Blue Rose - "Look Within"

I just haven't had anything good to post lately - but I hope that is about to change as our weather reports are beginning to predict our usual summer time afternoon thundershowers. All of the stuff I have in pots and in the ground is looking dried up and limp even though I have watered them regular for a while. Faucet watering is not the same as rain. I have wanted to plant some new stuff but not in this weather. They would surely die in this weather. So here are some nice words that may lift your spirit - it did mine.

Look Within by White Dove

There is so much beauty in

This wondrous, blue rose

If only we could capture it

Within our very souls

If we could take its beauty

And apply the glow within

Search a little deeper

In the soul beneath our skin

Take what is does stand for

And shed its love abroad

Don't hide the glow within you

But share the love of God

You know you can't touch beauty

Without it rubbing off on you

And spreading it to others

In the kindness that you do

There lies within each one of us

The beauty like this rose

When its used in touching others

Then its beauty overflows

by White Dove

Too Hot

Hey fellow bloggers. I haven't left ya. I am just taking a breather here. It is so dang hot here that doing any gardening or anything else for that matter outdoors is simply out of the question. Heat exaustion is common here and I am a wimp so I don't have to worry about that. I will feel better soon and maybe I'll get a post up later this week.

You know we gardeners can't be pleased by the weather - one day complaining of too much rain and then no rain and heat. I do believe that it has been about 30 days now and that is just not like the area in which we live.

My mom called me to tell me the chicks are growing so fast - I saw them this weekend - WOW.
They now have a new little place to live and the rest is in the works. My Pop said "I don't want them things... Mom said "Oh yes we do". Pop is crazy about them now. I'll have pics next post.

Vegetable Garden and Chicks

The heat has taken its toll on the vegetable garden. The veggies have been waterlogged and then no rain for sometime now. I forget how long it's been since we had a rain. I tried to save it by watering but nothing is making now.

The blueberries are doing very well despite lack of rain. They are big and juicy.

The chicks have gone to live at my mom's. I do not have the ability to build me a coop by myself and I have no one else who could build it for me. Anyway they will be fine and I will visit them.

Hope everyone has a great garden day and stay hydrated.

Cooked Fresh Vegatables from the Garden

This is the second picking of snap beans, the fifth picking of squash, and the third picking of blueberries. These are the only white squash so far. Nearly everything is about done making. All that is left are some tomatos, bell pepper, jalapeno and peas. I have picked only four very small cucumbers.

This is what I did with the squash. Zucchini and yellow squash with a whole onion and bell pepper and sliced Conecuh Smoked Sausage. Any smoked sausage will do. Stir fry in a little oil and season with cajun seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper. Serve over rice. Ummm.

The snap beans cooked with just a little oil and salt and pepper and a dash of cajun seasoning. Can you tell I like cajun seasoning. It adds a little or a lot of flavor depending how much you use.

Done with the cooking.

Hope your veggie gardens are doing well and you are reaping an abundance.

Buddy And The Chicks

Buddy goes from side to side checking out the fuzzy little fun looking creatures.

Buddy says, Uumm - I can't decide - which one shall I pick. They all look kinda good. I think I like the yellow ones. They are close to my hair color and Mom might not notice if I have a feather hanging out somewhere.

Let me check them out from this side. Those yellow ones are hanging real close. Maybe Mom want notice if one is missing.

This is where I'm gonna put the fuzz ball when I catch it. Maybe Mom want notice.

Hey Mom - I wasn't doing anything - just catching one of those pesky bugs.

Mom said - If little Buddy doesn't watch out he'll be on restriction. He can't get too close. Really - guys Buddy does not have access to the peeps.

I used an old chair and a piece from a smoker grill and here we have it. These are cutting from my begonia's. This is what I truly love about begonia's - you can take cuttings and just put them into the soil and they grow. By the end of summer there will be begonia's everywhere as they yield color all summer and into fall till the first freeze. They are heat tolerant as long as they are watered.

This is the first flower from a packet of mixed seeds from National Home Gardening Club. I have no idea what this is - do you?

Hope all of my blogger friends have a great gardening day. I'm planning a trip to the beach this weekend.

Chicks Have Arrived

They are just so precious. They were active and ready for the box. Eager for water and food. I expect these babies are 2 days old. There are 2 Plymouth Rock Standard White (they aren't white - does this mean they are not Standard White?), 2 Australorp, and 2 Rhode Island Reds. What I want to know is how can anyone tell what sex these birds are if they are only 1 day old when packaged and shipped.

Have a nice garden day. It is hot as he@@ here. Heat index today of 103 degrees. For those of you who do not have heat index - this is comprised of the humidity and temperature ratios and that would be how the temp feels to the skin. Needless to say the chicks don't need the light too close since my house is kinda warm in the back where these little girls are.

What's Blooming and What's Not

The squash are looking puny due to the deluge of rain last week. They may make one or two more small pickings. Most of the garden is looking like this now. The ground has dried out and has hardened around all of the plants again. We are expecting rain today and that will help.

Cannas

From Springhill Nursery - Crazy Daisy (Shasta)

From Springhill Nursery - what remains of Yellow Perfection Viola. Will it live?

From Springhill Nursery - Double Decker Coneflower.

The smell of gardenia fills the air. I love that gardenia's look so delicate and soft.

This is my large dahlia. What happened? It looked so good just the other day when I took a photo. There is another bud coming up below this one.

Four O'Clock

Mexican Heather

Zinnia

Marigolds

Begonia

Vinca

Hope everyone has a great gardening day and work day.

The Bounty and The Family

The bounty harvested on Friday.

Sorry about the photo - I'm not real computer savvy here. Gavin - my daughters oldest - He is 11.

Luci wanted to pick veggies. She wouldn't put the ball down though. Luci told her momma that the mashed potatos had a "great texture" - Do you think this one is watching the Food Network?

Ben was a good veggie picker.

This one had worked a double Friday and came home to load the family in the van headed to Mobile. He needed his rest. This is Brian.

This is my brother, Royce.

Me and April.

We had a great time visiting.

Share the Love Award

Thank you Bennie and Patsy at Bennie-thesmiths who gave me this award to pass on to friends who want to '' Share the Love''. Who daily raise my spirits and offer words of encouragement.



I love all of my blogger friends and their blogs so it is hard to choose who to send this award to but these are my picks:

Cathy at Cobblestone Farms
Daisy at Dancing with Daisy
Mildred at Nally Valley
Betsy at Joyful Reflections
Marilyn at Wheelchair Gardner
Carol at The Writers Porch

After the Rain

The ground was wet and we had fog this morning but it wasn't on the ground. It does appear that way in the photos.



My first dahlia is about to bloom. Not sure which one this is till it blooms.





This is what the veggie garden looked like last week.

This is the veggie garden this morning. All of blooms you see will fall off today when it rains. All of the blooms for the past 5-6 days have fallen off from so much rain. Everyday we are getting a little too much for the gardens to be comfortable.

This is blooms from the zucchini squash. Looks like two yellow stars.

This is the snap beans that are ready to pick. I'll pick these today if I am not rained out when I get home. All of the bushes are full. The extra rain isn't hurting the beans.

The blueberries are about ready to pick. Some have turned already but not enough to make a picking yet. I'm thinking of all the goodies I'll make with the blueberries. Muffins. Pancakes. Cobbler. Cake. The list is endless.

This looks like lantana to me. Maybe Lantana Confetti. I did not plant this one. It is actually growing in with some overgrown bushes. It is a big plant but only these two blooms.

Our weather is suppose to be improving. After today the rain chance is going down and a little less humidity. Walking outside is like walking into a sauna. You break a sweat immediately.

I have company coming and I can't wait to see my daughter, April hubby Brian and Gavin, Ben and Luci. They will begin their vacation here in Mobile then to Gulf Shores and then to Pensacola for other family. I am planning to cook gumbo for them. I'll share the recipe next week.

Have a nice day everyone... Becca

Problems with Blogspot

For some strange reason I am able to log onto some blogs and not others. Internet is aborting. It is blogspot not other web sites. Is anyone else having problems?

Buddy and My Veggies

Buddy said, "let me out. No I'm not going to roll in the dirt. Dirt may jump up on me. I want to know if my blogger buddies have to go thru this. My skin tingles. Let me out." Needless to say he did not go out till he was dry.

Soon I'll be making blueberry cobbler. The bush is loaded.

There were about 10-12 hills that did not come up. So I bought filler plants. This is collards. I know they are a cold weather plant - but Walmart had them for sale and they were new arrivals. We'll see. It looks healthy.

I think these beans have the prettiest flower. The bushes are loaded with flowers. Beans should soon appear.

Beans on the left and okra on the right. On the other side of the okra are some watermelon plants. They aren't growing very fast. I am sure they are not getting enough sun. I planted 3 more watermelon plants last week as filler plants. These are in a sunnier spot of the garden.

Squash on the right. This weekend I worked my butt off. I pulled grass, hoed, pulled dirt around the stems to sturdy them and fertilized everything. My everything was sore yesterday.

This might be all I'm gonna get from these pears. Seems neither of my fruit trees produce anything etable.

Why do these peaches have this STUFF on them and what is it? It is thick and sort of solid. It is all over the peaches.

This is as big as they are gonna get I suppose.

Hope everyone has a good day.

Squash

My first veggies from the garden. Wednesday I picked 2 and yesterday 4. Today I expect at least 6-8. Every day I should be able to pick squash till they stop producing. They look small but that is when they are the most tender. My mom has always picked them this small. Like mother like daughter. Oh yea - the wine it was good too.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. I'll catch you on Monday.