Random Sightings From the Garden Today

In the late afternoon we drift into the garden.  We do a little harvesting, a little weeding, and a lot of just observing what is going on.  I am making lists of things that need to get done this week.  One of the first things is to go ahead and cut all the tomatoes down and remove their trellises to make room for the fall crop that I'll be planting later on.

I harvested a few peppers from a new variety that I planted this year.  They are called Lipstick Peppers.  This organic variety is a sweet pepper that is great for roasting. We'll have to check them out.  They sure pass the eye test.  That is a pretty pepper right there!

The trellis that supports the vines of our Birdhouse gourds and Luffa gourds is overflowing with healthy vines.  They are unaffected by the heat.  These things are like kudzu.  I halfway worry that I'll wake up tomorrow morning to find that these vines have enveloped our house and vehicles.

If you peek under the canopy, you can see the birdhouse gourds growing.  I'm hoping to harvest a bunch of these this year and make into birdhouses.  I still have two hanging from the limbs of a pecan tree that I made several years ago.

We have a habit of always tossing something over the garden fence for the animals to eat.  They enjoy the bounty of the garden, too.  So they are conditioned to gather around when we are in the garden.  Below you can see one of our roosters. 

This is a 'rescue rooster.'  The sister of a friend of ours got this fellow from Tractor Supply when it was just a chick.  He was supposed to be a hen.  He had other plans.  As the rooster grew older, it became clear that this guy was going to lay no eggs and would also make a lot of noise.  Roosters aren't allowed in the city.  So, we ended up with him.  I think he is a nice looking rooster.  Sometimes when new birds are introduced, the other birds gang up and attack and will sometimes kill the newcomer.  This guy held his own.  He is a welcome addition to our flock.

Of course the goats, being nosy, social critters that they are, they gather around the garden fence, too!  Annie, Matilda, and Agnes are attempting to look nonchalant and not actively begging me to toss them some greens.

When I don't immediately toss them something, I get a stare-down from Annie, a well-done attempt at making me feel guilty. 

I fall victim to her shaming and quickly find something to toss her to eat.  We'll see ya'll tomorrow.