From Heat to Fleece

Yesterday afternoon we left the hot Seattle area to come over to Edgar's Acres. When we left yesterday it was hot, humid, smoggy, and loud with the sound of the Blue Angles flying overhead. When we crossed over the Olympic Mountains, it was much cooler, drier, clearer, and quieter. Last night we sat on the deck watching the sun go down wearing our fleece jackets because it was cold after sweating at 10:00 pm the night before. I got a great night sleep too because it was cool enough to sleep. It is also good knitting weather!!!

The hot weather has given us some rewards, however.

In a matter of four days we have green beans to eat.

On Sunday these beans were just about 2 inches long, and so immature. Yesterday, I picked about 2 pounds. Yum. I grow Blue Lake Beans, both the bush bean variety, and the pole bean. These are the bush beans. As I was picking the beans I was thinking of the reason the bush bean variety was developed. When I was growing up in the Willamette Valley, each August bus loads of kids would go out to the bean fields and pick beans, the pole bean variety. Well, between the migrant workers complaining about these kids taking work away from them, and the good people concerned about child labor, these bus load of kids no longer could go out to the fields to pick. Well, without a bunch of kids willing to pick beans in the hot August weather, they developed the bush bean variety to be picked by machines. Yep, by machines. As I was picking and touching these beautiful plants I was thinking about how horrible it must be for these plants to work so hard to grow beautifully, produce such beautiful beans, just to be chopped down in one afternoon by a machine. Poor bushes, they still have more beans for us.

I told Susan to be sure to pick again on Sunday, there will be more for her.

On Sunday, I sowed my pole beans, and the little plants are sprouting already. Ready short germination time, but with the soil being so nice and warm, and our keeping the soil most, we've got baby bean plants.

This is the pole bean bed. The trellis is made out of the remains of our old patio umbrella that was destroyed last fall in a wind storm. We are hoping this works. It's a lot easier to put up, and why not use it if we can.

Guess what we're having for dinner tonight.

This morning I am wandering around in my summer nightgown with my fleece jacket on, hugging a hot cup of coffee. What a wonderful life.

Well, off to get the laundry started, and then think about harvesting Walla Walla onions.

TTFN

Sue