GARDEN IN NOVEMBER

We planted more spinach for a fall harvest.  Here's what I picked for dinner tonight....

As well as some broccoli....

And pasta sauce made from roma tomatoes we picked from the last of the tomatoes.

THE GARDEN IN SEPTEMBER

Our one and only pumpkin--and it looks to be a BYU Cougar fan!  See the "Y"?

The broccoli was and continues to be fantastic!  We've been eating it all season.

Mammoth Sunflowers.

A smaller variety--can't remember the name--but cute!

The peppers finally turned red!

Our row o'tomatoes.

Our other row o'tomatoes.

More delicious broccoli.

My new welcome sign.

The last of the beans--I pulled them all up today and we planted lettuce in their place.

A friendly visitor--hanging out with the sunflowers.

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In the garden I also cultivate deep thoughts....like this one by Henry Van Dyke

I am standing upon the seashore.  A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean.  She is an object of beauty and strength.  I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.  Then someone at my side says:  "There, she is gone!"  "Gone where?"  Gone from my sight.  That is all.  She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear the load of living freight to her destined port.  Her diminished size is in me, not in her.  And just at the moment when someone at my side says:  "There, she is gone!"  There are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout."  Here she comes!" 

What lucky family members on the other side, who got to take up the glad shout: 

"Here she comes!"

What a great harvest for the Lord and all our loved ones that are embracing her now.

I SCREAMED IN A PANIC: "DELRA!"

This morning while walking my dog, I saw a girl on her bike at the end of the sidewalk. She stopped, turned around, and looked behind her. Then I saw why she stopped. Her little sister was in a hurry, trying to catch up. I watched them ride off together.

I immediately remembered a time when my sister and I were young, out riding our bikes on the Marblehead peninsula together. I was on my bike with a banana seat, complete with colorful hippie flowers. The road we were riding down was a gradual decline toward the lake, with a beautiful view of Lake Erie. Near the shore the road took a sharp left turn that led to the East gate of Lakeside, Ohio. My sister was probably trying to get away from her annoying little sister, so she was ahead of me and going fast. I was trying to keep up with her, peddling as fast as I could. I was able to pick up a little too much speed, so that when I got to the sharp bend in the road, I was unable to turn fast or sharp enough. I crashed right into a heavy chain draped from pole to pole that made a fence between the road and the shore, and I crashed onto the grass. I looked up and saw Delra still peddling away from me, unaware of what happened. I screamed in a panic: “Delra!" and then I started bawling and wailing from the pain of the accident and the fear of her leaving me there alone and wounded. She heard my scream and hurried back to me. Many other people came running and a kind lady wrapped my arm in one of her white pillowcases. The pillowcase wasn’t nearly as comforting as Delra’s kind words and presence. She came back to me! That helped make everything better. Delra helped me get back home where our Dad took care of my wound.

A few years ago, Delra was riding through her life, when she crashed right into cancer. When I heard her cry, I joined with her husband and children and so many others in turning around and rushing to her. Just as her presence always made everything better in my life, I hope my presence helped her. Now she is safely back home with our Savior—the only One who has the power to heal our heart wounds.

“I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee.” (2 Kings 2:5)

TINY GREEN TOMATOES & OTHER PRETTIES

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Behold...our endless salad bowl....aka....$500 lettuce.  But it's delicious and for you?  Free!

Mr. Incredible has built a long, giant tomato cage out of redwood this weekend.

I have spied some tiny baby tomatoes!

Cute, isn't it?

Second Week of June

Four of our peanut plants have sprouted so far....this is one of them.  They come up with several branches already on them!  Awesomeness.

The peas are climbing well up the string trellis...but no blooms yet.

Spaghetti squash in container.

Butter Boy Squash

The broccoli is thriving but no heads...yet.

Another peanut plant.

Bush beans are getting bigger!

Summer squash keep blooming!

The peppers are being resurrected....I thought they were dead!  New life keeps growing off the dead looking stems....so yay for new life!

We may harvest some peppers yet!

Another pepper plant with new growth.

Lettuce growing back already from where I cut some off a few days ago.  It doesn't take long for it to regrow!

The clematis is just for show--but looks delicious...ain't so?

EARLY JUNE 2010

I found this large pot at Ross Dress for Less for $15.  I was going to plant flowers in it but decided to use it for grape tomatoes.  

The peppers didn't do so well with transplating, but they are starting to get leaves on the "dead" stems!  Who knew?

The bush beans have sprouted and are doing well.

Spinach and lettuces. 

A few of the sunflower seeds have finally sprouted!

Beet greens. 

Surprisingly, we still have a few tulips in the front yard at the beginning of June.

The clematis has reached the top of the porch and is spilling up and crawling up the railing, as we hoped.

Mr. Incredible tying the strings for the peas.

He created this awesome trellis.

Squash blosom.

This is the new tomato bed Mr. Incredible made.  We've planted Beef Steak, Roma, and Razzleberry tomatoes here.

I was sad that only one of my alliums returned this year!

Clematis is blooming.

Moss Rose...my favorite flower for pots in Utah. 

It is very drought tolerant.

Our first harvest of the garden--fresh spinach.  :-)