Greetings! Hope you are all enjoying your summer so far. Of course in the Midwest ole Mother Nature keeps us guessing as to what the day may include. So far it has been on the cooler side, but we have had a nice mix of rain and sunshine so the garden is just bursting. Everything is green and lush and we are already enjoying the bounty of yum yums we can pull out for dinner.
The peas are just about done, though we are still getting about a handful every night. The beans just started up with gusto and it is going to be a great year for beans.
We were introduced to ‘dragon’s tongue’ beans last summer by a local farm and they were the first on my list for the yearly seed order. They are bright green and purple and cook up to be one of the tastiest beans ever. I would love to can up a bunch of dilly beans, but I doubt we will have any left as everyone loves eating them….Next year I predict an 8′ box of just beans!
Last year I planted zinnias for the first time and was amazed at how fun they are. Having cut flowers all around the house was so wonderful, so I planted them all over the place this year. It will be a bit yet before they take off but the set I planted from seed is going to be spectacular.
The surprise of the year has been this little packet of wildflower seeds I bought for 10 cents on a whim from the hardware store.
I had no idea what was going to germinate yet alone flower, and it is a surprise every morning when I go out to let the hens out into the yard to see what has opened up.
And this morning I was greeted to…..
a POPPY!
There are lots more pods ready to open and I just can’t explain how happy that made me at 6 am!
I also planted two rose bushes for the first time and one bloomed just in time for the girl’s birthday….
Everything is pointing to this year being a bumper crop for tomatoes
There are sooooo many tomatoes already on the vine…but temps are going to need to heat up considerably for these beauties to ripen. I believe we have close to 30 plants and all but 5 were started from seed and it is just so exciting to see the science experiment actually work for once!
And let’s not forget about the deck…….
Ahhhhhh…the deck…..it is just lovely right now
This past weekend we got the yard all spruced up for the girl’s birthday party…and it was just the perfect day for a party.
There were of course cousins by the dozens
And a twirpy brother
And one very happy twelve year old
Hope you all are enjoying everything summer has to offer!
wolowikranch 
Oh your deck is just beautiful, what a lovely place to sit and enjoy! And the garden is blooming, especially the gorgeous surprise flowers!
Your garden and all your beautiful flowers are just spectacular! And your deck looks like a wonderful setting for a party – so festive and colorful!