Blog friend
Kelly shot this photo for Pride Month and I am posting it in honor of him and all my other GLBTQ friends. I truly believe it is no longer a big uphill battle like it has been in the past and that we as a people are on the verge of a fair and "all are created equal" society. I have hope (confidence?) that the young people of today are much more understanding of our differences through the efforts of groups like Gay Students Alliance. Even a small, "red" community like mine has a GSA in the high schools. (Although the school where I used to work in a much larger and "blue" area still refuse to call it GSA in public......) I realize that many may not admit it, but we are more closely following the teachings of Jesus - treating all fairly and justly.
Micah 6:8 -
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Pretty simple, huh! Why can't we all just get along? I think it is coming, folks. Just a few more months and it begins.
OK - off the soapbox and on to the garden. I have been pulling the cheatgrass out of the cactus - now that is a job! My big heavy leather work gloves aren't even up to the task.
I did get it out of the Mules Ears, though! I decided to take photos of the plants which we have been gifted from others. The Mules Ears came from friend Linda who got them from friend Sharon in Selah, Wa. when she (Linda) was here summer before last.
Sharon is an herbalist who grows comfrey as one of the ingredients in her healing salves. I can vouch for them as I used her Epi-Soothe when I was undergoing radiation treatments and did not get ANY burn! It was wonderful! Below is some of the comfrey which came from Sharon's garden. I'm sure that it has special healing properties. We have divided it several times since we got it 2 summers ago and hope to have it eventually cover this hillside. The hummingbirds were tasting the nectar this morning. In the photo below, Dean is planting our new weeping willow tree.
Below is some ribbon grass which has a pretty long history. 4 - 5- -6 - - well, some years ago, friend Linda was moving from her place in Selah to the midwest and we got some of this grass and put it in a pile in our garden in Vancouver. The next year, Dean divided it up and planted it in a neglected area in our front yard. That summer, it spread out and made the area look pretty good. When we moved, we brought a shovelful and put it in some dirt on our place.
Then it was transplanted to this spot on the hillside in the back. Dean spent a few hours this week dividing it again and planting it in the area where the soaker hose is in the photo below. I will post photos later of the new planting. The idea is for it to stabilize this hillside and I'm sure that it will in the not too distant future!
The irises came from various places - some from neighbor, Joyce, some from the garden club here on the ranch. Also in this photo is one of the bird nesting boxes that I built. Someone moved into this one but has since abandoned it. Dean took his new weed eater (the mower type) and cut all the cheatgrass and other weeds from the area around the septic drainfield, which is in the middleground of the photo. This day, the mountains weren't visible - rare day!
Some of the broccoli - doing well, I would say.......
One of the cabbage plants has a varmint, I think, though. Something is feasting on it. I haven't found the thing yet, but there was a garter snake in there yesterday and a lizard today, so I hope one of them had a feast on the troublesome thing!
The peas are doing ok
On to the front yard. The plant in the foreground - that I can't remember the name of but I call it Achilles heel - sounds kinda like that - it's going bananas this year. The deer munched on it in years past, so it didn't get very large - but this year..........
Frank (aka St Francis...) is guarding over the area and the birds get to eat out of his hand when I remember to put seed out there......) The iris in this area all came from neighbor Joyce's cullings.
The curly willow is from cuttings from the cuttings that we planted in Vancouver. So, they are at least 3rd generation and we have 4th generation branches in water taking root for later plantings.
These various kinds of cactus are from someplace in Nevada from our trip winter before last. The rocks, also.
This (Snow on the Mountain? Snow in the Summer? I always get it mixed up...) is from Janet's garden in Battle Ground before they moved. They came from her mother's garden in Deadwood, South Dakota many years ago. Isn't it wonderful how plants just adapt to whatever condition they are in? Wouldn't it be nice if humans could do the same? Oh, there I go - onto the soapbox again!!!
Many blessings on your days, my friends!
You really can't tell from this photo, but the corn is knee high!!! And it's not even the 4th yet, so we should have some yummy corn this year. I learned the secret to prevent the corn worms - we'll see if it works. Last year, we had to salvage partial ears.
The first zucchinis are forming - much to Dean's chagrin! The only way he like them is in bread!
And the tomatoes are looking good - these are the 2 that were in the water walls when the critter ate the other 2. Still don't know what got them. Haven't had problems since, but most of the raised beds are fenced with chicken wire now.
On to the flowers. I have some really beautiful lilies. 
This huge moth came visiting last night. He/she was on the screen door when I was going out to the deck. A rather patient thing, it allowed me several photos. This one shows Dean's have for size - he (Dean, not the moth) was inside and I was outside.
Don't know how well you can tell from this photo, but the clouds the other night were really strange. Looked like the ocean. The more distinct ones are at the top, but there are also some faint ones toward the bottom. It was a typical (sorry......) beautiful sunset. Mt Jefferson on the horizon.
With all the "news" taken up with Michael Jackson's passing, you would think that there wasn't a war going on, a health care and housing crisis, people going hungry, global climate change, etc., etc., etc. And, with the closing of Pride Month, Lt Choi goes on trail for "telling" What a shame. Let's evolve, folks. Let's turn into the people that Jesus wanted us to be - loving our neighbors and taking care of them!
