Ridge and Daisy:
Posted on 08/01/2026 5:02:22 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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Lunch with my friends today was Grilled Shrimp and this:
Sweet Corn and Black Bean Succotash
https://www.midwestliving.com/recipe/sweet-corn-and-black-bean-succotash/
It was so ridiculously GOOD! I told ya Lauri was a great cook. And to top it off her Husband (Andy - who we are all half in love with) made us a fancy Blueberry and Lemon Layer Cake that was BEYOND amazing.
I don’t know about you, but when someone (or their spouse) is a great cook, they are Forever Friends, LOL!
And Laurie’s GARDENS and LANDSCAPING! She has a small house on a city lot and it is just EXPLODING with color and form and shape and interest and Hummingbirds...and she’s just really doing it right.
A Good Time Was Had By All. :)
Did you happen to get the Blueberry Lemon Layer cake recipe?
Asking for a friend :-)
You know...... you are right.....it is a “fallish” recipe.
I didnt see it that way .........b/c of the cheesecake layer.
I imagine the “soils” will go on clearance sooner or later. Wally sure isn’t going to sell much by putting up a sign @ $2.48 and then it rings up @ $8.48!
I was told by a Wal Mart asst. dept. manager that often a dept. manager is told to get stuff cleared out, he or she prices it low, then the home office restores the regular price and apparently the manager misses it or just isn’t explicitly told. (I don’t know if that’s actually what happens, but I’d think an asst. manager would know what’s up.)
Speaking of too bad, an elderly fellow died in a house explosion in Energy, IL - just a few miles from where a nephew of mine once lived. The house is freaking obliterated:
https://www.kfvs12.com/2026/08/05/williamson-county-emergency-crews-scene-house-explosion/
I’m guessing (hoping, anyway) the old fellow never felt a thing...
I just happen to have 4 fresh ears of corn from my cousin. Now I know what to do with them!
AGAIN?!
NWS is showing virtually no chance of rain (tonight - 3% max) and a line of showers is moving through.
It’s been that kind of summer - most places are anywhere from 9” to 17” above “normal” since June 1 of this year.
Plant molds are becoming a problem, but, I do still have some Daconil left...
My (very tall!) Cannas are producing RED seed pods, not green. (They seem to have gone from red flowers to spiky red seed pods.)
Should I wait for these pods to turn brown before harvesting them?
I would love to see the stars in a dark, sky at either place and have 12 acres of land to work with! I think about it, but we are not really at that point yet! (I also had Diana sweetly encouraging me to look at someplace in Wisconsin, Maybe Spring Green, or Mount Horeb or someplace with pine trees and water!)
I do need to start downsizing so need to start getting rid of all the old books and things I have been collecting for years!
Our “dog days” have had a lot of wet dogs!
Somehow though, in that t-storm & wind we got a few nights ago, a dead branch in a tree a little east of our house did not come down, but instead came down in near calm 2 days ago, clonking our sturdier garden cart. I had just walked by: The branch is about 3” diameter on the big end and was ~ 12 ft. long. I say “was” because it broke into 4 “significant” pieces, one about 7’ long, and 3 shorter pieces. I’m rather glad it didn’t use ME as a block to break on! The cart took sort of a glancing blow and scooted backwards a bit: It’s fine, needing just a slight straightening out of one side panel. :-)
“Sirius” means “scorching” - heh. Well, our worst days so far this summer were more like “steaming”, but either way, I’m glad that so far there have not been many of them. :-)
Our 2017 eclipse came after the “dog days” of 2017, but, Ozzy came to do a show in our area and barked at the moon anyway!!
I would guess that repellent neighboring plants would be repellent to most insects, and of course most pesticides are broad spectrum - a double edge sword for sure, but otherwise, the only thing I can think of is more observation: I’ve never had garden plants be eaten without in a couple days being able to spot the munchers, sap-suckers, etc. The sneakiest might be snails or cutworms?
It’s been so wet we’ve had a huge slug problem. They really wreaked havoc on my green cabbage. The red cabbage seems to be more vermin resistant.
The flowers are coming back some. I guess whatever it was didn’t eat the growing tips.
Is anyone here doing an orchard guild? If so, I’d love to pick your brain!
Oh, yeah! I forgot to mention those sometimes sneaky slugs. Those Dems — OH! Wrong thread! ;-)
I’ll bet a little hot pepper powder spread around bases of plants would repel slugs, or at least be worth trying. That said, my web search had a few doubters. And of course, rain can wash it away or dilute it and leave... extra wetness.
Big area of rain & t-storms approaching / near, but NWS says only 5% chance of rain? Maybe it will stall. Sure doesn’t look kike it...
I’ve heard coffee grounds is effective, too.
Ridge and Daisy:
Here ya go. Andy only made it TWO layers because he only had two pans, LOL!
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/lemon-blueberry-layer-cake/
Q: Another, ‘Sally’s Baking’ winning recipe!
And don’t hate me - Lauri sent a slice of cake home with me, so that just MIGHT be Breakfast. ;)
Longfield Gardens says:
When to Harvest Canna Seeds
The timing of your harvest is key to ensuring the seeds are “viable,” which simply means they are healthy enough to grow. If you pick the pods while they are still bright green and soft, the seeds inside will not be fully developed. They will likely shrivel up and fail to sprout.
Instead, let the pods stay on the plant. You will see them change from green to a duller tan or brown. Eventually, the outer skin will become papery and dry. This is the signal that the seeds inside are ready. If you wait long enough, the pods will often crack open on their own, revealing the dark, shiny black seeds tucked inside.
https://www.longfield-gardens.com/blogs/canna-care/how-to-grow-canna-lilies-from-seed-pods#section3
The link provides a step-by-step on how to grow more Canna from seed.
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