Grandma Rosie's Garden

There is nothing like fresh tilled dirt and bare feet on a sunny summer day.

Another group of grandkids posed for me today as we looked for edible stuff in the garden.

We all found some fresh peas to nibble on.

We ate the carrots but saved the beets and the potatoes.

It's early to dig potatoes, but we found quite a few.  It's a lot like an Easter egg hunt digging potatoes.

We pulled a few weeds in the beans,

and checked to see if the corn was knee high.

Fun picking strawberries and checking on the blueberries,

and ate a few strawberries.

Then we headed to the lake and the hot tub for most of the afternoon.

Aah, summer, my favorite time of year!

New Garage Doors

We originally thought we might be able to repair our old garage doors.  However, we finally realized that it was more trouble than it was worth and we would still end up with old doors.

One man did the entire job!  It took him about a day and a half to take out the old doors and install the new ones.

When he went home last night, he had finished two of the three doors.

Today he finished the trim, door handles, and locks.  He also hauled away the old doors.

The Fruits of my Labors

Last year I read an article about making compost using dog food, cat litter, and alfalfa pellets.  I blogged about the procedure (How to make quick compost) and didn't feel that the project was all that successful.  Last year was a cold, wet, spring that lasted all the way to the 4th of July, and the quick compost raised bed was a slimy mess.  This year, that raised bed is amazing!  Everything I have planted in it is growing twice as fast as the rest of the garden.

This is the raised bed with the quick compost base - peas down the center, beets on the right and carrots and kale on the left.  Probably too densely planted, but everything is thriving.

I thinned the beets and cooked them for dinner along with the greens.

I pick greens nearly every day and use a couple in our fruit drink in the morning and cook some for me to eat in the evening.  Ron eats beets, but won't touch the greens.

This raised bed is doing okay too, but not nearly as well as the other one.

The pole beans are finally starting to climb on their trellis.  Strawberries behind the beans are producing about two quarts every other day.

Today I picked them and made a batch of strawberry jam.

I really love this time of year when the garden starts producing a variety of good things.

A Visit from Some Grandchildren

Nothing like a net and a lake to keep kids occupied for a long time.  They found this leech and spent quite a bit of time observing him before finally returning him to the lake.

For a three-year old, this kid has a real arm!  Grandpa showed him how to skip a rock on the water, but he preferred to fling the rocks as far as he could.

Motorcycling through the Snoqualmie Valley

On a nice day, there is no place finer than the Pacific Northwest.  So when the sun comes out, so does our motorcycle.  One of our favorite rides is the one through the back roads to Snoqualmie.

We took Machias Road into Snohomish, and then along River Road into Monroe.  Although a bit hazy, we could see the whole Cascade Range on the far side of the valley.  The road is dotted with old barns, farms, nurseries, and the occasional McMansion.

We traveled through Monroe, and then out toward Duvall,

along another scenic road. This is high rock, just outside Monroe.

 Many nurseries dot the landscape

between Monroe and Duvall.

Into Duvall, a town full of interesting buildings

and neat shops,

where we saw this unique vehicle.

Down through the valley where we saw more old barns,

more farms,

and our lunch destination, Remlinger Farms.

Unfortunately, the restaurant doesn't open for lunch until June 22, so we continued on into Fall City, where we ate at the Fall City Roadhouse.

I had really excellent clam chowder and green salad.

Then we wound up to Snoqualmie, past the falls, where we didn't stop on this trip.

Past the railroad museum,

and on to our final stop at Snoqualmie Casino, where we donated $40 to the tribe.

Molly's Garden

My sister, Molly, obviously inherited the majority of the green thumb in the family.  She and her husband, Bill, just moved into their house six weeks ago.   They started from scratch in a yard with only a tiny landscaped area in front with a few Rhodies in bloom.   Most gardens are visible on June 3 by the stakes marking out where stuff is planted, with an occasional green leaf or two showing.  

Molly and Bill must have started their garden the day they arrived from eastern Washington six weeks ago.  Bill built the raised beds and Molly began planting.

Molly designed artistic garden stakes that Bill cut out in his workshop and Molly painted.

It does show me just how much can be done with raised beds.  They add color and texture and beauty to the landscaping and provide fresh organic vegetables.  

The house is beautiful also, but as usual, I'm more impressed with gardens than houses.