Summer Solstice

My first time growing peas, I can't help but harvest them a little early and eat them raw. I should allow a few to mature to stir-fry size but I can't imagine subjecting the little dears to heat.

'Snowbird' Snow Peas

These sure look like white radishes, but they're turnips, a nice variety in which the greens and bulbs are both edible (if you like turnips, which I don't, but O does, so it all works out). The radishes are still coming on strong.

'Hakurei' Turnips and 'Cherriette' Radishes

The Cedar Waxwings never came back through as expected but the Juneberries were eventually harvested by someone other than me. A Wood Thrush has been singing his heart out all Spring, high in the treetops and hidden from view. I was delighted to see him eating the berries.

But it's not just birds in the bushes. I awoke one morning last week at 3:00 and noticed the security light out back had been tripped. I peeked through the window and saw

a mother Raccoon introducing her four cubs to Juneberries. I grabbed my camera and furtively slid the window open for a picture but not furtive enough -- two of the cubs scrambled up the trunk and into the crown, where they spent quite a bit of time rustling the branches in search of the candy.


The camera is away on holiday so the weekly picture was taken mid-last week, before the big storm. 2.6"/6.6 cm of rain fell Friday morning, hard and fast, accompanied by thunder and lightning. The river rose four feet and covered the far bank. A flash flood warning predicted another 2+" late Friday night. I was frankly frightened of a major flood but the second storm missed us or petered out, and I lived to write another blog.

Merry Solstice and may your humidity be at least tolerable this Summer.