August is coming to a close with a wide variety of weather. It's been hazy, hot and humid; clear, sunny and breezy; and stormy and wet. The garden has finally started to produce. We've been feasting on broccoli; green beans, peppers (hot and not) and onions; and zucchini. There are tomatoes but most are still green. The 3 Mr Stripey plants...that I paid $2.99/plant...have a total of 4 tomatoes on them and one of them has to produce seeds for next year. Jeff's raised-from-seed varieties are doing about the same. And the volunteer plants--from last year that self-seeded---keep popping up in unexpected places and are producing, too. Jeff's got 3 or 4 cantaloupe the size tennis balls that may actually ripen! The red cabbage has finally started to form heads and there is one white eggplant that may end up as Parmesan. Most of the greens (lettuce, escarole, kale etc) didn't make it. There are a lot of carrots...now if only they would grow. I'll just mention in passing that the beets, turnips, parsnips and rutabaga that are doing well but since they are not on my list of favorite veggies.... The one sunflower plant that survived is now taller than the miniature apple tree and has bout 2 dozen flowerbuds on it! Jeff is discouraged with the garden but we're doing so much better than other gardens we see that I won't complain too much. He's still building and filling the raised bed-boxes (next year we'll have the area between the boxes covered with wood chips) and spending his free time fishing down at Lock 18. Fanny and I go along sometime but I think I'm better off staying home. There aren't any 'facilities' at the lock and I never got the hang of going behind a tree.
My sales in the shop in Cooperstown have been pretty good this summer. Baby sweater sets and novelty hats keep selling...that may have something to do with keeping my space full since I worked 3 times in 10 days! I'm scheduled to work again next Saturday and I'm trying to build up my stock of baby socks and pumpkin hats. Of course, if a sweater or 2 sells this weekend I'll have to do something about that, too. Jeff got me hooked on the writing of Craig Johnson (modern western/mystery) thru the cable tv show Longmire. I've been treating myself to a book break between knitting projects (I think Johnson is on par with Tony Hillerman...both have Native Americans as major characters) but I'm without a book right now so that means I'll keep knitting!
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