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I grew this glory from seeds that Ellen sent me a few years ago after I verbally swooned over the photos she posted of hers. I always forget what she called it but in looking it up, I see that it goes by a few names, one being Texas Star Hibiscus, another Scarlet Rose Mallow, and one even Florida Native Scarlet Hibiscus. Call it what you will, it's even swoonier in real life than it is in photos. 
Of course it's in the mallow family along with okra, Rose of Sharon, swamp mallow, hibiscus, and cotton. I just learned that! Cotton? Well, okay. 
I'd love the plant just because Ellen sent me the seeds but I am IN love with the plant because of its blooms.

I got a few things accomplished around here today. I picked some more peas and peppers. With what I picked yesterday, I was able to make another bottle of pepper vinegar, this one with two different types of peppers, tabasco and the cayenne ones. 

The vinegar looks cloudy because I used half white vinegar and half unfiltered apple cider vinegar, specifically the dregs of a bottle which has all that healthfully good sediment in it. 
Or something like that. 
All I can say is that I better grow some decent greens this winter to use these vinegars on. I also have jalapeño peppers but they're just a little too stout to happily accept being pushed down the neck of the bottles I have. I suppose I could and should make something else with those but I may just find another type of bottle to put them in. Who among us does not love getting a bottle of pepper vinegar for Christmas? 

I do really love the way the bottles look with all the peppers in them. So brightly colored they are a visual representation of summer's heat. 

I took the trash and I unpacked my suitcase and put everything away. I did laundry. I picked those peas and peppers and pulled a very few weeds. My Lord but it is hot out there. I'm sure I did some other things but I can't really remember except for the fact that Shelly from pottery came by to see me and my house after she and her mama, son, and the son's friend had been to the Wacissa for a swim. That was nice. I showed them around this old house and by now I feel like a tour guide. "And this is the bathroom Oprah built..."
And so forth. 
I spend a lot of time on these tours apologizing for flaking ceiling paint in the hallway and flooring that needs replacing. "Don't walk there!" 
Sigh. 
Shelly's mom was so sweet, as is Shelly. Her son asked if he could play the piano and I said that of course he could. 
The kid has a damn gift. I mean- a real gift. I couldn't believe it. My old out-of-tune piano is probably still in shock after being played so proficiently by someone who absolutely knows what they are doing. 

I had thought I'd have enough time today to get into some real pea-shelling but I only managed to spend one and a half episodes of "The Bear" at the task. It is going faster because I'm only picking the really ripe pods which are far easier to shell. I am going to cook the ones I did today for our supper tonight along with grouper that Glen caught and croquettes, also known as patties, made with squash that I didn't grow and eggplant that I did grow. So. Fish, peas, and croquettes. This should be good. 
I'd say that I'd missed cooking in my own kitchen while we were in NC and I did, a little bit, but it was also fun to have to make do and improvise when things weren't quite what we needed. There was a griddle in the kitchen that I cooked the pancakes on and it was fabulous. 
But sleeping in one's own bed and cooking in one's own kitchen really are the best. 

Glen spent the entire day and I mean the ENTIRE DAY mowing the grass. I know I always say we don't really have a lawn and we don't in the front yard but various types of grass-like plants grow in other parts of the yard and those need mowing, as do the few little sprigs of whatever greenery growing in the front yard and it looks fabulous. 

Part of the reason it took so long was not due to how tall and dense the grass had gotten but also because there were so many limbs which had fallen due to all the storms, especially the pecans and water oaks. 
He just finished about half an hour ago and has driven to the Wacissa to surrender himself to the cold, clear, healing waters of that river. I should have gone but instead, I'm doing this and am about to start that supper. 

When I watered the porch plants (oh yeah- that's another thing I did) I had to take a picture of this lovely Golden Orb Weaver. She's not fully grown but she looks healthy and her web is a work of weaving art. 

I am happy to see her and her many sisters around. Some of them already have boyfriends or husbands or whatever they call the relatively tiny spiders who talk their way into hanging out in the web, no doubt benefiting from the bounty the women bring in. I shouldn't criticize. If it weren't for them, there would be no babies to grow up and weave their own webs. I have no idea if the Golden Orb Weaver Women eat their mates. I would not be surprised. Protein is where you find it. 
I just looked it up and yes they do. Sorry guys. But the lady spiders don't live into winter so the fellows just go a bit earlier, I suppose, after literally giving their all. 

I gotta make supper. 

Love...Ms. Moon