It’s hot (it’s supposed to get into the 90s today)! Now summer has started. I apologize the rest of the country where the temps have been the 90s non-stop. I just need a little warmth to feel like I’ve had a summer.
We’ve had a strange year, edible-plant-wise. The golden raspberries have been prolific–yum! The strawberries have been more productive, also, The boysenberries actually produced a few berries. And the blueberries produced a bunch. Our Liberty apple tree has 5 apples on it (woot!). The veggies haven’t done much, though. The slugs ate all the carrots and lettuce. The “Isis Candy” cherry tomato isn’t looking so great–it’s been too cold, I think. The “Costata Romanesco” zucchini look good, though. I think next year I’m going to rearrange things so the tomatoes are closer to the house and can get more attention from me.
Here’s a little list of our summer highlights, so far:
First, our neighborhood has a Kiddie Parade each summer. My daughter participated with some neighborhood kids on a float called “The Dead-End Kids” which had a pirate-theme (we live on a dead-end street). Ironically, I just had a discussion with my knitting group about pirates and how I usually don’t let my daughter play pirate because it’s kinda the equivalent of playing robbers and murderers. Sigh.
Here’s my little faux-pirate–on the left–(with her pirate peeps)
Also, you may recall that I attended the Farmgirl Campout at the beginning of the month at MaryJane’s Farm. MaryJane and her staff are just about the nicest people I’ve met. And so generous. They had a wonderful campsite set up for us–with a sink and running water. They also set up a fire pit ringed by hay bales with pretty rag rugs on each bale. And they gifted us with chocolates in the shape of a sunflower from The Sweet Granada, a chocolate cafe in Kansas, as well as with a pattern for a “Farmgirl Apron”. In the morning they had breakfast for us with scones, coffee cake, fruit, coffee and tea. So generous and nice.
The actual camping wasn’t the best for me. I’m not the greatest camper to begin with. I usually have to get up several times a night to pee, etc. Anyway, it was quite hot that day and the night was cooler but not that cool. My tent was on a slanted section so I kept sliding down off the thermarest. And I was up constantly peeing in the woods. And then the other farmgirls, in a fit of enthusiasm, rose at 4 am (AM people!) and started up again with campfire songs. So, I literally got no sleep.
The farm itself is beautiful and just charming. The chicken coop has wallpaper:
The Plum Pit (the gathering spot for the Bed and Breakfast at the farm) has an outdoor working stove:
It also has a canopy bed further up in the woodsy part (very fairy-tale):
Anyway, today is my daughter’s last day of circus camp. She just loved it!
