Garden Markers

My sister, Molly, and her husband, Bill, are expert crafters!  Molly is an accomplished artist and enjoys using her artistic talent to make interesting crafts. I love the garden stakes she makes:

Cucumber,

Pumpkin,

Potato

Cabbage,

Garlic,

Corn,

Beet, and of course, peas, beans, carrots, squash, that I do grow but don't have stakes for yet,

And a whole bunch of things I'm not growing (yet).

Garden Update First Day of Summer

For the first time in many years, my corn is looking better than that in the professional corn fields around Marysville and Mt Vernon.

It should be "knee high by the 4th of July" for sure.  The difference is finding a source for a truckload of manure!  You can see the cute row marker that my sister, Molly, makes.  I've collected cardboard all year to cover my paths between rows to discourage weeds.  It's Ron's turn for the tractor, so the tiller is off and the mower is on and I have to deal with weeds by hand until fall when I get the tiller back on.

I finally finished cleaning all the weeds (and Comfrey) from along my garden fence to make room for all the flowers my friend Karen has shared with me.

I have about five kinds of squash and three kinds of pumpkins that are looking really good this year.

Peas - some producing now, the second planting on the left isn't quite in bloom yet.

The tall stuff in the middle is a mixture of lettuce.  Cucumbers beyond that, and more corn on the left, strawberries on the right.

Raspberries are loaded, but still grass green.  In another week, I will be up to my eyeballs in raspberries.

I thinned and thinned and thinned the apples when they were in the blossom stage, but obviously didn't thin them enough.

Blackberries look good this year too.

So do the blueberries.

Oooh, I see figs on the fig tree!

Hoping to beat the birds to the grapes this year.

Considering the long cold spring, things are looking pretty good on this first day of summer!

Second Annual Family Camping Experience

When our family from Utah visits, we have a party here at the lake.  It has turned into a camp out, where we fill the house and pitch tents, and eat and visit for a couple of days.  This past weekend was this year's family gathering.

Gavin, Marcus, and Max enjoying the Mother's Day hammock my daughter, Amy, and son-in-law Dan gave me.

One of the many loads of children who jetted through the trails in the woods on the putt-putt.

The putt-putt also works as a gym tool....

Friends from high school annual get-together.

Amy calls this one "the Gap model" - when he's good, he's very good, but when he's bad he's horrid - typical 2 year old.

Kids are all getting older - still handsome though!

Another successful fishing lesson and time for uncle bonding.

Visiting,

Boating,

 Catching polliwogs,

playing horseshoes,

telling stories, 

taking the puppy for a kayak ride,

teaching a doggie to fetch,

toasting marshmallows for Smores - so much to do, and so fun to see all the cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends. 

My Iris Garden

The iris might be my favorite flower!  I just love the time of year when most of them bloom.  I still have a few that haven't burst into bloom, but there are quite a few in full bloom.

They are easy to grow, send out new tubers every year, and some are even fragrant!

This one is not just delicate and beautiful, but also fragrant!

This dark purple has multiple blooms per stalk.

When I originally selected these, they all had names - unfortunately, I didn't keep track of the names.

These are from my Mom's original iris garden.

This one is tiny - about half the size of most iris.

Not open yet - but nearly black and huge - one of my favorites!