Hope?

Word of the Day

Toastate - To impatiently pop toast, or some other item, up and down in the toaster, thus increasing the likelihood of burning it.

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Cold! It was supposed to be this cold yesterday but...it really wasn't, at least not as cold as it is today. Plus, we weren't really supposed to get rain yesterday. We did. Just enough rain to confuse my lawn which has long since decided to turn brown and dormant. Today? The high temperature today, the end of JULY, is going to be 60 degrees. I'm considering whether or not to enjoy a fireplace fire...which reminds me that I need to order more fireplace wood. I know, I live surrounded by 140 acres of woods but, then I'd have to cut and split and age it all and...I don't do that. However, I do make jam. I plan to heat up the kitchen and myself by making jam today. Seven batches of jam.

It's a perfect day for jam-making...especially since I've got enough frozen strawberries to make six batches AND I've got enough raspberries picked (thanks to my tame raspberries that surround the house), to make one batch of raspberry jam. I'll be picking my black currants soon and as soon as the woods dry out, I'll be picking gooseberries. Jelly. And...of course, more raspberries. I'm not making sugar-free jams and jellies this year. HTP and I don't actually eat enough jam or jelly to mess with our blood sugar levels. Carbs? That's where we have our problems.

I picked my first three cherry tomatoes yesterday. I spotted the ripe tomatoes as I was treating all the tomato plants for blossom end rot. 1/4 cup of hydrated lime to one gallon of water....per plant in my containers, and into the water tube and thus into the water reservoir of my Earthboxes. I actually don't have too much blossom end rot but I've plucked off a few, discarding them. There's no point in wasting the plant strength ripening fruit that can't be used. I also spotted my first regular (Sir Speedy)tomato that is showing signs of ripening. I am so looking forward to having my first meal of vine-ripened tomatoes.

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Random Quote of the Day

I've always thought that a big laugh is a really loud noise from the soul saying, "Ain't that the truth."

Quincy Jones, Victory of the Spirit