It's fall...

and the flowers are still blooming.

The bugs are still hopping,

the bees are still buzzing,

and the tomatoes are still growing.

Hopefully, I'll eek a few more off the vine before the weather snaps and all is done.

The windows are wide open and the cooler breezes are filtering through...

an absolute delight!

I love, love, love this time of year. Sometimes I wish fall would stay for 12 months on end.

But then I'd miss the snows of winter. And the new life of spring time.

And the heat of the sun in summer.

Yes, change is good.

Still, fall is my favorite.

And I'm so very glad it's here!

1000 Gifts: I Sing the Mighty Power of God

I sing the mighty power of God, that made the mountains rise,

That spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies.

I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;

The moon shines full at God's command, and all the stars obey.

I sing the goodness of the Lord, who filled the earth with food,

Who formed the creatures through the Word, and then pronounced them good.

Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed, where'er I turn my eye,

If I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the sky.

There's not a plant or flower below, but makes Thy glories known.

And clouds arise, and tempests blow, by order from Thy throne;

While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;

And everywhere that we can be, Thou, God art present there.

~ Isaac Watts

Rejoicing today in the beauty of His creation... giving thanks for all He's made:

(numbers 818 - 830)

leaf-littered gardens, glistening in reds and oranges and yellows

crisp blue skies lined with feathery white clouds... the call of a brand new day

bird chatter out back, the door open wide

laughter & giggles & more

tiny tomatoes, still clinging to the vine

autumn's harvest... not quite ready to quit

dogs on leashes, babe in stroller, the big ones on bikes down the street

around and around and around we go-- the outdoors still calling for more

summer sheets put away, beds blanketed for warmth

mornings to snuggle and cuddle and rest

homemade soups and freshly baked bread

hot chocolate, applie pie, and more

the thousands of ways He says, I love you

around every corner, in every tree, just waiting.... waiting to be noticed

eyes to see and ears to hear

and a heart... desperate to receive it all

"God made the earth by His power."

Jeremiah 10:12-13

and the list continues...

Before the rain

Aren't little helpers the best??!

Nature's classroom

Or perhaps... a garden surprise. Either way, a learning lesson for all and an ever-increasing appreciation for God's creative hand. You know, it never ceases to amaze me-- the countless lessons that are just waiting for us, right outside our kitchen windows, if only we take the time to go out and peak. God is so very good that way!! His creation is just brimming with nooks and crannies to explore and discover, and each and every one holds another mystery to unfold or another oddity to examine... leaving us filled with a wealth of new tid bits to share and savor... or perhaps just to mull over for a few lazy days at at time.

Well, one day last week proved to be no exception. On Tuesday we drove to Grandmom's & Pop's house for the day (with the purpose of leaving Big Man behind so that he could finish out the VBS week with Gmom), and naturally I chose to stroll through my mama's vegetable gardens for a peak at all her goodies therein. Well, it didn't take long to notice that something had been feasting on her tomato plants... and that something had all but decimated a handful of them. Mom told me she had just noticed it earlier that day and didn't suspect the deer (her usual garden munchers) but instead suspected a much, much smaller vegetarian... a creepy little thing that, upon closer inspection, was most certainly enjoying the abundance~

And then we found another.

And another. And another... each one a good 3 inches long.

Tomato hornworms:

= nasty not-so-little creatures who have been known to decimate entire

tomato plant populations in a matter of days, leaf by little leaf.

I wish I had taken a picture of the plants themselves--

many of the branches were virtually leafless

(and as we all know, a plant without leaves doesn't stand much hope of survival).

Evidently, these guys were well on their way.

After a thorough hunt, we pulled off 5 or 6 altogether, but the following morning

Mom found 2 or 3 more... hopefully the last of the bunch. We chucked them all over the fence;

hopefully, they won't find their way back.

Now here's the part that the biologist in me finds absolutely fascinating--

see all those little white things attached to the hornworm's back?

As an opossum carries its young, so the hornworm carries its young

(or soon-to-be young), right?

Wrong.

As it turns out, those white things are indeed eggs, but they're not HIS eggs.

Tragically (for him), he's fallen prey to a tiny parasitic wasp...

a clever creature who instinctively lays his own eggs along the hornworm's back.

After hatching then, the very hungry itsy-bitsy wasp larvae burrow IN TO the worm itself

and feed off him... and thus kill him in the process.

Pretty interesting, huh? My boys thought that was the coolest~

So... should you find any of these egg-covered hornworms in your garden--

don't kill them (or throw them over the fence and out into the woods :).

Instead, nestle them-- along with the leaf on which they're currently munching--

amongst the leaves of your sacrificial tomato plant

(the one that's already too far gone to be saved) and allow the wasps to hatch...

and thus-- naturally-- take care of your potential hornworm population.

(As for the hornworms that are NOT currently carrying any wasp eggs,

just cut them in half with a pair of garden scissors.

The helpful gentleman on this YouTube video made it look very, very easy.

Still, I think I'll let the boys tackle that job.)

So as for science in the summer, I'll borrow one of Martha Stewart's famous lines--

"It's a good thing."

And thanks to the Lord's creativity, a little time outdoors, and a couple of curious minds,

my boys and I now know a little bit more about our tomato plants

and the critters who enjoy them as much as we do!

Happy gardening!

Where, oh where, art thou?

"Spring being a tough act to follow,
God created June."

--Al Bernstein

And yet all too quickly...

it's gone.

Will someone please tell me where it went??!

Growing

The temperatures are rising as summer has surely staked her claim on our small parcel.

Thankfully, little helpers abound, and our veggies... they're growing!

Lolli's already snatched (and gobbled) a few red tomatoes from the vine

(plus a few that have gone straight to the kitchen windowsill for further ripening :)

and the cauliflower is getting closer and closer to harvesting--

hopefully only another week or two.

The beans are just starting out, and the cucumbers & squash are spreading their wings.

As for me, I'm just praising the Lord for the harvest!

"There, in the presence of the LORD your God,

you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice

in everything you have put your hand to,

because the LORD your God has blessed you."

Deuteronomy 12:7

In the backyard

The broccoli is growing,

and Big Man... he's monitoring.

The peonies are thriving,

and Lolli... she's savoring.

Noh-man is pitching,

and Bub... he's waiting.

And Ferguson... he's basking

while Mosby is napping.

And me... I'm just soaking it all in...

and loving every single second of it!

"This is the day the LORD has made

[I] will rejoice and be glad in it."

Psalm 118:24

Vegetable gardening... our way

So here's what I've discovered: there are a gazillion books out there-- volumes upon volumes upon volumes... all about vegetable gardening and how-to-do-it. Lots of details, color photos, tips of every shape and size... step by step by itty bitty step... so that you, too, can plant your own veggie garden and hopefully, help it thrive. Now for those of us who have a gazillion hours on hand to read through them all... fantastic! (All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew is a great place to start... should you fall in to this category). For the rest of us, however... we just need to get straight to the point.

Vegetable gardening, from what I've gathered thus far, is-- without a shadow of a doubt-- a trial and error sort of process. There are lots of conditions to consider (soil, placement, sun, shade, water, fertilizers, and so on), and what works splendidly in my neck of the woods may not fare so well in yours. Since I ended up getting a later start than I originally anticipated (translate: LIFE happened), and since time was of the essence (we *are* well into April now), I decided to skip the books altogether (remember that TIME limitation I mentioned earlier) and instead, ask questions. I visited plant nurseries and talked to the staff while my little people contented themselves on the red radio flyer wagons. I chatted with others who have been there, done that. I read a few online articles (the short and sweet ones), and I scanned a few websites. And then, after that, I jumped in with both feet.

Now earlier this spring I had planned to build a raised bed garden. But due to time constraints (remember: LIFE happened), that specific plan fell by the wayside. Thankfully, plan B came together beautifully in no time at all. You see... my mom, our master gardener extraordinaire, is building a raise bed garden herself so all those giant plastic pots she's used in years past... no longer necessary. Over Easter weekend, therefore, I snagged a few (thanks again, Mom!) for our use at home. Container gardening... here we come.

So the pots, the pots... they're now resting comfortably in the back quadrant of our yard-- a very sunny patch near the shed where only weeds have previously survived. The boys and I cleared a large space and then covered it with several layers of newspaper (useful in killing those nasty weeds underneath... because I don't want an unsightly, weedy garden, after all... even if it is made up of plastic pots :), and then we arranged our containers accordingly. From the woodpile we grabbed several large logs to border our garden (consider them the puppy tinkle barrier), and voila-- a prime patch, ready for planting.

Our current compost pot... filled with all sorts of lovely compostable items...

baking in the sun... doing its thing... ready for use... *sometime* down the road :)

In preparing our pots, we mixed a little slightly-used dirt with the compost we had been saving all winter, and then we added a product new to us, Leafgro Organic Soil Conditioner (the folks at my favorite plant nursery swear by it). It made a lovely addition and will surely help provide a near perfect home for our now-growing summer bounty.

Pot #1... done! Pot #2... get ready!

As a very quick aside, let me put in a tiny plug here for compost. It is quality, and it saves so much money as you seek to fill your pots-- whether for veggies or flowers. AND-- as an added bonus, it provides a super-easy method for getting the littles involved, too. All my boys know that banana peels, egg shells, tea bags, and coffee grounds go straight to the compost bin... along with all sorts of other useful kitchen cast-offs. It works, it makes kitchen clean-up easy, and the whole family can participate. Awfully worthwhile, in my humble opinion :)

So... back to the garden. The following day we hopped on over to Whole Foods Market and bought some organically grown broccoli, cauliflower and potato plants (shown below),

and as soon as we got home, we plopped them in the soil... watered them a bit... and then watered them some more. And now we're just waiting and seeing... anxious for the very first pick of the season. Hopefully, in the weeks to come, we'll have a healthy supply of home-grown goodies! Of course then we'll have to plant our summer veggies... but first things first... I'm still hoping these guys will make it :)

Happy gardening!