A lovely day here at the Aerie with a high temp of 76 or so. Most of the day was cloudless despite forecasts of occasional showers. Perhaps tonight.
We had one of those scattered showers yesterday afternoon. In less than half an hour it dropped 0.3 inches of rain. I know that because I emptied the rain gauge before I left to go to Lowe's up in Horseheads (just northwest of Elmira off I-86). I ran into a similar scattered shower on my way to Elmira, found it hadn't rained just to the northwest of the city, and hit just a tiny bit of rain coming back down on Rt 15 to Mansfield. Got home just after the heavy rain stopped here. Summer thunderstorms in the mountains can be like that. Rain on one side of the mountain but not the other or even on one side of the road and not the other.
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We've been picking string beans out of the garden on a daily basis. We'll get enough for a quart of frozen beans every other day if we don't have them for supper. Today we also picked eight cucumbers giving us an even dozen for the last two days. Tomorrow we'll be able to pick four or five more. Then it will be time to make some pickles.
Zucchini are not doing too well. There were three or four that were just over two inches long but had started to turn yellow and rot. There are two or three that look like they might be havestable in a couple of days but so far we've only had one nine inch long zuke. There have been plenty of flowers on the plants but, unless something happens soon, we may not have any zucchini bread in the freezer in September.
In looking over the tomatoes, I spotted lots and lots of fruit but none of it has turned red yet. To encourage that and the growth of the smaller fruit on the plants, I snipped off some of the terminal growth and unset flowers. I'll do more of that in the next day or two.
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Finally, I called the loggers to see if they had finished with their work on my property. I thought they had as I didn't spot any marked trees and that was confirmed. Now it's my turn to get out there with the chainsaw and reduce the tops they left to smaller piles of slash and firewood. Some of the tops are quite thick (10" at the cut end) and were only left behind because of the limbs, bends and twists they contain. All of it is ash, oak, maple and hickory. If I can retrieve those pieces that are 4" in diameter or better--and the slope upon which some of the tops rest may make full recovery impossible--I'll have plenty of firewood for the next two winters. At least if Al Gore doesn't come visiting.
4 comments:
I'm having the same bad luck w/ my zuchini this year too! And I was really looking forward to making zuchini bread. Good luck w/ your tomatoes!
If Algore does come around, just be prepared to harness the hot air - might heat the Aerie for several seasons.
No squash here either. I am bereft. I started some late plants in half barrels and am pumping the fertilizer to them. Enjoying the green beans too.
Shelly (nice avatar, btw) and threecollie: Gardens are slow all across the northeast country. And I count the Mohawk Valley and northern Michigan as north. In fact, anything north of I-80 has been down right cold and damp this summer.
Rev. Paul: I don't think even Algore's hot air is sufficient to over come the cold--no make theat frigid--weather that seams to accompany his appearances. I have noted, however, that he has been extremely quiet of late. Perhaps he is afraid that if he opens his mouth too often while Cap and Tax is being discussed in the Senate, he may jinx that, too.
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