We went to see Patty and Bill the other night, and she took me down to see her garden.  When we got down there, she pointed out some holes in the side of the hill.  And this is one of them.  With a snakeskin just below it.   Hmmmm.  
 

My garden probably has snakes in it too;  just too many squash leaves to see them.  I think I like her 'out in the open' ones better.  
 

I'll step lightly through the jungle, though, just in case...

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

This year's garden is fabulous!  I can't remember the last time everything did this well.  We haven't been able to grow squashes in a few years.  This year they are taking over.  I love going out in the morning and seeing all this green, and the big yellow flowers promising fruit.  

 

These are winter squashes:  I planted seeds for acorn, butternut and Cushaw.  And of course, I planted zucchini.  These are acorn;  I'll show you pix of the fruit later, right now they're still little.  
 

Thanks for letting me share my garden pleasures with you.  It is SO exciting to see what's new everyday.  
 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

This is what I see as I'm entering my garden:  Black eyed Susies,  Rudbeckia hirta.  You can see this native prairie biennial all over our mountains.  The first year they are just a rosette of fuzzy leaves, and then they bloom the second year.  The seeds disperse themselves everywhere, and keep the process going.  
 

There are lots of them all around, and these must have planted themselves last year, because this is the first year I've had them in this spot.  Couldn't have planned it any better.  What a lovely greeting!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Oh, look!!!  What a lovely way to start the day.

 

Go back to the article about the bluebirds, and click on the link:  One of the eggs has hatched!!

 

I hope your Friday is wonderful.  I know you'll find something wonderful in it.  
 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

I guess most people don't see lettuce as flowers, but lettuce does bloom.  When it's ready to make seeds, lettuce blooms.  The flowers look a lot like tiny dandelion flowers.  And, just like dandelions, they mature into those little fluffy fairies that fly around.  So I picked these lettuce heads before the flowers opened completely.  I love the fairy seeds outside, but not in my living room.  
 

We planted about 12 lettuce seedlings.  6 green Buttercrunch, and 6 red Romaine type.  We've been eating our own lettuce in salads since April.  Now that the lettuce  has bolted, the leaves are a little bitter, so I just let them go to seed.  We'll harvest the seeds when they are ripe, and save them to plant next spring.  If August isn't too hot, I may plant a fall crop.  I love not having to buy lettuce.  Besides, it is so pretty growing in the garden.  
 

And, don't they look great in Momma's cornucopia vase?  
 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

We have finally found something the deer won't eat.  Well, they do nibble off a few flower heads, but not when they get this far along.  The flower centers are called cones, and are quite prickly.  These coneflowers are a favorite seed source in the fall for the finches.  So we leave them for the birds, until winter when they are picked clean.  
 

We planted these along the front of our house, going down the hill.  They have multiplied profusely, and fill up the whole space between the deck rails and the steps.  They even wrap around the corner.  When they are in full bloom, I'll take another picture to show you.  
 

If you have a good sunny spot, throw down a few seeds, and before you know it, you can be overrun with Echinacea too.  
 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Even the catmint is pretty this year.  Sometimes it's hideous, but this is beautiful.  Nepeta cataria, botanically.  Catnip or catmint, commonly.
 

My wildflower book says it is well-known and distinctively aromatic.  It contains a chemical that tends to repel insects, making it a good companion plant to protect other plants from bugs.  It may be this same chemical that affects the behavior of cats.  Our cat, Ranger loves to lie in wait near it, waiting for what, we don't know...moles and lizards, I'm guessing.  Good!!!  He also likes a good roll in the catmint.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

You are looking at our two sinks full of kale, ready for canning.  There is so much kale in the garden, we've got to do something with it.  
 

So we found out how to can it.  Doesn't seem that difficult.  Just takes time:  time to clean it, and lots of time in the pressure canner.  We started the process at 9am, and didn't finish completely until 6pm.  We ended up with 7 quarts.  
 

Seems like a big investment for a small reward, but we'll have our very own kale this winter.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!
 

 

 

Check out this crew!!!  Christensens, three generations.  Tere, Claudia and Collin, Catherine, Christen, and Connor.
 

They've been coming to our garden for years.  The first time Connor came to the garden, he was about 4 years old, and was thrilled by the idea that he could eat leaves, stems, flowers, and seeds.  Today they came to pick blueberries, and see the garden.  He still wanted to taste everything.  He's 12 now, and he loved showing his little sisters all the joys of the garden.  
 

Sharing the garden with younger generations makes me so happy.   Maybe I'm planting seeds for the future.  
 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!
 

 

 

I love seeing these fireworks and Uncle Sam's hat.  Lots of American flags on the hillside too.  
 

Just so you know, Patty Tegtman and I created these things last year.  She's not afraid of a table saw, and I'm not scared of glitter!!!  We had fun making them, and  they live in her garage the rest of the year.  Bill's a good sport to share his garage with glitter.