Hello to everyone from beautiful Israel! I can't even start to tell you what a wonderful adventure (and I use this term for a reason) this has been. Tomorrow hopefully I will post pictures but tonight it is late and Dan had a hard day at the office. I have much to tell everyone and will be back tomorrow as soon as I can! Love you all and miss you so much! Ohhhh, miss my nice bed, too, LOL!

More Tomatoes....

These are some Roma tomatoes I planted from seed. My favorite seed company is Seed Savers. What can I say, they just come up!

Check out these babies! We have blooms and a few babies! I harvested my first squash today. There seem to be hundreds of tiny cucumbers on the vines, too. Yesterday I made some plum jam - my first time to ever do that. It was so simple that I can not believe I've never done it before.

Chocolate mint

This plant is as tasty and fragrant as it is lovely. The rich chocolate stems and veins embrace the eye and add to the overall texture of this invasive herb. Are you asking yourself, "Did she plant it in a container like we all know one should?" Well, the answer is no, I did not. This stuff is coming up all over the place. After last years drought I didn't know if any of it would survive. It is as hardy as it is beautiful!

Okra!

What a nice, healthy plant! I started these little fellows from seed and have ever so carefully nursed them. I transplanted them way too early. Every evening I would place pots over them then every morning I would take them off and hope for the temperatures to rise. Finally, they did. I don't suspect it will be long before I get my first blooms!

Beet update

I planted these little beauties on the top (I transplanted the tommy toe tomatoes on the far right and basil that's in the middle to trays - the dill hasn't came up yet).
here, after taking out the kale and radishes.
They are really there,
Just look!

Latest project

This is one of my many projects for the summer. The pole used to house one of those big satellite dishes from many years ago. We sanded it down, painted it with a 97 cent can of paint and added the bird house I received for Mothers Day. I have to admit this is one of the fastest projects I have completed in a long time. The flowers are bachelor buttons (a member of the cornflower family) that I planted from seed. Amazing! 3 flats plus a few or about 36 bucks give or take if purchased from the nursery. I really enjoyed the process of growing from seed and will make it a point to do it every chance I get.

Maters!

This is the 'after' picture. Still we have tomatoes that I will have to find a home for. I have learned one valuable lesson on my first attempt to start plants from seed. You really don't have to plant every seed in the pack......

This is the 'before' picture. We have a few cucumber and a couple of rows of okra. This is a small plot that is a work in progress. I should have started preparing the soil last fall.

Eggplant

I know I really shouldn't be using space on veggies I'm not so fond of - but honestly, is a garden really a garden if it has no eggplant?

Beets - finally!

I know this isn't the best photo ever but I couldn't help it! I planted beets in March and they never came up. I've been planting beets ALL MY LIFE and they NEVER come up. I was starting to get a complex. So, here they are - my first beets! Now, let's just hope they survive.

My first squash blossom!

I am soo excited! The red wasp on the timber was gathering some pollen when I arrived. He don't like my company or was finished because he left. Today's garden chores will be to transplant tomatoes into a larger garden I have tilled. Will post pictures of before and after later today or tomorrow.

Yawn....

Can you say good life?? And yeah, sure, that is a hot tub on the back deck, but it don't work at this time. I was just waiting for this little fellow to sit up and say, "Hey, lady, don't you wish you could lay around in the sun all day like me?" OK, I admit it, I'm jealous!

Dinner tonight!

Fresh lettuce, spinach, asparagus and radishes. Sounds like a salad to me!

I love kale! We never grew this when I was a child and I would love to know if my great grandmother has ever had it. She dearly loved turnip greens. I think she would have liked kale, too. I miss her - all the wonderful knowledge she had about gardening, sewing and just life in general. She lived to be almost 100. Just thinking of her makes me smile. :)

Radish harvest

I've been harvesting radishes, lettuce, kale and spinach for a few weeks now. These are the Cherry Belle variety from Burpee. I've been wanting to try the Easter Egg variety and never think about it when ordering seeds. I think the grandchildren might try them. They did try these and found it a bit too hot for their liking. I think they are GREAT and am munching on them right now!

The Iris

Given to me many years ago by a dear friend - they always make me smile!

Our friend the lady bug at work!

I found several of these garden friends yesterday while doing a few garden chores. I'm glad they are here! It looks like golden zucchini are on there way. YUM!

Camellia - Alabama state flower

Beautiful! I look out my kitchen window and see this beauty every day. I can't imagine it not being there. I wonder what people do who don't have such wonderful things to bring them peace and joy. Even the birds think it is a great place to live!

What's this?

Could it be a giant bear track? An overgrown deer paw print? Noooo! It's the fish pond I've been working on for the past 3 years. Really. We even had electricity ran to it. The wiring used to be laying there but the mowers cut it in half a couple of years back. Sigh.... Soooo, I've conned my grandchildren into cleaning it out, digging it deeper and made it our project for the year. Let's see how this works out. Will keep you posted!

Remains of the Spruce

Remains of the Spruce tree after my dear hubby chopped it down and burned it. He really seemed to enjoy his work so I have compiled a nice 'honey do' list in my head :)

Poor tree....

Here it is - the most neglected tree on the property. The poor thing had hedge bushes and vines growing all up it literally choking it to death. I cut all the dead lower branches off and decided it's just not going to make it. I will see if my dear hubby will cut it down.

Early spring planting

To the left is kale (which I mistakenly bought thinking they were broccoli - it was really a bad day...), radishes that are almost ready to harvest, spinach, carrots and onions sets.

My herb garden

Wheew! I've not been able to do any work in my
raised beds for some time. It feels so good to be
able to tend the earth and feel the freshly turned soil between my toes! Here I have some oregano, chocolate mint, chives, freshly planted sage and
some parsley in the back right that's not up yet.

Hello!!!