Now the fun work begins

The lettuce is crisp and great tasting.  The cukes have been made into pickles (two batches so far).  The beans are great eating anytime.  I have made one batch of dill beans, Kari.  This morning I did my first pickled beets.  I have lived with my beloved for 42 years and never realized that he liked pickled beets.  You learn something new everyday.

This is all possible because our Great God, the Creator,  said in Genesis 1:29  "...Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat."

"The Rains Came Down and the Plants Came Up"

The plants are getting bigger.  You can tell by the sunflowers that are painted on the shed.  This is a view from the backdoor deck. 

God is Good, All the Time

Remember the verse in I Thessalonians 5:18 - "In everything give thanks..."?  It is so easy to quote, but not so easy to live.  This past week has really challenged my thinking and praying.  A routine surgery for my brother turned into a serious situation and a lot of pain.  But God is good, gave grace and relief from sufftering.  A dear friend is in the hospital awaiting the results of tests.  But God is good and will give grace and peace.  Tomorrow a dear lady from church will undergo some corrective surgery after her cancer treatments and God is good and will give grace and peace.  In the midst of all these concerns, God gave a sweet baby girl to a couple who attends our church.  What a blessing!  GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME! 

The THIRD Picking

This is for my sister.  Before long the picking will double or triple again.  The picture is not too good because my battery needs to be recharged.  This time it is pick and eat.  Maybe next time it will be the whipped cream, too.

Cheryl's Flowers

I can't believe that  after all these years I actually have a dark purple clematis that is BLOOMING.  I have always admired the beautiful clematis' that were blooming every summer when we would come to the cabin.

Now we are in the north country and I have my own.  God is so good, all the time.

The SECOND Picking

Isn't this exciting!! My yield has doubled.

The Visit was Short but Sweet

 

Emily brought her doll, Emily, with her (an American Girl doll that she found at a garage sale.)

Alec brought his homemade slingshot and his BB gun.  He had a great time knocking down the cans in the backyard.

Relaxin' on the couch talking with Grampy.  They left at 11:30 p.m. to catch the ferry in Milwaukee at 6 a.m.

...And baby girl makes FIVE in the family.                                                                                 

More Fun With the Grandkinds

Emily is eating a s'more made with a GIANT MARSHMELLOW.  She did not seem to have any trouble eating the whole thing.  Sean and Alec lit sparklers from the blazing hot campfire.  They had to move around alot to find a place where they wouldn't burn their fingers.  The evening ended with our own fireworks display right in our own backyard.

We built the campfire and roasted hot dogs.  Sean got right down and  into it.  As the night progressed, we moved our chairs closer to the fire.  When the sun went down, it was so nice and cool after some hot days.  Alec and I picked the FIRST raspbery of the year.  We had to shoo the ants away because we wanted to eat it and not them.  Alec says at home he eats the ants, too.

Grampy requested potatoe salad to go along with the hot dogs.  It was a fun time and one to be long-remembered.

Another Set of Grandkids Come for a Visit

They got in at 6:15 a.m.  After some "shut eye", we enjoyed the backyard with a picnic lunch, running through the COLD water sprinkler, some throw on the ground noisy  mini bombs, and a ride in the wagon behind the mower.  Grampy and kids got logs from over at church for our campfire later on. There was a beautiful breeze on Friday so we could sit out all afternoon and evening.

The Farmers Work is Never Done

The field behind the garen was cut, raked and finally baled.  It was fascinating to watch.  The bales were hauled away on a huge flatbed trailer.  Unfortunately, we were on a run to town when that took place so we missed the excitment.

This is my red, white, and blue wildflower garden.  I didn't realize that just the red, white and blue flowers would be blooming in time for the 4th of July.  I am reminded of I Peter 1:24-25 "...The  grass withereth and the flower thereof falleth away:  But the word of the Lord endureth for ever...."

It Keeps on Growing!!

We spread that ton of hay in the garden and everything seems to have grown overnight.  We have had rain at the right times.  God is so good. We enjoy just sitting out on the patio and listening to the birds and the gurggle of the fountain.

A beautiful summer day in Wisconsin

The hay field behind the garden came down the other day.  Elton cut it and then raked it the next day.  Don't I sound like I know what I am talking about?  It will be used for his son's cows.  We will be the recipient of the feeding of the cows when we get the meat in our freezer.  Our neighbor got a 1000 lb. bale of straw for us. We took that apart and spread it over the entire garden including the 24+ raspberry plants.  Hopefully, this will reduce the amount of weeds growing up in our garden.  Our neighbor had given us a wheelbarrow full of straw but we had him get us a full bale.  We sure got our exercise spreading it around.  The plants are all doing GREAT!!! We are amazed at our Great God and His awesome creation.