Hot Weather, Gardens, and Flowers

 We are having our own heat wave these past couple of weeks with temps around 30Cto 35C. This week all forecast to be 35C. Not as hot as 40C which is forecast for Saskatchewan or the kind of unworldly temperatures that the South Western States Pacific North West are enduring but hot enough for us. We do not take the heat like we used to. 

The garden is coming off so Tanya goes out early and picks or pulls whatever is ready. We have dug and frozen about 25% of the carrots and beets. No idea what we will do with the rest. The peas are long done and plants pulled. The beans are nearly done. I shell peas and snap and cut beans as my meagre contribution. When she askes, I help dig carrots and beets, and haul plants and tops to the compost pile.

One of several pails ready to blanche

Cucumbers are coming in by the bucket and Tanya has made a dozen or more jars of dill pickles. She makes two kinds. One with vinegar and one that ferments. The latter is not sealed, just covered, and sits in brine for about a week or so, then the brine is boiled up and the jar sealed. The big ones are eaten or given away. We have enough pickles for us so I am sure she will start giving away small cucs, too.

Tomatoes are ripening faster than we can eat them. They will be frozen for soups or made into juice and canned. Corn will be ready in a day or two. Had my first feed of not quite ready fresh corn two days ago. Wonderful feeling to have butter dripping off my elbows. 

Vegetable marrow and zucchini are overwhelming us. Tanya tries to pick them small but they are getting away on us. We eat them prepared two different ways. Sliced, dipped in flour and fried in light oil, then topped with crushed garlic and a dab or mayonnaise. (She has a dish of flour sitting on the counter as she cooks them every day. Yesterday, Bonya jumped onto the counter to supervise and floured his big hairy tail). The second way is cut up small and stir fried in sautéed onions and grated carrots with tomatoes chopped up and added last.  

These days we are eating vegetables from our garden as much as we can. Keeps cooking to a minimum. Tanya made a vat of soup and a vat of stew and a vat of plov. If the kitchen is going to be hot, cook lots. All boxed in plastic happiness and put in the freezer to be doled out as needed and heated in the microwave. Mostly we eat vegetables.

Lucky does not do heat well either. He is always too hot. The other dogs we used to clip short and they were ok as they had shade. We have been bringing Lucky in the house when it hits 30C or more. AC downstairs and upstairs keeps the main floor cool. He is pretty good though he still thinks everything he can reach is a toy. He is much quieter with Tanya downstairs and me upstairs. If I go downstairs he wants to play, though sometimes if I sit on the couch he will lie down beside me. One day he lay down with his head on my lap, got my thumb in his mouth and went to sleep. He likes to hold our hands gently (for him) in his mouth as a sign of affection.

A squeaky toy and a tennis ball (for now)

Sound asleep

Snoring away. Let sleeping dogs lie.

Tanya's flowers are looking good in spite of the heat. She has lilies blooming throughout the flower garden. Roses are still going strong too. She never has blank spots in the flower bed all season long.

Enough for this week. Stay cool and hydrated, everyone.