Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

July update

Computers are so unpredictable.  Did I need to log out of my e-mails to write this blog post?  No!  Maybe I only need to do that when the months are not evenly divisible by 7.

Summer is in full swing.  The garden is flourishing and requiring daily vine checks, during which I make sure the butternut squash does not devour the sour gherkin cucumbers, and the pickling cucumbers stay closer to the trellis than to their protective enclosure of chicken wire.  It's REALLY hard to move chicken-wire panels for weeding and harvesting when the cucumbers are growing on them.  We've harvested all 4 kohlrabi that I planted (yum!) and have swiss chard and kale galore.  And calendula.  The calendula in the garden is doing beautifully, and got a serious trimming last week because it had taken over not the 2 squares of the garden I had allotted it, but 12 squares, 10 of which were occupied by peppers.  Tsk!  I'm having fun drying calendula petals this year, and am using fresh ones as a colorful garnish to soups, salads, and whatever else I think of.

But why did it have to be the calendula in the veggie garden that abounded in size and flowers?  Why not the calendula in the other three places I have it in the yard?  Could it be ..... the chipmunks?

My new mint patch is flourishing, and has peppermint (either plain or chocolate; I bought two plants years ago and they looked, smelled, and tasted identical), spearmint, and pineapple mint.  And oregano, just because.  I expect it to take over the area that it's in, and overgrow it, and take on the world.  I'm fine with that, since dh can mow one edge of the minty triangle, and I can chop it off when it grows over the curb or onto our steps.  We've been enjoying mint lemonade.

Knitting has been rather quiet lately, but is picking up.  Mittens are on the needles, and more mittens will be on the needles shortly, and who knows what else!

Sitting at the computer and poking at the keyboard has NOT been quiet.  Between this, that, and the other thing, I have been spending days and days without knitting.  Classical Writing is working on polishing a book for general release, and TKGA always has records that need to be organized.  TKGA also offered a new certification last month, that of Technical Editor.  I pounced on that as soon as I could, and am working my way through the class.  LOTS of screen time for that one.

I don't have any photos to speak of, but a blog post without photos is not visually appealing, so let me lob one in for aesthetics.  This is the beginning of a pair of twined mittens, which will be finished today if I don't spend too much time writing blog posts!