"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands........" 1 Thessalonians 4:11

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

The hours, the days, the weeks,.....the rewards

I can't even begin to add up all of the time I have spent this growing season,......outside......in the garden, in the heat, in the weeds, in the biting insects......all I know is I start out in the early morning....work until almost noon, ....come back out in the afternoon and work till dark.

However......when I look at the crisp rows of blooming peas.....


the large leaves of the watermelon....

the large cantaloupes on every vine....




the squash that seems to be growing everywhere...




the miniature pumpkins blooming and forming their round balls....




and the large pumpkins taking over the whole area....

promising their golden rewards by October......I know it is so

well worth the work!






When I go out to the greenhouse, the giant wall of morning glory







is smiling and showing off its petals in the early morning coolness...









what announces that Summer is in full swing and full heat, than the brilliant sunflower with it's hosts of bees?






And then I am immediately reminded of rewards


that a little digging, weeding, and watering will do. My zinnia garden is now in full bloom!











Every vibrant color one can imagine is blooming in this garden!









It just takes a small walk out into the day to get a good dose of....

cheer!










When I'm not out working, I am just as busy inside. There is always something needing to be scrubbed and cleaned......


and fed.



and then there are wonderful new recipes to try.....like this shown above.

Come visit my cooking blog, My Country Kitchen, http://countrykitchenkat.blogspot.com/

for this quick and tasty treat! It goes great on nights when you have Italian food!

Once again, proving to me that my inside work is well worth the effort.












When the day slows down , I turn to ..."my work"......

embroidery!

I finally finished the little quilt I had started over a year ago. It is so cheery and I am so glad to have it done. The hundreds of stitches....late night hours.....turned out to be the best reward ever. You can get a better look at it on my embroidery blog, Yesteryear Embroideries http://yesteryearembroideries.blogspot.com/

Now......

what do you find takes your time away more? Cooking, cleaning perhaps?

Do you spend more time outside or inside? Do you have a hobby or a project in the making? I would love to hear.















18 comments:

Debbie said...

Kathleen, you truly have a green thumb! I've never seen a better garden anywhere. You have lots of energy and talent, especially considering the heat you're contending with. I could take lessons from you.

Anonymous said...

Wow - you make me tired just reading about all you have accomplished. That is a beautiful garden and I know it is rewarding to stand back and admire all that hard work. I'm on my way to get the recipe and look at your finished quilt. What a treat to visit you tonight.

Irma's Rose Cottage said...

Kathleen, your gardens are just beautiful. You did fantastic. My poor garden did not survive the heat. Now I'm off to go visit your cooking blog. Have a wonderful week.

Irma :)

Stickhorsecowgirls said...

A "little weeding"! Oh, Please! Your garden looks immaculate and beautiful. I know it is a lot of work but, yes, I'm sure it's worth it! C

peggy said...

Your garden is just a dream! You can tell by the payoff how hard you have worked.And a whole garden of zinnias, must be heaven. I am excited about the cooking blog. Going there now.

Kelly said...

Your garden looks wonderful. It looks like you put alot of hours and hard work in.
Kelly

Elaine/Muddling Through said...

Your garden is splendid. I will not envy, but it's hard. Truly, it is beautiful, and so BIG! Everything looks happy! Yes, well worth all the hard work.

KathyB. said...

Boy, what a productive and well tended garden. Wish we could grow cantaloupes and watermelons...well, maybe not, because that would require a lot of heat. Are you able to eat all your melons, do you preserve some in any way?

Kathleen, you are a true Proverbs 31 woman and you do your family well.

Paula said...

Looks like you're going to have a bountiful harvest, Kathleen! I'm so glad... I've been hearing about your weather on the news, and I can't imagine how hot and dry it is there.
The recipe sounds wonderful- Italian food is my favorite! (Next to good ol' Southern fried anything! LOL)

Grammyof13 said...

There is no doubt about the rewards. I noticed how clean the rows were from weeds. You really have been at work to keep it clean. And the squash! Oh the Canalope!! The Flowers. etc. etc. all had my eye on them.

Blessings

Lanny said...

I am so in love with that quilt! Pansies have become a consistant staple in my containers, window boxes and pots. They are so dependable that they are very much a favorite flower.

Your garden looks so wonderful. What hard work does is very very rewarding evne when things flub because we learn but it doesn't appear you have anything but absolute success!

Mary said...

I think you have more hours in your day than I do. This summer I'm outside mowing. We've had a wet summer and I take about 3 days to mow and then start over. Your garden is beautiful.

Nancy M. said...

Everything is looking beautifully in your garden! You must be a wonderful gardener! Here lately I am spending most of my time indoors, since the only thing left in my garden is the corn.

Tipper said...

Your garden looks great!! I'm jealous of your cantelopes : )

The imPerfect Housewife said...

LOOOOOVE the garden pictures - I can see how that would cheer you up every time you saw it!! When I move in the country, I'll post some of mine, too, deal?? :) I don't really like to be outside too much though, so hopefully I can grow pumpkins and cantaloupe and all that stuff in a garden in my living room. You think??? ha ha

Connie said...

Your garden is looking fantastic, Kathleen! It will be so wonderful for you to have all that produce to enjoy. That is a great reward indeed! :)

Pat / Silver Thimble Quilt Co. said...

Can you come right over to my house. The plant run for cover at the nursery when I drive up. They know it means certain death.

When you come I will cook whatever you can grow FOR ME...OKAY?

Pat

Kelly said...

Wonderful entry! I enjoyed all the pictures and your days sound pretty much like mine, out in the morning, come in when its blazing hot til it cools off in the evening. I can't wait to see how those pumpkins look later on this year. :) Be sure to post them.