Thank you friends!!

for all the nice comments on my last post. I appreciate you all so much...I really do!

Oh my! Is it hot and humid where you are? 

You know, last winter I waited and hoped and wished for spring and summer...telling myself, "I will not gripe and complain about the heat, not this summer". I craved the feel of warm sunshine on my bare arms and the healing powers of the sun for my aching body. 

Have to admit, I have complained just a wee bit this month of July.  It's so hot and humid!!

The sweet little canary yellow bird cage hangs empty at the playhouse...

Poppy did the painting and that's about as far as we got...

I am too ashamed to show you the teeny tiny garden. We have had thunderstorms, lots of rain, and high winds which can wreak havoc on garden plants. However...

tomatoes are plentiful and some are kind of big...

and these Pablano peppers...

Back when the garden was just starting, our soon to be new neighbors, Steve and Loye stopped by and gave us four Pablano pepper plants. 

I've Gooled and found a simple recipe for Rajas; Pablano peppers sauteed with onions and garlic, that looks good. 

Well, we have been walking the dogs a little earlier these days because of the heat. Our boy Eli was sick yesterday...

Poppy asking him if he felt up to a walk this morning...can you believe our sweet Eli is almost eight years old now?

Eli did want to go. We had planned to be at the vet's office at eight this morning but whatever it was that made Eli sick, seemed to be gone. Obviously, he had eaten something that didn't agree with that big tummy of his. Vet told us to watch him today and bring him in if he gets sick again. 

Always ready for a walk...

Ellie says she has been ready!

looks like Smokey had a busy night...said he would just soon stay home and catch a nap...

Guess that's about it for now. Thank you for visiting. Be back soon, I hope!

Love, Henny

My little garden book

Hey friends,

I've sat down here at least a dozen times lately to do a little blog post, get started then think, "yuk, who would want to read this boring stuff"!

Sometimes I feel like ending it all! Well, not all, just my blog. 

Guess I will muddle through and show you the only sunflower growing in my teeny tiny garden...and it volunteered and came up in the bean row...

10 feet it grew before sunflowers began opening...

It towers a good two feet above the eight foot garden fence and is such a happy sight for me.

How has your garden grown this summer?

My little garden struggled

through many hot dry days with no rain and now during the hot humid, "dog days of summer", we get late afternoon thunderstorms with hard downpours of rain causing limbs heavy with fruit to break.

Have you ever looked up from under an eggplant? I practically stood on my head to get this picture...

We have lots and lots of eggplants...

Lots of tomatoes too...and after all my picking I see another red one...

and so the teeny tiny garden is looking a little wind blown and ragged. The once, big pretty tomato plants have slid down the bamboo stakes and lay in piles. No pretty zinnias to show off this summer...not one seed sprouted.

Thank you Mr. Sunflower! and yay!! Look who was waiting for me just outside the gate...

Old sweet yellow eyes. Of course, the walk back to the house took twice as long with this kitty cat weaving in and out of every step. 

If you're still here friends, I thank you. 

Love, Henny

Old rusty nail and and a sweet surprise

Picked up this old nail on our morning walk with the dogs. Another little treasure for the Old Motor Grader Road museum. Maybe I should add a picture for those who haven't seen the little museum...

Treasures are hard to find now that the road is more gravel than dirt.

Do you remember the big heavy bird feeder I bought two or three years ago...

It holds very little feed but looks pretty hanging on the front porch. 

Recently we noticed two little Wrens building a nest inside the feeder. They were having trouble keeping moss and other nesting materials from falling out the hole in the back, so we helped them out by taping a piece of cardboard over the hole...

you can see a little of the tape there on the side. Didn't seem to bother them at all. They finished the nest and then it wasn't long before there were tiny eggs inside.

It is amazing how quick those little eggs hatched. We noticed the Wrens going in and out so Poppy took a look...

Oh my goodness! Three hungry little mouths to feed. How tiny and helpless and sweet. We are keeping a close eye on this little family. So afraid something will harm them. 

Guess I had better get busy. Poppy works until noon today...giving me a chance to get more cleaning done...the floors are a mess, everything in the house needs dusting, and the back porch needs a good cleaning...whew! Where to start!

Leave you with Eli and Ellie yesterday waiting for Poppy...

Sure appreciate you all. 

Love, Henny

What's for supper???

The row of mail boxes up at the main road can be a pretty raggedy sight, but not ours. Not any more...

a little "late Mother's Day gift" Andee said when the package arrived in the mail this week...

Five adorable bunnies. I just want to reach in and pick one up. Looks like I'm going to have to get myself another real live bunny. My heart still aches for those at Mr. Murphy farm. 

Thank you Andee and Todd.

Remember when Grandpa Jones used to ask, "what's for supper"? Well last night it was...

Candied sweet potatoes...

Oh my goodness friends! More than 20 years ago I gave up trying to make candied sweet potatoes like those mama made. 

Thought to myself, everything else can be Googled, why not old timey candied sweet potatoes? Found what sounded most like mama's...but left out the spices...

Mama never covered up that delicious sweet potato flovor with spices...

this is simply sweet potato, real butter, and sugar. I left them simmering until the syrup was sticky and the potatoes were a touch crisp or chewy on the edges.

Of course, a pan of cornbread was necessary...

to go with the green beans and hand full of small potatoes, seasoned with a little fat back grease, fresh from the teeny tiny garden. Grandpa Jones would have approved, don't you think...

and in the small bowl, stewed yellow squash, who would have thought! and here...

the more tender green beans I cooked with garlic and butter...

Eli says, "well,  can we eat now"! What a surprise again this summer to get yellow squash from the garden. No stinking squash bugs, yet, anyways.

Better get busy. I was happily mowing away yesterday when my little red mower knocked off. Poppy tinkered with it for a while...told me to let it sit over night and if it doesn't run today he will get Truman to look at it.  

Truman is a trip! The folks around here call him the junk man...you should see his place! Maybe I'll get a picture and do a "Truman" post. 

Okay, the squash picture came out on the bottom??

Be back soon (hopefully)...

Love, Henny