Chris planted lots of beet root this spring and we managed to harvest over 30 small beetroots. Since Chris planted them, it was his choice as to what to do with them. He chose pickling.
We did it tonight. Not being a preserver or having any of the preserving instinct, I simply googled a recipe for pickled beets and they were done in less than 1/2 an hour.
Four jars as you can see. Wow! I know have a great recipe for pickled zuchini!
Next came my purchase of a couple of patio umbrellas. This red one was the favorite, and right away found a home in front of Chris's workshop.
Other finds were a cool fish chime, an ornamental olive oil can from Nice, and a cedar chest that we will use to store kindling.
My next event for the day was staining some landscape ties. I did a dreadful job and picked the wrong stain color.
But once it dried I thought it might be a good contrast to the yellow spartium, the lavender and the purple cone flowers.
The lavender against the crazy funky shack is now accented by the purple/cherry ties. It is quite ludicrous really if you are right in front of all this. 
There really is much to be said about having a cat, and about being in the presence of one. They don't say much, and they certainly don't suffer from insomnia like many of us do, but they really know how to improve the look of the corner garden when it's the last spot in the yard that is getting any sun. Our little Smoke loves the red cabbage garden and he loves to have his photo taken. Always rolls over at the sound of the lens opening. It's simply impossible to look at a cat like this and feel any stress. What a great calming drug to have around the house.
Finally I have the chair I've always wanted. For $5 bucks it was a great steal at this weekend's local garage sale. It is the right height, very solid and really comfy. The best part is that it totally folds up for easy carrying or transport. I can now sit and direct the rest of this movie of my life called the "Accidental Home Owner". Perhaps from the height of my new chair I can better direct the acts, scenes and changing plots.
I have listened to so many dog owners who won't give their dog a stuffy toy because they rip them and eat the stuffing. Well, Jake is different. He has this "Monster" stuffy that I won through Monster.ca job board at my last HR conference and it goes everywhere with him and he likes to sleep with it as well. It truly is odd but he just loves this little toy.
Funny how cats can put those lazy days of summer right into perspective, and they can do it so effortlessly. I hadn't seen Smoke or the Gypsy girl all morning, until I went for a wander in the front garden There, ever so relaxed and into their own dreamtime, I found them both in the middle of their mid-morning naps.
Such a relaxed approach to life. They slowly open one eye when the camera snaps and then simply roll over. While on my knees on the grass taking the pictures, I know that I am closer to their level and can feel what they see from below - faces of people who depend on them and faces of people on whom they depend.
The neighbor boy Sean and his Dad Peter came over today to help split our wood.
I wasn't home at the time (lucky me), so it was just Chris to help them. The splittage was waiting for me in a big pile in front of the wood storage crib when I got home. It was my job to stack it.
Took me about an hour and a half to stack, but I am ready for the next lot tomorrow, and then we will be done for the winter.
My first one ever grown!
It just opened today and what a lovely lemon color the petals are. I wonder how big it will grow?
I have just discovered the art of staining wood!!! It started with a quick re-stain of our good neighbor's (and ours) fence and gate. I had never stained before... and I loved it. Then coincidentally, our friend Rick up the road gave us a whole lot of cans of stain because he was moving. Well.. I have now been going crazy. I want to stain everything in sight. It is so much easier than painting.
My favorite berry of them all.. the Blueberry!! I have two small bushes and they are loaded this year. I manage to pick one full bowl yesterday, and they were ever so yummy, and of course nutritious!
This fall I plan to put in a few more bushes, I don't think you can have too many. Not only are they great to eat and easy to pick, they are so pretty to look at, both the leaf and the berry.
Ok - this is the biggest one yet. Chris plucked it this afternoon and it measures 19 inches long. I don't think I can eat any more zucchini this year.
