Earithia: Garden Insta-Jungle, also, Florida

Turns out this month is an all-time high for hits on my blog, which I think is pretty cool.  This whole making-it-easier-on-myself-to-post thing has been working out for keeping me more in the loop.  Also, if I get 5 more hits during August... then I clear 90 for the month!  Woah.  You guys and gals in Russia that are pinging my site totally rock my socks!  I've no idea how you found me, too cool.


So there's this nifty thing that happened recently, I got to spend 5 days at Clearwater Beach, Florida, and it was the most relaxing and wonderful thing during which no one could keep me out of the water.  Going right before school started was perfect since there was very little collegiate debochery.  What a laid back town!  I got a few very nice photos of our visit.

Causeway over the Gulf

 Funny little yellow footed bird was not shy

 Beach sun rise photo series

 Even a departing RAINBOW on my last day there

And on my return, I am overwhelmed by the sudden growth spurt in the garden!  It's a jungle, and it gave me no warning.

I didn't know a tomato plant could get 8 feet tall!  Woah!  These are hillbillies gifted from a friend.

The Sunchokes went bonkers, what a sight, I can't wait for them to bloom!  There must be a million tubers underground.  I had to trim access to my walking path, it was impassible.

Tons of Cayennes, they just need to go red.

Strawberries are back at it.

Brassicas went wild.

My harvest on return was intense, look at all this deliciousness produced from 7 days neglect!

I got a ton of weeding done, very productive Friday gardnening evening.  I also think I've caught up on all my vacation-related technical difficulties.  I had bad luck on a handful of things down there.  You'd think I'd gone wild, though it was in fact a family reunion and very calm... glasses apparently had defective cryzal coating which the salt water air aggravated to the point they are unusable, sent those back on warranty; my tooth filling cracked which is fixed now, I saw the dentist Friday, all better if my sinus will just calm down now; toenail cracked from all the running and tumbling in the sand and surf, so it's super glued, and the night I sat in the surf in the dark and watched the thunderstorm hitting the Gulf of Mexico I left my sandals, so now those are replaced.  I hope that's it!  I had one technical difficulty per day of work missed!

I'm going to need to be making more Laundry Soap very soon, have some laundry running now, just popped open the 3rd bottle of soap from the last batch.  I've been catching up on washing blankets and stuff.  I'm also thinking about tackling the ceiling project in the stairwell finally!  I really want to, it's gonna be so pretty, and it's a long time since I first conceived this idea, it's so very much time to get that rolling.  And as usual, I'm enjoying my Fancy Chocolate Milk very frequently.  I put vanilla extract in it tonight.  Nummy!  Also, I have to try this.

I hope everyone is well!