RASPBERRIES
Four Minus One Equals Three

Word of the Day

Transvert - A psychological type that alternates between introversion and extraversion and combines features of both types.

~~~~

I picked the boat up from the repair place in Hayward yesterday. It's fixed. Now, I have bruises that I didn't have before that event. Actually, towing the boat from Hayward to The Lake wasn't that big a deal...aside from the hour that it takes to drive to Hayward and the hour driving back. The problems came about when I unhitched the boat and tried to muscle the boat around so that it would be lined up and easy (easier) to push into the garage for storage. That bugger boat is HUGE and HEAVY. Patting myself on the back, I did manage it but ended up getting stung by a wasp for my troubles. No...I didn't push it into the garage all by my lonesome. I'm not that strong.

BW Babe and JC returned early from their trip to The Big City so JC helped me muscle the boat into the garage when they came to pick up Toby. It was LOTS easier to move the boat with the added help. The help deserved the wine and the beer that I served. The boat is going to stay in the garage now until next season. I consulted with #1 Son and #1 DIL and they don't think that they'll be visiting here at The Lake for more than two more weekends....hardly worth the expense of launching the boat and having it winterized. To be a bit girly...I must say that the new throttle looks nice. However, I'm going to have to figure out what to do with the hole that remains from the old throttle. My friend's husband likes to figure this sort of thing out so I'll add it to the To Do List that he wanted me to make for him. They'll be here next weekend.

I picked FIVE full buckets of raspberries today. The humidity, despite lower temperatures, makes berry picking a VERY tiring activity. I ended up having to divide the project into five sessions, separated by a short time to dry off and re-hydrate. It took me lots longer today than I was expecting. The currants didn't get picked and they won't get picked today. I'm just too tired. I called BW Babe and told her that she could have one of the trays of raspberries that I picked. JC came right over and picked it up. Five buckets of berries fill four large trays. I'll have to get busy cleaning my three remaining trays...I'll get right on it....later....maybe tomorrow. I plan to bring my steam-juicer up from the basement and juice the raspberries, the currants, and...eventually, the gooseberries (when I find the time to get out and pick).

Berry-picking wasn't the only thing that I did today. I fertilized and watered my tomato plants on the lower deck and watered all the plants on the upper deck AND picked some more beans and my very first large ripe tomato. I'm pleased that I only had to pick off four green tomatoes with blossom end rot and dispose of them. I think those already had the problem before I treated the tomatoes with the hydrated lime. None of the newer ones on those plants are showing signs of the disease. There is some blight but not as much as I had last year. I'm hoping that fertilizing will boost the plants' strength enough to battle the problem...along with my dusting. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to enjoying lots of ripe tomatoes this year.

I'm going to nosh on guacamole (BW gave me a couple of avocados that really needed using) and ceviche (also from BW Babe). I'm just too tired and hot to make too much for dinner tonight.

Random Quote of the Day

Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities.

Frank Lloyd Wright (1869 - 1959)