First Picking of 2013 Raspberries

 

Word of the Day

Thumbulate - 1. To lean forward while pressing the buttons on the remote hoping that the extra inch will make the remote control work better. 2. To push harder on a button in hopes that it will revive a remote with clearly dead batteries.

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I slept in this morning, rising only at the demands of my poor dog. 7 AM. I know, as far as sleeping in goes, it doesn't sound like all that much actually sleeping in occurred but Kylee is used to me getting up at least an hour earlier than that, so I imagine she thought I needed a bit of prodding or she'd be stuck in her kennel all day...not that such an occurrence has ever happened but Kylee doesn't take any chances.

I spent most of the morning, aside from feeding Kylee, checking things off my To Do List and checking my emails. HTP made it safe and sound back to our home in Arizona. He let me know that everything looked fine.

My summer wines are now sitting in air-locked 7 gallon buckets doing what wine must do....does. Whatever, I don't have to do anything with the wine for a week and then, I only have to check the hydrometer readings and if the readings are correct go onto Step 2 of the brewing process. Wine-racking.

All the plants on my upper deck have been watered but, with the cooler temperatures that we've been enjoying for the last two days, the plants don't seem to be quite as thirsty. Regardless, I will continue watering the Earthboxes on a daily basis. You can't over-water the plants in the Earthboxes because the excess water just runs out/off. I haven't been watering the tomato plants on the lower deck quite so often but, I've been keeping an eye on them...so far, they seem to be able to last a bit longer without watering. Two to three days.

I did dust all the tomatoes for blight again despite having to deal with a duster that has been constantly fighting me. It's getting old. Aren't we all? Anyway, I managed to dust the last of the tomato plants this morning before it (the duster) bit the dust. I relegated it to the "dust bin". I purchased a new duster (online) and it should be here later this week but I doubt I'll actually need to dust again for a couple of weeks. Dragoon Dust seems to be working quite well in controlling blight. Knock on wood. However, I'm noticing a bit of blossom end rot. Argh! Next time I'm in town, I'll have to pick up some garden lime.

Feeling a bit guilty about procrastinating (I should have picked the raspberries when I first noticed that they were turning), I sallied forth with Kylee with ice cream bucket in hand and a little scissors. Normally, I like to pick the raspberries, pinching them off the bushes, leaving the stems on but using my fingernails to cut through the stem, but...my nails are showing a bit of distress these days. I think it was the shellac that I had applied (manicurist) before heading to Ireland...or maybe the acetone that I used to remove the shellac after I got back. Either way, my nails are in no shape to be cutting anything. Oh well, I probably shouldn't be using my nails as tools anyway. As a matter of fact, a manicurist once told me this as she looked at my well-worn, abused nails. She even mentioned that I should be wearing, *shudder*, gloves when I clean and garden.

While out picking, I discovered that Kylee is a raspberry hound. I've never seen anything quite like it. Ever the opportunist when it comes to food, she delicately grasps the berries between her lips, nibbling the ripe fruit off the bushes, gorging herself, never minding the prickly branches. I had to speak to her rather sharply about this behavior, however, I suppose, since I picked a full bucket of raspberries, there will be plenty for Kylee to enjoy a few...as long as she continues to chase off the chipmunks and the birds. The first picking of the season is always...slim-pickings. I was amazed at how many I'll end up having to clean and process. Two more days and I'll have to be out there picking again...and I'm betting that I'll be making lots of raspberry jelly and jam this season.

I harvested some of my Italian and Curly parsley from the deck garden to make Tabouli salad. I enjoyed a bit of it for lunch. Cracked wheat, lemon juice (fresh frozen from Arizona), olive oil, LOTS of parsley, minced onion, diced tomatoes, garlic and, this time, I tried a bit of fresh basil (from my deck garden) instead of mint, which I didn't grow this year. It turned out great! I liked the flavor of the basil a lot better than the mint. A perfect summer salad...at least for me. HTP isn't fond of Tabouli.

This weekend is the Bluegill Festival in town. I didn't go to check out all the doings but I hear that the town was packed with tourists. That's a good thing. Our little town could use the boost.

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Random Quote of the Day

See, that's all you're thinking about, is winning. You're confirming your sense of self- worth through outward reward instead of through inner appreciation.

Barbara Hall, Northern Exposure, Gran Prix, 1994