Saturday…

[Ron Sower]

Good afternoon Muggers!...

How's the smoke over there on the east coast, folks?...

We're in the 90s here theses days...not as hot as some Junes we've had...

Got our old palm leaves trimmed off yesterday...we're required to do that each year be July, after the flower/fruit stalks have come out...this keeps all the palms in the community looking sleek and clean instead of shagging and messy...

Some ppl are coming by this morning to pick up my pair of kribs and 4 juveniles that managed to survive in my 125 community tank...I've started selling off fish in that tank in order to scape it and maybe set it up as a biotope tank...not sure what species I'll have in it yet, though...

Liz, in Western Washington we had wild Himalayan blackberries everywhere...they began blooming about this time of year and fruited all summer until the frost...I got very good at learning how and when to pick the ripest and sweetest ones...the berries were huge...as big as my fat thumb's distal digit...

I hope all are doing well and that you have a good day!...

[LizStreithorst]

Good evening, Ron.  We just had a nice afternoon/evening shower that has cooled things off a bit.  I was out in the heat playing in the garden this afternoon and outside on a sunny summer Mississippi afternoon makes you know what heat feels like.  The cooler afternoon breeze coming through the house feels good.

The wild blackberries down here are small but it takes the same skill to choose the ones that are at the peak of ripeness.  You can tell by looking at them and you find out that you are right when they almost come free of the plant with little more than holding them between your fingers.  The thornless type that I want to plant this fall has big berries like that and is the sweetest of all the varieties.


I did another one of my stupid things.  I woke up and didn't feel like driving to the metal buying place.  I felt like playing in the garden, so with the Peamite full to the brim of aluminum cans I did what I preferred.  Of course I totally forgot that Monday I would be bagging a big order or Rams that I'd have to take to Boe's.  Out will have to go the bags of beer cans. 

Oh well, I'm happy that I did what I did because tomorrow morning I'll be planting stuff.  I'll poke in a few more corn seeds 'cause some didn't come up.  But what I'm really looking forward to is planting some flowers.  Nothing special.  I bought a bunch of zinnia seeds that I will scatter in bunches here and there.  I also have some burgundy okra.  Okra is in the same family as hibiscus and has the most beautiful flowers  They're white with a burgundy throat.  What's way cool is that the seed pod they produce is burgundy, too.  I think it's a stunning plant.  I like a garden that produces food, but is also delightful to the eye.