i know that you can't help but wonder...

..How does my garden grow?

well, this year...i am trying extra hard to take better care of it than last year. i just recently have noticed random patches of dead leaves throughout my tomato plants! i just can't seem to figure out why their leaves are dying in chunks..its kinda like they are molting!

I gave all my tomato plants a little primpin' on my lunch break tonight. I pulled out all the dead stuff, and tried to rip off all the suckers (because Anita told me i have to!). I gotta say...they look like whole new tomato plants..and all but one of them are standing so proud and tall.

I have big tomato plants, lots of flowers, lots of fruits...and every day a handful of either cherry or grape tomatoes ready to be picked (i planted way too many of these little things this year)... but i love these little tomatoes. in just two quick slices you have cut an entire tomato into bite sized pieces ready to throw into sauces, on wraps, in rice, or my favorite...in cottage cheese with pepper! yummmm. and of course, just walking by the counter and popping one in your mouth as you pass by is pretty easy too.

One of the new tomato plants that i tried this year are the health kick tomatoes. so far, they are the only bigger tomatoes in my garden that have turned red yet. i really like these, too. they aren't huge, but definitely the perfect size for a BLT sandwich! That's all I've used them for so far, but once all these green ones start turning red, I'll finally be able to make salsa!

I have a few different kinds of peppers this year. My chili peppers are looking so nice and colorful and hot!! i also have some banana peppers that love their spot on my deck, as well as jalapenos that are sitting around getting hot at the bottom of the deck stairs. the peppers that were potted, are the winners this year...the ones planting directly in the garden are now just starting to flower. interesting...

these little peppers are hot! i tried a bite of one the other night..thanks Tanner for giving me a handful of sunflower seeds to throw in my mouth immediately afterwards! yikes!!

I am going to have an abundance of zucchini this year again, which i cant really complain about since i'm the one that wanted it. if you stop by my house over the next few weeks there's a pretty good chance you're gonna get offered a zucchini or two to take back home with you. just take it (them) and say thanks. :) My spell-checker says i spelled Zucchini wrong..well, then at least tell me the correct way to spell it! anyone know?

this stuff here is supposed to be broccoli. i have had this silent war going on with the rabbits this year since the day we planted our garden and flowers. At this point, i think i'm losing control. they like my broccoli, my brussel sprouts, the few slow growing pepper plants that they demolished at the beginning of the summer and are just now starting to grow back, my zucchini flowers, my clematis, and my mum. i barricaded the mum and clematis..they are on the road to a fine recovery and are growing wonderfully...its the garden that pisses me off. i know, i know, all i need to do is put up some chicken wire fence and the rabbits will be kept out. you'd think that our big privacy fence would work just fine, along with the rabbit/squirrel spray we've used all summer..the boys and i thought we found every possible nook and cranny where they were sneaking in and covered them, fixed them, shoved rocks in front of them, etc. i guess we forgot that rabbits suck and can squeeze into anywhere and also can dig enough room under things. Asshole rabbits.

Despite the rabbits, my garden is doing great for the most part...cant wait to start canning!

Finally...Night.

I have been wanting to read this book for awhile now..a long while. I actually can't believe that i've just now read it. After finally having the chance to borrow it, and then letting it sit way too long unread on the table, followed by misplacing it and finding it about a week later...I decided to actually read it. It's a lot of book in not so many pages. I sat and pretty much read it all the way through..with just a short break or two to tend to the 'i'm thirsty again, mom.' and 'is it lunchtime yet, mom?', and 'i'm still thirrrrsty, mom' interruptions that come along with holding the title of 'MOM' while trying to sneak away for a few hours to read.

I'm not going to give a book review..because that's just not me. I simply would just like to tell you to make sure that at some point, it makes its way onto your 'books I have read' list.

"i'm a little fishy, i can swim...'

"...here is my tail, and here are my fins!"

We spent two of the first weeks of our summer enjoying swimming lessons for the first time! Brecken had his class at 11 a.m. and Ryker's was at 5:15 p.m. Since I work nights, I had to rely on Ben's pictures to see Ryker in action..although, I did take one night off work so that I could watch him at least once. He made sure I was watching the whole time too! I was able to watch all of Brecken's lessons though, which was fun...and I am amazed at how quickly the kids get comfortable being in the water and learning their floats and swim strokes in just two weeks!

Ben said that Ryker was kind of nervous on the first day and stayed close to the teachers with his arms crossed, but really liked it. His lessons were held in the wading pool.

They worked with the kids to get them comfortable on their backs and with putting their face in the water.

The last few days they got to go into the big pool and practice jumping to their teachers and just being carried around to get comfortable in the deep end.

Searching for diving rings was a daily activity in Breck's class. One day 1 he used his foot to pick them up and by the end of the session he was going under for them with open eyes!

He loves to do 'cannonballs' ..really, it's only a big huge jump with an equally big splash, but to him, he's doing cannonballs...and they are 'awesome'!

In Level 1 they learn the front and back float, and the arms for the crawl and breath stroke. They were mostly assisted by the teachers, but at the end they were able to do the floats on their own if they were comfortable doing so..he did great and was able to do both floats on his own for a few seconds by the end of his session.

Both of the boys passed their levels and are already excited for swimming lessons next summer!

in the beginning...

...there was a recipie for Rhubarb Sour Cream Pie. and it was good - very good.

I still have not gotten around to planting any rhubarb here yet, but thanks to one of my friends I get random gifts of fresh rhubarb brought to my house throughout the summer. Thanks, Anita!

The next time you find yourself with a pile of rhubarb needing to be used...make this pie. It's quick and easy and absolutely wonderful! I didn't have shortening for my crust, so i substituted with butter (as i quite often do with my pie crust), and it was nice and crisp - just how i like it. It's my favorite rhubarb recipie by far. In fact, i'm going to go fill my coffee cup, and grab a piece of pie right now!