Turtle

That little guy is still around. I see him out at the garden, sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the evening. Yesterday, I watched him motoring around the water dish (which we actually put out for the birds to bath and drink from). He seemed to be hunting for pill bugs (also known as sow bugs, rolly-pollies, and potato bugs). He gets around pretty quickly for a turtle–peddles fast! Our yard is…oh quarter acre maybe, and I’ve seen him at every end. I do suspect that he tried one of my grape tomatoes–I swear the breakage screamed turtle beak! He didn’t eat it though, so he must have been expecting a strawberry (some of which are probably missing from the two or three plants, but he’s welcome to them. I don’t get enough to really amount to anything.)

Writing or Reading

Fantasy Magazine (editor Sean Wallace, magazine pub’d by Prime Books) has started an interesting column–blog for a beer! Check it out. Basically they’re looking for input on a “topic of the week” and they’ll provide you with beer (or fudge sundae) money (10 bucks) if your wisdom is chosen. It’s an interesting idea and kinda neat–give people that like to comment a chance to be pulled from the comments into the frontline so to speak.

Fruits of the Garden

The first full-sized tomato is turning red!!! No really! It’s going to be one from the “Opener” plants. I’ve had two grape tomatoes turn, several currant tomatoes–do not plant currant tomato plants, folks. They take up a lot of room and so far, the tomatoes are not even the size of a dime…not that size is everything, but it’s rather odd eating fare. You put a handful in a salad, and you can’t spear them to eat them. Then when you do get them in your mouth, they kind of roll around your teeth like they’re trying to escape. You finally nab the suckers, and they explode with a rather hefty pop. Seriously, they are the weirdest tomatoes I’ve grown. There must be 40 million on the plant, but what am I going to do with them? I can’t exactly can these suckers.

The snap peas are about done. It was a decent year, but by no means a bumper crop. I never had enough to give any away. We had enough for salads and as a side dish several times, but now the heat is starting to wither the plants. The zucchini is going strong; we’ve eaten a few already. I have two Chinese cabbage still producing. I cut a few leaves here and there when I need cabbage–put some in with the zucchini and snap peas in the shrimp/veggies for tonight’s meal in fact. Pretty good stuff.

I should have a cucumber in a couple of days–small and kinda curled–looks a bit like a large pickle, even though it’s supposed to be an eating-type. If I get lucky it will be ready at the same time as the tomato.

No takers yet on the cantaloupe, but the plant is hanging in there and snaking around this and that. I’m sure it’ll take here in a bit.

The early raspberries are coming in. May not be a bumper crop, but they are enough to snack on while I’m out there pretending to pick weeds!