July 8, 2009: No Rest For The Wicked

We're having a few cooler days right now, so I'm trying to get as much outside work done as I possibly can before it gets back up into the 90s again, later this week. I went out at six this morning and prepped the north wall in the new garden shed for painting, painted the back door trim, then painted the wall. It might seem as though this painting is going quite slowly, but the walls are made of recycled OSB, and they are quite rough. They have to be primed, and all the larger gouges and nail holes filled. Even the seams have to be filled, as the pieces don't always fit as tightly together as one might want. Then I paint everything with a brush rather than a roller, so I can work the paint into the rough surface. I'm using a good exterior satin house paint on the inside walls, as I know it will hold up well under moist, unheated conditions. It's hard work, but I think it's worth it.



There is still so much left to do! I have to prep and paint the east wall, install quarter-round in the corners, install shelving, install hooks to hang garden tools, install a threshold under the back door, install weather stripping around all the doors. I doubt we'll even try to put in a ceiling this year, that can wait until next spring. It looks so large when it's empty! Soon this corner will hold a big dump cart, a riding mower, a rototiller, a push mower.....it won't leave a lot of room for me!

With the wall finished, I dragged out my old step stool and gave it a coat of fresh paint. I can't put a beat up old paint splattered step stool in a nice new garden shed!




I started to pick the Contender bush beans today, but only found a handful. I decided they have outlived their usefulness, so I pulled them out and composted them. I'll transplant lettuce into that area once the plants get large enough to move. That's two varieties of bush beans gone, and one to go. I'll probably plant another row somewhere so I can continue to complain about picking those darned beans!

The nasturtiums are overtaking the gardens. I pulled out a few, and trimmed some others back, but they need some serious thinning out.

The dill got a few branches broken in the windstorm the other day, so I clipped them off and hung them to dry.




The parsnips took quite a beating, too. I'll be corralling them, like I did the potatoes, with 3 or 4-foot long 1"x2" stakes and heavy garden twine. They must remain upright for about another 3-1/2 months! They are getting absolutely huge, the tops being at least three feet high. I dug around a couple of them to check the root size, and those are getting big, too.

The peppers are looking terrific, and growing like weeds!


I can freeze the bells,


....but what on earth am I going to do with all the jalapenos?



Of coarse, the pole beans are almost ready to be picked again!



Do you see what I see? This is one of the Tumbling Tom cherry tomatoes I started in Arizona last February, carried all the way back to Washington and continued to let it grow in the laundry room. It had blossoms on it months ago, but they never bore any fruit. Its "big sister", twice its size, still has no ripe tomatoes. Once these ripen, I won't be weighing them, I'll be eating them before they reach the kitchen!

Son Scott came to pick up Grandson Kevin, who had spent two nights with us, so I coerced him into mowing the back yard for me. I wanted the clippings bagged to use as mulch in the garden, so he mowed and I spread the clippings. The pea vines that I removed the other day, and the beans and nasturtiums from today were mowed, bagged and added to the compost heap.

I've never been able to get my entire garden in one picture. well, duh...I have a "panorama" setting on my camera that I'd never even tried! It still doesn't include the small west garden, but here is the main garden in its entirety. Click to enlarge.





The rest of the afternoon was spent grocery shopping. I store-hopped for specials today, so it was rather time consuming and I got back home just in time to cook dinner. We had a nice "garden dinner", but no pictures. I was so tired, I just dished up Mr. H's plate from the stove, and took mine to the computer on a paper plate!


Wednesday's Garden Dinner

Grilled Salmon Fillets with Lemon
Scalloped Potatoes (potatoes, onions)
Carrot/Broccoli/Cauliflower Medley (carrots, cauliflower)
Warm Apple Pie Ala Mode (store bought)


I know some people are grossed out when I tell them our two dogs sleep with us. Well, they are bathed regularly (they probably smell better than I do!), we love them dearly, and they are spoiled as badly as we spoiled our children. Besides, sometimes their sleeping expressions are just priceless.


Sweet dreams, little Otto.
*Click to enlarge the cuteness*

Sweet dreams, dear readers.




36 comments:

  1. The garden shed finish work is coming along nicely. It will be quite a charming work area when you are done with it.

    The panorama view of the garden is quite fun to look at. I bet I have that feature on my camera too. I really should read the manual someday. ;)

    As to Otto in the bed, my cat sleeps with me so I think it is "normal" to have a critter in the bed. His expression is priceless. Dreaming about chasing squrrels perhaps?

    ReplyDelete
  2. KitsapFG, I was going to say "girls", but since he lost his manhood at a very early age, you're probably correct with "squirrels"!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Doesn't gross me out, I just don't prefer it. The pet hair in the bed (3 of our cats are very fluffy) made me itch like crazy so they aren't allowed in the bedroom anymore. Nugget and Bella would drive me crazy playing I think. Can't even sit on the couch without them fighting over who gets to touch me.

    ReplyDelete
  4. noname, Otto is usually either under the blankets at my feet or curled up behind my knees. Annie is the one that I normally wake up to, she'll be either on or under the pillow. It was so funny to see Otto belly up next to me, with a smile on his face! And a miracle that he didn't wake up when I went for the camera!

    Both dogs gang up on me to play, but when I tell them "night-night", they settle right down.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Granny, the critters sleep with me too. Wilson, (the 95# one) has slept with us since we adopted him. He usually sleeps behind my knees. The cats meander in and sleep wherever they decide to (sometimes I have to shove my Annie off my head or my pillow) and the other dog hops up for a visit some mornings - she's the only one who actually sleeps on her own bed!

    Those peppers are beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well, that's it! There is absolutely no way I can ever show a picture of the inside of my garden shed now!
    The beans look great and it is good to see your success with the tomatoes. It also looks as if Mrs Soggy isn't the only one with some tasty recipes.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Otto looks like he's in heaven!

    I can't get over how nice the shed is. I don't know if I could stand to put all the grimy lawn equipment in there. You should make that your little "escape"....

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a beautiful garden you have! And panoramic shots... I'm impressed. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. We used to have to let the dog sleep with us when it was thundering or he'd drive us nuts. The 90 lb malamute would curl up next to my face and place his nose on top of my head. That was fine until the snot started dribbling out his nose. That's when he got booted to the foot of the bed.

    I just LOVE the panorama. Everything looks so lush and green, but I know that shed is a pain to paint.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Amy, before he died, our big Golden Lab slept with us. We tried to keep him at the bottom of the bed, but usually we'd wake up and his head would be on the pillow between us. Annie is my pillow sleeper, Otto is usually just a lump somewhere under the covers. I tried to raise them to sleep in their own bed, but Otto ate it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh, Heskie...you just wait until I get all the yard equipment in there. It will look like a garden shed! Except mine is at least going to have matching hooks on the walls ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sue, I'm trying. Mr. H keeps sticking his nose in there and I kick him back out. I told him he can park the lawnmowers in there, but other than that it's MY space! He has an entire garage for HIS mess. If he so much as thinks about driving a bunch of nails in MY walls, it could be an end to this marriage ;-) Do all husbands think they have to hang everything from big old hurky nails in the walls? I went to town yesterday and bought all kinds of matching (black to match the drawer pulls) hooks and stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hidinginmygarden, thank you! I'm afraid it isn't at its prettiest right now. It tends to look a bit shabby when I'm pulling out and replacing stuff. It needs more flowers.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ribbit, Annie usually sleeps right next to my head, and she snores. Quite loudly. Funny....when Mr. H snores it's annoying. When Annie snores it's cute.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wow you are working so hard on that shed! It really looks great. You are going to love love love it! And that step stool likes brand new

    How do you use the bell peppers after you freeze them? As in, what kind of recipes do you use?

    You have a huge back yard! I have a good sized one, but it is a hill so no only is it hard to garden on, it is hard to walk up! lol

    How adorable! My sister used to have a cat, a fat calico cat, that would lay on her chest and nibble at her lip to wake her up for food. My sister said she would have a hard time breathing since the cat was so heavy!

    ReplyDelete
  16. there is nothing wrong with animals in the bed, in my opinion. =)

    now you say you use grass clippings for mulching? mulching keeps the soil from drying out? which plants do you mulch?

    ReplyDelete
  17. i just found your blog a while ago and i've been enjoying your writings, your shed looks awesome...and yes i'm sad you'll have to fill it up with garden things!! Otto looks like my Dora who's nose was quite put out last night, as my granddaughter was having a sleepover with grandma, and there wasn't the usual space for her.

    ReplyDelete
  18. JenGC, I freeze some of the bell peppers in strips on a big cookie sheet, then bag them. They are great for fajitas, just toss them into the pan near the end of the cooking time so they stay a bit crisp. I dice some of them, and they can be used in any recipe that calls for bell peppers to be cooked in it...spaghetti sauce, casseroles, added to fried potatoes, top a pizza (the slices work for that one, too). They are easy to freeze (no blanching, just slice or dice) and so handy to have through the winter!

    I suppose I could do the same with jalapenos, and add them to fresh salsas or fold into cornbread batter. I've never tried that.

    My yard looks larger in the picture than it is in real life!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Kelli, I was using the grass clippings in the pathways around my garden beds, because my wood chips have just about decomposed. It keeps my shoes cleaner than walking in mud. I also put some around my new zucchini plants and a stand alone tomato that is growing at the edge of the garden, to hold in moisture and keep them clean. The next batch will be put around the other tomatoes to keep the dirt and mud from splashing up on them. You don't want to put fresh grass clippings on too thickly, or they get slimy and smelly. 2-3" is about right, and after that dries out you can add another layer. I normally don't care to use clippings in my garden, as I run the risk of grass seeds sprouting from it. I just hope it doesn't have any grass that has gone to seed!

    ReplyDelete
  20. The garden dogs sleep with us, too! I figure it's the least I can do after their hard day at work relocating plants, eating my tomatoes, digging up immature onions, chewing up hose nozzles, etc...what would I do without them? As for the jalapenos...I found that we LOVE stuffed jalapenos, and were buying huge bags full at the grocery store last winter...so I planted a massive amount this year, and just halve them and freeze them and they are ready to go! Another thing you can do is to go ahead and make the filling (I use cream cheese, ground sausage, garlic), spread it into the halves, top with shredded cheddar and freeze them on sheets them dump them into a ziploc and they are ready to go! They freeze wonderfully this way and it's like having home-grown convenience junk food in the freezer, lol! I just pull out a couple dozen, top with french fried onions for crunch and bake them about 10 minutes...yummy with the home brew!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Welcome to my blog, Roasted Garlicious! My granddaughter (almost 15), loves to spend the night and sleep in my bed, too. The dogs love it, they just have more to cuddle! There is no way my dogs would NOT sleep in my bed...whoever else is there will just have to make room ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  22. You know, I think of myself as being a "high energy" kind of person. But reading your blog wears me out! I can only hope to keep up the pace. You're an inspiration.

    Why not chop and freeze the jalapenos to add to corn bread, casseroles, etc.?

    ReplyDelete
  23. Erin, that's good to know! I've never tried stuffed jalapenos, but I will, thank you! In fact, I just Googled for some recipes and found two I think we would like. One is stuffed with sausage and cream cheese, like yours, and the other is sliced into rings, battered and deep fried...and I have a tempura batter that should be great on that!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Stefaneener, I will definitely freeze some for cornbread. I love sweet cornbread with hot peppers in it! About the only thing I've ever used Jalapenos for is hot pepper jelly (love!) and salsa or pico de gallo. I don't know why on earth I planted four (or was it eight?) plants! Just because I started them from seed, and every one of them grew, doesn't mean I couldn't have given a few away ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Another thing to put me to shame. My poor pepper plants barely have flowers on them, not to mention fully growed peppers. I'm gardening vicariously through you.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Cheryl, believe me, I haven't been so lucky with growing peppers in the past. Only once did I get a huge crop of them, and I think that variety was "Gypsy". I am astounded at how many peppers are developing on these plants! and to think, I've planted 27 of them! I have no idea which bells are which. I had them marked, planted them, came in the house to record the date/varieties and forgot what was planted where! I wish I knew which ones are supposed to be the red or gold ones.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Oh my granny! What a post! I am beyond jealous of your wonderful garden - the only thing green here is my envy for your garden! I love the panoramic shot too. I enlarged it so I could poke around - LOL. What's the big dog cage in the corner for? I can hardly believe that Annie needs to be restrained in that! And we're animal people too so I found the pic of your sleeping beauty just great!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Kate and Crew, when we first got the pups (a year ago last April) our back yard wasn't real secure, due to the neighbor's falling down fence, so we paid $200 for a nice kennel that they could play in safely, and we set it right next to the patio so they would always be near us when outside. We even remodeled the patio and made half of it into a "playpen" for them, that had a direct access tunnel into the kennel, and put a doggy door out from the dining room so they could go in and out at will. They hated the kennel, would NOT go into it even to poop. Instead, they used the "tunnel" that ran through the flower bed, so the stinky was always right next to the patio. It didn't take me long to don a long sleeved jacket, put gloves on my hands and a shower cap on my head, grab a roll of chicken wire and a staple gun, and crawl behind our big arborvitaes to staple wire to the fence. Then the kennel got moved back to the garden to serve as an expensive trellis and garden entry gate.

    No, I don't spoil my dogs. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  29. I guess it's a good thing you've got so many pepper plants because they won't show their true colors until they mature, and when they mature the plant slows down/stop making new peppers. If you pick them green, you'll never know which is which but you'll get lots of peppers. If you pick them when they're mature, you'll know what color they are, but you won't get as many peppers per plant. That's a pretty nice dilemma.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Ya, Cheryl....and it's a good thing that I have what are truly green peppers planted in four pots,so once they mature I can use them and let the others turn color. I think even the "green" ones eventually turn red, don't they? I LOVE red ones the most, so I didn't want to pick my Quadrato Rosso D'Astis before they're mature.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Oh if you have extra jalapenos just ship them to me. That is the easiest way to get rid of them. :> You can just freeze them like you do your peppers. Then you can make nachos all winter long. I planted a lot of jalapenos for canning salsa. I might make some jelly out of them if I have enough. I can't imagine I'll have extras, but if I do I might pickle some peppers. Pickled peppers make good nachos too. Yum.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Daphne, I'll be making a LOT of jelly! My oldest boy has discovered he loves the stuff, and so do I. Glad to hear they freeze well for nachos, I'll be saving some. I might have to buy some dry ice to get all the beans and peppers to AZ!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and chives, salt & pepper... wrapped in bacon and broiled or baked till bacon is crispy. Just have to flip them when top side is browned. Bacon held in place with toothpicks. My husband and 5 wayward neighbors' husbands polished off 6 each and still wanted more!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anonymous, that does sound good. I think I saved a similar recipe to try. Now I'm just wondering how large I should let these jalapenos get before picking them, as it's not a variety I've grown in the past. I guess if any begin to turn red, I'll know it's time.

    ReplyDelete