In article >,
George Shirley > wrote:

> Isabella Woodhouse wrote:

> > I, too, have a nice kitchen garden for my herbs. But try as I might,
> > thyme just doesn't do well here due to the freezing and thawing. We did
> > not have dill or caraway this year either. But I usually have fresh
> > parsley until December. This year, I may cover it.

> It is generally hot here so thyme, the English version, makes it about
> two years and then I have to start over. The French version seldom makes
> a whole year.

The one that seems to do best here is lime thyme. But, as you may
surmise, it tastes limey instead of thymey. I'll bring in the
rosemary for the winter and hope for the best.

> > Yesterday, I picked another 9 pounds of beans, until my back gave out,
> > and that was only half of what is planted. But I should not complain.
> > Next year we could have none. I can tell you one thing. Mr. Bill will
> > definitely NOT be planting so many beans.

> Last year I put up 40 pints of green beans from one 24 foot row. This
> year we got enough to have green beans twice for dinner.

I hear ya. And that's why I feel guilty complaining. That's a good
amount for 24 feet, George. We just had our soil retested and, while it
improved a lot over the last few years, it still could use more organic
matter. Except for the woods, the rest of our property had been
pasture.

We usually plant a green crop for the winter but, too often, the deer
have eaten it before Mr. Bill could plow it under. Hopefully, the
electric deer wire will continue to keep them mostly out. I did find
some nipped-off beans the other day and can't imagine how they got in.
OTOH, I did not see a single footprint so maybe it was something else.
Maybe it was Laser-Cat... but I don't think cats eat vegetables. We
have both seen a cat that looks to be about 30-40 pounds with a very
long tail. This cat does not seem like a domestic feline. DH thinks
he's seen it at night, when out checking the fence-line for fallen
branches, hence the "Laser-Cat" tag.

> > But today I took a break from all the bean freezing (and gnashing of
> > totally bored teeth) and made 4.5 pints of raspberry-blueberry jam.

> Isabella, you're obviously not dressing right nor playing the correct
> music for the chore. Try a nice Donna Reed dress, some pearls, high
> heels, and some very good music of your choice. Works for Barb, works
> for me. <VBG>

Like these perhaps?
<http://good-times.webshots.com/album/566800936xbBELs>

> > [...] ...Yum! My cupboard runneth over.

> Lawdy, you done put up more stuff in one year than I do in three or
> four. Keep it up and we'll all have to move in with you.

Yeah, you'll all have to move in with me and we can start the first
preserving commune and call ourselves.... what? I'm finally starting to
slow down a little. I've been making up for lost time and having so
much fun after having been so horribly ill for a few years. It's
wonderful to be able to function again and do normal things.

(Public Service OT Sidebar: The average time it takes for someone with
celiac syndrome in the US to get diagnosed is ELEVEN years. Untreated,
the condition is ultimately fatal but the treatment is simple--- no more
wheat, barley or rye. Some people die w/o ever having been diagnosed.
For some reason, US physicians thought it was a rare condition but it
isn't. Celiac, gluten intolerance and gluten allergy affect at least 3
in 100 people, maybe more. Anyone who has a lot of ongoing digestive
problems, especially in addition to other auto-immune conditions (ie-
diabetes, MS, arthritis, thyroid disease, lupus, etc) should at least
get screened with a simple blood test that detects antibodies to gluten
in your blood. People with undiagnosed, untreated celiac have an
extraordinarily high rate of fatal lymphoma.)

> Note: Ike's winds are starting to build up here.

When I heard that Ike was heading for Galveston, I got chills up my
spine, recalling how terrible that storm was at the turn of the next to
last century. Oh what was that book? It's been so long since I read
it, I had to Google it. _Isaac's Storm_ is an amazing true narrative
that I highly recommend if you haven't read it. I think over 6000
people were killed in that storm surge and aftermath. It also has some
fascinating history of the development of the national weather service
we now know as NOAA and how politics played a role in the fate of
Galveston even then.

Isabella
--
"I will show you fear in a handful of dust"
-T.S. Eliot