Wrapping Up Summer

In Washington, this has not been a bountiful summer. Or maybe I am just not skilled enough to garden well in overcast weather for two straight months. Now that we are at the end of August, we've had a few more days of sun, so some of the garden is taking off. The kids and I searched for vegetable growth today.

Looks like we might get a few green beans. Maybe enough for one meal? Let's hope. They are a Lewis family favorite.

The onions are doing fine. A few of the Walla Walla Sweets flowered, so I had to use them early. They were sweet, although small. The red onions are also small, but the whites are huge!

The squashes are doing fine. I think zucchini seed should be on every Apocalypse believers' survival list. It grows in all conditions. Carrots and beets have also done fine, again not getting very big. A benefit of the cooler weather has been the long life of lettuce. We have had less planting and as much lettuce all season.

Now, tomatoes are another story. I'm asking for some tomato prayers from all of you in blog-ville. I think some of my tomatoes will ripen on the vine if the sun can last for the next 4 weeks for 8 or more hours a day. How about it? Up for some praying for the impossible?

Inspired by the garden walk about, I harvested and made salad for dinner. To encourage lots of eating, I placed all veggies in separate bowls and had everyone build their own salad. Robby wondered with a slight whine, "Is this another only salad dinner?" As though this was a regular occurrence in the Lewis household. Just to be clear, it was not a vegetarian meal. Not with my dear Arnie around. There was a bowl of ham and a bowl of tuna for protein. We also had crescent rolls. The meal was a successful adventure. Everyone ate more than a plateful and seemed to enjoy it. No one asked for ketchup. At the end of dinner, Katie declared, "Wow. I haven't felt this healthy in forever."

The last few days of summer feel bittersweet. I will miss "free" time. I will miss random cleaning frenzies. I will miss television. I will miss soccer in the front yard, or having my nails done in the bedroom spa. However, I am ready to get back to the school year. Just maybe, though, I will wait to clean up the garden until October.