. Plus a third plant that always has a lot of little ones.

This is the general garden looking pretty good. Lots of potatoes. Some greens. Peas and bush beans. Pumpkins. Sunflowers.

Also the raspberry patch is super loaded. It’s going to be good.

I bought two more fruit trees. I knew they were coming in April so I’d mostly prepared the spots where I wanted to put them.

Dang, it is hard digging up lawn.

I finally got the email that said they were on the way. They including links to four (4!) videos for how to plant my trees. That would have been really helpful with my other trees.

I checked my front porch for my trees every half hour on the day they were supposed to be delivered. I had the planting spots all ready to go.

Finally, it was dinner and I was filthy so I cleaned up and as we were eating I heard the delivery on the porch.

I had planned a more elaborate documentary about planting the trees but it didn’t work out. They spent the night in the shed and I planted the next day.

Here they are! The Asian plum has several varieties. I need to map it out before I take all the tags off. The Spice Zee NectaPlum™ is approximately 1/2 nectarine, 1/4 peach and 1/4 Asian plum. Supposedly it’s really pretty, too. I am very excited about my new trees.