* * * * * *
Looks as though those of us in this area can stop being concerned about drought! Around 4 a.m. this morning we had one heckuva rain storm that dropped 1" of rain on us. This has been happening frequently enough that we're finally getting well hydrated. I only wish those of you in other parts of the country were getting your share of the rain, too. I know it's desperately needed.
I had plans to pick three kinds of beans this morning and get them processed but the garden is so wet I'll not be doing that. Hoping the heavy rain didn't knock too many of the ripe raspberries off the plants last night. Once they're ripe, they come off so easily.
Our temp is only in the 70s (hooray!) but the sky is overcast and the humidity is high both inside and out. (In the above picture, I was trying to take a shot that showed the heaviness of the air, but I think a much more talented photographer than I am is needed for that.) When I wiped the table off this morning after breakfast, it was still wet a half hour later!Yesterday most of the day was spent making juice concentrate. (Yep, I'm still on the homemade juice kick.) I made a single batch of blueberry concentrate and two batches of raspberry. Unless I end up with an over-abundance of blueberries, I think that's all I'll make this year until we find out exactly how far the concentrate goes and how much we consume over winter.
Glad to report I've moved out of my waking in the middle of the night routine and have been sleeping straight through. Last night I finished up the last batch of juice later than I would have liked and found myself hitting the wall and wanting to be flat out in bed before I wrapped up what needed to be done. I stumbled around for another hour or so before making it into bed. I have no idea how I did it, but apparently when I drew back the bed covers I pulled down the fitted bottom sheet also, and crawled in on top of the mattress pad. (That fitted bottom sheet is tight, too!) I had no idea I had done this until hubby came to bed and knew something didn't feel right. Good grief, that's one I'll wonder about for a long time!
Funny how itchy my fingers are to get those beans picked and processed, but I don't think it will be happening today. When I have a plan made, I've always had trouble changing horses. Don't know if that's a personality weakness or strength. So far I've used the day to get caught up with desk work . . . and there's always the disaster called my closet I could/should work on. And a couple hundred other non-garden related things to do. And I do have that Netflix video I could watch . . .
25 comments:
I cast a vote for the Netflix. Give it a rest, dear Mama Pea! You deserve it!
I vote for do a bit of everything. I usually stumble around all day doing bits and pieces and then give myself a break on the computer. Unfortunately I don't get much finished but I sure do get things started. lol
that closet will be a good project to put off til snow season. That's funny about getting in bed and not knowing you were on the mattress pad, that's not tired, that's exhaustion. Take care, enjoy your rain.
Sue - Don't throw something at me but . . . the sun came out along with a lovely breeze and the beans dried so I could pick them. But just the yellow ones. The green beans seem to be really slow this year. Papa Pea's favorite green bean is a filet bean but it does not freeze well at all so I only planted a four foot row of them for us to eat fresh. Of course, even that four foot row is proving to be too many for us to eat fresh! But we did have a big bunch for dinner and I got 5 more servings of the yellow beans in the freezer.
I'm glad to hear you slept well. It's such an important thing and sometimes hard to control. Ha! Maybe that's part of the problem. ;-)
Looking forward to hearing how having juice concentrate around goes. Sounds yummy.
Sparkless - Hey, if you don't start things, they'll NEVER get finished! ;o]
Tombstone Livestock - But the really strange thing is that it would seem that I would have had to tug really hard to get that fitted sheet to come loose and I could swear I just folded down the covers before crawling in.
But I've done a better one than that. (I maybe shouldn't let this be known.) Once a few years ago when I was really sick, I got into bed one night and felt something wasn't quite right. Sure 'nuf, I still had my clogs on. Oooops. I chalked that one up to my brain being feverish!
LindaCO - Hard to control, for sure! So just why is it that even though your little problems and stresses are just the same, you start sleeping through the night again when it seemed so impossible for 2-3-4 nights running?
We sampled the blueberry concentrate today and it's not nearly as strong as the raspberry. I felt like I didn't get as much out of the blueberries because I had so much pulp left. Maybe I need to run the berries through the blender at some point to enable more of the juice to get out??
That juice is making me crave some good fresh fruit juice. I like to eat the pulp too, which maybe makes me a little weird in a geophagy sort of way!
Rumor has it that we got over an inch of rain- and I missed it! We arrived in Cook, MN last night after a loong drive. Shhh... don't tell... I'm on vacation. No cell service and wi-fi is dodgy at best. But a cabin on the lake is just what I need.
Judy
Congrats on getting a good night's sleep!! Wish I could, but the shoulder isn't cooperating. Enjoy the better (ie: cooler and wet) weather while you can.
The thing I hate about the high humidity is that the dishes dont dry and I have many more behind them that need a place in the dish rack. I love the 70's. What a perfect temperature. At least that rain should multiply those beans by the time you do get out there.
Oh, high humidity is the worst! I just melt. I love the cool and the rain. Perfect time to go to the garden and finds snails to feed to the chickens!
~~Lori
Edgar Sugercane - Welcome and thanks for commenting! I'm sure there is still lots of goodness left in the pulp after the juice is extracted so that doesn't sound weird to me at all!
Judy - You're on vacation? GOOD FOR YOU! You deserve to be in a cabin on a lake and having some relaxing time more than almost anyone I know. Enjoy yourself to the utmost!
P.S. When we were first looking for a place to settle in northern Minnesota, we spent some time in and around the Cook area.
Stephanie - Thinking of your shoulder reminds me of when I had a frozen rotator cuff. Sleeping was SO hard. You have my sympathies! Our cooler weather is WONDERFUL!!
Jane - With all the humidity we've had this summer, I can't help but think of folks living in our southeastern states that have it all the time! I'm sure you learn to live with it, but I know I wouldn't care to. I really dislike the way everything feels so clammy!
Lori - The chickens must love it when they see you crawling around the garden with a bucket!
YOUR GARDEN LOOKS WELL TAKEN CARE OF SO GIVE YOURSELFS A BREAK AND I HAD TO DO A DOUBLE TAKE WITH YOUR PROFILE PHOTO ,LAYING IN THE GARDEN,GULP?
Your raised beds gardens look beautiful! We finally had a decent rain last night - which was so welcome!
Once that garden gets going, it does not care if the humidity is 99%. The stuff grows while you watch! I gave up yesterday and locked myself in the house with the dehumidifier on. I am such a wimp.
judy - I thought that pic was appropriate for this time of year when the garden harvest just seems to poop me out! ;o]
Susan - You may be a wimp . . . but a very smart, sensible wimp! Good for you!
Plain and Joyful Living - Welcome and thanks for commenting!
Thanks for the nice words re my raised beds. (Geesh, you should see them when they are in good shape!)
Glad you got some good rain recently. We had thunder boomers rolls through yesterday afternoon but only enough rain to dampen my laundry on the line . . . twice!
Back online & getting caught up!
Your garden looks fantastic! Love that you're making homemade juices. I want to do that someday. Glad you're getting some rain. We're getting too much. Wish I could send a bunch of it to my blogging friends.
Post a Comment