Garden Update 2025

 After taking last summer off from growing vegetables, I was excited to return to food production. Don't get me wrong, planting flowers for the wedding was a lot of fun and a memory that I will treasure, but there's just something to be said for eating from a garden plot that you have lovingly tended.

My first harvest from the garden was a bunch of radishes, which I used in a salad and enjoyed as a snack. This variety was pretty spicy, but I didn't mind.

I tried bok choy for the first time and was happy to see that it grew quickly. Unfortunately, it also bolted in the heat a lot faster than I was expecting, so I had to harvest every plant early. I have it in the fridge and plan to use it in a stir-fry.

My pole beans are giant and seem healthy, but have yet to set the flowers necessary for bean production. The plants have also been invaded by Mexican bean beetles, which I am battling. In the past, I planted bush beans, and I never had a pest problem. I also never had a very high yield of beans, which is why I decided to try my hand at pole beans. I'm starting to wonder if beans are simply not in my wheelhouse.

The beets I planted had a germination rate of about twenty-five percent, which is also unusual for me; I generally do really well with beets. I harvested a bunch and replanted. The new seed is starting to germinate, so I am hopeful that I will get a late harvest.

My tomatoes are all doing really well. I chose the ugliest heirloom varieties that I could find in the nursery, and it's been interesting to see how the fruits have developed. I also planted a yellow pear variety, which always does well in my garden, and a couple of purple cherry varieties, which are producing. I'm excited for all of the tomatoes to ripen so I can taste them.

My herbs are all doing well, including the basil that I planted from seed...

..and the dill that I planted next to my cucumbers.

This weekend, I harvested a bunch of beets, one green bell pepper, a handful of herbs, one medium-sized tomato, and a bunch of cherry tomatoes that weren't ripe but were on a branch that broke from a plant in the high winds that recently blew through. I don't know if they will ripen on the counter, but I'm willing to see what happens.

And that's the first garden update for the summer. We'll have to see how the rest of the season plays out. 

Life Lately

Summer is halfway over and we have yet to pull out the boat, four-wheelers, or motorhome. This may be an indication of how our summers are going to play out going forward and I'm not having it. Hugh has been busy with the fire department (and is currently battling a large wildfire in the national park located literally in our backyard), so he has been unavailable for recreational pursuits. If this is what his schedule is going to look like on the regular, I will be leaning on the Man-Cub to help me take the boat out. There is no reason for the rest of us to miss out while Hugh chases his joy.

In the meantime, the joy that I am chasing has included a trip to the farmer's market with Mom, where we purchased several loaves of locally made bread...

...and some heirloom tomatoes that I used in a delicious Caprese salad.

I also invited Kristi over for a wine sampling on the porch one evening. We sampled a color flight that included the brightest Chardonnay, all the way up the spectrum to the deepest Malbec. Our highest-rated wine was the Malbec, which surprised us both.

I served a classic charcuterie board, along with a platter of bruschetta and a loaf of crusty bread with flavored olive oil for dipping . It was a fantastic spread and we agree that we need to make wine sampling and snacking a permanent event on the summer calendar.

The vast majority of my time has been spent reading or embroidering on the porch. I'm eternally grateful for this porch of mine; it soothes the sting of not being able to travel or go on spontaneous adventures, thanks to the albatross around my neck, aka: the hardware store. (Full-on rant about that situation coming soon, so that will be fun).

If I can't be on a beach with a good book in hand, the porch is a fair alternative.

And, that's life, lately.

Can You Really Have Too Much of a Good Thing?

I haven't been writing much lately. I've mostly been spending time on the porch, reading and rotting. I'm not mad about it; last summer was jam-packed with wedding preparations, so a quiet summer is a rather nice departure.

Last July, I was running around the valley, procuring the milk glass vases that we needed for the kids' reception. This year, I am enjoying not only those vases, but also the myriad of other milk glass objects that I have thrifted. Who knew collecting milk glass would become an obsession?

When I find a unique piece, I envision how I will incorporate it into my home. Some of my favorite uses are pictured below.

I use a small fan-shaped vase as an eyeglass holder in my bathroom, next to a vase that holds my make-up brushes.

I use a vintage trinket box to store my collagen powder for my morning tea.

I use vases for plants.

And a small compote dish holds a fancy guest soap in the powder room downstairs.

A tiny creamer holds matches for a candle on the coffee table in our living room. There is a striker on the bottom of the creamer, making lighting the matches a breeze. The shallow bowl that the creamer sits in serves as a receptacle for the spent matches.

I also have a vintage milk glass ashtray that holds used matches next to a candle in the kitchen.

A small candy dish keeps my kitchen sponge and soap dispensing brush tidy on the counter.

And, my favorite vase holds a large bouquet of silk hydrangeas on the dining room table.

This is only a small sample of the bigger collection. I also have several lamps, serving pieces, dishes, candlesticks, and cake stands, but I think you get how crazy I've gotten over this stuff. I thank my Daughter-in-Love for awakening this beast, if you want to place blame (I'm looking at you, Hugh). Not only did I get a fantastic bonus daughter, but also a vast collection of paraphernalia that the kids will have to fight over in a few more decades.

It's a win for everyone, really.