I need to place a want ad. It should read: Wanted. One Farm Wife. Job duties include watching, entertaining, feeding three small children, nursing baby, cooking from scratch, cleaning, laundry, errand running, tending of pets, other duties as needed. I also need to place another ad: Wanted. Bookkeeper. Job duties include tracking of farm receipts, filing, invoicing customers, paying of bills.
Seriously, think about it. In all the kids' books you read, the farmer has a wife. I want a stinking wife. I NEED a stinking wife. Thank goodness Eli's big camp is just about over. I've missed his help with the kids and the house. He's still not a wife. No where close, but I'll take what I can get.
In garden news....the deer found us. They have munched on the okra, the chard, the cantaloupe, the beans, and kicked the baby watermelons off the vine. In deer repelling efforts, I've cut Flora's hair off and sprinkled it on the beans, enjoyed an evening of beer drinking and weed pulling with my buddy, Denise, culminated in communal urination around the perimeter of the garden, tuned into a loud FM station on the radio that resides in the center of the garden each night, and tearfully implored Eli to work on finishing up the deer fence. He and Chris busted their butts on that task last weekend and got it 2/3 done. I think the efforts are working for now. I hope to finish the fence this weekend.
In addition, you'll see above the amazing mustache shaped eggplant I harvested this morning. The squash bugs are reaching a frenzied level and the plants are checking out one by one. Even though that's the case, I'm calling the squash a success this year. Typically we get just a few before the bugs win. This year, so far, I've harvested at least 40 pounds. I say "at least" because that's just what I've recorded that I've given to customers. I'm NOT calling the tomatoes a success yet. I'm actually really bummed that I'm not getting more tomatoes at this point. I'm not sure if it's because I planted fewer, or I staggered the plantings, or what? I just know that I'm only getting half a dozen or so per day and that seems ridiculous considering where we were last year at this point. Hear that tomatoes? It's time to start delivering! I think we are on the brink of a cucumber fest. Lots of little babies out there that should be ready to harvest soon. I'm thinking cold cucumber yogurt soup. Blessed relief from these hot, hot summer days. 102 at the beginning of July. Come on. Really?
I've included photos of Flora blueberry picking at a local berry farm, Ward inspecting and eating more dirt, and a morning harvest. I must jet...I hear Ward doing something awful in the next room.
