2009 Garden

We started planting our garden in early May with peas and potatoes. Now two months later we have added spinach, green beans and carrots. The photo below is showing the carrots and some of the 45 potato plants.Behind the potatoes are a couple rows each of peas and beans. The peas are about 4 inches higher than our four foot fence and will be ready to pick in about two weeks.
Here is the spinach and the peas and beans from the other end. I have already had four cuttings of spinach, each equal to a large bag of it at the store.
Judy has this each day.
Almost ready to pick.
The asparagus is perennial and has long ago stopped producing the eatable part and has gone to seed. But we got few meals of it in the late spring.

Earle Brown Parade Reservations were made

Thursday was the annual Earle Brown Days parade that has always gone down Dupont Ave N on the fourth Thursday in June. I got home from work at about 1:30PM that day and I passed row after row of chairs already setup for a parade that was starting five hours later. Since I had already invited half the ward to come and put out the FaceBook notice, I thought I had better get all the chairs out on the curb to reserve our spots in front of the house. The Winkels always came to the parade but since they would be coming from Texas and would be really tired, I thought I would reserve some front row seats for them. So here they are: Yeah for the Winkels.
But alas, they were no-shows. Maybe next year. Here is mom with the two cuties.
I will just let you enjoy the photos and not say too much. Most of you know these people.


Andrew and Brandon will be spending a couple of days with us.
The refreshment table was full. It was so full that a group of unknown teenage kids starting gathering at the end of the driveway. Jeff mentioned that they were eyeing the the refreshments. I was close enough to shew them away after they started reaching for the goodies. I think they were singing, "I'm Bad, I'm Bad" in honor of the king of pop. And they were, for trying to take our stuff without an invitation.



This was Sara's first parade appearance since before her mission. Welcome back.
Anna is showing off her fruit snake, I mean snack, skills.
Parade wavers

Don't cross that white line!
Jordan was the king of the band. When he arrived, we, the parade viewers, drowned out the band when we hollered "Jordan" over and over again. He did hear us, he told us afterwards, but he didn't crack a smile - just the stoic parade marching look.
Ronald McDonald was there and we were hoping he would toss out some burgers or French fries but no luck.
Clowns were entertaining.
Collecting and discussing the loot.

Live snakes were a hit.


Peter had fun stuffing small beach balls into his shirt and pants.
BFFs.

Them Waskely Wabbits

Well, since it was so hot out today (98.6 degrees) I needed to water the crops and flowers. I was watering the carrots when I noticed a rabbit in the beans. That is the first time one has gotten past all the chicken wire I have around the vegetables. He had to go and there was no way out. He was surrounded. Well, needless to say, he will no longer need to worry about food and shelter. Bye bye you waskely wabbit!

The pool party Videos

Here are some of the many videos I took of the pool party. I did say that some plants got watered over and over again.

Logan ran towards the sprinkler and dropped his watering can and had to go back to get it.

The Dudes are going full steam and having a ball doing it.

The girls like to do "Ring Around The Rosie"

Here is the gang of pool partiers.

Two beautiful Cow Girls came to visit

Saturday we had two of the cutest cowgirls come to visit us. Their Mom had an appointment so we said "'Mon over!". The Barnhart kids were here for about 10 hours and had a blast.

Great day for outdoor fun and picnic

The Barnhart kids came over for a visit today. We decided to got our gigantic backyard pool out ofthe shed and fill it with water. It was in full sunshine when we filled it, hoping that the sun would warm it. The kids kept telling me that it was really cold but when I checked it, I said that it felt like bath water - they knew I was kidding but I never gave in. Eventually they braved the water and started having hillarious fun. It did get to 90 degrees. Little miss casual girl, relaxing in the yard.

Splashing was a must.

She has the greatest smile.

Then Logan and Liam joined the fun. It took them a little while to get in the mood for water, but once they did, there was no stopping them. Some of the water toys were watering cans and since it was so hot outside and they noticed the flowers were in heat stress, they took it upon themselves to water them. But they usually watered the same ones over and over, making puddles of water around them.

Fill-r-up!

Dump-r-out!

Finished the canning. Whew!!!!!

I was lucky enough to get the dry pack equipment at my house. I got an additional 61 cans and finished canning ours and Brett's sugar, flour, hot cocoa and spaghetti. I did that all by myself and that took about 1.5 hours. That is hard work. Now I have 22 cases of canned goods that I need to find a place for in our tiny house.