The first two days of swim lessons Liam clung to me like you would not believe! Picture a momma monkey with a baby clinging to her while she goes about her daily business...that was Liam in the water. I told him that if I had known I would get that kind of cuddling just from getting in the water I would have done it years ago! But all too soon he got his courage and two pool noodles and he was off! He didn't need us any more...or so he thought. So swimming lessons were a great success and something he wants to do again. We will see if they have another class starting up after this week. We have been going to a friends for a weekly pool party and he plays between the big pool with me and the kiddie pool allowing me time to sit and visit. Lots of fun. We have had picnics in parks with friends, play dates with other friends, long bike rides and walks to get an ice cream. Funny how that can be so exciting! I remember bike rides with dad as kids. When we lived in South Salem there was a little A-framed building (still standing) about two maybe three miles from out house. It was an ice cream shop at that time. On a warm Saturday our dad would pile us on our bikes and off we went to get an ice cream. He did that when we were much younger also but we went to a much closer ice cream shop...Curly's Dairy. What memories there also! If I remember correctly they even beat Baskin Robbins for flavor variety! So, it is good to see Liam much more sure of himself in the water. I want him to love it as much as I did...and still do!
In the garden.....things are going pretty well. I am having an amazing cucumber year! Japanese Long and Lemon cukes are really being kind to me. After so many false starts this spring. My fall crop of kale, beets and chard are coming up nicely. I have picked about 25 pounds of green beans so far. I did go to the Baptist church in town and get green beans for canning. 170 pounds! I gave my sister about 70 pounds, another friend Susan, who came over and helped me snap while I taught her how to can took home 10 pounds and 7 quarts that she did herself and close to 30 went to another friend who in turn gave me twice that much in apples for sauce and drying! I ended up canning for myself 59 quarts and called it good!! Between what is left from the past few years and this, well, we could eat green beans every evening and still have some left next summer! So pears from friends are coming soon and that will be my next canning project along with those apples. I also want to get some peaches. I have gotten a lot of squash, patti pan, zukes and yellow crookneck. I also have a huge volunteer 'patti pan that has been loaded and though they only slightly resemble patti pans they are tasty. My 'Roma' tomatoes are coming on and I have frozen 4 gallon bags of sauce waiting for when I have enough to can a batch. They are small but at least the plants are giving me a lot of them. The slicing tomatoes have been divine!!! I can't remember in recent years them having such flavor! We are also getting grapes off our one plant! They are sooooo yummy! Small but so many clusters! The honeycrisp apples are scrumptious also! There appears to be about 15 or so cantaloupe that I have found...so I can hardly wait for those to ripen! Nothing beats home grown cantaloupe...well, homegrown anything for that matter!
So I will leave you with this little Liamism. He started out the back door saying he was going outside. I said "Your breakfast is almost ready" he responded "then you will come out and say 'Yiam (still can't pronounce our L's) your breakfast is ready!' and I will come in." What a thinker!
Have a great weekend!!!
In the garden.....things are going pretty well. I am having an amazing cucumber year! Japanese Long and Lemon cukes are really being kind to me. After so many false starts this spring. My fall crop of kale, beets and chard are coming up nicely. I have picked about 25 pounds of green beans so far. I did go to the Baptist church in town and get green beans for canning. 170 pounds! I gave my sister about 70 pounds, another friend Susan, who came over and helped me snap while I taught her how to can took home 10 pounds and 7 quarts that she did herself and close to 30 went to another friend who in turn gave me twice that much in apples for sauce and drying! I ended up canning for myself 59 quarts and called it good!! Between what is left from the past few years and this, well, we could eat green beans every evening and still have some left next summer! So pears from friends are coming soon and that will be my next canning project along with those apples. I also want to get some peaches. I have gotten a lot of squash, patti pan, zukes and yellow crookneck. I also have a huge volunteer 'patti pan that has been loaded and though they only slightly resemble patti pans they are tasty. My 'Roma' tomatoes are coming on and I have frozen 4 gallon bags of sauce waiting for when I have enough to can a batch. They are small but at least the plants are giving me a lot of them. The slicing tomatoes have been divine!!! I can't remember in recent years them having such flavor! We are also getting grapes off our one plant! They are sooooo yummy! Small but so many clusters! The honeycrisp apples are scrumptious also! There appears to be about 15 or so cantaloupe that I have found...so I can hardly wait for those to ripen! Nothing beats home grown cantaloupe...well, homegrown anything for that matter!
So I will leave you with this little Liamism. He started out the back door saying he was going outside. I said "Your breakfast is almost ready" he responded "then you will come out and say 'Yiam (still can't pronounce our L's) your breakfast is ready!' and I will come in." What a thinker!
Have a great weekend!!!