Thanks for starting this thread Patti!

Summer's a busy time of year. Some of us keep in touch privately? It's reassuring to read "I heard from ___"

Pretty sure I've seen FlowerLady on the Discussion side within the past few weeks, and I'm gonna check Memo's blog.

I also miss Lorna. Before all the kitty worries, Annie filled us in that Lorna is involved with other projects?

Cheers, Ana

Wasn't MeMo going on a trip in her new fifth wheel?

Hi Patti ~ I've been busy working in my gardens more, in spite of the heat and humidity, since I'm now only working two days a week at my job. I've also been taking care of my three blogs, and working on pieces for my Etsy shop that I hope to open next month.

Thanks for thinking of me. You are a sweetie.

FlowerLady

Oh FlowerLady, I'm so out of touch! I didn't know you had three blogs! My goodness!
I guess I need to Google "Etsy". I don't know if you would plant it, eat it, ride it or wear it!
One thing is for sure, if you're involved with it, it will be WONDERFUL.
Best of luck with whatever it is and thanks for checking in!

Ana, I'm missing Lorna too. She always has something interesting to say. I hope all is well with her.

Gldno1, I hope you're right about MeMo and the fifth wheel. (hmmmm . . . I'm not exactly sure what that is either except that I'm pretty positive you don't eat it or wear it!)
Hope she's having fun.

Who knows, maybe we'll hear from other absent friends.

Patti

5th wheel - large trailer whose tongue sits on the back of a (powerful) pickup truck. Not sure myself about 'Etsy' sounds interesting. How about Flora UK??

Nancy.

Patti ~ Thank you for the vote of confidence. Etsy is an online selling community for people who make handmade items.

My main blog is at the link below, and you can get to the other two blogs from there. They do keep me busier than I was.

Right now we are also watching the weather as there are some hot spots heading in our direction, Tropical Storm Ana and the system that is behind her. Hopefully they will not turn into hurricanes.

Gardens are getting overgrown, as it's miserable working out in them, and I just do what I can in the mornings. We are out of our long drought though which is nice.

I also miss seeing some of the old timers. Life changes though and we go along with the flow, thankful for friends made here and there. I'll try to drop in more often.

I hope Memo and Lorna are doing fine, whatever they are doing. Memo's trip with the fifth wheel sounds like fun. Bless her heart.

Have a wonderful weekend ~ FlowerLady

Here is a link that might be useful: FlowerLady's Musings

FlowerLady, I enjoyed seeing your blogs, thanks for the link!
When you said that Etsy was a place to sell handmade items it suddenly came back to me that you told us about this ages ago. I'm pretty sure I asked you what Etsy was then too! I'm truly losing my mind.

Yes, things change and life takes us in different directions. A few years ago I was reading every post in Discussions, Conversations and Gallery. Now I'm lucky if I have time to pop in for ThinMan's Weekend Trivia.

I hope the weather will be kind to you down there this year.
YES, do pop in more often! (Your kind and gentle ways are sorely missed.
Patti

Hello everybody!

I made a post about three weeks ago. (I think, time moves so fast, maybe it was longer than that.) I don't even remember which thread it was.

I have switched to mostly produce gardening, still organic, of course. Unusual wet, cool weather has not been kind to the garden this year. I also switched to mostly heirlooms. I think I made a mistake in not focusing on local/native heirlooms (for high desert climate). Between the weather and the heirlooms, my garden has not been very productive thus far this year.

The summer and winter squash have mostly been a bust. Plants keep dying on me without having produced much. I have a good batch of corn, which I should be able to start picking next week. Dragon Tongue wax beans are doing well, as are California black-eyed peas. Black oil sunflowers are doing well. Amaranth is doing pretty well. My beloved produce staple, arugula, has been slow to grow this year. Limas are beginning to flower. Ground cherries appear to be healthy and have been flowering for two months, but they aren't producing any fruit! ??? Melons are finally taking off. Green beans are doing poorly. Onions are doing well. I have a few other other things growing, SLOWLY. I found out pole beans don't do as well as bush beans in this climate.

I traded up for some Southwestern heirloom seeds (Indian varieties): squash, melons and beans. I'm going to try those next year. Meanwhile, I've recently planted seeds for a large variety of greens and am hoping for a more productive fall garden.

I took in another new puppy a few weeks ago. Found the baby, two months old, on the main road near my place. Looked like she had probably been abandoned the previous day. She has grown a foot in five weeks! She is going to be a big girl. I named her Isobel. I don't know what her breed is. For now I'm calling her a Doberman X because of her markings, shape and size. She is going to be a long-hair, fur is growing--coming in wavy. She may end up looking like a Gordon setter, time will tell.

Hi Lorna!
Nice to hear from you!
Sorry you haven't had better luck with your garden,but it sounds like you've had a lot of success too.
All of our tomatoes have a terrible blight, so my tomato-sandwich cravings have to be satisfied at the local farm stands.

Isobel is one lucky little girl! Bless your heart for taking her in.

Thanks for letting us know how you're doing!
Patti

Hi Patti and all,

I have been vacationing all summer though some of our vacation was spent right here at home on our property, down by the river. We stayed near home on our little journeys, just getting the feel for things in the world of RVing. Mostly it has been great! The draw backs are our constant need for electricity and the awful job of dumping the tanks but I'm learning a lot. We powered the fifth wheel with a generator whenever we were parked at home and that alone has been an adventure. Ha!

Our weather has been cool most of the summer and the rains have blessed us again this year. The pastures and fields are still green and growing. My garden plants have thrived and for the first time, there is not much mulch to be seen. I've been busy with weeding between trips as those monsters got to the six foot level during our "maiden voyage". It took us about ten straight days of pulling and digging to get everything cleaned up again. It was worth the work. Several new visitors to my home declared that I have a real cottage garden! Dreams do come true :)

My DD2 has begun her junior year of high school. Today she accepted her first job. Milestones. I bought her a Toyota Corolla (used) but am insisting that the expenses of driving it are on her so she has to earn enough for the insurance and tags before she can begin to drive herself to school. My oldest grandson began kindergarten today. My DD1 called to tell me she couldn't hold back her tears. Grandson #2 turned one last month. What a character he is becoming! New grandbaby due in Feb...Dear son's. I'm blessed.

Thanks for asking Patti! I've missed you all!!

MeMo

WELCOME BACK MEMO!
Sounds like you've had a lovely summer. I can identify with the weed situation. I was unable to get into my garden for a couple of weeks. Holymoly what a mess!

Thanks for checking in! It's great to have you back.
You've been missed for sure!

Patti

Yay MeMo & Lorna! Loved your updates. 6 foot tall weeds? hear ya. Arugula languishes, what's up with that?

Thanks! Ana