I blog from the prairie. . .which looks like a jungle from all the rain that has fallen on the plains in the last two weeks! It is lush and green here for the first time in about four years. Unfortunately, the grass is thin and the weeds thick. Joe has been mowing for hours and isn't a quarter of the way through. Needless to say, I worry about him out there in the high humidity but he says he can handle it after a week in Louisiana.
The pumpkin vines, squash vines and cucumbers succombed to the drought before the deluge, but to make up for it, I have green (block) pepper plants almost my shoulder height. I have never seen them grow that tall! Thankfully I staked them before I went north to New York. However, the jalapenos have fallen over to the ground taking their cages with them.
Hot peppers thrive in drought, so they set on so heavily I will have hot peppers to give away by the peck. I can't get far enough in to the center of the garden to check on the serranos and scotch bonnets and habaneros but I suspect they are loaded as well.
I haven't even looked at the green beans because it is too soggy to get out and wade through it all to them. I have about caught up inside the house so tomorrow I start on the garden and yard if it doesn't rain tonight. I may have to lay down a layer of cardboard in order to be able to stand up in the center, but I really want to harvest some of the corn before it turns too hard to eat and gets turned in to squirrel corn.
It is certainly good to be back together with Joe last evening after a couple weeks. We had a lovely evening at our favorite Italian restaurant to celebrate my birthday that we spent apart. One thing about being gone, I have been able to keep celebrating my birthday long after the date has past.
Thursday night one group of gals and I partied and tonight I party with my best friend from college. I am cooking but she is bringing wine and chocolate! Tonight's meal is steak for Cathy and Joe and a salad for me since I am still trying to drop a couple of sizes and get back in to my wool slacks this winter. I can't afford a new wardrobe so dieting is my only alternative. It seems so weird to be thinking ahead to winter, but if it is time to start canning, then it's time to start cleaning up the house in anticipation of fall. This summer really flew.
Best to all. . .