My knee looks a little bit less elephantine and a little more human and it doesn't hurt very much so I took a teeny tiny walk today. And look what I found! Those pretty gladiolas, growing wild right next to the woods by the sidewalk. I have seen many orange gladiolas growing around here, seemingly wild, but never a white one. So I trudged through the weeds and probably seed ticks to pick that one. It was almost lying down and no one in the world would ever have noticed it so I decided to bring it home and set it in water where it would make me happy. Later on in my walk, when I was half a block from home, I noticed some clumps of pretty black-eyed susans growing beside Mr. Lawrence's old store which is owned by someone now (not Mr. Lawerence) who bought it years ago and is letting it fall to the ground. It is for sure an eyesore and probably a danger, too, and people do complain about it because it's on one of the four corners of the intersection of two main roads that cross each other in Lloyd, right under the flashing light. I don't care what it looks like, really, because if people see it and think, "Well, I sure don't want to live in such a trashy area," all the better. Get on with your bad selves! Move somewhere else!
Anyway, I did pick some of those lovelies and this is what they all look like in my kitchen.
Not too impressive but wild and scrappy and I like it like that.
As you can see, I also canned some more pickled green beans. I picked after my walk and then I got the canner out and started cutting beans I already had in bags in the refrigerator into the proper length for the jars. My next trip to the grocery store is going to involve buying more jars and lids.
Oh wait! I think I saw some at the FGDDG last week!
Oh wait! I think I saw some at the FGDDG last week!
I didn't even get around to canning the beans I picked today as the canner will only hold seven jars and so I probably have another gallon and a half in the refrigerator. We are going to eat some with our supper tonight, along with the few potatoes I dug up last week. Is there anything better than that?
And I guess that's about all I have to talk about today. It's been a quiet day, uneventful and pretty easy.
For me, at least.
For me, at least.
Lily and her kids all have strep throat and so they're miserable. Strep is horrible. It's like a flu that involves having razor blades in your throat, isn't it? They're all on antibiotics now so they'll be feeling better soon.
And Jessie and her family are on their way home from being in NC with all the family. They'll be heading back up pretty soon for the summer so I hope that we can all do things together before they leave, like going to the river. Especially going to the river.
Mostly going to the river.
Mostly going to the river.
Summer just does roll on in, doesn't it? It rolls in and slows us down with its heat and its haze and our subsequent daze and the songs of crickets, cicadas, frogs and birds, all of whom seem to be saying, "Shhh, shhh. No need to rush. Sit and look around, sit and look up. Stroll to the garden and fill your pockets with whatever's ripe. Everything is unfolding as it will and is not yours to control. Take it easy. It's summer in Florida."
Or at least that's how I feel about it.
Love...Ms. Moon
Just getting warm enough to sit outside in the northeast.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to the craft store you used to mention, that didn't have a lot of stock,? Opened as a retirement hobby maybe?byiu haven't mentioned it in a while
It was a sort of hippie-import store. My Gypsy Soul Boutique. It's still open! I haven't been in since November. I never see cars there except for the owner's.
DeleteI picked some black eyed susans the other day along with some of the zinnias. I'm making scalloped potatoes for dinner tonight with roasted okra and the leftover cornbread from last Friday. why do the call them scalloped? what's the scalloped part? did my grocery shopping this early afternoon. can't get motivated to do squat.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a very good supper. I keep saying I'm going to plant another row of okra but I haven't yet.
DeleteI see that Marcia answered the "scalloped" question. I have often wondered that myself.
Ellen Abbott: Scalloped potatoes got it's name from the Old English word "collop" which means "... to slice thinly." Thanks to Google! 😌
ReplyDeleteMary ... That white gladiola is stunning and the daisies a bright dash of color.
You described strep throat absolutely right ... so damned painful! Thank God for the drugs!!
thanks for that little tidbit.
DeleteThanks for the giving us the word "collop". It's a great word!
DeleteStrep throat is a horror. It must have killed many before antibiotics.
poor Lily and family.....ugh. Not fun. Gladiolas are lovely....... I have only 3, they *used* to be pale orange.....but they morphed into white several years ago. How does that happen? I never cut them.....I just admire them and carry on. Black eye's Susans are always cheering! You'll be canning beans for a while with that abundant crop! And yes, look up!
ReplyDeleteSusan M
I have no idea how glads can change color over the years.
DeleteYou are right about the beans. Those bad boys just keep on producing.
Question for you: How much are canning jars selling for down there? Here the going rate seems to be $5. EACH. Boggles my mind.
ReplyDeletegood heavens, Debby! That is exorbitant (sp) ! You can order them from Amazon for WAY less than that! I try to shop *local* but in this case.....I would relent!
DeleteSusan M
Seriously, Debby. That's ridiculous. I think I paid $7.99 for a dozen wide-mouth pint jars with lids and bands.
DeleteI'm glad you're knee is feeling better. We finally got some rain here last night, two big storms, torrents of rain and a little hail, so my garden is happy, as are the birds this morning.
ReplyDeleteHurray! I know you needed it so much.
DeleteIt's been hot here (for Illinois) and we have had no rain for quite awhile. I am getting tired of watering but if I don't my poor plants look so droopy!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you are feeling better. Sorry about the strep at Lily's - stay away!
It's like a physical ache to me when we don't get rain for a long time. A feeling that something is so very wrong. I hope you get some soon.
DeleteYeah. No. I'm not planning on going to visit Lily for a few more days!
I am glad your knee is better and I love your flowers.
ReplyDeleteI think the fact that the flowers are "wild" makes them even better.
DeleteYour flowers are beautiful- I love wild and scrappy! Everything is blooming or starting to bloom here- I love this season so much! I hope your kiddos are feeling better now… I managed to get strep throat during the worst of Covid, I can’t imagine how, as I was masking everywhere though I hardly ever went anywhere?! No Covid in our house so far, thankfully. Hope your knee keeps improving! Xo, Rigmor
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your knee is improving. The gladiolus is beautiful, I don't think I have ever seen a white one. I sometimes wonder with all the canning and pickling you do, do you actually eat all of it each year or are there jars left over lurking in corners of the cabinets? do you give away plenty to family? My mum used to can stuff, but including me, (when I visited, I lived with Dad) siblings and steps there were nine kids so a lot of food was eaten, mostly mum made jams, chutneys, tomato sauce and green tomato pickles. She would take most of the chutneys and GT pickles to the local pub and sell them for two dollars a jar.
ReplyDeleteHow weird to find a gladiolus growing by a forest in Florida. Surely it's not wild?! Maybe someone planted a bulb there long ago.
ReplyDeleteI remember that store. That's where they should have put the FGDDG, in my opinion.