To Do List

1. Plant onions.
2. Weed.
3. Plant lettuce.
4. Weed.
5. Pick Peppers.
6. Weed.
7. Rake leaves.
8. Weed.
9. Parent Monkeys.
10. Take advantage of that 19th amendment and Vote.

Another Answer to a Monkey Question

No you are not filing the dog's nails with my diamond nail file. Go to bed.

Seriously.

The Sweetest Thing

A friend and coworker of Manly Man asked my advise tonight. He wants to purchase a gift for a woman he admires who has recently been promoted. She is now a master trainer at the gym he works out in.

I suggested he go to one of those engraving places and get her a little plaque or statue with something heart felt engraved on it. No overtly romantic gestures and no expectations. Just be a nice guy.

He said Manly Man had suggested a hand gun, bfff. Now, let me tell you a little about Manly Man. He gives flowers ,diamonds, sapphires, chainsaws, tillers, greenhouses, and shotguns. He will move a greenhouse where ever I want it. He makes excellent monkeys. He is the best gift giver ever. He is one of the best cooks I know. That's right, I said it. He can cook as good as I can. You should see the necklace I received for mothers' day this year. Gorgeous. My man has it all figured out. I won't even talk about the really good stuff.

I am one lucky woman.

Legacy

You know you might be in Texas if you have cheese burgers with fried okra and fried green tomatoes instead of french fries. That was dinner for us tonight. We are still getting okra, squash, and tomatoes from the garden and will until it freezes.

Fried green tomatoes and fried okra

Green tomatoes sliced thin and/or okra cut to 1/2 inch pieces
1 egg white + 2 tablespoons water
1 cup corn meal and 4 tablespoons season salt or Cajun spice

Dip tomatoes and/or okra in egg wash. Dredge okra and/or tomato slices in corn meal/season salt. Fry until golden brown.

I was taught to cook southern fried foods as soon as I was tall enough to see over the stove top. The dishes include chicken fried steak, chicken fried chicken, okra, tomatoes, and fish. I was also taught to make pickles from cucumbers, okra, green tomatoes, and watermelon rind. Later I decided that almost anything can be a pickle so we have pickled carrots and green beans. Later I learned to make homemade bread. All of this cooking and baking was taught at the elbow of one of my grandparents. Margaret taught the frying and pickling, Bill taught the bread baking, and Rhodella taught me never to be afraid of trying new things (thus the weird pickles). They have been gone for a number of years, but every time I cook these old favorites, I feel close to them again.

On Second Glance

I spoke too soon. A second look around revealed a Gulf fritillary caterpillar almost ready to make a chrysalis. Looks like we may have enough time for butterflies yet. My powers of observation are underwhelming.

The Butterflies are Late This Year

We have been waiting all summer for the Gulf Fritillary butterflies to show up. Over the last two weeks we have seen one or two at a time. None were laying eggs on the passion vine. Today I counted eight flying around, nectaring, flying in spirals around one and other, and then laying eggs on the passion vine.

We are approximately twenty days from our average first freeze. I don't know if the eggs will have enough time to hatch into caterpillars and grow large enough to make a chrysalis. An internet search did not reveal the length of time these flying flowers need to complete the egg/caterpillar/ butterfly transformation. I am afraid they were too late this year.

Here is a regular pomegranate next to my miniature fruit.

Isn't the little guy cute?

Horror in the Garden

I took Baby Monkey on a trick or treat hay ride along with Monkeys' Uncle #2, sil#1, and two nieces. My brother hooked up the trailer, filled it with hay, covered the hay with blankets, and hauled us all over Combine looking for houses lit up for Halloween. There were kids, trailers, four wheelers, and dune buggies everywhere. It is a small town kind of thing and we always have a good time.

Manly Man and Middle Monkey stayed home to give out candy/watch the Dallas Stars game. We came home to find quite a setup. The jack-o-lanterns were out front lit up with strobe lights. There were neighbors in the yard and in the house. A Halloween party had sprung up while we were gone. We all hung out for a while enjoying the kids and candy. Some cars stopped and let their little ones trick or treat. There were no tricks on the babies, just yummy candy.

Everything calmed down after a while and the neighbors went home. I realized I had not fed the bunnies and went outside to give them some alfalfa. I picked up a plastic cup, filled it with bunny food, and headed out. The rabbit hutch is at the back of the garden. It is pretty dark back there.

I fed the bunnies, talked to them, and petted them. It was the normal bunny feeding routine, all cute and stuff. I had just closed the rabbit hutch and was headed back to the house when it happened. A hideous, bald headed troll leaned over the fence and hollered "What are you doing?" I screamed and almost fell down. I only peed a little. The troll started laughing so hard it was holding it's sides. It was my @#$% husband in a horrible Halloween mask. I threw the cup at him.

Were any bad tricks played on you tonight?