A new super duty 6' bench cover fits my 20 year old potting bench well. The old, inexpensive cover was getting little holes in it after only a couple of years, so I stepped up to the "deluxe" cover from Gardener's Supply in Vermont. This one is very heavy vinyl. Of course that meant that I had to clean out the workbench and vac out all the spiders. Amazing how much junk you can accumulate in one season!
When the new location for Wild Birds Unlimited opened this month, I popped in to get a couple of things and they gave me a free mesh finch feeder, along with 2 pounds of Niger seed. They knew what they were doing, of course, because now I have to buy Niger seed as well as the seed for the big bird feeder! Sort of like getting a free cat!
Most folks think it rains all the time if your address is in Oregon. But the truth is that our part of the state (Southern Oregon) gets about the same rainfall as the North State (of California) or even the Bay Area (22" average per year). In the last few years, we've all experienced well below average water years. So we're happy to get some early autumn rain to dampen down the dust and reduce the fire danger from "Extreme" to just "High." It means that I can use the lawn mower before 1 pm instead of having to get it done before 10 am. Looks like we're getting close to .40" from this early storm. We say, "Bring it on!" Let's see...where did I hang that raincoat I haven't used in 3 years?
Yes, it's that time of year again! You know...that re-tool-in-the-purse- department time of year...
I resolved this Fall to DOWNSIZE. I really don't need a big, floppy purse to "disguise" my hips any longer or to "balance out" my former pear shape. And I don't carry a lot of junk in my purse these days...just the basics. So a shopping expedition to TJ MAXX was in order. Would they have some smaller purses like the ones showing up in all the fashion pages?
Sooo lucky was I! I spied this beauty right away after I hit the purse department. It is REAL leather and the leopard print is on cow hair. It's soft and furry. The zippers are heavy duty and the short strap just fits perfectly on my shoulder or I can just tuck the bag under my arm. So no more purse flopping around in the car seat! And it's just the right size, about 12" x 8".
It has outside zippered compartments front and back (a must for me for keys and glasses). And it goes with my new, chic look, being animal print! Ah, those Italians know what I like! It's handmade in Rimini, Italy by Valentina. Ciao bella!
The portable farrier's stand that I found at the metal recycler several years ago makes a great plant stand on the patio. This pot of ivy geranium seems to love last week's hot weather.
Here's Sally Holmes!...an old fashioned single climbing rose. It looks fetching against the teal green lattice. I love white in the summer garden...so refreshing!
The Brandywine heirloom tomato produces the late summer glut of very sweet juicy tomatoes. It makes all our neighbors happy to get some of the overage.
And my favorite fragrant white rose... "Secret's Out"... is blooming again and perfuming the veggie garden. I pulled it out of the ground this spring from a too shady spot. I only got a few roots and one stem at that time so I potted it up and hoped for the best.
Seems like it's hard to kill a good hybrid rose thanks to hardy root stock! It will get popped out of this too small planter and get a nice place of honor in a raised bed this fall.
Our local WBU (Wild Birds Unlimited) closed its doors last year unbenownst to moi. So I showed up where the store used to be and found yet another Human Bean drive through coffee stand! "Oh no, I said, "and here I was all ready to get a bird feeder!"
But not to worry, as I discovered they were about to reopen next to the Safeway store. So the day came and I plunged ahead with my big plan to have a bird feeder once again. We've installed the Bird Brain Hilton, an all plastic job made from recycled milk jugs, etc and my under gardener had to add a big ass metal stake to stabilize the pole.
I should point out that the sort of pinkish light you see on the fence is also the color of the sky as we're having our daily "smoke event" from the forest fires all around us.
This feeder has 2 suet holders on either side and is a hopper style. They have made some improvements over the 20 years since I bought my first feeder. It also has doubled in price! But, oh well, nothing is too good for our birds! I even splurged on deluxe, hulless bird seed. I figure it's cheaper than a vet bill...a certain terrier would probably eat the hulls and get bound up, so I'm thinking that we'll avoid a dog enema (euwww!) Now all I need is a sign that lights up and says in bird "OPEN!" The feeder is about 10' from our kitchen window so I'm hoping for lots of entertainment. Day 2 of the bird watch and none have appeared.
These beauties are Felicity jalapenos, fresh off the bush. Ripe, mild jalapenos give you all the flavor of a jalapeno but without the intense heat. In fact the Felicity is quite mild enough for our norteamericano palate. Today I'll make a nice tomato, cucumber, onion and pepper salsa with a little garlic, chives, parsley and basil thrown in. A real treat!
Actually, no! These are the tomato heirloom variety "Persimmon." They are low acid variety that I favor since I tend to get the hives from eating too many red tomatoes. They are a fairly prolific and very meaty variety. You can find the seed and plants online at Territorial Seed. Thinking about a tomato sandwich for lunch....
