Creepy Crawlers (and corn)

In one of my previous posts I shared a picture of a beautiful butterfly that accompanied me for an afternoon. I have shared my garden time with this butterfly once more. The rest of the time, I have shared my time with some less....um....let's say less "pretty" companions.

A not very pretty bee, but still a pleasure to see it "working" in the garden.

 Ok, this one is pretty! You can't see it very well in the picture but this little guy's back glistens blue in the sunlight! 

The one creepy crawler that I do not have a picture of (I refuse to grant it that honor) is also the reason this is my first corn harvest:

I have several ears that are probably ready for harvest, but I am scared to pick them.

I have seen earwigs crawling down inside them! 

Now, I have an irrational fear of earwigs. Don't ask me to explain it. Its irrational. 

I can handle most spiders and other common insects, but earwigs? Ha!

Most people see this:

I see this:

Ok, maybe not, but you kind of get the picture. 

So I have been too scared to pick the corn. The one I picked today was practically falling off the stalk, so I figured I better brave it. So far, I have gotten it home. We'll see if I ever get brave enough to husk it! 

Zucchini Chips Fail

Last night I made some kale chips that were super easy and uber delicious! With zucchini coming out of my ears, I need to come up with some more ways to use it other than chopped in my salad and steamed with dinner. So I thought, "hey, zucchini chips! That will be easy!"

I laugh at my own ignorance now.

I basically followed the same process as the kale chips (I also looked up a couple recipes and found the same process used)

Slice thinly and spread on cookie sheet

Sprinkle olive oil, pepper and salt over the top.  

The recipe I found said to bake at 375 for 30 minutes, turning them over at 15 minutes. So I put them in and set the timer to 15 minutes. 

I pulled them out at 15 minutes and found them either sticking/burnt to the pan or very mushy.  

I gave them another 2-3 minutes before just pulling them out. I was only going to do more damage.

Not sure I will be able to get some of those off! 

Chalk it all up to another lesson in the kitchen (and more arm muscles trying to scrub that off!)

On the up-side, I discovered I love the taste of pepper on zucchini! 

Any other ideas for what to do with my truck loads of zucchini? 

Picture Happy (or Crazy)

So today I collected all the pictures I had taken of my garden with my phone and downloaded them to my computer. Oh my I took a lot!

257 to be exact. 

Yea, might have gotten a little picture happy. 

Or picture crazy!

It was fun to look back and see what it looked like only a few short months ago...

Compared with today....

  I LOVE my Zinnias! 

So far, it feels like all I have harvested is zucchini.....

.....lots and lots of zucchini....

I do have some hope for future crops though.

A few green bell peppers are making their appearance. 

My oddly shaped tomatoes are starting to turn color

(any ideas why they are this shape?)

 I have a jalapeno coming in. 

Corn!  

And watermelon!

My ever-faithful gnome is still sitting watch, even while the giant squash plant slowly creeps up on him.

I was overjoyed today to see I was not the only one enjoying my garden

Flower Surprises

I have struggled with growing flowers this year. I have planted hollyhocks, alyssum, johnny jumpups, bachelor buttons, and a mix of wild flowers, and not a single one even seeded.

However, I also planted zinnias, and some bulbs (I forget what they are). These are doing fabulous and I am enjoying the colors.

This one thrilled me to death to find! A multi-color! 

The bulbs:

Aren't they pretty? 

DIY Fabric-Strap Flip-Flops

Do you like the bargain of cheap flip flops, but hate the plastic straps on them? I know I do! They hurt my toes and will often leave blisters. That's why I got excited when I saw this project on Pinterest. See how much cuter the fabric one is?

This project was super easy. No sewing. Done in about 15 minutes. All you need are:

• 1 pair of cheap flip flops
• 1 rectangular piece of fabric (I used a fat-quarter I had)
• Scissors

Cut off the plastic straps

Cut the fabric lengthwise in a wide strip (I did about 3 inches wide, just eye-balled it). I used 3 strips, 2 for the straps, then cut the 3rd in half for the toe part.

Starting with the shorter piece, fold the fabric in half  width-wise so you do not see the underside of the fabric. Fold in half lengthwise and push through the first hole in the flip flop. (I used the tip of the scissors to push the fabric through). You should end with a loop on top. 

Pull the long piece of fabric through the loop. 

Push the ends through the back two holes on the flip flop

Tie a knot on the back of each hole. I tied one of the back ones first, then slipped it on my foot and made sure the toe strap was at the correct height. The last knot I did while wearing the flip flop, to make sure it was tight enough. 

Cut off the excess fabric at each knot and pull tight on the top side to push the knots flush against the bottom.

Enjoy!