Party Time

Astrid and her friend, Sophie, are heading out to a party.  They are both sooooooooo pretty.

Garden Pictures

 Sweet potatoes and that black strip is where I planted pumpkins.  My tomatoes are blooming and Larry's watermelons are coming along.

Volleyball Camp

 Ingrid and Sigrid went to a volleyball 2 day evening camp at Tech.  They are both good players.  Siggie was one of the youngest kids...not the shortest!  But most of them were older than her 8 years!  The girl in the green shirt is one of the coaches.  Her name is Marcella and she is from Brazil.  In these photos she is teaching the pass.  The pass is the first hit in volleyball.  Well she got these cones and the girls had to hold the cone between their arms and catch a tennis ball in the cone.  Siggie's Momma did not "raise a fool".   They were practicing and I said to Laura--Where is Sigrid?   Well, my girl was trading a small cone for the biggest one in the pile!  A big red cone!  and yes, she was successful.  They worked on the set and also the serve and hit.  I did not take photos of the serves and hits as Sigrid is really too little to succeed at these.  Ingird was the best at everything!  I know you are thinking "yeah, right!"

What Have I ever done?

Kris Kristopherson says it best!  What have I ever done to deserve even one of these two girls.  They are both great girls!  They have opinions...not necessarily the same as mine.  They can think and do for themselves.  I told Erin that I had decided benadryl made me crazy and she retorted "you are crazy" but hey, she loves me anyway.  Laura will listen to me go on and on about something stuck in my brain and nod her head.  She does not tell me to shut up.  Once in a while she will say--" Momma, you have already told me that".
This song has been in my head all week!

why me lord?

what have i ever done,

to deserve even one,

of the pleasures i've known,

tell me lord,

what did i ever do,

that was worth lovin' you,

for the kindness you've shown,

lord help me Jesus,

i've wasted it so help me Jesus,

i know what i am,

but now that i know,

that i needed you so help me Jesus,

my souls in your hand,

try me lord,

if you think there's a way,

i can try to repay,

all i've takin' from you,

maybe lord,

i can show someone else,

what i've been through myself,

on my way back to you,

Jesus, my soul's in your hands

Throwing The Dirt To The Corn

Larry used the push plow and made a little trough by each row of corn.  I filled it with urea and then he used the cub to hill the dirt and fertilizer to the corn.  It looks good.  In the other garden I planted a dozen hill of pumpkins.  I planted Jack o Lantern and Connecticut Field pumpkins.  Larry worked in a farm store from the time he was an early teenager until about 1986.  He knows all about what to plant and what to use to make it grow.  But we can't make it rain so we are still dependent on nature!  Last year when we got to June we had hardly any rain.  The weather pattern seems to be better this year.  I hope it holds.  We can water the watermelons and tomatoes from the well, but it runs dry if you try to run the water more that 30 minutes.

Garden Tour

 These are my Kentucky Wonder Pole beans. Larry is going to put a panel fence down the middle and I am going to connect the runners to the fence.  You can see we will need to do this soon as the runners have started.  You can see our corn in Larry's garden.  We are going to fertilize it and use the hillers on his tractor to hill dirt to it this week.  You also can see the two rows of watermelons.  I do not think the cantaloupe is going to make it up.  My improved pinto seed was old and it is very sparse.  i have decided to try a row of pumpkins.  I have never grown pumpkins.

 I thinned the okra this morning. I hated to pull them up and throw them down but you only need a plant about every foot.

 Top is Zucchini squash and below are my potatoes.

 My cabbage are a pretty as flowers.  I have cut two.  Made cole slaw tonight out of the one missing.

 Tatorman sent me replacements on my sweet potatoes and I think they are all alive.  This time he sent Georgia Jets.  I love sweet potatoes.

 Tomatoes and these peppers are called salsa peppers.  Don't know what they will be like.

 These are english peas and will be ready to pick soon.  We like them creamed well and also just raw. They are sweet and good.

This is straight neck squash.  Straight neck are not very hardy.  I planted 3 hills of crook neck today.  Ants killed 3 of my straight neck ones.

Thank You For Your Service

 Iwo Jima--Feb. 1945--Sulphur Island--

DEATH be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,	5
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,	10
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then;
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die. John Donne

I am proud of your service
In awe of what you survived
Of how you helped others
Never seeing yourself as brave
Only a  speck of sand on that beach!

Sunday Sun

 We had a nice day yesterday.  It was good to see Erin and Greg and Clayton and Greta.

Siggie's Kite

Siggie's class flew kites at school.  Guess whose went the highest.  You are right--Sigrid's!

Pond Bank Bushed Down

Bush Mower

 Larry bought this bush mower off Craig's list last year.  He mowed beside our lane (earlier this week) where it is hard to get with the Bad Boy and today he mowed the pond bank.  I have not taken a picture of the pond but will.  It looks so much better.  The tree below is a Red Bud I set out last spring.  It is really full of leaves.  I think it will probably have red buds next year.

Thieves Abound!

 They are watching my garden.  The dogs are watching them thank heavens!