What Happened to the Neighbors?

Got back from the beach a few hours ago and finally had time to check out the garden. I had asked the neighbors to help themselves this past week but it doesn't look like they did -- I found two zucchini the size of New Jersey, a bushel of cukes (we gave away all we had before the trip and even more to Dark that wasn't used on the trip). I also picked a dozen plum tomatoes and could have picked a dozen banana peppers and several large green peppers had I had containers to carry them to the house.

Also saw the collards are coming along nicely, we need to harvest more lettuce, and the onions and radishes are about ready. I also need to tie up the tomato and cuke vines in a hurry or we won't be able to see what's ripe.

My dad had told me the tomatoes weren't ripening because the nights have been too cool. I believe the coming week may change that...

What Is It?

I've been watching this mature for the past several weeks and finally got around to taking a photo of it.

Post what you think it best represents. We'll pick it Friday, by the way and take with us when we visit Dark Garden's temporary digs. Don't know it it will be admired or eaten.

It's Finally Over And I Don't Want to See Another Dogperson for 362 Days

The past week has been a harried experience, travelling from Dirtmanland to Berryville for our kennel club's annual dog shows. It all began Thursday when we prepared the grounds for the show followed by more cleanup activities Friday.

SisIg, who's the trophy chair, and I left the abode before daybreak Saturday and Sunday for the drive, arriving before 7 each morning. We parted, as I had to get everything set up that couldn't be done the day before. For some reason or other I have been Grounds Chair for the past four years meaning I do whatever no one else in the club is willing to do.

Armed only with a golf cart and an occasional assistant, I move from one end of the 27-acre fairground to the other. Sometimes, I have to move equipment. At other's it's to provide direction to someone and then, a call goes out that one of the judges needs a ride and off I go again.

Each night we arrived home and were too tired to do anything else but sleep. Last night, I dozed in my chair for several hours; then went to bed where I awoke at 3:30 am and couldn't get back to sleep.

Oh well. I should be plenty rested for the next shows - scheduled July 10-11, 2010. But there will be plenty of work to do in the meantime.

Where Were You on 070709?

I'll always remember where I was when I heard Kennedy was dead (home, right after getting out of primary school); when Reagan was shot (teaching school; told not to tell the kids so as not to upset them); and now, where I wasn't when Michael Jackson was eulogized.

The answer to that was as far away from it and the tube as possible.

He and I may have shared the last name but that's as close as it will ever be. I never could sing like him; dance like him or perform the moonwalk like him. I also never touched a kid like he was accused of touching and that's a good thing.

I was joking with SisIg this morning that today was Jackson's Epiphany, ie., the 12th day following his death. It has taken Michael Jackson's family longer to bury him than it took to bury Ronnie Reagan and Jerry Ford combined. And now it looks like his funeral will also be a governmental-paid affair too -- unless Jackson's fans pony up to the bar and send in a contribution to the city of Los Angeles.

Lord knows they could use it.

Big Broken Toe Taken Down By Popular Demand

Dark Garden, SisIggy, Older than Dirt, the Heirs and now Independent Hill has spoken and I decided to take down Friday's Blog but will leave the comments for posterity. It had the effect I wanted.

Cucumbers Anyone?

SisIggy has her plethora of baking blogs and I, my gardening ones.

I should have posted this Wednesday but didn't want to take away from Gwynne's milestone. Tuesday afternoon I found four cucumbers ready to be picked (the day before, by the way, they were nonexistent -- or at least I didn't see them on the vines.

I also picked three more banana peppers and with a store-bought Vidalia onion (ours aren't ready yet), Sis made a fantastic cucumber salad.

Now Sis will tell ya she could have made it even better by adding a generous amount of dill on it (which we also have growing in our herb garden).

But I don't like it that way and she was gracious enough to accommodate me for which I profusely say thanks.

1,500th Hit: Gwynne's the Winner*

Tuesday was a red banner day here at Dirtmanland as The Dirtymon registered his 1,500th hit to the site. The Dirtymon doesn't have the readership of say, SisIggy -- which many would say is a good thing; nor the strangeness of those who read Dark Garden.

The Dirtymon appreciates all the readers he has though. Hits were slow in the beginning when we first began filing posts last fall. It picked up a bit during the winter when friends from Bits and Pieces began flocking to the site and even more so when we joined Facebook and began getting many of Sis' and DG friends here.

Based on SiteMeter, the milestone was made yesterday evening when our good friend Gwynne popped on for a review. Thank you Gwynne and thanks to everyone else who makes this site a part of your daily ritual.

*As with Fire - our 1,000th hit - there is no actual prize except our humble apology for making this dirt-poor site a winner.