Things are slowing down a lot now. As the summer gets older things move more slowly, the weeds even grow less but the roots are bigger and harder to pull.  We picked the beans but there were not enough to can so I cooked about two quarts and left the other half to cook in a day or two.  Beans are one thing that does not lose its flavor after being picked.  There will be a few more beans next week but the canning is done, we have enough anyways so are not unhappy about that.  Between the wind and deer we don’t have much corn left.  We tried a second crop and it was coming along very good but now we have very little still standing so are not planning on that.  We have tried many different things to get a second crop here.  After planting in New Hampshire for 30 years the growing season here is so much longer it just seemed as if we should be able to have two crops with no trouble but that is not so between the heat, the bugs, and the animals a second crop is not worth the trouble and work.  If we really needed it to live I am sure we could find something that would work but we get so much from the first crop we don’t really need any more.  We will plant more parsnips next year and keep those in place of  second crop.  Of course we will still put in a second crop of green bush beans when we take out the last of the beets and spinach.  Both of those go in in March and are all done by the middle of June so the beans have a long enough summer left to produce a second crop and being near the house we can keep the animals out.   Today Norman finished weeding and cleaning up the section of the garden he has been working on and the only thing left in there are the parsnips.  He pulled the cucumber plants which looked awful and found the squash beetles had gotten into their roots and that was why they were dying so early.  He will rake in some seven to kill them so they don’t just go on to other plants and wait for next year.  I weeded the front flower gardens and they look much better even the humming birds didn’t mind my being there.  Both of the feeders hang in those two flower boxes and they went right on eating over my head as  pulled the weeds below the feeders.

Happy Birthday, Shanti!!  We have had no email for three days and they are still working on restoring that so I can not email you.  I have not been able to get your email to know if you got your nuts or not so decided to use this avenue of communication to wish you A Very Happy Birthday from Dad and Mom!! Have a great day.