For scale, the top of the lattice is 7′ above the ground.
The sun rose at 2:58 this morning and will set at 12:47 tomorrow morning for a total of 21 hours 49 minutes of daylight. Day-to-day change this close to the solstice, which will occur at 3:08 PM June 20 our time, is less than a minute, and the sun at noon is at its highest for the year at 48.6° above the horizon. It is quite light at night now. Luckily I’ve lived up here long enough that I have no problem sleeping in full daylight.
The first beginnings of beans
Weather has been mixed, with sunshine, clouds, showers and the occasional thunderstorm. Not enough water for the garden, though; I had to water yesterday. It might make 80 today – I think I’ll get the garden work done early, while it’s still cool!
The yellow beets come up in clusters. The reds are a 1 seed = 1 plant variety.
The white iris are in full bloom, and the wild roses and dwarf columbines are a little past their peak. The day lilies are budded, though not blooming yet, and the delphiniums are chin-high. The Maltese cross, Asiatic lilies and tall columbines are up, but not showing buds yet.
On a more practical note, the beans are in full bloom and are starting to show tiny bean pods, and the strawberries are also showing the first tiny green fruits. The beets had reached the point where they needed thinning, and I got to that yesterday. Beet thinnings braised in a little olive oil — yum! The squash is budded, but so far only male flowers. Herbs are thriving, and the two that are perennial, chives and a local mint, are doing their best to take over the garden. The first lettuce transplants are actually starting to bolt. Sad to say, the weeds are thriving too.
Lettuce starting to bolt.
Notice the new badge on the upper right of my site? I’m participating in the Blog Hop June 22, with a post about summer solstice on a planet with a really large axial tilt — like Uranus. The prize for this site will be a pdf of one of my books — your choice. To enter the drawing just comment on the June 22 post, but be sure I have a way of contacting you! Note that if you comment on my post you will automatically be entered for the grand prize.
Hello there!
On Friday 22nd June (Pacific Time) the SFR Brigade will be holding its first ever Blog Hop to celebrate Midsummer. 36 fabulous science fiction romance authors will be telling you mystical or scientific stories related to the event, and they’ll each be giving away a prize – books, gift cards, swag bags…and lots more!
Plus there’s TWO GRAND PRIZES!
1st Prize – a Kindle Touch or Nook Touch
2nd Prize -a library of science fiction romance titles from over 20 authors (these will be mostly ebooks with one print anthology), and an Anabanana Gift Card.
All you need to do to enter is pop along to the blogs listed below and comment on as many as you want (only ONE comment per site will count as an entry). Each time you comment at a stop, you’ll earn one entry into the grand prize – so the more sites you visit, the greater your chances of winning. The winners will be drawn at random on the 24th June and announced on this site. The list of participating authors can be found here. Spread the news!
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