Summer Break

Butterflies on my butterfly weed, with the site of the future bunkhouse in the left rear. 

 
As of Monday, I became a free woman again, and Mason couldn't be happier! Noooo, I didn't toss my man out! I stopped working at the garden nursery for the summer, when the gardening business is much slower and the brutal heat on a asphalt lot is hard on an aging woman.

So instead, I'm taking it easy.

HA! Like that ever happens on Flat Top.

Since my last day of work Sunday, I've planted several blueberry bushes and a couple of rosemary plants I scored free from a customer I did some planting for, and I did some weeding. And I helped Mason dig a hole 2 feet deep, 4 feet wide and 4.5 feet long for a new septic tank. Only 3.5 feet deeper to go. And ... I smoked a pork butt, tended to the veggie garden, made homemade dog biscuits from spent brewing grains, mowed Mom's lawn and painted 10 landscape timbers for the veggie garden fencing project. And we visited with my sister and her hubbie, who were driving through town.

I also helped Mason clear out the northern corner of our circle driveway, tearing out a vicious wild rose and many other undesirables to give me one more area to landscape. JUST what I need, right? Since I'm barely on top of all the other areas. And I even helped Mason disassemble the Honda's struts, which are shot after two years of commuting.

So you can see how summer vacation plays out on Flat Top.

And Mason and I couldn't be happier.

Happy little coneflowers and butterflies.

Honeycrisp apples!!! If I can nurture these to harvest, it'll be a miracle! They are on my espaliered apple tree, which has a total of nine apples that are all looking pretty damn good. 

I may have planted too many potatoes, considering I have no idea what I'm doing.   

The six tomato plants are all about to kick into gear, and the early lettuce in the background is about to bolt.