Pretty Color

 

It took two tries to get it to gel

(about double the pectin of normal jelly recipes),

but the rhubarb-currant jelly finally set.

Finally Rain

 We finally have some rain.

The garden is enjoying it.

A few carrots that survived winter are going to seed nicely.

Garden gone wild, again.  It is a sea of green including borage, sunflowers, tomatoes, bush & pole beans, eggplant, jalapeño peppers, celeriac, peas, carrots, beets, a handful of kohlrabis needing transplanting, turnips, rutabagas, cucumbers, and radishes.  Unfortunately, the rabbits have done their best to mow the Swiss chard planted around the compost bin.

The lavender, basil, and rosemary are doing well.  So far we don't have any tomatoes ready to go with the basil.

The folks setting up tents and other things at EAA are probably not enjoying the rain and hot weather nearly as much.

Mighty Big

 Especially for a brussel sprout.

The nursery owner where dad and I bought plants was having trouble with tomato plants not matching the varieties that the seed packets claimed to be.

I guess somebody sold him cabbage seeds in a Brussels sprouts seed package too.

Has anybody else had a problem with incorrectly labeled seed packets this year?

Starved for Activities?

 Attend Polka Days

Record Breaking Attendance

Covid lockdowns have made people a bit starved for things to do.

Happy Independence Day

 It's a hot and humid day.  The windows are closed and the AC is running.  It is hard to imagine how hot and muggy the weather was in Philadelphia while the signers of the Declaration of Independence were hashing out the details of what it would say.  They did it in suits, without the benefit of fans, air conditioning, or a swimming hole.  Although apparently their bar tab was quite large.  They had more patience than I would have had.  If I had written the letter to mad King George, it would have probably been very short and included rude suggestions about where to stick the scroll when he was done reading it.

The shoreline areas of Lake Michigan have air quality advisories for ozone.  We're outside that range, but the fireworks smoke tonight will definitely make the air thicker.  Ember is keeping track of my location, just in case she needs to run to me for comfort from the noisy fireworks, because when there are fireworks hubby just won't do apparently.

One fire truck has already gone past the house today.  It must have been a non-fire 911 call, or it was a minor problem, because they headed back to the fire station within 15 minutes of their initial call out.

We hope you all can enjoy the festivities without accidentally burning down anybody's house, blowing off fingers, or causing car accidents.

Greetings to brother and sister-in-law in Britain from us revolting colonists here in the USA. 

Still Growing

 

Only a few of last night's photos turned out alright.

I'm still trying to find the correct balance between the camera's automatic settings.  In bright light, detail is good but color accuracy is horrible.  In low light, colors are better, but like with old fashioned cameras, the "exposure time" is a bit too long and things get blurry.

Timing is Everything

 

This photo was taken in a fleeting moment when the light was just right and the violets were still blooming.  My dad gave me a different camera to replace the old Mavica which was getting fussy about whether or not it would save images or recognize the discs.  The pop-up flash had died first.  The new-used camera works.  But it tends to get creative about colors, which are rarely true to life.

That was last month.  My how time flies.  I missed getting pictures of the peonies.  They opened, we had a hot spell, and a week later their blossoms were already fading.  Before I knew it, I was deadheading them and putting the cans on the curb for yard waste pickup.

Today is a very rainy day.  Once it stops raining, maybe by tomorrow, I'll get some pictures of the garden.  It is growing really well, now that we have had some real rain.  Of course once the lawn actually dries out, it will have to be mowed - or baled more likely.