Blackberries were abundant

It was a good year for blackberries, and me and my buddy Jude ventured out into the patch and picked a gallon of them last week. Most years I go for a whole lot more, but there's no need for that many these days. Shoot, that's four cobblers or at least 24 pints of jam - I figure.....Anyway, with 12 pints of jam just made from last year's berries in the freezer, a gallon is just right. To those that know my dog - yes, she ate plenty......lol.

Quite a few of these assassin bugs have been found in the garden lately, and they sure are welcome. With the unbelievable number of cucumber beetles this time, I need all the help I can get.

Here was the last of the plum harvest - which was juiced then put into the freezer for later use. I've got enough to make a double batch of plum syrup, and also another batch of plum jelly. In all, a gallon of blueberries were picked from the bushes - then frozen for making syrup with later. I can't wait to make it for my daughter Brooke. She loves my homemade stuff.

In other news, I'm trying to play catchup from having to work so much, and the garden has progressed much further along than indicated, I'll try to post pretty regularly over the next week to get caught back up.

Jeff

About the melons.....

Everyone knows that I have always taken pride in being one of the most prominent vertical gardeners over the past few years - especially when it comes to heavyweights such as melons and pumpkins. Well, this year is no different, and a total of 13 plants are currently growing.As can be expected, a few pitfalls always seem to happen along the way - mainly losing a melon or two, or even vines not performing as usual......This year, my grief began early - as it's never a good thing to walk  out to the garden and notice something like this -

Yep, the watermelon fell out of it's slings, and broke the stem......Dangit! It was already about 5 pounds, too. I hate it when that happens.......Oh well, that'll teach me to not check the position of the knee highs every single evening....

The largest growing right now is a Moon and Stars that's reached about 10 lbs. already, and some rope and bird netting has already been put into place to keep the same thing from happening to it.

I noticed another small watermelon that was completely covered up with various sizes of leaf-footed bugs. When I see something this significant in the garden, it's time to abort normal hand-picking for pest control, and put the proverbial "Shock and Awe" campaign into action.....Yep, Spectracide concentrate is my choice.

However, sometimes the good guys show up and take care of things for ya...   :)

Anyway, that's it for the melons right now....  :)

Jeff

Other developments in Jeff's world

Longtime followers of my blog know how I enjoy building things. Well, part of my rehabilitation was to construct something new that would increase the aesthetics of the landscape. No longer do I have to ask if it's ok to build something in a particular location - I just do whatever I want. That's the way it should've been all along.....Anyway, here's a planter I added to the yard.

The harvest of blueberries is unbelievable this year, and syrup will definitely be made from the ones that make it to the freezer. Man, these things are both plentiful - and good......

Pickles have been made at least 3 times already, and I'll try my best to eat them all before next season arrives. It's just difficult for one person to consume all of this food. Ya know?

In other news, the heat is beginning to cause the garden to diminish somewhat. Powdery mildew is showing up on the squash and cucumbers, and of course every species of bug has now made it's presence known.....Onions have been pulled and are curing for storage, and beautiful days of spring are long gone now.....

A new beginning, a new life

That's what I have - especially since everything that had became a permanent fixture within my life was ripped from me during the previous year. My only son is gone forever, my former spouse has moved into another town, and I have a completely different job.It goes without saying that I cry everyday for the absence of my son. It hurts. I want to scream. I want to hurt someone for causing me to live with this pain - but it must be dealt with on a daily basis for the rest of my life. I will never recover from it, but at least I have adapted to life without him in it finally.
My former spouse.....what can I say? She was - and always has been an opportunist - a whore when I met her, and a whore even to this day. Enough said. Oh, and I forgot........with the intellect of a 12 year old..there.

I told my employer to stick it. Why? Because I can, and because they did me wrong. Sometimes you can show people better than you can tell them. Ha!

So, that leads me to the point to where I tell you what's been going on in Jeff's life..... I started a small blog back in February to give me something to do, because let's face it - I had to be rebuilt literally from scratch. Yeah, I'm really fortunate to be writing this right now.....I have been very happy as of late though, and fortune has smiled upon both me and the garden. It is the best year so far, and the orchard has really done well. The big surprise was the plums, because both trees had a bumper crop this time. One tree alone produced three 5 gallon buckets full, and is being used to make wine right now.....The other provided fruit to make some beautiful jelly, and in all - I made 16 jars of it.

The corn did exceptionally well, and here's a picture of part of the harvest. I know my buddy Kris in Georgia is loving this picture right now......

Squash has really put out this time, and I've already given away 10 WalMart bags full so far....Several quarts of pickles have been made too, and this garden just keeps on putting stuff out.

Four melons have been slung already, and this nice Moon and Stars is the largest so far. With 13 individual melons planted, things could get interesting later.....

I have a new look - especially since losing 50 lbs, and feel great. No more chewing tobacco, dressing like a redneck, or sitting at home all the time either. I'm out and about constantly, and either go on a date or to see a concert every weekend. Oh, and it's not with the same lady each time....lol.

Jude continues to be the only permanent fixture in my life, and I love her with all of my being. She has helped me through some really tough times over the past few months, and I reward her often by taking her to get ice cream at McDonald's.

Anyway, just figured I'd post something since life had improved drastically. I'm stronger than ever before, but it sure was a difficult road getting here. My ex-wife would do well to stay as far away as possible, though, because forgiveness is simply not within me at this time. A special place is reserved in hell for people like her, and even my friends still can't believe what she did to me when I was already down.....Oh well, I walk as a Giant among men once more, and will from now on.....

Also, my twin brother has started a  Gardening blog, and you will definitely enjoy it. His is a traditional garden located in South Carolina, and be sure to visit his Mayan travels site, too.

Jeff