The "not so good" news

I did find a photo of one of my watermelon plants. I think they really look a little better than this photo indicates. I consider even having healthy watermelon plants a success story but that is not exactly my point today.

In my experience, the successes you get from gardening inevitably come with some failures. Pictured above is a kind of success but time will tell if it will be a success. It won't be a success unless we have melons to eat.

We do have a couple of failures so far. First, our corn. We didn't have any success there. I can't imagine it was our choice of corn, Silver Queen. That is a tested variety. It just didn't grow like it should have, even with plenty of fertilizer. Then we had either a crow or squirrel attack (or a combination of both). They pretty much decimated our corn. We had to go ahead and pick what corn we had so that the predators didn't get what was left. There wasn't very much to pick. We definitely need to learn to grow corn!

We also have had to replant our yellow squash. Though we worked very hard to prevent squash vine borers, we didn't do a good enough job. We have decided to plant more. It is hard to see but they are on each side of our okra. We will keep planting until we have some yellow squash.

We have some farmer friends who lost all our their squash plants to vine borers, and they don't even garden organically. I think this is a real problem for all farmers in our area. I am sure we will eventually come up with a solution but these are very devastating pest.

Also, the weather has been a very negative factor. Our beans are doing very good but are attacked by pests. We are barely able to keep them at bay. Our tomatoes are good but not great. I think the weather has been a factor there, too.

Our cucumbers, carrots, a success. Our okra looks great but not bearing, yet.

All in all it is worth it, though it is quite a fight against the elements and especially the pests. I can say I believe in growing food with no pesticides but it is a struggle. I think on the days we "win," it is great, when the pests "win" it can be a little depressing, but not enough to give up.

My First Grandchild!

On Sunday February 6th my son came down here for the Superbowl. He gave me this to let me know that his girlfriend is pregnant. It says " Your going to be a Grandma". My son made this himself. I also got a Valentine's Day card. When I seen this I was so shocked. I called for my boyfriend to show him what it said. In the Valentine's Day card it said to Grandma and Grandpa. That really made both of us happy.

At first I asked my son if this was some kind of a joke. Because his girlfriend was pregnant before and she lost the baby. My son said no she is pregnant. I just couldn't believe it. He said she was pregnant at Christmas and they didn't want to say anything until she seen the doctor and she was further along. Just in case something happened again.

What was really funny about this is I was teasing my boyfriend earlier about being a Grandpa. Then my son comes here and tells me I am going to be a Grandma. My boyfriends Granddaughter calls me Nana.So now my boyfriend teases me about being a Grandma and I tell him I am only as old as I feel.

The baby is due on September 2nd and I can tell you I can't wait to see the baby. This time I can spoil the baby and send it back home to mommy and daddy. We do know it is going to be a girl and her name is Skylee. I am already buying her stuff for the baby shower and for Christmas. I know my boyfriend will be looking for things for her too.

I will keep you up dated when she is born. Yes I am a very proud Grandma right now!

Some positive things from the garden

I suppose our garden is doing pretty well for this time of year, in spite of how hot and dry it has been. We've had some better days lately but the dry, hot weather has taken its toll on our garden.

We did plant some cantaloupes and watermelons several weeks ago and they look great, especially the watermelons. Of course I thought I had a photo of the watermelons but perhaps I erased it. The watermelons don't have blooms yet, but the cantaloupes do. I am so excited, because up until this point, we haven't done very well with melons. We don't have any yet, but are hopefully on our way to a good crop.




The pepper plants are beginning to produce and look very good. If you will look closely, you can see the two peppers on this plant. The hot peppers look better after Monday night's rain.





We found something behind these cucumber blooms that is very unusual.




There was a bit of wire left rolled up at the end of our cucumber vines and, of course an cucumber grew inside. Cucumbers have a tendency to hide from me, either under the leaves on the ground or any crevice they can find.

These are the good things. Later I will write about the disappointments -- and I am not just talking about the weather.

Styx Album Revue on Pieces of Eight!

All day today I was trying to figure out what to write about. So I figured since I was at Summerfest and seen Styx's in concert I would write about this album.

Seeing them for the first time in concert was awesome. They put on an awesome show and the music I couldn't believe it. I really enjoyed going to see them. I couldn't have asked for a better night out.

Here is what I think about each song on this album-

Great White Hope- This is alright not one of my favorites on the album. The music is good don't get me wrong I do like it.

I'm OK- I like the drums in the beginning. The keyboards is great the music itself is really good. I do like this one.

Sing For A Day- This one is alright. I do like the music but not as much as some of the others.

The Message- The music at the beginning is awesome. This song is great I really like this one it is the beat of the music.

Lord of the Rings- I really like this one. It is really great.

Blue Collar Man- They played this one at Summerfest. They opened with it and this is one of my favorites. I really love the music on this one. I just think the whole song is great.

Queen of Spades- The music is alright but not one of my favorites.

Renegade- This was there final song of the night. When I heard this song I was so happy because I love this song. I just love hearing this in concert it was so awesome.

Pieces of Eight- I like it because you can hear the keyboards and guitar more in the beginning. It is different that is why I like it.

Aku-Aku- This song is alright. It is different for them to do.

I hope everyone likes this revue. I just love listening to the live music better than the studio versions. So I am leaving with a live video of one of my favorites from Styx. I hope to hear what you think of this album!♥

Refreshing drinks for hot summer days

In the south we pride ourselves in our iced tea and I will admit we drink plenty of it at my house in the midst of the summer heat. Not much is better after working in the yard or garden.


My mother always used Tetley tea. She was a big fan and when I go shopping for tea I always reach for the Tetley first. These days I always buy the decaf variety. I started using it years ago and even though I am not bothered by caffeine, as some are, I use it because so many are. I can't stand the thoughts of serving something that can cause problems when the taste is the same.


We also used Liption (I also use the store-brand decaf tea if it is cheaper. I do prefer Tetley and Liption because I think the flavor is a little stronger but I am not loyal enough to a brand to pay two prices for it.)

I do love the iced tea to go. Just pour a packet into a cold bottle of water and you have a treat. I used to hate instant tea but they have come up with a winner here. I love it that it is also sugar-free. My husband will take a half-gallon packet and make it for dinner. He prefers it over ice. I can't say I prefer it to freshly brewed tea but I do love the "to go" teas. The lemonade variety is also a winner.





Snapple makes a very good product and if I am out and about I will sometimes choose one.




And also Izzies are a good choice -- i think better than a soft drink but with the sparkly punch you get with carbonation.




When I am really hungry and need something that is good for me I choose Naked smoothies. They are kind of pricey but I can stop in at a convenience store and make a better choice than a pack of crackers or candy bar. I would recommend them because they are filled with good stuff and taste good, too. It's all about the choices!



Sometimes I will get a carbonated beverage when I need a pick-me-up. I do try to stay away from them. I don't think they are good for me so I keep them at a minimum. I like Diet Coke but I probably like Diet Mountain Dew better. It just has an extra punch.

Sometimes after working in the garden we will hit the Quick Trip on our way home. My husband really loves his fountain drinks, especially when they are 59 cents. He gets a Diet Pepsi with a little squirt of cherry and I either get white tea or I "do the dew."




I do try to drink more water than anything. Even when we get fast foods, I have gotten used to drinking bottled water. It is probably not any better or more pure than tap water but it is refreshing and cold and perfect for a hot summer day.

Happy 4th of July!

I know I am putting this up early but I just want to wish everyone a very Happy 4th of July. I was thinking of what to write about and it is the weekend of the 4th of July so that is why I am writing this.

I was just reading about it on the the computer about the day of Independence and the signing of the Declaration. I just found out the declaration was not signed on this day it was signed on August 4th. It was actually a month later. The only ones that really know the truth are Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin and they are gone. So no one will ever know the truth about this.

Everyone celebrates this day by going and seeing parades, cookouts, visiting family and friends then going to see fireworks. Yes I know some of you have your own fireworks also to shoot off. I remember going up north to my parents land and my dad shooting off the fireworks. We use to enjoy this so much. If you are shooting off fireworks please be very careful and please watch out the the little kids with the sparklers because those can hurt them too.

I would also like to thank all the men and women that are serving  in the Armed Forces. They put there lives on the line for us everyday. A lot of them are still overseas and can not be with there families today and have missed a lot of the Holidays with there families. To me this is there day also.

My dad was in the Army and I have had family and friends in the Armed Forces. My ex husband was in the Army also. I have cousins that are still in the Armed Forces and this is why I put this picture up also. I am just praying they are very safe today. I pray everyday for the safety for each and every man and women in the Armed Forces.

I hope everyone has a very safe Holiday and I hope you enjoy you Holiday with your friends and family. HAPPY 4TH OF JULY to all you!♥

Pickles!

If you ask me what I have been doing lately, the answer will be making pickles. I am fighting to stay ahead of the cucumbers. Don't get me wrong. We love cucumber pickles and I would hate NOT to have them during the year but it is a bit hard at this time to keep up with all the beautiful cucumbers.

Here is my recipe for sour pickles. So far I have made the majority of the cucumbers we have grown into sour pickles. There are our family's favorite pickle variety.

I wash the jars and fill them the best I can with cucumbers. Then mix up the simple brine and let them sit for a few days before they are ready to eat. If I want to save them for later, I can the pickles.

I like the smaller pickles and also slices. My husband likes big, honking pickles.

I have tried purchasing pickle "mixes" and though they don't taste bad, the pickles seem to get soft after a few months. My family only likes them if they stay crunchy. I really don't like sweet pickles, though most people do, especially in Georgia where barbecue is still a widespread favorite. Most barbecue "joints" in our area still serve sweet pickles with a barbecue plate.

At least we don't buy pickles anymore. For that I am grateful. I can't say it saves money but we do enjoy homemade ones better.