Yesterday I harvested a large bucket of Swiss chard, washed, then
blanched, froze in two-person servings on a bun sheet, then vacuum
bagged it this morning. Ended up with four packages, good eats for a
little later.

I also harvested the last of the BEETS and carrots yesterday. I've got
the liquid slow simmering at the moment and then the mixture of BEETS,
onion, and elephant garlic will go in to simmer for a bit. After that it
is the jar, most likely be about five or six pints of loverly pickled BEETS.

If I feel up to it I am going to put up several jars of dilly carrots
today also. The great grands just love those and pickled green beans.

Yesterday we worked in our garden off and on for the whole day. We
planted four more tomato plants, two Ichiban eggplant, a dozen straight
neck yellow squash plants, about a dozen Armenian cucumber seeds on one
side of the garden and about the same amount of burpless cukes on the
other side. Also a row and a half of Bush Blue Lake green beans for
canning, freezing, and pickling. Will plant some other stuff later just
to fill in the empty places.

The two plums, the peach, the quince, and the Japanese persimmon have
set fruit and the fig tree is starting to put out some fruit also. This
may be a good year if we can beat off the birds, squirrels, and other
assorted vermin.

Our new lawn man is working out well, comes every two weeks to mow and
edge and is available on a moments notice for other work (he lives two
doors down on the other side of the street). A couple of days ago he
took out a holly bush at the corner of the house that has been the bane
of my life for twenty years, now it has gone to the tree eater the city
uses. Other trash trees are slated to come out in coming days,
magnolias, a crape myrtle that has consumed the front door along with
some old roses by the front walk that will be transplanted so they don't
snag us as we walk by. Lots of work to do to get this old place in shape
to be sold.

Miz Anne is mostly walking with a cane now and has the doctors
authorization to drive as long as she doesn't need her left leg to do
it. She never fails to amaze me with her determination to get her full
life back, hip replacement or not.

George