Muniment Monday

muniment ~ means of defence; record fortifying or proving a claim

Once again it was a quiet week last week. And I didn’t even have a trip to Costco to liven things up. I did, however, start a list of things we forgot to buy at Costco. LOL

We had just enough rain last week to make my garden happy. The peas are pretty much done, as are the green beans, and the yellow beans might need to be picked once more. However, the green beans my neighbour is growing on the fence are just starting, which is good timing because I’m not going to get buried in green beans.

I have no idea how the carrots are doing, other than they probably need to be thinned badly. They’re hidden under the beans and I’m leery about getting overly-friendly with the bean plants. The last couple of times I picked them my arms started stinging.

My beets are hanging in there, but they’re growing really slowly. I was able to pick enough small ones to feed the granddaughter and I when she was here for supper, but we were really splitting a single serving.

I have two teeny tiny little peppers forming, so I’m crossing my fingers for more. And I have two pumpkins in my pumpkin patch. But the plants are still blooming so I’m hoping for more.

The neighbour’s butternut squash are trying to take over my rose garden, and so far I have two nicely formed squash making it all worth while. Last year she had quite the bumper crop so we’ll have to see what this year brings.

In the insect world . . . The hubby and granddaughter found this bug a few weeks ago, and were curious about what kind of bug it was.

Looks like some kind of caterpillar, don’t you think? I did a Google search for caterpillars with that colouring, but came up empty. Then I changed the search to “long black bugs with orange on them” and to my surprise I immediately came up with a hit.

Turns out it’s the larvae form of the Asian lady beetle. So when it grows up it’s going to be a Ladybug – I didn’t even know they had a larvae stage.

Unlike the Japanese Beetles, Ladybugs are welcome in my garden any time.

Morkin Monday

morkin ~ animal that has died by accident

The romantic notion of having my own vegetable garden has been quickly deflated. Gardens are a lot of work! It’s not just the weeding – it actually hasn’t been bad for weeds now that everything’s filled in – but I’m having to pick the beans every couple of days and I’m having trouble judging when the peas should be picked – too soon and you’ve basically got pea pods, too late and the peas are big and bitter.

But I have to admit, it felt good getting the first batch of green beans done up for the freezer. And I’m pretty sure we’ll enjoy them during the winter. My neighbour showed me what to look for to see how many pumpkins I’m going to end up with. So far . . . one. All those blooms and only one is going to turn into a pumpkin. *sigh* And that’s only if this little guy:

leaves it alone. He’s already taken care of the squash blossoms on one of the plants, so it’s doubtful I’ll get any squash. But fortunately my neighbour looks like she’s going to have a bumper crop again, and she likes to share.

You might take note of the vines growing through the fence – even they have squash starting under their blooms. And tradition dictates that whatever grows through the fence is mine. LOL

Over the years the neighbours rotate their “crops.” In the past I’ve had enough green beans and peas growing through the fence to freeze, and one year it was cucumbers. I can’t talk her into growing zucchini though, so I guess I’ll have to plant my own next year. Meanwhile I’ll need to look up some recipes to use the butternut squash in.

I can’t wait for the fall to make vegetable soup with my own vegetables!