Diary 7/31/14

We had a heck of a storm here last night. It looked like three fronts came together right in front of us. The wind picked up until it was blowing at a sustained 60 mph at least. It hailed, but not the usual little balls, but chips of ice as if someone was working on a block of ice with an ax. In the end, the power was off, we had three big fir trees and an old oak down off the side hill below our house and across the county road. There were branches everywhere and even one stabbed through the windshield of my car. We are fine, power back on, car towed into the glass place, trees cleared from road. Hauled our third load of branches off this evening to clear our road. More to haul tomorrow. Phew! The storms today formed higher up, but as the night comes on, we can see the smoke from 4 fires from our yard. A break tomorrow and then more of the same over the weekend. Fingers crossed and thinking good thoughts for all the people on the fire lines all around.

Some of the debris

During the tempest

Aftermath

Diary 7/29/14

Great cloud action tonight! No lightning here, thank goodness.

Diary 7/28/14

Hot days and warm nights are ripening all the fruit. We will have plums coming out of our ears soon. First tomatoes are ready and now there are several ripening at once. Deer jumped the fence into the greenhouse and ate the crop of strawberries that were ready. I had to reposition the wheelbarrow I had moved to keep it out. If it isn't one thing it's another,

hrrrumpf!

Diary 7/23/14

It is raining, an unusual and welcome sight. It will help cool and wet all the lightning strikes from last night, none of them close. To think, just days ago it was so hot and will be again this weekend. Meanwhile the corn has been growing like crazy. To think that the pollen from the tops has to hit each silk, mostly by wind,

to form each kernel on an ear of corn. Amazing!!!

Diary 7/21/14

The Madrone trees are doing their leaf exchange and bark shedding. Unlike other trees that lose their leaves in fall for the entire winter, the Madrones lose their leaves now and gain new ones through the end of summer. They also shed a layer of their bark. Then they will be green all winter with beautiful red berries from fall through winter. They are especially lovely when the snow adds a layer to the green and red. They are relatives of the Manzanita which evolved into a low bush where these are large trees.

Diary 7/18/14

My cucumber harvesting partner felt the bag was too heavy to carry and decided dragging would work. Luckily, the cucs stayed in the bag unharmed.

Diary 7/17/14

I can hardly wait!

Diary 7/17/14

Garden Boy is here and we have been testing these plums everyday in hopes that they are ripe. Although we found one slightly yellow Shiro plum that was tasty, basically we have been thinning and tossing half a fruit with a sour grimace on our faces. They are NOT quite ready, but soon!

Meanwhile, when he is swinging...

it has become a tradition to feed him these...

Diary 7/10/14

Black Cap raspberries are getting ripe at this elevation.

Lost in the bushes~

Black Cap Raspberry syrup on its way~

We will pick them here until the just dry up, then chase them up the mountain where they come on later and the temperatures are cooler. We have some special spots we like to go, but often it is a busy time and we don't make it. Save ourselves for huckleberries. Don't know how their crop will be this year yet.

7/8/14

A fantastic sunset last night after gloomy skies that threatened lightning, but thank goodness did not deliver.

Diary 7/5/14

The plum trees are loaded. The fruit is swelling and branches are breaking. I am shaking to thin the too many plums. Crazy! The deer seem OK with green fruit.

By morning there are hardly any left on the ground.

Diary 7/4/14

Happy Independence Day!

Usaully we are picking these Boysenberries today, but not this year. They are going to be later, but there are more than ever before, so a good trade off. Now to keep the foxes from picking then before I can...