Various Trials-Part 1

James 1:2  Consider it a great joy, Ms Brenda, whenever you experience various trials.

On its last outing of the summer the kayak hurled itself off the roof of the vehicle we bought to haul things and took the driver side mirror with it on the way to the ground. (Whoa, slow that imagination down--the vehicle was parked at the time.) Nothing a little duct tape wouldn't fix.

I drove around like this for the month of September.  Instead of looking like a careless driver, I told myself that it made me look like a rugged outdoorswoman.  Because, be honest now, isn't the first thing you think when you see a chubby woman driving around with a smashed mirror,  "She must be a kayaker"?
Regardless, I noticed people did not park as close to me in the month of September.

Great joy--new mirror.

I Say To-maa-to

It wasn't for lack of trying.

  Even after the great deer debacle, the tomato plant tried to grow tomatoes.  Sadly, the frost and freeze was early this year.

But once the leaves were frosted, I discovered a little secret about the tomato plant.

Tucked deep inside the tomato plant was one lone tomato that the deer had missed.

One almost ripe tomato just for me.  I picked it and put it on the kitchen windowsill.

Because a tomato ripening on the kitchen windowsill makes me feel like a real gardener.
On the lunch menu this week:  Tomato sandwich.

Great Joys

Booked a flight to Baltimore for Thanksgiving.
Turducken and Piecaken on the menu.
Turkey hats all around.




Do you think its too early to pack my bags?

Oh Nuts

What happened to summer?

I was not ready for Fall.  I still have things to do.  Summer things still on the list.

Okay, so the chrysanthemums are blooming.  I still haven't ridden my bike to Basin and back.

What are the skelemingoes doing in the flower bed?  I haven't hit any golf balls at the driving range.

A fire in the pellet stove?  We didn't have a single fire in the firebowl on the patio.

I didn't catch a single firefly or see even one 'mother statue'. 

 The bats are out front, and I'm still wondering what happened to September.

On the Fall list:

Paint the fence. (too bad we went straight from Summer to Winter.  This one may have to wait till Spring)

Go through a corn maze.

Make the vacation book.

Drink apple cider.

Hug Claire and Nick.

Along Came A Spider

I made a list this morning.  Of things I planned to do today.  Of things I needed to do today.  Of things I thought I should accomplish by the end of today.  At the time I thought it was really a realistic list.
In hindsight, a more realistic list would have included:
1.  Let the dog out 22 times.
2.  Let the dog in 21 times.
3.  Wonder where the dog is.
4.  Check on the eggplants in the SFG.
5.  Wonder when the first frost will be.
6.  Admire the Russian Sage in the west flower bed.
7.  Wonder if real lavender grows in Zone -1a.
8.  Discover the wildlife equally appreciative of the Russian sage.

9.  Wonder where I left my camera.

10.  Find my camera.

11.  Try to focus on a spider web that is moving in the breeze.

12.  Wonder what that spider is eating.
13.  Eat healthy
14.  Walk 10,000 steps.
15.  Clean the dining room.

Because if my list was more realistic I could cross the first twelve of those things off of it.
Here's hoping your day is just as full of wonder.

Dear Deer

Dear tomato-thieving deer,

Did you think I wouldn't notice that you ate every stinking tomato on my one tomato plant?  Did you think that I don't check it several times a day?  Did you think I couldn't already taste the tomato sandwich made with a fresh tomato sliced warm right from my square foot garden?   Did you not think about all the other gardens in town with multiple tomato plants?  Did you think about eating their tomatoes and leaving mine alone?  Did you think that the deer repellent that makes the whole yard smell like, like...deer repellent!! was meant as an invitation to eat my tomatoes?  Every stinking stinking one of them?????
Oh, deer.  What were you thinking?

Sincerely,
Ms. Brenda

P.S. I hate you.

If You Are a Bug

The SFG is a little unimpressive this year.
Unless you are a bug.







Then there is a towering tomato plant--complete with green tomatoes.

And a forest of carrots.

And a jungle of oregano.

Right next to the zucchini.

In the opposite corner, we have the rhubarb.

And of course, the eggplant plant.

If you are a bug the SFG is a pretty awesome place.

SFG all natural update:  I used the compost sifter to actually sift compost last week.  I talked the neighbor into putting his grass clippings in my compost box instead of the dumpster.  I shredded some newspapers to add as well.  I added some of the finished compost to the empty squares in the SFG.  And I bagged some to add to the rest of the squares at the end of the season.  I had a goal to grow and eggplant.  So far I have managed to grow an eggplant plant.  Does that count?

Glory Rays

We took the Goob school shopping last week.  And next to the chocolate wonderfall and cotton candy at Golden Corrral (Oh, and the Goob trying on skinny jeans) this was the most amazing view of the day.

Me:  What is that movie where the people are on the roof with signs welcoming aliens?
STP:  Independence Day.
[Long pause]
STP:  Why do you ask?
Me:  Because I was wondering when Jesus comes back if I would be hiding somewhere with fear and trembling or if I would be jumping up and down on a rooftop.  And I was wondering what my sign would say.

Sunday morning, because of all the smoke from wildfires to the west, the sunrise looked like this.  And I was alone in the car so I had a little conversation with God Himself.  And He reminded me that even when the whole sky is smoky because half the world is on fire and there are no glory rays that He is just as close.  Just as likely to break through and take me home.

I think my sign will say, "Here am I".

The Great Zucchini

The Great Zucchini was about 2 square feet all by itself.**

It was roughly the same size as the SLD.  Who was not cooperative when it came to having her picture taken with the Great Zucchini.

So I happily posed with the Great Zucchini myself.  Because Super Aunt Brenda recognizes greatness when she sees it.

And then I introduced the Great Zucchini to the Amazing Food Processor.



And then I measured, mixed, preheated and baked.





And then I pondered the open kitchen trend.  Because whenever I make anything in the kitchen, my kitchen looks like this.

And like this.

And I would like my kitchen to be totally closed off from the rest of my house.  Not open to my living space.  No matter how much entertaining I plan to do.

(Maybe I would feel differently if I had granite countertops.)

In the end the mess was cleaned up, and the Great Zucchini was transformed in to (Gluten-free) Chaisin Nut Zucchini Bread.  And (Gluten free) Chocolate Cherry Chip Zucchini Bread.  And (Don't even think about it STP) Almost Pina Colada Zucchini Bread.

Shazamm!!
This blog entry is dedicated to my super hero--the STP--who restored my ability to post pictures in a single keystroke.  I love that man.  Even if my mom didn't name me Lois.

**Also of note (and in the spirit of full disclosure) I did not grow the Great Zucchini in my square Foot Garden.  I was just trying it on. 

Blogs in my Head

Blogger will not let me upload photos.  So all the wonderful blog posts that have been rolling around in my head for the last week are getting jumbled waiting for an outlet.  Occasionally blogger loads one picture.  This is one that is part of three posts.  One post on my progress with growing an eggplant this summer.  One post on a bugs eye view of my SFG.  And one post on things blooming in the side yard.  It is not part of the Great Zucchini post.  Or the Glory Rays post.  Or the Sunday Sunrise post.  Or the Does anyone know a Contractor, a Plumber, and a Marriage Counselor post.  If you want to know what has been happening you will have call me.  Do it today.  Otherwise I am going to have to do laundry and clean.

Too Much Adventure

Deluded Buoyed by my recent hike in the WYoming wilderness, and jealous of challenged by Uncle Michael's book of Pennsylvania's wonders of wonders, I ordered a book of my own from Amazon.  Titled "Hiking Wyoming--110 of the State's Best Hiking Adventures."  And clearly it is beyond me.  Written by an EMT trained wilderness ranger, it appears at least 109 of the hikes would require serious backpacking skills, bear spray, and spending at least one adventurous night in the Wyoming wilds.
I was just flipping through when I came upon this sentence on page 111:

Most folks from the West know the havoc cheat grass plays with socks when it is dry.

Not being originally from the West I was forced to google cheatgrass. It is obviously an invasive noxious weed.  Which I assume is one step up from a simple noxious weed.   I am including a picture.  It is not as exciting as a rattlesnake picture, but evidently cheatgrass can wreak economic havoc as well as play havoc with your socks.  Serious havoc stuff.

Additionally, it is extremely flammable when dry. 



So now we know that we do not want to hike the Paint Rock Creek this time of year. 
Or do we just want to hike sockless? (I'm finding this book to be slightly less helpful than I expected.) 
As a side note, this trail is not recommended for horse travel.

My 25th First

The Goob's first day of his Junior year was this past Tuesday. 
It was my 25th first day of school.  Twenty five years of notebook and pencil buying.  Twenty five years of trying to decided what everyone else will be wearing so we can be wearing similar things.  Twenty five years of schedule checking.  Twenty five years of lunch packing.  Twenty five years of filling out forms for the school nurse.  Twenty five years of prayers that we will have a good day, understanding teachers, a good year.  Twenty five years of an odd empty feeling.
The Goob makes it easy.  Uneventful.

Do you have everything you need?
Yes.
Do you want a ride?
No, I'll walk.   (We'll count that as a sentence.)
How was your day?
Fine.
How are your classes?
Fine.
Was there a boat?
No.

And after 25 years that's enough information for this mom.  Love you Goob.

Touring the Grounds with the Flamingos

Been thinking a lot about Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden.  And how God walked with Adam in the garden each evening.  And wondering what it is like touring the grounds with God Himself.  Tonight we would start in the flamingo garden out front.  You usually see it like this. But it is finally  looking a little like the cottage garden I picture in my mind.  

This bed has hollyhocks, coneflowers, crysanthemums, violas, apple blossom yarrow, petunias, portulaca, stella d'oro daylilies, a clematis and a few morning glories.  I think God Himself might linger here and bask in the joy in this little plot of land with me.

Also in the front of the house, it is of note that the plants in the little blue pots are still alive in the middle of August. 

Ok, its not the Garden of Eden, but really pretty close to a Dodge City miracle.

Ms. Brenda's Great Adventure...Continues

When Ms. Brenda wears a hat on an adventure, you know it is going to be extraordinary.

Like 'Thicket and bramble' extraordinary.

Like 'More bear scat than you care to think about' extraordinary.

Like 'Good traveling buddy' extraordinary.

Like 'Eat your heart out Uncle Michael' extraordinary.

Like 'the Biggest natural secret in the state of WYoming' extraordinary. (Go ahead...google 'Largest Natural Bridge in the state of Wyoming' and see what you get. And Ayers is not it.)

Like 'Getting back after dark and meeting the park ranger who was contemplating sending out search and rescue' extraordinary.

Just another ordinary Wyoming Monday.