Tuesday Tidbits: STILL HERE

<BIG SIGH>

 

Such an eclectic summer. Where to start?

 

Garden: I harvested rhubarb many times, made several pies, and put several bags of rhubarb chopped up and ready for pies into the freezer.

 

I grew five blackberries and managed to eat one. I don’t know who got the others. No raspberries, but maybe next year. I, also, got several zucchini.

 

 

Now, let’s talk about my tomatoes. I planted three little tomato plants: an early girl (that wasn’t early), Roma, and sweet cherry tomatoes. They went absolutely wild and were so heavy, they knocked over the tomato cages.

 

 

I was very confused and scratching my head over my tomato production. My friends’ plants were small and they only got a handful of tomatoes, while I was giving them away and freezing them. I finally figured out what it could be. I have a countertop, electric composter, and I put it in the holes and on top of the soil when I planted them.

 

And more tomatoes.

 

These two loaves of sour dough bread are a plain one and a parmesan/rosemary. I’ve also made a garlic, rosemary, and oregano as well as a cinnamon swirl one. All have been delicious.

 

 

Update on my rock removal: I gave up. They were so hard to loosen and move. But there was another factor that added to my abandonment of moving the rocks, but I’ll cover that later. My son came and helped me move the rocks back. While here, he cut down an unauthorized tree that was growing next to the foundation of my house. The trunk was the size of my upper forearm.

 

Tomatoes anyone?

  

There were also several gecko sightings.

 

 

I took the RV camping in July and over Labor Day weekend with my son, grandkids, and my two dogs. We had fun! And I actually drove the RV and got it all hooked up without help!

 

 

I’ve been continuing to make charity quilts.

 

The black and white one will go to a foster child, and the two with the accompanying bags are for a pregnancy center.

 

And yet more tomatoes.

 

 

And then there were the dogs. My little, Willow, one got freaked out by the vacuum and darted out the front door when I went to empty the vacuum canister. While trying to get her back inside, my bigger dog, Shelby, decided that if Willow could be out front so could she. Shelby darted out and ran full speed up the street with Willow in hot pursuit. I scoured the neighborhood. Someone stopped them in their front yard, where I caught up with them.

 

After that, Shelby decided she liked running free and dug under the gate for another adventure. I looked for her but had to get to a doctor appointment. When I got home, she was back in the yard and waiting for me on the back deck.

 

 

Now that she had an escape route, she planned to use it often. I filled it in and put logs in front of it . . . on both sides of the gate. When that didn’t contain her, I dug up the grass below the swing of the gate, made a cement pad so she couldn’t dig, and put a metal bar at the base of the gate so she couldn’t push her way out.

 

My inspector was pleased with my work.

Cement slab

Inspectors

Final inspection-Inspector not pleased.

Second opinion-Inspection passed.

Well, that didn’t keep her in. She somehow managed to pull the bottom of the gate to get her nose in there and wiggle her way out. Did I mention that she’s a smart dog? I put a regular gate latch at the bottom of the gate so she could neither push nor pull the bottom of it.

 

Problem solved.

 

For about two weeks.

 

Yep, she broke a picket to get out.

 

Grrrrrrrrrrr!

 

I repaired the picket and put a board across the bottom. So far she has remained in the yard for two weeks with no side adventures. Though I can tell she’s ascheming. 

 

 

These breakouts are just one of the reasons I abandoned the rocks project. Weeds is another. They were neglected and now need my full attention before winter sets in. I’m so tired of weeds. Maybe next year I’ll get them under control early and keep on top of them.

 

Through all these getaways, except the first one, Willow remained in the yard and came to the back door because she was all alone in the yard.

 

Did I mention that my tomatoes did really well this year.

 

This was yesterday's harvest.

There are still a plethora of nearly ripe and orange ones, not to mention all the green ones yet to ripen. How many tomatoes can one little old lady eat?

 

Happy Tomato Eating! =-P

 

 

THE PRODIGAL DAUGHTERS SERIES 

COURTING HER AMISH HEART (Book 1) ~ A doctor or an Amish wife? Kathleen Yoder can choose to be only one… Practicing medicine means sacrifice—no Amish man wants a doctor for a wife.

COURTING HER SECRET HEART (Book 2) ~ Caught between two worlds… Deborah Miller lives a double life as an Amish woman—and a fashion model! Soon she must choose between the Englischer world of modeling and the Amish man she’s come to love.

COURTING HER PRODIGAL HEART (Book 3) ~ Mother-to-Be’s Amish Homecoming. Pregnant and alone, Dori Bontrager is sure her Amish kin won’t welcome her back into the community—or the child she’s carrying.

https://books2read.com/marydavisbooks

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE LADY’S MISSION. Her other novels include THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle Book 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle Book 3) is a SELAH Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT, THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection, Prodigal Daughters Amish series, "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in Colorado with her Carolina Dog named Shelby and her miniture black lab named Willow. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at: Books2Read Newsletter Blog FB FB Readers Group Amazon GoodReads BookBub

 

Tuesday Tidbits: BUSY, BUSY, BUSY

       I’ve been buzzing around, flitting from one thing to another just like this bumblebee.

 

 

The weeds, as usual, are overrunning my yard, 360. I’m working hard to pull them and kill them. As soon as I get an area cleared, green invaders pop up in an area I had previously weeded. It is a never-ending endeavor.

 

 

I got a small patch of astro turf from a friend and am in the process of moving some rocks out front so I can put it down. It is a very slow process as I can only work for an hour or two 1-2 mornings a week when it’s cool-ish. Two hours down, 998 to go. Hopefully by the end of July, I might be close to rolling it out.

 

 

Gecko watching is a highlight of working outside.

 

 

I’ve also done some work in my garden.

 

 

My rhubarb is doing great.

 

 I’ve already made a couple of pies with it and plan to make more. I don't really need to eat the whole pie myself, but somebody has to do it. Mmm-mmm goo-ood! 

 

My raspberries are growing but no blossoms or fruit so far. 

 

I have a five zucchinis growing, some tomatoes, onions, a struggling blueberry bush, a struggling strawberry plant, and a blackberry bush. I don’t know that I’ll get any berries this season, but hopefully next year.

 

Thanks to a friend, I'm learning to make kombucha and sour dough. She gave me starters for both. 

 

I have been continuing to make quilts for charity. The ladies in the group are awesome, and I have so much fun.

 

 

 

One of my BIG news things is that I got a second dog! Willow is so adorable and sweet. She looks like a miniature black Lab.

 

 

She is quite a bit smaller (21 lbs) than my Carolina dog (55 lbs), but they get along great and love playing with each other. That’s what I wanted for Shelby, a playmate. I’ve always loved Labs, especially black ones. I’m trying to teach her to be a lap dog, but she isn’t even a year-and-a-half yet and wiggly. She’ll get there.

 

Shelby & Willow

 

My other big news is that my son and I went in together and bought an old motorhome. My son’s a mechanic and handyman, so he’s doing a lot of the work on it.

 

 

It sleeps 5 ½ people. Why 5 ½? Well, the couch that folds out, can only sleep one adult comfortably or two small children. It also has a queen bed and the bunk over the cab. We are fixing it up so we can go camping with the kiddos.

 

This is where my son had to fix a gaping hole that was the back corner. He pulled off the tape and pried it open a little. The innards were half disintegrated. He sprayed in expanding foam stuff and strapped it closed until it cured.

 

 

The pull-down step on the outside was iffy, so my son built steps. They still need to be carpeted.

 

 

We are hoping to have it ready for a July outing. I can’t wait. It’s going to be fun! Or else, someone is going to get grounded. I hope it’s not me.

 

 

 

 

THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle Book 3)
Can Nicole learn to be enough of a lady to snag the handsome rancher?
   Nicole Waterby heads down the mountain to fetch herself a husband, not realizing women don’t wear trousers or carry a gun. She has a lot to learn. Rancher Shane Keegan has drifted from one location to another to find a place to belong. When Nicole crosses his path, he wonders if he can have love, but he soon realizes she’s destined for someone better than a saddle tramp. Will love stand a chance while both Nicole and Shane try to be people they’re not

Get it here: https://www.amazon.com/Damsels-Intent-Quilting-Circle-Book-ebook/dp/B089DTXDCN/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=The+Damsel%27s+Intent&qid=1590863747&s=books&sr=1-2 

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE LADY’S MISSION. Her other novels include THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle Book 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle Book 3) is a SELAH Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT, THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection, Prodigal Daughters Amish series, "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Rocky Mountains with her Carolina dog, Shelby and her miniature black lab, Willow. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at: Books2Read Newsletter Blog FB FB Readers Group Amazon GoodReads BookBub