Garden update, canning, and a fun craft inspired by Monday Meandering

We got a much needed rain yesterday.  Our rain in Colorado is not like the rain we had growing up on the east coast.  Here we have quick moving downpours, with thunder and lightning. We got 1.59 inches of rain and for us that's a lot.  I loved watching it come down...well, expect when Dude came home and he was stuck in his truck due to the pouring rain...smile.

Here it is yesterday after the storm...

Today we still have a lot of water... and it abounds with mosquitos!  West Nile thrives here and there is no way I was working in the outside garden.  

I went around the place looking for anything I could use as stepping stones so I didn't slip in the mud. It was quite a workout as some of them were from the front yard! 

The rain did make some very happy plants... and bees. 

But it caused a problem at the greenhouse. It violently blew the door inward and it is stuck. I tried for 20 minutes to unjam it.  If you look closely you will see Norman found a way in.  It was in the 90's today and I needed to get in while it was cool .   So, I squeezed in, turned on the fan and got to work. 

I cleared out the beets. 

And one bed of carrots. 

Plus the lettuces and picked mustard greens. 

When it was time to leave I was dripping wet with sweat. 

I got a bucket full of beets!

Large basket of greens. 

A few carrots. 

I saved the beet greens and cleaned them up. 

Before heading in the house I planted the coleus I rooted last week. 

And the willows that rooted.  We will see if they do anything. 

Lunchtime.  Took a small onion from the garden, some of our garlic...

And chopped mustard greens with salt, pepper and added lemon...

So good with refried beans. 

Then back to cleaning everything I picked.

And bag them...

So pretty and healthy. 

Canning time!  It's cherry season and there are so many recipes I want to try.. 

I don't have a pitter so I tried many ideas I head heard of, using a straw and a chopstick … none of them worked.  I quickly ordered one online that arrives Thursday! 

For now , I used a knife. What a mess. 

I made Light Pickled Sweet Cherries. Oh, they are divine too.  I found the recipe on Food in Jars site.

It said it made 4 half pints but I could have canned 5. 

It says it would be a good accompaniment  to cheese or on pork but it is so good I would eat it on ice cream! 

I prepped a large bowl of beets for tomorrow's canning. 

Each Monday I go about our state looking for things out of the ordinary.  I found this misunderstood young lady in Berthoud, Co. 

I was inspired to create something to remember the sighting. 

My friend Susan and made this a month or so ago.

So, I made my own Dino portrait....

I dug in my grandsons toy box and came up with a few family members to use. 

oh dear...

giggle... Flower Power

peace