Back in the saddle again

Terribly sorry for not posting for so long... Amidst the return to 'a real job', the constant garden work at home, general life uncertainties, and the blog/ picture issues for a while there, the blog seemed to have fallen off the wayside. I am finally starting to fall into a normal routine (well, semi-normal) and will start posting frequently again -especially as the garden harvest gears up.

To play catch up a wee bit: 

We have been exploring more phenomenal recipes that I can't wait to share with y'all, soon... Especially some amazing grilled desserts I never thought possible.

The garden is doing well finally, and though not as well as hoped for. This growing season is a strange one, and everything is coming in late. The tomato vines are laden with fruit, yet no signs of ripening any time soon. Even my herbs are flowering too late -or in some cases, too early. The only thing that has done great since day one are the bush beans! From 4 plants, I am raking in about 5 beans a day... It doesn't sound like much, but for just 2 people, 13 beans or so makes a side dish. The jalapeño crop should be ready by next week, and I can finally start canning the most amazing pickled jalapeños that are far better than anything found in the market (look for the posted recipe soon!). I have picked one cucumber already, and have several more on the vine. Hopefully enough to can pickles! Though, I doubt my dill seeds will be ready in time- good thing I dried a lot from last year. Our onions look pitiful, as does the musk melon. Though the summer Nevada lettuce is doing great now, the Boston lettuce and Arugula still look paltry.

As for the animals; The baby chickens are no longer babies, though they still go by that title. The older hens are only laying about 3-4 eggs a day vs. the 6-7 per day last summer. The kitties are loving the summer, and bring us at least one mouse a day. We also have a few new aquatic additions, including 2 baby turtles. We're now up to a total of 6 fish tanks, ranging from 1 gallon to 125 gallons.

Ok, that's a pretty good slice of how things stand right now. I promise I will start posting again! It may only be once a week at first, but I'll endeavor for more :) Thank y'all for bearing with me.