30 tomatoes - counted them twice to be sure!

Yes, there are 30 tomatoes out there on those beautiful green vines. I check on them daily now as they continue to get bigger and bigger. I know I have a variety because there are 3 plants that have yet to show any tomatoes at all while the other ones all have at least two or three. This is a good thing for me since they won't all be coming in at the same time. The only thing is, I won't be able to can them unless I get a whole bunch at once.

Daryl gave me a bunch of stuff over the weekend. I have more yellow squash, more zucchini and lots more cucumbers. I'm looking into making the Bread and Butter pickles this time. He also brought me a bag full of tomatoes. I boiled them, peeled the skins off and made a pot of homemade sauce. It was much easier than I thought and tasted so good I had to get it in a freezer bag before Wally ate it all. So whether I can them or make sauce with them, they'll be good up into the winter months when no homegrown tomatoes are to be found.

My dill pickles won't be ready for tasting until Saturday. I miscalculated the dates on my initial count. They have to stay in the refrigerator for 14 days and then you can open them up and taste them. I shake the seasonings around every day, sometimes twice a day and they look very appetizing.

I'm cutting the squash and some of the zucchini into rounds and freezing them. There aren't enough to can but there are too many to eat before they go bad. I was also given a big bag of okra. Now this one I've had to seriously contemplate. I can do so much with it but again, there isn't enough to can it. So some of it will get cut up and frozen like the squash, some will be sliced and fried (I know, I know...) and some of it almost has to go into a pot of gumbo. It just wouldn't be right otherwise.

I planted my radishes in 4 rows about 6-8 inches apart. Well, after the rains we had, it appears all the seeds kind of ended up in one place. LOL I'm going to have to do some thinning out so they can grow into the big, red, round orbs as promised on the seed packet. I love that they are so juicy and just a little bit hot. I slice them up, salt them and eat them right off the plate. I also use them in my salad when I have them. Since I have all these cucumbers, I'm going to try the radish and cucumber salad. It's kind of like the tomato and cucumber salad but with radishes instead.

With the rain going on my laundry was in a bad way for a couple days there. I did finally get most of it done but I still have one more load to do tonight when I get home. I still can't bring myself to use the dryer when it's so hot outside and mostly sunny. I just have to keep checking to see when they're dry so they don't get rained on. I did pretty good dodging the showers this weekend :)  It's becoming a challenge!

I filled up the hummingbird feeders again and it wasn't long before the little feeder was empty again. When we were at Pee Wee's I noticed her feeder was being put to the test too. Her birds don't look anything like mine though. One of hers has a fluorescent green belly and another has little white spots on its tail feathers. Mine are gray with black wings - I'm thinking maybe I have females and she probably has both. They stay pretty busy in their attempts to out drink each other, that's for sure.

I was able to get my floors done over the weekend. I know that sounds like a boring story but if you ever saw these floors you would know what a grand accomplishment this was for me! The kitchen, hallway and spare bedroom floors are laminate, the bathroom is linoleum and the living room is wood with a polyurethane sealer on it. You can't use the same cleaner on any of them. The living room needed it the most so I dust mopped, then swept and then swiffered. I can't use the swiffer liquid that comes with it, I have to use vinegar on it. We took an old bottle and cut a hole in the bottom of it where we pour the vinegar in then I'm off and swiffering! LOL They look so pretty when they're done that you don't even want to walk on them.

I finally got around to cleaning the spiral staircase leading up to our room. Those steps are made from cedar and they are huge. I have no idea how so many dust bunnies can collect up on those steps but I swept a whole pile of them off and onto the floor below. From there it's a piece of cake :) I'm sure I look like I'm completely uncoordinated, which truly I am, when I stand there on those steps trying to sweep and not miss anything and keep from falling all at the same time. Ah, but the reward is sweet when I see the sun coming in through the glass doors landing on those steps making them shining like they do. Wally did a fantastic job on that staircase - it's beautiful and perfectly suited to the cabin.

When I write about cleaning the floors, it sounds like something that ought to take about 20 or 30 minutes to finish. Well, no. It actually takes me about an hour on the living room floor alone. I have no idea what the square footage is of that room but I know it's big. My clothes dried in the time it took me to do that floor :)  ha ha ha

Well the crepe myrtles are all in bloom! Everyone seems to have one but me :( I'll remedy that soon though. It's just a matter of deciding what color I want, how many I want and where the heck I'm going to plant them so that I can see them without them getting in the way of the view. Maybe over by Dizzy's apartment? That would be pretty! Yep - It's decided. I'll be able to see them from my kitchen window and whenever we're out at the grill. Perfect :)

Tonight I go pick up my basket. I think I'm supposed to get more of the rattlesnake beans and that will be just fine with me. We loved them! I don't know what else I'm getting but that's half the fun of it. The surprise comes when Trish starts filling the basket from her coolers - lettuces, patty pan squash, flowers, whatever she brings I always get excited about it and can't wait to get home and start cooking. The zinnias from last week are still in full color bloom but the sunflowers have faded out. I used the garlic in my sauce and it was very flavorful and fragrant.

They have ribeyes on sale, whole or half for $4.97 lb. Now that's a deal. I have to go past Pee Wee's to get it but since I'll be out that way tonight anyway, I'll be stopping by. They'll even slice it for free :) woo hoo! It's grain fed instead of grass fed but I don't have much choice, grocery stores don't carry grass fed as far as I can tell. Who knows what a whole or half ribeye weighs? Not me - I could be buying $50.00 worth of meat if I'm not careful... lol Which reminds me, we still didn't get the cows. Maybe tomorrow. The guy who has them said Tuesday would be a better day for him.

This week is busy for me at work so I may not get to update you every day. I'm back-up for Suzette again while she is out of the office Wednesday - Friday. Just in case I don't get back on here, I hope you have a nice week. Don't forget to stop and smell the flowers! It's free and it's enticing - it might even make you want to plant something of your own...

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now." ~Chinese Proverb