This "city gal" is having a nostalgic summer. The second episode of poison ivy is finally under control, thanks to the Prednisone, but I can't guarantee that it will be the last while we are here. It seems to be a bad year for the "itch" in this area. Everyone I talk to has had, or knows someone who has, poison ivy, sumac or oak. I will be thankful when this round of Prednisone is completed at the beginning of next week. It has me so "hyped up" that I have not slept more than two hours a night for weeks. I can understand why athletes get hooked on it - I feel like the energizer bunny! I spent yesterday morning working on the flower beds and weeding here at Michelle's, then headed over to Joanne and David (her friends) in the afternoon.
Michelle had received a call that the beans were ready to be picked. Between the mild spring and the warm, wet summer, the vegetable gardens are way ahead of schedule. I picked three rows of both purple and green beans over about a three hour period and ended up with three shopping bags full. What a hot, sticky, sweaty job in this h/h/h/ eastern weather. Relief came when I was three quarters of the way through the last row, when the automatic sprinkler system came on and I was blessed with a nice cool misty shower to finish up the picking. This heat here seems to sap the strength right out of you. I am definitely out of shape for all this farm "labor". I was not sure if I would be able to stand up straight ever again, after stooping over those bean plants for that length of time. Now the fun begins - today I need to wash and snap all the beans and get them ready for canning when Michelle gets home from work this afternoon.
We may have to do the canning on the grill in the yard - way too hot to can inside right now. Canning does not usually start until the end of August or first part of September, so we are really ahead of schedule. It will all be worth it though to have all those jars lined up on shelves for the winter. We have a small vegetable garden here also. Shortly after we arrived for the summer, Michelle had around 120 tomato plants and pepper plants given to her. We gave some away and planted around 56 tomato and pepper plants in the side yard. They were late getting into the ground, and will end up being ready for a late harvest. We do have some tomatoes and peppers forming now and so far the "critters" have not munched the leaves off the plants.
This "city gal" is having a nostalgic summer. The second episode of poison ivy is finally under control, thanks to the Prednisone, but I can't guarantee that it will be the last while we are here. It seems to be a bad year for the "itch" in this area. Everyone I talk to has had, or knows someone who has, poison ivy, sumac or oak. I will be thankful when this round of Prednisone is completed at the beginning of next week. It has me so "hyped up" that I have not slept more than two hours a night for weeks. I can understand why athletes get hooked on it - I feel like the energizer bunny! I spent yesterday morning working on the flower beds and weeding here at Michelle's, then headed over to Joanne and David (her friends) in the afternoon.
Michelle had received a call that the beans were ready to be picked. Between the mild spring and the warm, wet summer, the vegetable gardens are way ahead of schedule. I picked three rows of both purple and green beans over about a three hour period and ended up with three shopping bags full. What a hot, sticky, sweaty job in this h/h/h/ eastern weather. Relief came when I was three quarters of the way through the last row, when the automatic sprinkler system came on and I was blessed with a nice cool misty shower to finish up the picking. This heat here seems to sap the strength right out of you. I am definitely out of shape for all this farm "labor". I was not sure if I would be able to stand up straight ever again, after stooping over those bean plants for that length of time. Now the fun begins - today I need to wash and snap all the beans and get them ready for canning when Michelle gets home from work this afternoon.
We may have to do the canning on the grill in the yard - way too hot to can inside right now. Canning does not usually start until the end of August or first part of September, so we are really ahead of schedule. It will all be worth it though to have all those jars lined up on shelves for the winter. We have a small vegetable garden here also. Shortly after we arrived for the summer, Michelle had around 120 tomato plants and pepper plants given to her. We gave some away and planted around 56 tomato and pepper plants in the side yard. They were late getting into the ground, and will end up being ready for a late harvest. We do have some tomatoes and peppers forming now and so far the "critters" have not munched the leaves off the plants.
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