It Is The Season Of The Phlox

 

That is exactly how far I've gotten on the Great Green Bean Project. I did have other things to take care of today before I got to that but honestly, I'm simply overwhelmed and I really need to let go of my insane desire to preserve all of the beans I picked yesterday. That really is not rational. 
When I got up this morning, I looked around the kitchen and said, "Well, I see the canning fairy did not show up last night."
And no. No he did not. I have no idea why I think the canning fairy would be male but I do. 

What you see in that picture is my bag of beans which is about 1/4 of the beans I picked yesterday and the colander is holding the beans I consider young enough to snap, the metal bowl contains the beans I have shelled, and the basket is what I'm putting my pods in and that will go into the compost. 
Here's how big and lovely the beans within the beans are.

I may try to blanch and freeze those and will them cook them the same way I cook my other field pea beans. They are just like dried beans but fresh and so take a lot less time to cook. I will cook a potful before I go to the trouble of freezing them to see if indeed they are tasty enough to go to the trouble of shelling and freezing them. 

I think they will be. 

One of the things I had to do today was continue with my tidying efforts. I just wanted my house to feel like my house again and as I often say, I equate this to a dog peeing around the perimeter of his space. I know, I know. That's uncouth. 
So am I.

One of the things I did was to put the new piece of bark cloth on the little dresser by my bed. 

It is perfect with the monkey lamp. 

I love my mama-baby monkey lamp. It is the last thing I see every night when I reach over to turn out the light. 

I also wanted to tidy because Candie was due to come this afternoon. One MUST tidy before the cleaner comes, right? But around noon I was done with what I felt needed to be done and got dressed and went to Tallahassee to go to Costco, Publix, and the library. The Diana book was due today and not renewable because it's just been published and I'm sure there's a waiting list. I enjoyed it but it was like all of Chris Bohjalian's books in my experience- good plot, pretty good writing, but there's always just some spice that's missing. And the ending of this one was tied up in a bow that was way too pretty and fancy in my opinion. Oh well, it did keep me interested and entertained. 

Nothing too exciting happened at Costco. One funny thing occurred when I threw a bathing suit into my cart that I've been looking at for at least two months. The thing I like about it is that it has no real bra situation going on. I am not putting on a bathing suit with a goddam bra in it. No way. And at this point in my life, I have very little pride and I know I'm going to look the way I look in whatever I wear so the no-real-bra factor is about good enough. I find the print non-offensive.

I love the way they sell those things on a woman-shaped piece of cardboard. An old guy (probably my age) was walking by just as I put it in my cart and he said, "That's you!" 
"You think?" I said.
"Oh yeah. You're gonna look good in that."
I rolled my eyes so hard it's amazing they're still in my sockets and walked on. 

Publix wasn't too exciting either. I got more canning jars. And other things, of course. I swear- except for maybe Mr. Moon needing more cereal and milk, I do not see why I'd have to go back to the store for two weeks. But of course I will. 

I came home and unloaded the car and Candie fussed at me because she would have done that and I said, "This is my job. I do this all the time." Candie is the most wanting-to-be helpful person I believe I've ever met. I will gladly bring in my own groceries and pay her to vacuum. 

This morning before I left, I decided to take some pictures of the blooming phlox. It is in brilliant bloom. 

This is the bed between the kitchen garden and the old shed. I love the combination of the palms trees with those flowers more than I can say. This is Florida, baby!

These are the ones in the little banana and everything else garden by the kitchen. 

And this is part of the original kitchen garden. When the house was built, it was traditional to put the kitchen separate from the house to cut down on the danger of fire (wood-fueled stoves and ovens, of course) and probably to prevent the house from getting so hot. 

The phlox growing behind the fence in the front yard. They cheer me there and I hope that people walking or even driving by will notice them and think, "Now that's pretty."

While I was taking these pictures, I noticed how the male sago palm is doing. 

Looks to me as if he is almost inappropriately ready. And randy. 

And that was my day. I do have a question for y'all. I need help. Since I started giving Jack his pill in a tiny bit of obviously yummy chunks in gravy cat food and giving Maurice a tiny bit too, they have completely stopped eating their dry food. The same dry food they've always eaten. I mean...I'm afraid they'll starve to death before they eat another kibble of Meow Mix. I know I could try mixing in a little of the wet food with their dry food and see if they'll take that but I don't want to start with that sort of foolishness. I am not a cat short order cook and besides that, even the canned food at Costco is not cheap. 

Any suggestions? 

And please do not bother to tell me that if I were a cat, I would want the wet food too. I am not a cat although I understand that concept. 

I've ruined them. I knew this would happen.

Still hell hot here although it looks like instead of a high of 99 tomorrow we may be dipping into the mid 90's. Even that would help. People are falling out from this heat. Falling out, falling down, probably falling dead. I think about how this is not just a matter of our comfort and safety as humans but also a huge threat to our farms and fields and thus- our food supply. Of course this is a huge duh but the way it feels too hot for man nor beast is bringing the reality of it all home. 

Stay hydrated, my dears. 

Love...Ms. Moon