The first pictures were taken this morning just around the house. You can see tomato plants by the pond. There are tomato plants next to the back stoop and there are tomato plants in the garden. J was on my case about planting too many tomato plants. My argument is that I plant with the idea of losing some to frost, but, well, I never seem to lose any to frost. I took J with me this spring to D and B in Ontario to help pick out tomato plants. My idea is to get six plants. But, J is picking them out by the four pack. Then at art class this really nice elderly lady offers tomato plants from her greenhouse to all the class members. Well, I could not turn that offer down. So I ended up with eleven plants and am scrambling to find a place to plant them all. I made frames for the plants. They do keep the plants corraled, but I can't say it is any easier picking the tomatoes that are crammed inside the frames. We have slicer tomatoes, grape tomatoes and cherry tomatoes.

The p0nd had 32 lily blooms on Friday. That is a record. I got what I feel is a pretty accurate count of the goldfish Friday. There are 28 fish in the pond and they are growing. The pond is amazingly relatively algae free this year. The chemicals I learned about at the Far West pond seminar this spring are really working. Whew! Am glad of that because the algae problem was driving me to distraction. I really appreciate the Far West Nursery in Boise for sponsoring that seminar. It was free!!!

Picked about forty ears of corn this morning. J cut most of the corn from the ears and froze five quart packages. We ate about ten ears of corn today. Yummy. I have some really good size crenshaw melons growing in the garden and some of the winter squash is up to a foot in diameter. The blue potatoes have set their blossoms and the plants are nearing the time to die. Oh, and got a big picking of green beans this morning. I will have to take a picture of the Japanese cucumber we planted. Kind of a gnarly looking thing, but tastes good.

The other pictures are from the 3rd of July when D and H brought the girls over for dinner and fireworks. Big M really enjoys that day. I took a lot of pictues of the fireworks. The new camera has a setting for firework pictures. I thought some of them came out pretty good.

It has been hot here--nearly 100 degrees. Tomorrow, a Perry and I will venture forth to the huckleberry patch on the Smokey Boulder road. Everybody talks about picking two, three or five gallons of berries or more. Heck, I feel lucky to get two or three quarts and I am picking likey crazy for five or six hours. I have got to wonder how I can be so slow. And, no, I don't eat berries while picking--makes me too thirsty.

Got to go get some shut eye before having to get up to go berrying. You all be good or happy!

Papa Coyotes loves you all