It’s been a while since I gave you an update on how things are going here at home…you know, garden wise, bug wise, and puppy wise…
First Update:
Our garden is doing very well, despite the weeds from all the rain we have had. It is taller than tall… and the tomatoes are already ripe and have been eaten. We always like to see each year if we can beat the traditional time of the 4th of July for the first tomato to arrive… We were successful and picked our first tomato last week! YAY! There’s nothing quite so good as a fresh picked tomato and cucumber that you’ve grown yourself to use in your salad.
The cucumbers have gotten way out from the wire fence…
They grow up on a fence, so they hang down and are pretty easy to spot.
This is what my hubby collected this morning.
Look at all the cherry tomatoes…
My dinner plate hibiscus is just about to bloom so I’ll take a picture of it when it does. It’s a very old plant that was here when we bought our house and it never disappoints with how beautiful it is. The blooms are about as big as a dinner plate and only last one day…
Second Update:
The Cicada’s are all gone… well, at least I think they are. You can actually go outside now and hear yourself talk, without being drowned out by their screeching noise. It is wonderful…and I hadn’t paid too much attention until I was out taking the pictures of the garden this evening and noticed how quite it was. It’s been a long time coming and I’m glad they only come out like this every 13 and 17 years. We have a while to enjoy things outside and I plan to do just that.
I didn’t know how to take a picture of “peace and quiet!”
Third Update:
We’ve had a name change…Remy is now Reuben. We were a host family to a couple of Japanese students years ago and the girls name was Rumi (roomie) and for the life of us we kept calling the puppy Rumi… we kept trying and trying but it seemed we just couldn’t manage to get Remy out… So we thought since we were already used to the “Ru” beginning, maybe we could transition to Reuben easier, and we did. We still occasionally slip, but not nearly so much as we were when we were calling him Remy…
He’s growing like those weeds in the garden, still chewing on things, he’s full of energy, he LOVES to go see the hens, but he doesn’t like it when they peck him on the nose…
he’s getting potty training down pretty good, he’s sleeping in his crate (Cindy) :o) and my hubby is enjoying his new little guy very very much! I’m especially liking that he doesn’t bark at people when they come over. Scruffy was terrible at that and never would stop. Reuben likes to have his tummy rubbed and flops over when someone begins to pet him. It’s nice!
I’m working on a stack of alterations for Rebecca, a new zipper for a pair of camo shorts for Kristoffer, 5 shirts that need the sleeves cut off for my hubby and I’m repairing a canvas top for my brother’s little boys swing and slide set. Sometimes I never make it into my sewing room for the “FUN” sewing…but I will soon… promise!
Have a wonderful Thursday today!
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
It’s so nice to hear how things are coming along at your house, Jeanne! Boy, that garden is gowing like—-well, weeds! Yes, the rain must be doing that, and I have noticed how big things are here too. How do you even find anything in the middle of the garden? What do you do with all the “extras” that George picks? I can’t believe your tomatoes are ripe already!
So, you have a little Rueben sandwich now—one of my favorites! So funny about the chickens pecking him on the nose! I see you have him on a leash, does he ever go without it outside? Maybe you don’t have a fenced yard?
Still working on the kitchen, now waiting on a plumber to turn on the water! We have a bad shut-off valve, and it needs to be replace or repaired, so no water for us until he gets here. Ugh!
HI Linda,
Yes, the garden is very tall… there are rows to it, but it’s just hard to tell in my pictures because the branches extend over the rows. It’s not too hard to pick things once you get inside it though.
We use what we need and then George takes the extras to the church staff as he works through the week and then on Sundays we take a big tub and let everyone who wants something take things home with them. There’s always a rush of people trying to get things… we do the same with our eggs. We don’t sell them but just give them away. It’s a nice way to give back to the students and others…
Reuben stays on a leash all the time when he’s outside. In fact he just graduated to his “big boy leash” this morning. His little (or big) tummy was getting too tight against the small leash we had him on up till now. Our yard isn’t fenced in and he loves to run around and we certainly don’t want any accidents with a car.
I hope you get your kitchen done soon…at least you know it’s almost done. I hope you’re loving it!
Thanks so much Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
You have a lovely garden. I was hoping to get things planted in our new garden, but it was too cold, and the garden needed too much work. So we decided that we would have everything ready for next year.
Glad to hear the cicadas are gone. They would drive me nuts.
Reuben is just darling and animals, sometimes, they just seem to pick their own name, don’t they. 🙂
HI Christine,
Thank you for your kind words about the garden, although seeing my pictures makes me want to get out there and yank up those tall weeds….NAH… It is nice having a little bit of fresh produce each day.
I’m really happy to have some peace and quiet again…at least for 13 more years!
Yes, sometimes the name we think will work, don’t ….and this time we just needed a small change…
Thanks Christine,
Blessings, Jeanne
Good news that the Cicadas are gone. We have locusts in the summer but not to a bad degree. Not sure if they are the same type of creature as the Cicadas. Our young cat bought a single locust into the bedroom one morning while we were still asleep. Terrible noises and a rude awakening.
Now Reuben fka Remy is certainly growing big but is still as cute as ever. I love that he is learning that the chickens are off limits!
I looked fondly at your garden pics. Last garden we had was in 1981 back in MN. I really enjoyed working that garden from the weeding to the picking. The kids helped too and also took pride in the produce provided during the summer. I think those pictures are going to send me shopping at the farmer’s market here. Great place to get east Texas home grown produce.
I finished all my 4th of July dresses for my sweeties. I will take pictures and send them out.
HI Jeannie,
Yes, the noise of the Cicada’s was certainly overwhelming and I am SO glad to hear something other than them when I go outside.
Reuben is growing and as feisty as ever…guess that’s what puppy’s do… grow and get into things. He certainly does both!
There is just something neat about having a tomato and a cucumber from your own garden in your salad each night! I love to just peel the cucumbers and eat them with a little sprinkle of salt for an afternoon snack.
I’m glad you finished your doll dresses and look forward to seeing them all decked out in Patriotic Pride!
Thanks so much Jeannie,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh my, you two have the greenest thumbs! What a beautiful garden you have! Isn’t is wonderful to wander out to the backyard and pick something to eat? My grandmother (when I would sleep over) would often have me go out and pick leaf lettuce to make a salad with for dinner. It was the best salad ever!
I’m glad the cicadas are finally gone. They never made it up here. Yay!
Reuben is a great name. A friend of mine had a sweet cocker spaniel named Reuben. It’s funny how some names just don’t stick. Reuben is looking to be a great addition to your family. Glad the crate is working out for you. Yes, dogs do not like to be pecked at. Our chihuahua must have gotten pecked at by our parakeet, because he REALLY doesn’t like that little bird.
Hope you have a beautiful and sunny day today, Jeanne.
HI Cindy,
I think it’s probably more the “chicken manure” than our green thumbs that makes our garden so lush. It looks like a mess out there, but I should have taken my pictures so you could see down the rows…there ARE rows to it.
Thanks for the tips on the crate and other things you mentioned… things are going pretty well I think. Sometimes when he gets too close to the hens and they peck his nose or his ear, he’ll yelp out and actually that one picture of him looking back at me was right after it happened to him. He looks like he’s saying, “Mom, make them stop pecking me….”
It’s cloudy and a bit dreary today… no sunshine for us… guess you got it all.
Blessings, Jeanne
So jealous of your garden! Looks wonderful. 1st year ever in 39 years that we haven’t planted. Really miss those cukes, zukes and tomatoes! Hopefully next year the drought will be over here in CA.
Good morning Joy,
It’s so sad that you haven’t been able to have your garden this year. I’m sorry it didn’t work out. Guess the Farmer’s market in your area, or the grocery store will be getting your business…
Thanks so much for your kind comments.
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne, a walk through your garden and visiting your hens IS a picture of ‘peace and quiet’. I’ve always thought that nothing is prettier than a well kept garden., Unfortunately mine never were that well kept. lol
Thanks Jevne,
I guess you’re right…it is peaceful to just walk outside and visit the hens and the garden… I don’t think I would classify our garden as “well kept” but it does look a little different in person than it does in my pictures. It looks like a big blog of a mess to me in the pics, but there are rows to it that you can walk down… The plants really are huge though. I should have taken a picture of my 6’4″ hubby in there to show you… maybe next update I will.
Have a great day, Jevne,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh my, the thought of home grown tomatoes, yum! At one point we had a bunch growing a couple of years ago but we haven’t had a garden for awhile. Tonight we are going to the farmer’s market in the hope of getting some tomatoes.
Reuben is a nice name and he is just adorable. I have to laugh at Linda’s reference to “a little Reuben sandwich”. Cute. He’s so curious about the feathered ladies despite the pecking. I hear that chickens have quite interesting personalities. Poor Reuben, he just wants to be friends!
Glad the creepy cicadas are gone. We still have bunches of gross muffleheads. I have a screen hat to wear outside since they have no rhyme or reason to their flying patterns. Birds won’t even eat them.
You have a pile of sewing to do! You work fast though. I have a shirt of my son’s that has an L shape tear…I keep looking at it in hopes the sewing fairy will repair it but she hasn’t yet.
Have a great day …may it go well !!
Thanks Paula,
I hope you find some yummy tomatoes at your farmer’s market. Nothing tastes as good as home grown!
When Scruffy was a puppy he used to be intrigued with the hens but then he got to where he just ignored them….except when George fed them popcorn…then he wanted his share of it.
I’m guessing Reuben will be the same way… but for now, he’s too curious to stay away from them.
I didn’t know what a mufflehead was so I looked it up… Gross! I hope they vanish soon!
Yes, that pile of sewing is growing so I have got to make some more headway on it today. If you get a visit from the sewing fairy, and she gets done with your repair, send her my way… please!
Thanks Paula,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh the garden looks amazing! I planted my cukes pretty late but they are growing like weeds…I plant the long skinny English ones that are not for pickles but are oh so sweet and leave you with no burpies. We haven’t had the locusts yet….usually always by July 4th…they are everywhere else nearby though so I’m sure our day is coming. Ruben is a good dog name…fits him too.
Enjoy the 4th and the Fireworks.!
HI Kathie,
Nothing like home grown cucumbers…is there? I know which kind you are talking about… they sell those at our local farmer’s market like crazy!
I hope the locusts miss you…
I think we are going to have a nice quiet 4th… maybe a cookout and a sparkler or two!
Thanks Kathie,
Blessings, Jeanne
Nothing like a sun warmed tomato and a salt shaker. We’ve grown them in
S. CA and
ND. Not enough sun exposure in our yard in VA. We’ve tried hanging baskets with no success. I ate so many cherry tomatoes in ND I became allergic to themu.iFresh eggs are the best too. We once had one cucumber in a basket plant. What a success that cucumber was.
HI Jan,
I’m surprised my hubby hasn’t become allergic to tomatoes… he eats them like crazy!
Yes, between the eggs, the cukes and the tomatoes, we are set some days. Fresh veggies and egg salad sandwiches!
Thanks for your comments,
Blessings, Jeanne