BLOOMING SUMMER AND KNITTED SNAKES

Summer has arrived hot and windy.  103 yesterday but expecting a cool down into the 90s tomorrow.  The garden is thriving, though, with watering and feeding - we've had our first harvests.  Zucchini and yellow squash never fail to arrive first.  I've blanched and frozen some, made zucchini bread, and zucchini chips.  Needless to say, squash will be served often at dinner. 

Here's the June garden - I've complained about the heat, but obviously, the garden loves it.  We were smarter this year, and used out space more wisely - no over crowding, especially with the tomatoes. I say "we" but the real work has been done by Master Gardener Damon.  

Here's some of our first harvest - lemon cucumbers, regular cucumber, yellow cherry tomatoes, yellow summer squash, zucchini, and 8-ball zucchini.  We try to grow some things out of the ordinary so we tried the 8-ball z.  These I usually shred and freeze to use later. 

We're also trying to grow some corn.  Farmers in this area grow corn in abundance - corn for the table, and corn for animal feed.  So hopefully we'll have some success. The plants were only a few inches tall when I bought them and they've been growing fast since then.

These are future pumpkins we planted on the outside of the garden area and made a path for them to vine on to.  One year our pumpkins grew their vines onto the fences and trees - was a little unusual to see pumpkins hanging from the branches.  One of these plants will be jumbo pumpkins and the other will be sweet pumpkins for pies and bread.  Yum.

Here's a close up of the mini tomatoes.  We were surprised at the way these grow with multiple tomatoes on a branch.  These are so good - they never make it into a salad because they're so easy to eat as a snack or a treat. 

All varieties of flowers are also popping up - this is a Calla Lily.  What a beauty with spotted leaves. 

This Asiatic Lily reminds me of a Georgia O'Keeffe flower painting - up close so it draws you in.  Below is what is called a red hot poker. Yikes!

More flowers and vegetables will be in the next blog.  Many are still germinating and have not produced their flowers or fruit.  There are wild flower seeds and bulbs still under the ground.

Roses love the heat and don't mind sharing the garden with other plants, white, red, and pink - roses smell like flowers should.

On to the KNITTING.  

I've been knitting snake scarves - it all started with this Coral Snake Scarf pattern I found on Ravelry and then grew, and is still growing from there. One snake led to another snake, and so on. 

This pattern can be found here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/coral-snake-scarf
I did some searching about snake colors and found beautiful striping patterns and vivid coloring  - however, this one is your basic green garden snake with a textured body.

I call this next one a fantasy snake since it's coloring is not the usual that's found in nature.  The stripes are made with a variegated yarn.  You don't know what you're going to get until the color shows up.  I like that. 

Now that it is hot and dry in the foothills, people who live there, as in Elk Creek, have to keep their eyes open for rattlesnakes that come around looking for shade and water. Here's my cabled version - non-poisonous - not like the real thing. sssssssssssssssssss!

A boa constrictor is in the works.  It's more like a boa that a dangerous snake since it's made with novelty eyelash yarn.  Look for it in the next blog. I continue knitting granny's favorite wash cloths for the Christmas Bazaar.  However, I found they are useful when needed as a thank you gift or just because.  I bundle them in threes and tie with a ribbon.  I've been experimenting with stripes made with variegated yarn - I like how it looks and it's a good way to use the small ball of cotton yarn. 

That's the latest from sunny and very warm northern California.  Keep on gardening, knitting, and crocheting.  There is always a need.  Plus it's creative and fun.