Overexcited, & Now Just Plain Excited

I’m thrilled that my dwarf, container grown corn is producing. But as the title bluntly hints, I harvested several too soon almost a week ago. I should have picked just one, not a regrettable seven. :( Refusing to throw them out, I cooked them. My husband, bless his heart, helped me eat that tiny harvest despite it tasting dry and almost woody.
 

The forming kernels were not plump at all...

Fortunately, today’s harvest of two proved sweet, if still tiny. They looked much more robust before being cooked.

The other was already being cooked before
 I remembered to take a photo...

Here are a few other useful lessons learned. Husking corn before cooking is a waste of time. Instead, cut off overhanging bits and microwave the entire thing for five minutes. the steaming process makes for a perfect chew and, better still, the cob slides right out of its husk. However, it’s best to refrigerate any you don’t plan to eat right away fully intact. This helps retain moisture.

Have you ever walked into a family friend’s cornfield and picked the sweetest you’ll ever taste? Can you believe my favorite memory from those farmyard visits is playing in the big barn with their youngest son and hearing my family complain how I smelled like pigs all the way home?

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Exciting Times

It’s ridiculous that I started writing this post at least a week (?) ago. Anyway, here’s my overdue garden update.

My once weak and spindly tomato seedlings have really taken off. There are so many fruits forming that I decided to harvest a few green ones. I’m not kidding when I say these weren’t just the best fried green tomatoes I’ve ever made but the best I’ve ever eaten. My husband, not a previous fan, wants me to cook up some more…

Yum...

Finally, I was able to harvest two turning red. Again, our BLT sandwiches tasted incredible. I still need to find a good salsa recipe for canning my sweet bell peppers and these super sauce tomatoes. Fingers crossed, I won’t lose my harvest due to a natural weather event or pest invasion.

I’m so grateful to the Millennial Gardener sharing all his trials and errors on YouTube. His videos are invaluable. I learned last year that tomato plants cut off nutrients before the fruits are fully ripened.

I apologize for the poor quality image...
I need to fry some green tomatoes!

Are you aware that the time to harvest is when gently lifted fruit breaks off the vine? Isn’t nature amazing?

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Different Perspectives

My friend Scars is extremely observant when it comes to people. That makes sense as he is a protector at heart. When in downtown Columbus he made sure I walked on the side of him away from traffic. And he refused my offer to fetch his car, saving him from the long walk back because he didn’t want me out of his sight.

Meanwhile, when I attended his church a beautiful stained glass window caught my attention. He hadn’t even noticed after attending for a few years (!), so I’m glad to have pointed it out.

I’ll bet it looks fantastic lit up from inside…

Did you know there are stained glass making classes available? Would that interest you?

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A Win/Win/Win

For a mere 99 cents I picked up a box of wildflower seeds. I scattered them in the spring and finally am seeing the fruits of my very light labor. Win! There are lots more blooms today but I thought I’d share this image snapped on a brief (very hot) walk about the yard.

I need to clear out some lawn grass
around the impromptu little plot
and add a nice border...

On Wednesday, as I typed this, my brother-in-law was in town. He knew my husband’s favorite hamburger joint was soon to close, and, as done for past visits, Michael bought burgers to bring south, this time eight (!) of them. The sad ending of an era is no win, of course; I do have two more.

For one thing, I cleaned and organized more than I have in years. Win number 2. You see, Michael and the eldest brother are both fanatical clean freaks, complete opposites of us. Super short notice had me sweating buckets but I didn’t stress. I know both my brothers-in-law love us more than they abhor our messy home.

The biggest win happens to be on prominent display at the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati. Another super old restaurant closed yet their bunny sign stood for many years. Then Akron, Ohio lawmakers decided to take it down. I reached out to the museum, where the beloved bunny received painstaking restoration and now towers over visitors upon entering.

A rabbit eating a hamburger may be weird but it was
the nickname the founder gave his adored wife...

Our success made local news in Northeast Ohio. I don’t mind us not being credited, the result is rewarding enough. And we hope to do the same for the iconic Skyway sign.

This location was open for 74 years...

Isn’t it nice when history doesn’t get discarded? Have you ever visited something like our sign museum?

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My Silly Girls

I adore how Terra's side-eye toward the camera make her look evil while her claws did not penetrate my shoulder in the slightest...

Polly has adorable "thumbs" while her
pollywogs outnumber them...

Dandelion is a huge goof that
defies this refined posture...

Do you know that still forming tadpoles are called polywogs? How perfect is that term for Polly's lesser toes?

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I Wish I’d Thought of This Sooner

Early this summer, I decided to make a full pitcher of sugar water for our many ruby throated hummingbirds. What a time saver!

A quick search showed this from Pinterest, which is surely faked...
The males mate and then bail on the mother...

Why didn’t I think of this sooner? Are these tiny flying jewels amazing or what?

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One Fine Sunday

My friend Scars was very angry at the world when we first met and really wanted to end his life of extreme pain. But he promised his dying mother not to leave his father further bereaved. I wish I could have met Betty, but Scars’ father is a treasure.

In honor of both these chivalrous and delightful men I left my comfort zone (home) and drove north to attend church with them. There, we witnessed Scars’ reconfirmation baptism.

Sitting alone for a bit before the service began, I prompted Paul to tell me travel stories. Scars inherited his storytelling skill, by the way, another reason I so enjoy their company. In fact, I told my husband we should both visit to hear Paul’s tales before his failing health takes him from us.

~sigh~

When Scars was called up to the baptismal pool, Paul said he’d stay where we’d parked his wheelchair despite his son and I each offering to wheel him over. “I’ll keep an eye on his stuff,” he insisted. I didn’t know this until afterward, but he accepted a stranger’s offer, for which I’m very glad. Scars also refuses assistance at almost every turn. Letting me do anything is rewarding.

Unfortunately, Scars’ niece, mother of a five week old boy, couldn’t attend and most of the remaining family lives out of state. That fact and my ability to physically help in small ways multiplied my contentment. One fellow took a photo of us three and there is video of the baptism, too. If my decades ago searches for a church family had led me to a congregation so friendly and not clamoring for membership I would have likely remained a member.

Where I find spirituality...
I am excited to harvest my first eggplant!

Like father, like son, right? And now, do you think I’m in the majority of my contemporaries when I say my garden is my cathedral of choice?

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Dazed and Confused

I went outside in a great mood one morning to check my vegetable plants when I saw a slip of paper fallen from my front doorknob. A city employee left a weed violation warning that totally deflated my good mood. I’ve worked so hard on maintaining a decent yard. And I’m on my own due to my husband’s imbalance issues.

I immediately called and left the inspector a polite message requesting guidance. And I shamelessly played the old lady card, how I alone maintain the property.

Still feeling down and confused, I knew that taking action was an excellent morale booster. Two rare but always amicable neighborly encounters improved my mood before I even started. Then I walked to the north side of our house.

Invasive, fast growing Johnson grass went nuts when I wasn’t looking. I immediately took my electric hedge trimmer and mowed down as much as possible without tumbling down the hill. While the landscape has eroded beyond recognition, the hardest to reach spot is almost exactly where I caught Tilly falling from the neighbor’s tree so long ago.

The inspector called the next afternoon and confirmed my wishful suspicion. My husband was relieved by both the fact we wouldn’t be facing any fine and our vegetables are in no danger.

I need to follow up with weed killer. And keeping this obnoxious grass down demands vigilance.

Can you imagine how worse it would have been if that notice blew away? Is there a particular invasive plant plaguing your area?

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