2012 - July 31 - The Stuff that Makes it All Worth it.

There have been some really amazing things that have been going on amidst this crazy drought.  I was watering the Butterfly Bush and about freaked out as I saw this yellow buzzing bug almost beam me with it's presence.  I thought it was a huge bubble bee or yellow jacket.  As I calmed down, I took a more cautious look at it and didn't quite recognize what it was.  At first I thought it was a hummingbird, but it was far too small.  As I looked closer, I noticed it had a proboscis.  Wow!  A Hummingbird Moth!  Holy Cow!

 As I was leaving for work, I noticed this cool little, bug eating machine, Mr. Tree Frog.

The faucet does not shut off properly in the front yard.  As it slowly drips, a few plants get some relief from the heat.  I wound the hose around the pots so that they could keep the trees and bushes in the pot alive. 

I finally pulled the last four Beets from the Raised Garden.  I also pulled up some Parsley to make room for new seeds.  I learned something new from this herb.  The root of the Parsley is also a root vegetable that you can put in stews and other root vegetable recipes.  It looks very similar to a Parsnip.  I tried to dry the Parsley, but on day two in the oven, Evan preheated the oven for some pizza and burned up the leaves.  Oh well.  I also cleaned out the Mesclun on the backside of the Garden.  The Kale, pictured on the far right, was really pretty, but very bitter, so Evan and I did not eat it.  The last thing that I pulled out was the Carrot.  I wanted to see how they were growing and they needed thinning anyways. 

This short, stubby orange bit of a carrot was very flavorful!  I know now, that they need lots of water to get bigger.  I am excited about getting them to do better on the next batch.