Monster Vegetable

I was showing off the strawbale garden to a knitting friend this afternoon and saw a large slash of red so I reached in among the radish and carrot tops and picked--Franken-Radish!  It's enormous!  I also discovered yesterday that when those radishes get big, they get extra peppery.  No more eating them out of hand, they're at the "sliced on a salad" stage, which is okay since I'm going to a concert tomorrow and will make a salad for my supper.  With homegrown radish slices on top.





One of the milkweed plants is blooming.  There aren't a lot of them but they keep coming back and the butterflies come too.





 
Butterflies also like the flowers in the garden, the red bee balm attracts both butterflies and hummingbirds, the purple spiderwort teems with bees all day, and the Japanese beetles are (thankfully) ignoring the flowers in favor of gobbling up the leaves of a weed.  I purposely left the weed because I thought I remembered that they like it and I was right.  They can eat all the weed leaves and flowers they want as long as they leave my perennials and roses alone.










The peach daylily on the side of the house is blooming and while this yarrow looks white in the picture it's actually pink.  Very pretty and delicate.

My new DSLR camera came today along with a huge box of doodads and accessories--tripod, two extra lenses, a camera bag, cleaning tools, lens cap keepers, memory card wallet, video accessories--I have no illusions that I'll use all that stuff for now (maybe never), I downloaded the manual and printed off about 30 pages so I can learn how to use the camera before I go to Yellowstone ONE MONTH FROM SATURDAY.  Who's freaking out?  Not me, I'm not freaking out, you're freaking out.





While I was looking (unsuccessfully) for ripe blueberries this big brown grasshopper jumped past.  It's been a while since I've seen one.  




Another thing that arrived today was this potholder loom.  I have one but it doesn't have the hook needed to pull the loops through and since LC is getting big enough to make them I thought we needed a loom with a hook.  OJ might enjoy trying to make a potholder but he's probably a little young yet.  I have a big bag of loops I got at Goodwill a while back so we're set.  I have a trio of hotpads that DD made when she was about 8 years old.  They work just fine.  They probably need to cycle through the laundry but they keep my fingers from burning.

24 July--Barbara Malcolm, Horizon.

               He must not have seen me sitting in the woods behind the mailbox because he drove past, parked next to the walk, got out, and knocked on the porch door.  When no one appeared, I could see him crane his neck trying to see if I was inside.  Then he walked to the garden and came around the front of the house to stand by the porch.  I could see he was talking to himself and had to suppress a giggle.  He hitched up his khaki work pants and frowned at the sight of my car in the garage.  Then he caught sight of me.  I was trying not to look as if I were watching him but I don’t think I succeeded.  He raised his hand in a small wave and made his way over to me.

            “Gail, what’re you doing hiding in the woods?  Are you avoiding me?” he said when he got closer.

            “Of course I’m not avoiding you, Abel.  I noticed how beautiful the trilliums look in this glade and decided to try painting outside for the first time.”

            “So, how’re you doing?”

            “Not very well.  I can’t seem to capture the feeling I’m looking for.  Here.  See what you think.”  I held out my first two attempts.  “Be careful.  They’re probably still damp.”  Why did I hand him those?  It’s not like he’s an art expert.

“Well, I’m no expert, but it seems to me as if you’ve used too dark a green for the trees and not enough gold in the flowers.  Plus some of the flowers, the ones getting old, are a pale purple.  But I really like your style, Gail.  I hung that painting you gave me right in my kitchen where I can see it when I eat.  Get lots of compliments on it too.”  He handed back the watercolors and peered at the blank paper on my easel.  “Going to give it another try?”

            I looked at my two failed attempts and thought about Abel’s comments; and I wondered who exactly had been in his kitchen to compliment him on my painting.  Some woman?  “I might.  But the light’s changed and my behind is tired of sitting on this old campstool.  I know my back could use a rest.”  I started to clean my brushes and replace things in my basket.

            “Now, don’t stop on my account.  I just dropped by to see how your garden’s doing.  I’ll run along and not disturb your painting.”

            I put my hand out and touched his arm.  “That’s okay, Abel.  You’re not really disturbing me.  I was getting too frustrated to continue.  Would you give me a hand hauling this stuff back to the house?  I think I could find a bottle of wine we could share if you’re interested.”

            “That’d be just fine.”

            Together we gathered up my painting supplies and walked up to the house.

            While I carried my painting things into the studio I asked Abel to open one of the bottles of wine in the fridge.  “I hope you don’t mind white wine,” I said as I gave my brushes another swish in clean water before standing them in an empty jar to dry.

            “No, white is fine with me.” 

            I could hear him grunt as he pulled on the cork and the little pop as it came out.  “The wine glasses are in the cupboard above your head.  I’ll be right out.”  I ducked into the bathroom to run a quick brush through my hair and wash any paint off my hands.

He was reading the bottle as I returned.  “This looks like good wine.  Where’d you get it?”

“A friend had one of those wine parties a few years ago, kind of an upscale Tupperware party, I guess, and I liked this German Spatlese so I bought a case.  I know red wine’s supposed to be better for your heart and all, but it’s just too dry for me.”  I put some crackers on a plate and got a bowl of olive and nut spread out of the fridge that I smeared on them.  “Let’s go out to the porch.”

Abel picked up the wine and the glasses and followed me through the living room and out the front door.  “Maybe you and I should host one of those wine parties.”

“Maybe we should,” I was surprised to hear myself say, “It might be fun.”

We sat on the porch and watched the sunset and talked long into the evening about gardens, and art, and local gossip, and books we’d read.  I was surprised how easy Abel was to talk to once I got over thinking that he was an obnoxious jerk.

I met my friend KW at the Y at 7 o'clock this evening for a half-hour's walk in the pool and as I turned the corner in the parking lot on my way to Kwik Trip for some bananas this is what I saw.  Isn't the sun beautiful?  I love the pale tint of the clouds behind the trees.  Once again I woke up too early so I'm too tired to wriggle.  Nighty-night.
--Barbara

P.S. I watched Bohemian Rhapsody this morning.  It's a movie about Freddie Mercury and Queen.  I highly recommend it.  Very well done and great music.  That's OJ's favorite song right now only he calls it "Bo-queen-ian Rhapsody." I hope he never changes.