Growing and Killing

At eight o'clock in the evening, the fireflies come out and the chickens make their way "in" for the night.  It's a magical time of day.  We are all falling into a new rhythm now that the rigor of school schedules has subsided.  Without an impending morning rush, we feel some give at the end of it that encourages us to linger a little longer outside. Even past eight o'clock in the evening.

It's the perfect time to water.  Holding the hose at least one minute (ideally two) in the vegetable boxes each evening gives me lots of time to plan and think.  Planning for what will take the place of tomatoes and cucumbers come end of August.  Thinking about my own four growing (Seth will be 8 this week) and how they seem to be getting ahead of me.  Suddenly.  How does steady growth in living things always seem so sudden?

Then, there's the killing of living things.  Like squash beetles laying eggs on my zucchini leaves.  Tiny, shiny maroon-colored eggs.  They've begun to hatch.  Lucy would hunt them down and I would smoosh them into oblivion.  I don't have THAT much zucchini.  Not enough to share with hundreds of black and gray bugs.  Also weeds.  June is national weed month.  I am declaring it.  We had a family yardwork day yesterday.  The usual pit stop gardening wasn't cutting it and in the war against weeds, Cicada Cottage was losing fast.

I have some recipes I've made in the past week or so.  One to use the cucumber bounty and one to use the zucchini piling up.  The best recipes.  At least I think so.  Things are not slowing down here: weeds, bugs, vegetables, or kids.  So, hopefully I can show up here with proof of it all happening a little more frequently!

*Dr. Gooch grilling our dinner (chicken) with the chickens.