Thursday, June 13, 2013

A New Summer "Do" & A Bursting Garden


Good morning.  I was going to do this post last night, but I think I would have fallen asleep half way through.  Yesterday, I had an appointment with my daughter to get my hair done.  I decided I had had enough of the long hair.  It was hot, and unruly, and I wound up wearing it twisted up in a clip most of the time.  So when I got there I told her to cut it off!
Pretty much how I wore my hair before.  Short, choppy, and EASY!
After I got my hair cut, I ran over to the Goodwill Bookstore.  If you live in Corona or Norco, and you are a reader, I highly recommend you visit this fabulous place!  They have a very good children's selection, from toddler to youth.  And a good variety of everything else.  They run a buy one, get one deal too.  Paper backs are 1.99 and hard backs are 2.99.  But you get two for that price.  I got these two books for my next read.
I can't wait to dive in!  I recently finished a great read that my friend Meredith suggested, called The Last Summer.  By Judith Kinghorn.  If you are a fan of Downton Abbey, you will love this book!  Thanks Mer!!
I have been on a huge blueberry kick lately.  They are so good this summer!  I put them in my yogurt, on cereal, eat them plain like candy, and can't get enough.  Sprouts had them on sale in their Wednesday ad for 99 cents a pack.  So Greg and I had to run out to stock up last night.  I made another one of those delectable Buttermilk Blueberry cakes that my Canadian friend Linda  featured on her blog a while back.  I think this was the 4th or 5th time I have made this cake.  DIvine!!
My son and I have already put a big dent in it!  This is a moist cake, not too terribly sweet, and just loaded with blueberry goodness!  If you type it into my search browser, you can find the previously posted recipe for it.
Yesterday evening, on my garden tour, I brought my camera, so that I can document how my garden has progressed, week to week.  I walked out there, just as the sun was heading down, and the light was so pretty at that time.
Oh how I love this time alone in my garden.  I water, dead head, harvest, and weed.  It is my favorite time of the day.  The sweet peas are going like gangbusters, reaching the top of the chain link fence behind the planter.
The corn is standing tall, and will deliver a special gift for us come Fourth of July.
I staggered the planting in three stages, so that I would have fresh corn at various time throughout the summer.  I planted 14 stalks.  Each stalk will yield 3 ears of corn.  That should do just fine for us!
Some of the ears are nearly ready  now.
When I planted my garden, I put in a packet of broccoli for the first time.  I have broccoli all over the place!
A also put a packet of Arugula in.  But that turned out to be broccoli as well!!
So we shall be eating a lot of broccoli this summer!
My cabbage  heads are absolutely enormous!  I have always wanted to plant this, just because I think it is so pretty.
Last night, I picked my first tomatoes.  They are much smaller than last year, but I think I will be having plenty to keep us in maters throughout the summer.  I have 5 plants in. Some are heirloom, and I am not thrilled with those.  Too small!!
Upon getting down on my  hands and knees, to search through the dense leaves, I found that there were several clusters of tomatoes ripening, that were hidden amidst the foliage of the plant.
I'm glad I looked, because I don't want to miss a single tomato sandwich opportunity!
My very first watermelon, not quite ready for slicing!
Off to a late start, but hopefully they will be worth the wait!
Loads of fuzzy cantaloup are forming now.
And I am picking cucumbers like crazy!   They are so crisp and delicious!  I love to dip them in hummus!
I am already planning my garden for next season in my head.  I will be doubling my space, and planting way more variety!
I am thrilled with the way my pumpkins are thriving!  I have planted them before, and never had any luck!  Not this time!!!!
There are dozens of basketball sized, still green pumpkins hiding amidst the giant elephant ears of the vines.  Short and fat ones.
Tall and skinny.
And even a set of conjoined twins!
This weekend, I want to have all of the grandkids choose their very own, and scratch their names on the surface of the pumpkin, and then they can watch it grow until Halloween.
The pumpkin patch in the evening glow.
I had these two large clay pots that my brother gave me a long time ago.  They are so huge and  heavy, that they can't be moved.  I intended to plant trees.  I still plan to do this, but in the mean time, I planted more pumpkins, and cantaloupe.  They have just begun to come up.
As the vines begin to grow, I will guide them toward the rest of the pumpkin patch, and hopefully fill in that empty spot between the big clay pots, and the existing pumpkin patch.  After picking my evening haul, I bid the garden goodnight.
The nasturtiums that my chickens love to dine on every evening, are fighting their way back, despite the constant nibbling.
The washed goods of the day.
Actually, I had picked a bunch of squash earlier that morning.  This is just the evening haul.
A little off subject  here....I wanted to show you my star cubes.  I had used the zest of off a couple of large lemons for my blueberry cake, and didn't want to waste the juice of the lemon.  So I froze the juice in my star ice cube tray.
I popped the lemon cubes out and into a ziplock baggie, and they can be added to water, or tea, or used when lemon juice is needed in something.
Well, that's it from the farm.
Go plant something, water it, and watch it grow!
XO  Kris

38 comments:

deebriese said...

Love your hair girl! I also use my goodwill book store. Once a month they have all the books you can fit in a bag for 2.99. great post.

From the Kitchen said...

Love the hair, the cake and envy you your garden!!

Best,
Bonnie

Debbie said...

The new hair do is just darling. I gave up on growing mine out too, haha, it just looked like hair hanging there, and was ALWAYS hot. Your garden is really wonderful. My oldest son would probably pick your head and talk for hours about his garden. He is soo into it anymore it is really funny. Who knew there was a farmer in him. And he told me a couple of days ago what he really wants is some chickens. I told him he needs to talk to my friend Kris. ; ) Have a good day!

Valerie Cottage Making Mommy said...

Your hair is gorgeous and so Summery lol.

I love your garden. Mine is coming along late this year due to Oklahoma weather but it's coming.

I'm already planning mine for Fall.

Hugs,

Valerie
Cottage Making Mommy

P.S. Gardening is so healing isn't it.

Sharon said...

Cute do. It's flattering and so youthful. You look like one of your daughters!

Jeanna said...

Love your hair! I'm getting mine cut this weekend. Tired of the ponytail!

Thanks for the visit to your garden. What a bounty! Enjoy :)

Angela said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Teresa Kasner said...

You look adorable with your haircut.. but you look adorable any way your hair is. :-) I am in the middle of reading Meredith's book suggestion, The Last Summer, too! I have it on my iPad. The Lighthouse Keeper was made into a movie.. we watched it and it was good. Your garden is just amazing, you're a fantastic gardener, I wish I lived next door. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Between Me and You said...

Oh my, I love your new hairdo. I'm so tempted to do the same with mine but my face isn't half as pretty as yours!!
You would win prizes for your garden, for sure. Wonderful cornucopia of everything!Enjoy.x

Anonymous said...

Your hairdo it is really, really cute on you.

Love your garden.

Flowers and fruit.

Healthy, healthy.

Unknown said...

Yeap, I did it... I pee'd my pants over your cute new haircut. I just love the short do on you. I know we all want Catherine Zeta hair, but I have come to terms that it's just not happening at this point in life. Great to see your garden and how well it's doing. We are so far behind this year. But, the rain is actually good after last summers drought. Have a great weekend. Any plans? Big Bear? I so need a weekend away. We were thinking bikes on car up to Michigan, but it's looking like rain, so this weekend is out.

Poppy said...

Hi Kris,

You go girl!! Love your haircut, dreaming of your blueberry cake and your garden is growing wonderfully well! Your new 'do' is very inspiring, enjoy!!

xo
Poppy

Astri said...

Cute hair! Wish I could wear mine short but I look like a boy.Blueberry - YUM!!! As always the garden is awesome!!! The watermelon comment made me chuckle. Have a fun weekend in that garden, Kris. :-)

Deb~in~Denver said...

Love the new hairdo! You look so young and refreshed! I just finished the book "Where'd You Go, Bernadette", it was one of the best books I've read in a long time! Couldn't put it down! I'll have to go on the hunt for the ones you suggested.
Love ya!

Anonymous said...

Hi sweet friend! Love love love the new do, it's great looking. You have been so busy with the gardening and now look at all the wonderful homegrown produce, yum. :)

Pammy Sue said...

Alright, dammit! How are we supposed to top this post? I could never keep up with all you do, Martha! Your garden is luscious. The fruits of your labor will be plenty and so yummy. There's nothing better than a meal of everything from your garden. My Granny used to do that sometimes. We'd have beans, cantaloupe, okra, squash, tomatoes, onion, and lord knows what else. It was a feast and sooooo good! My Pawpaw would cut a big watermelon in half and place it in the middle of the table and give all us kids a spoon to dig in! So sweet and so good! I swear they are not that good anymore, at least not around here.

LOVE the hair! I am so tempted! I know how good it feels!

Mereknits said...

I am loving your hair, it is fun and funky just like you. Love all your pictures, your garden is doing great. So glad you liked the book The Last Summer, I loved it. Now you have to read The Promise of Stardust, it will grab your attention on the very first page. Let me know what you think of your new books, I am always looking for something good to read.
Hugs to you dear friend,
Meredith

Tania said...

Oh how I miss Summer...I love your garden Kris! I think you have a green touch as your plants are all doing so well. We cant grow broccoli, cabbages here in Summer, probably because it gets too hot...We have had heaps of rain over the last few days so that was very much appreciated I can tell you...

Love you new hair do :)

xx

Linda said...

OMG!!! You look fabulous!!!
I love that hairdo on you...
You are such a pretty girl, Kris!!!
Your garden looks very well looked after, you are doing a great job!!!

Thanks for the "nod" on the cake...you are the second blogger this week to include me in their post!!!
I feel very privileged...

have a wonderful weekend..
Are you off to Big Bear???
we are off again tomorrow...stayed home today 'cause of all the rain!

Cheers my friend...
Linda :o)

Patty said...

another wonderful post. First of all, LOVE your new 'do! Your garden is so interesting. I love veggies in hummus too. I tried to find your search for the blueberry dessert but couldn't find it. It sure looks yummy. I thought it was a picture of blueberry pancakes at first.

priscilla said...

Love the new haircut Kris ! So cute ! How lucky are you that you have your own hairstylist :) Your garden is growing like gangbusters ! Have a great weekend !

podso said...

I so enjoyed reading this and seeing your wonderful garden and its produce today! Also the star ice cubes. What a great idea for lemons Your haircut is wonderful!! Cute

Unknown said...

Oh my my! I am loving your garden! You have done just amazing with it this year!

and I love your new haircut!!! SO very cute on ya :)

Sunny Simple Life said...

I wanted to tell you today how adorable your hair was. It is so cute. I would love to cut mine but Dean and the girls don't like it short. My face is very round so I guess I look like a pumpkin head or something. Anyway thank you again for your kindness today. I worked out back tonight and got some areas ready for planting tomorrow but it was very quiet and my helpers were gone and it was lifeless. Sigh. I am being brave and pushed Quinn on the swing. She is fine as long as she knows she will see them again someday. Tomorrow the nursery for some plants to fill in the big hole. Poop. Okay enough. I am fine. Goodnight.

Susanne Tyree said...

Oh Chris, you look so cute with that new hair do! I have not been around for about 7 weeks and I come back and your garden is fantastic! I swear, some of my blogger friends have the greenest thumbs, and you are right up there in 1st place. We in Ohio are just now seeing the seeds sprout, our spring has been so temperamental, now lately we have summer heat and it is still spring. Hope all is well with you and your loved ones.
Susanne ♥

Lauri said...

I love, Love, LOVE your hair! And like always I'm jealous of your wonderful garden. How fun to grow the things you eat!

Kerri said...

There's that hairdo that I LOVE! Looks so stylish Kris! I wish Gen could do my hair too! I am without a stylilst right now...just can't find one I want to stick with! Ugh. Might need to go wig shopping. :)

Nicolle said...

I adore your new summer haircut. It looks so great! You are beautiful. Your garden has once again got me wanting to plant one, but I imagine that will have to be at our next house, one day, because we just don't have room here. Our Goodwill has all kids books 50 cents, all the time, and I just love it. They don't always have a lot of good adult books, but I need to stop back in and check. Have a great weekend! xo

Carol said...

Oh my gosh, your garden is such an inspiration. My gardening is a consent fight against squirrel, gophers, moles, birds, etc, etc.
I have 4 apple trees, and they were just starting to get loaded down with apples, the most we've ever had since we planted them about 7 years ago. I went out to water earlier this week and every single apple was gone, no sign of anything. I'm thinking it must have been either birds or some type of rodent that got to them one night, grrr :) I'm not giving up tho, I just might have to net the trees next year.

On another note, your hair is super cute. Love it. I'm also currently reading The Last Summer as well. Enjoy you beautiful garden!!

~Niki~ said...

you are beautiful kris :)
your gardens are doing tons better than mine. maybe it's because of the 110 temps here? lol.
make it a great day~me

DaCraftyLady said...

Lovely garden, it made me hungry for salad... I loved the mini watermelon. :) cute lemon stars...good idea. I have been to that bookstore Goodwill great variety of books... ~~Debb

Holly said...

Oh my goodness, where to start? Love the hair, really....love it! I liked your hair long too but this cut is just so YOU. I do miss your sweet face. Garden looks so much better than mine right now, I just veggies don't care for 110 degrees for some reason. My tomatoes are still going strong and my cantaloupe and watermelon look exactly like yours, same size and everything. Hope things are getting better for you. I'm just a phone call away.

NanaNor's said...

Kris, I swear you could shave your head and you'd still look gorgeous!!!! Love your cute though; your girl does such a good job.
Love catching up here and seeing your garden too. Hope you have a wonderful weekend my friend. I wish you were closer to help me with my yard.
Hugs, Noreen

Sinta Renee said...

Wow, I am glad that I don't have to keep up with you... you are so busy! Your garden is amazing! I love the idea of the lemon ice cubes... I'm doing that today! Thanks for the idea... and I'm going to make the tortillas too. You have me inspired!
I love your summer cut too... but I'm too afraid to do that:) but I might just pick up a book to read! Looks like you are off to a wonderful summer.

Hanne said...

I really like your new hair :)

Kelli said...

Love your new hair cut... I am in need of one as well.
I leve seeing pictures of your amazing garden. My I laws have a wonderful lemon tree and I also make lemon cubes butI now want to try the stars.
I love Nancy Thayer! I need to see if we have a Goodwill bookstore around here.
Have a good weekend!

Jill said...

Love your new haircut it is so flattering on you! Your garden is amazing! Making me miss mine even more. Hope you have a wonderful evening.

Jill

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Your new haircut is adorable! I'd love to do the same but my hair is so frizzy I don't think it would looks as nice as your cut, Kris.

My brother told me that all the rain the East coast has been getting made his garden the best ever this year--yours looks the same. I'm so jealous ..lol!