End of June

Found a mouse had built a nest in one of our closet while we were gone to Maryland. Used material stolen from a bread basket that was in the closet and wove a very elaborate nest! Also brought some dog food from the kitchen into the closet, for later I suppose. Mouse and nest now gone of course, but always amazed at how resourceful they are as soon as you let up your guard.  Also found both dog food and mouse poison pellets (both of which would have come from kitchen) under the couch cushion in the living room - ugh.  More cleaning had to be done of course!

Fenced in plants

Finally broke down and put up the netting fence we've used for several years around the garden. Hoping it will stop the critters from eating our plants. Decided that I do have some cabbage after all - as soon as a head was even thinking about forming, it was eaten off...Already fence only been up one day and I can see that a new head is forming in a few of them anyway.  Nelson going to fence in his corn too as it is already being knocked down by some critter. I did just re-plant some limas and green beans over there, and a few of those limas germinated,  Too early yet for the green beans but hopefully soon.

Something ate all the sugar snap pea plants again last night in an area I didn't fence in. The green beans there will undoubtedly be next! This will be the last year I plant anything there.  Doubt I'll get anything at all there.

Wild Raspberries are starting to turn red and wax beans (pretty pink/purple flowers), cucumbers, and squash are blooming. The golden zucchini now has 4 teeny little zucchini about the length (but not the width) of my littlest fingernail, but none of them seem to be getting any bigger. Very strange looking little things. I planted some limas in various places and a few plants have come up so we may have a few lima beans in late, late summer.

My neighbor down the road said he had more onions than he needed, so told me to come dig up 1/2 row that he wasn't going to use. I got more from his half row than from my 2 rows that I dug up last week and many were they are larger too. Also have many onion sets for planting next fall.

Onions

Raspberries

Wax beans blooming

Picked 2 1/4 cups of black raspberries today. In another couple days I should have enough to make some jam! They are ripening a little at a time!

Lilies

Same flowers as earlier- daylilies, dames rocket, and addition of lilies and yucca. Oh and pretty pink fluffy Queen of the Prairie- forgot to take any pictures of those.

yucca

 Lots of interesting flowering weeds - milkweek and queen anne's lace. My favorite, orangeweed, which is bigger this year but as always only one plant- would love this one to spread!  Wonder if I can facilitate that somehow?  Pokeweed and thistle starting; they get much prettier later in the summer when they get purple.

weeds- QA's Lace/Milkweed
some blue weed too

Orangeweed

beginning of pokeweed

thistle starting

End of June

Found a mouse had built a nest in one of our closet while we were gone to Maryland. Used material stolen from a bread basket that was in the closet and wove a very elaborate nest! Also brought some dog food from the kitchen into the closet, for later I suppose. Mouse and nest now gone of course, but always amazed at how resourceful they are as soon as you let up your guard.  Also found both dog food and mouse poison pellets (both of which would have come from kitchen) under the couch cushion in the living room - ugh.  More cleaning had to be done of course!

Fenced in plants

Finally broke down and put up the netting fence we've used for several years around the garden. Hoping it will stop the critters from eating our plants. Decided that I do have some cabbage after all - as soon as a head was even thinking about forming, it was eaten off...Already fence only been up one day and I can see that a new head is forming in a few of them anyway.  Nelson going to fence in his corn too as it is already being knocked down by some critter. I did just re-plant some limas and green beans over there, and a few of those limas germinated,  Too early yet for the green beans but hopefully soon.

Something ate all the sugar snap pea plants again last night in an area I didn't fence in. The green beans there will undoubtedly be next! This will be the last year I plant anything there.  Doubt I'll get anything at all there.

Wild Raspberries are starting to turn red and wax beans (pretty pink/purple flowers), cucumbers, and squash are blooming. The golden zucchini now has 4 teeny little zucchini about the length (but not the width) of my littlest fingernail, but none of them seem to be getting any bigger. Very strange looking little things. I planted some limas in various places and a few plants have come up so we may have a few lima beans in late, late summer.

My neighbor down the road said he had more onions than he needed, so told me to come dig up 1/2 row that he wasn't going to use. I got more from his half row than from my 2 rows that I dug up last week and many were they are larger too. Also have many onion sets for planting next fall.

Onions

Raspberries

Wax beans blooming

Picked 2 1/4 cups of black raspberries today. In another couple days I should have enough to make some jam! They are ripening a little at a time!

Lilies

Same flowers as earlier- daylilies, dames rocket, and addition of lilies and yucca. Oh and pretty pink fluffy Queen of the Prairie- forgot to take any pictures of those.

yucca

 Lots of interesting flowering weeds - milkweek and queen anne's lace. My favorite, orangeweed, which is bigger this year but as always only one plant- would love this one to spread!  Wonder if I can facilitate that somehow?  Pokeweed and thistle starting; they get much prettier later in the summer when they get purple.

weeds- QA's Lace/Milkweed
some blue weed too

Orangeweed

beginning of pokeweed

thistle starting

Finally some rain June 24th week

We finally have gotten a few days of rain. Garden got water, but that is not as effective as some good rain! Things are growing again! Will be interesting to see who get more of the proceeds - us or the local critters!  Several rows of corn (planted over a few weeks) showing signs of lack of water, but still growing, so we are hopeful. Delicate squash, I think, actually came up a few feet from where I put seeds, but on a slope so may have moved down with rain, wind, or help of a bird. The Golden Zucchini, I got by accident, was first of the squash family to get flowers and now has two very little zucchini forming (center front and center right of plant. As you see from the chewed edges of several stalks, critters like this plant too but am hoping only the newest leaves, same with the cucumbers, green zucchini and yellow squash. No flowers yet on wax beans though looks like they are forming. Green beans and sugar snap peas still trying to outwit the critters, but no blooms yet on any of them.

corn

Delicata squash, I think

Teeny Golden Zucchini forming

Jalapeno Peppers forming

Jalapeno peppers forming on a few of the plants. The little sweet peppers are finally growing but have seen no flowers on them yet.

Many of the tomatoes have flowers and this very out of focus picture is an attempt to show there are a few tomatoes forming.  The rhubarb is growing again, have already harvested twice and about ready to do again.

tomato forming

Rhubarb

Swiss Chard 

Swiss chard and some carrots in this little section are struggling, critters seemed to like the small leaves initially growing, but a few plants are getting bigger, so maybe they won't like the bigger leaves- Let's hope.  Lettuce doing terrible. My favorite is also favorite of the critters I fear and while it grows, it may never get big enough for me to eat- apparently big enough for chipmunks or whatever though.

Lots of flowers in bloom too.
Sweet pea of course is trying to take over the world, but day lilies, roses and I are working to defeat them at least in a few section of the yard!

Magnolia has started to bloom, though rain has ruined all the current blossoms so didn't bother with a picture.  Rhododendron starting to bloom, an allium (giant onion like plant), lots of Daylilies.  Dames Rocket, Larkspur, and Love in the Mist continue to bloom as well all among many weeds and beginnings of trees that have planted themselves. Ergo lots of work that should be done!

Back Raspberries across from house

Made a dessert with some black raspberries (I picked) and blueberries (hand picked by my neighbors grandchildren)- Yum.

Larkspur - not where I expected

Rhododendron bloom

Wild roses among weeds and  sweet pea

Daylilies among weeds and sweet pea

Alium Giganteum
among weeds and daylilies

White Hydrangeas

Graduation Emanuel

Emanuel- pre graduation

Diploma proof

June 11th Emanuel graduates from Francis Scott Key High School.  He'll be off to community college in the fall with numerous scholarships that should pay for all of his first 2 years. Way to go, Eman.
Has a summer job at Taney company making stairs. Started on Monday.  

One view from PA Memorial

After we dropped Eman off to his first day of work and had breakfast at Atrim, we took Gabe and Nathanael to Gettysburg and just drove around for a couple hours. Got out at the PA Memorial - the biggest one in the park and has wonderful 360 degree views

PA Civil War Troops memorial

. Also stopped at the Little Round Top battlefield where bravery saved the day. Amazing stories.

Civil war cannons and soldier

Little Round Top

Southern Forces from Texas defeated here
Cane through the woods

 Then we three went to see Through the Looking Glass at the movies. Amazing special effects. Pretty fun day!

This was also Emanuel's 19th birthday, so we all went to Sakura Japanese steak house for dinner that evening.  Way too much delicious food and very fun cook! Lots of take home for Tuesday lunches.
Later, cake and Ice cream back at their house!

Last Antrim Breakfast-
with Nathanael - the best waiter in the place!

Early June

Cabbage

Not getting very organized this year. June has started out being quite cool and dry. Went home to get car; then re-weeded part of garden; then to Philadelphia to see family; then cleaned another part of garden up; then to Taneytown to see Emanuel graduate (and turn 19) then back to Rural Retreat! Now will be here a while so can get more productive!

Garden View- Herbs at top

Garden is having a slow start; lost some plants initially probably due to it being too cold; others, like peas and beans are getting eaten! I do still have a few green and wax bean plants, and some pea plants. We'll see if any make it to flowering.

Brussel Sprouts

Critter Hole

Carrot

Various Squashes and Cukes

Lots of tomato plants still growing; don't have much hope for peppers but there are a few still in the ground; they just don't seem to be growing much. Same for carrots and swiss chard; barely there.

Grapes are starting to form on the vines. Looks like no apples or peaches this year. Had bumper peach crop last year, so must be taking the year off!

Grapes forming

Swiss Chard

On the flower front, trucks repeatedly running over front banks and leaving ruts but never see them do it! it's been going on since before we got here and happened every time I was gone since first got here. Grrrrr.......... 

honeysuckle going wild - very overgrown

first daylily

Hydrangea Flower now green

yellow daylily

Larkspur

Peonies continued to bloom

wild carrot- aka Queen Anne's Lace

one type wild rose

Rut from trucks

Last poppy

rose bush