Labor Day... Here we come!

We are patiently awaiting for the return of the girls from school, so we can depart for the three day weekend. If you would like to join us we have an extra seat !

PS~ did I tell you "Alaskan Gals Kick ASS"

GO SARAH!

It's going to be a great berry year!

I picked the first batch of Raspberries yesterday and for every red one I picked, there were 10 green ones that I will have to go back for. I was going to start digging some of the plants up to give away, but by the time I harvest all the berries it may be frozen.

My very small Strawberry patch also is producing. I got 8 yesterday and there may be 8 more if I get to them before the slugs.

It seems as if it were yesterday...

... I was going through High School and now my baby is starting the adventure.

No fish for the rest of you!

Three for the Wolf Clan, out doing the rest! Byrd, John and I participated in the family derby this year (for once we were able to attend), we each took a fish, and they each weighed 10.5 pounds. Dads was a monster weighing in at 16.5, he won of course taking the biggest fish title away from the Bear. I think there should be a prize for the clan who brings in the most! It was great having the other fisherman walk by seeing our 7 fish (two for the Bear,two for the Eagle and one each for the Wolves) on the bank, and telling us no one else was catching. The Harrington's OWN the river, give up!We had friends from the past join us in the middle of the week. I believe the fish treated them well, between the swimming lessons. It's great to hear life has treated them well, I sure hope it isn't another 18 years befor we see them again.(left to right- Opie aka Larry, Jim, John, Me, Kyle, Dad)

We couldn't get our guests to sheet the roof of the cabin, but we got her done. Thanks Rodney!!! Next weekend, or the weekend after will be spent laying the roofing material. I had a blast figuring out how to frame the windows and putting up rafters is not as hard as it appears as long as you remember which marks NOT to use on the ridge beam and the birds beaks are laid out correctly. I was hoping to learn a little about wiring but the Bear may get to it before me. THANKS!!!!

Hopefully we will have a Rocking (Sheet) party on labor day!!!

Between fishing we are getting something done, in the rain.

My Garden

I have been busy with the yard this last week. I trimmed all the trees in both yards, with my new loppers (I can't believe I have lived without them for so long). I spent 6 to 8 hours lopping the branches into burnable sizes and burning it. It made a nice hot fire so I greased down (seasoned) the fit pit, I love cast Iron, it is no longer rusty but a beautiful black. I left the burning for an evening chore, so I could sit and enjoy a productive days work with a glass of wine and quietness.
While mowing the lawn Saturday the, the mower (the beast) was giving me fits mowing what little grass/clover growing in the front lawn, so I spent Sunday ripping it apart. I took apart the carborator and cleaned it, flushed the gas tank, changed the oil, replaced the air filter (I guess it hasn't had one for years) and replaced the blade. The mower now turns over with just a few pulls, the sputtering and dieing has ceased, and it now turns off when I release the automatic shut off handle. Next chore is to rip apart the transmission, cleaning the dog hair out of the wheels wasn't enough.
I poisoned the weeds in the yard again, and weeded the garden. I am pleased with just how well the plants are doing. I also moved some plants in to the newly built hot house... I had to share.

I bought one Hot Pepper Plant this spring, most of the summer is was outside, since it has moved into the hot house it has developed a flower that just won't bloom.

My tomatoes were stunted from the lack of sunshine and heat, a few day after I moved them into the hot house John was all excited to show me one of the tomato plants. It was three times the size of the others and had 20 flowers ready to bloom. He told me he fertilized the plants with his "Secret Military Growing Liquid Fertilizer" (that he bought at the local plant store), he had me going for a while. As it turns out the neighbor Joe is in Australia for the month and gave us one of his plants. The flowers are plentiful and hopefully the season will be long enough to get something out of this plant.

The red lettuce likes it new home, but is still a little bitter. Maybe I can bribe into a sweeter mood with many of doses of little amounts of water?

The begonias are doing wonderfully now that they are inside, now if I can figure out how to winter them.

My yard plants are surviving the cold cloudy summer. Early this year I was feeling like a loser because my Bleeding Hearts did not return. They tend to be very hardy and hard to kill off, perfect for me. I am almost positive the plant cam from John's mom and I was bummed I killed it. BUT.... Dicentra Spectabilis -

AKA- Bleeding Hearts - Dutchman's Trousers

I am pleased to announce I did not loose my Bleeding Hearts, the came up again, the were just REALLY late and REALLY small. There are a couple more shoots appearing about a foot away from the main plant , so to keep myself from getting over zelious with the weed whacker I planted some Mother-In-Law Tongues around it.Next year it should look nice. (I looked it up and now I don't think that is what they are, I think they may be Hosta Bressingham Blue).

John's Apple Tree may produce some smaller fruit this year, unless we get some sun.
The Raspberries are coming in nicely it should be a good crop this year. I have the garden blocked nicely so Barely cannot comb his hair with the bushes anymore. There is nothing like dog hair in the fresh Raspberry jam. This fall I will most likely dig the majority of the plants up and try to get some nice rows going, instead of the forest we have going now.

I have expanded the strawberry beds, Hopefully they will make lots of runners so next year I can add a Strawberry Tower (maybe a little simpler maybe one to two pipes) to the green house.

This isn't really my rose bush but I have been working for years pulling the branches through the fence from the neighbors yard, trying to make it look like I have some luck with roses.

This is another plant we took from the neighbors, after many hours of research I found out it is a Centaurea Montana or a mountain corn flower. I LOVE the way it photographs.

The Wolf Den

John spent Sunday working on my den (the one on the right), I am looking forward to a Christmas or two in the "woods".

Birthday King

Did I ever tell about that time I caught the biggest King Salmon of the year? You gotta Love it! In fact if I remember correctly this has happened before... remember that beautiful White King Salmon I brought in (May 2007)?