6/24/2010

sometimes you have to look closely

My family, and our 'peeps' in the know, always enter our home by walking up on the back deck and sliding open the back door.  We do this mainly because of the set-back and detached garage.  It just makes sense to hop out of the car and take the path of least resistance ....... especially when weighted down with groceries and screaming smiling kids.   

As you step up on the deck, you can catch a glance of the backyard and one of the vegetable gardens.  Usually I enjoy the view and take an extra moment to scan the progress of the plants and make mental note of any hearty weed patches to attack at a later time.  Lately, however, I have found myself dropping my chin to my chest while making a bee-line for the door.  The above average rain totals coupled with abundant storm activity have left my yard and garden patches a swampy mess.  Nothing I, or anyone else, would want to stop and admire.

When I woke up this morning, squinting at the rays of sunlight bursting through the window, I decided I would grab my camera and head out to the gardens and purposely look for the pretty ......... sometimes you have to look closely.


The colors and textures never cease to amaze me. 


We have never planted corn, so I was quite surprised to see a root system (brace roots - I Googled it) above ground.  So interesting!



 
The wind blows ever so gently and the anthers (Google again)
shimmy and shake.



Roma tomatoes this year ...... hoping to make some salsa!

 

These cherry tomatoes will barely ripen before the nimble fingers of my children will pluck them from the vine and pop them into their mouth

 

Look!  It's a teeny tiny pepper!



A cucumber blossom ...... the ONLY pretty part of the plant (I really dislike the fuzzy, prickly stems)


 
This delicate white blossom will make way for a lovely long green bean. 

 

Another cherry tomato plant, but this one is in a container on the back deck.  I think this photo is funny because you don't expect to see a minivan as the backdrop.


Today I looked at my gardens, closely, and started to smile about it again.

2 comments:

Tiggeriffic said...

Your garden looks wonderful. I'm here in Iowa and we have had so much rain. My garden is suffering. I have little tiny roma's on my vine and nothing else is doing anything. I need to go to town and buy somemore cucumber and one Zucinna (spelling?) plant.. That is all one needs..

In the newest Better Homes and Garden Magazine there are some really cool recipes for salsa, tomato sauce, dill pickles, corn relish and other recipes.. I have always canned in the past,,, I decided after looking at this magazine I might do a little canning this year.
I enjoy reading your blog.. Keep it up... Have a great day.. Anne

Amy said...

Awwww, thanks Anne! While I agree about needing only 1 zuchinni plant (we don't even plant one because neighbors and friends will gladly give us their abundance), I don't think you can have too many cucumbers. We eat them up too fast!

Thanks for the tip on the BHG magazine. I have never canned, but am looking forward to trying this season!