Monday, August 10, 2020

Thriving!

I meant to post over the weekend, but things just kind of kept going and time got away from me. That's kind of the name of the game these days. I guess if I had to give it a silver lining, it would be that these lightening-fast days let us know that we're alive, for lack of any better perspective to put on it. They're exhausting! But the babies are thriving to the point where I've stopped worrying about them all the time, and that's a huge mental boost. It seemed like it was a giant, never-ending juggling act those first few months, but it has paid off. As you can see in the second picture below, they're just adorable. I never get tired of holding them. I'm the same way with my boys, Baby Oscar and Baby Oliver. They're huge, grand boys now, but I never, ever get tired of holding them. 

The fruit and veg are thriving, too. Isn't that pear in the first picture just gorgeous? Almost looks fake, lol. It's not though. The pear tree is loaded, as are the four apple trees, third picture below. The apple trees have too many apples, and the branches are weighted down and bending. They'll have to be trimmed back significantly this autumn, which means the blooms next spring (am I really talking about next spring?) will be minimal. That always makes me sad, but the alternative of the trees snapping in half or a bunch of branches snapping off in summer, which could lead to the death of the tree, isn't an option if we can help it. So they'll get trimmed back with some significance, and we'll watch them re-grow over the next few years again. It's fascinating to watch and it re-emphasizes how time goes at warp speed. They'll be nice and trim one year, then it'll suddenly be five years later, and they'll be back in this crazy-full state again!

Fourth picture down - PUMPKIN!! We have several this size now! We are so excited. We had been growing Jack O'Lantern pumpkins but our luck in the past couple years has been less than stellar. We switched to field pumpkins this year. I figured we had nothing to lose, and so far, they've proven to be the stronger bet. Without disturbing the vines, I managed to count over ten and generally, when pumpkins are ready to be harvested, you find a significant amount more in hiding. I feel very confident that will be the case with this pumpkin patch!

The last shot is just a teeny one so that I have record of the continued plushness of the year on August 10th. As I chronicle, I try to get certain similar pictures several times a month. It helps me see later what is doing well and provides a history of what grew well in what spot when we change up things a bit and then want to revert later. My memory sure can't do that, so I rely on the repeat pictures for that.

Pictures are done, time for confession: I haven't gathered a single new crockpot recipe yet. I know, I know. Crocktober is seven weeks away. But it's only seven weeks away! I want to be fancy (trust me, I am the least fancy person I know) and break in the month of October with a crockpot dinner. I'm thinking about doing a vegetable pot pie in the crockpot. That's some creamy goodness right there, and I do know that biscuit toppings will brown up in the crockpot. I also like a good vegetable soup cooked slowly in the crockpot. Other good crockpot homemade soups are cream of broccoli or broccoli-cheese soups. I have a friend who gave me a recipe for crockpot mac-n-cheese, too. It turns out really well and is super nice because you don't have to boil the macaroni in advance, so there aren't a ton of dishes to do. Then there's always a nice, thick chili that does well in the crockpot. You can never go wrong with that. I may splurge this year and buy myself a box of crockpot liners to make washing up faster. Now I'm just spoiling myself!

Today has started out beautifully cool again at 63 with a ton of stars in view. It won't stay clear, though, as afternoon rain is in the forecast. NO complaining allowed, we need the rain before things get dry. In addition to helping my pumpkins grow nice and big, if we get too dry, the Autumn foliage suffers. Last years, Autumn was nearly a no-go around here. I admit, I cried over that! Last week, it looked like today was going to be a scorcher, but mercy has been invoked and now 81 and afternoon rain looks to be on tap. I'll take it! Much better. Makes me crave coffee and mellowcremes terribly. I may have to breakdown and buy a bag of the multi-flavored mellowcremes when they first come out on the shelves. Just cannot be beat for a quick afternoon pick-me-up, that sugar rush with strong coffee. 

This cold morning air, though, lends itself to cheesy scrambled eggs on toast, which I'm going to make soon. Nothing is better than the smell of coffee and toast in the morning except maybe sleepy kittens (I love to smell the babies, they still smell brand new!). Happy Monday to all. Here's hoping this week is full of all good things! 




 

2 comments:

Sharron Rose said...

I would love to see a wooden Snoopy cutout in your pumpkin patch. Or perhaps Linus. The Great Pumpkin, after all.........

Robin said...

I do have a “Welcome, Great Pumpkin” sign that we put out every year a week or so before we pick the pumpkins!! I’ll post a pic. A Linus would be precious!