Here we are, it's almost August and how my gardens have grown! I'm in the flow of mid summer when the frantic pace of trying to plant, set up the gardens and keep ahead of the weeds has slowed to a steady and comfortable relationship. I pick some weeds here and there, water when things are dry and now I get to harvest the fruits of my labor. Most meals we eat at home are pretty heavy on fresh home grown ingredients. Last week Josh and I made a killer quick pasta dish on the fly. Brown rice pasta, sauteed purple string beans, fresh garlic, yellow summer squash, butter, olive oil and fresh dill with grated raw dill farmers cheese and some Parmesan melted on top as well. Yum.

Now that the gardens are mature and producing I find I have more time to daydream, make lists of creative goals, write in my studio and sketch again. The visual arts and musical sides of myself are percolating with activity and dreaming. It feels good to be giving myself attention in these areas again.

I want to share a few pictures with you of my gardens this time of year. They look so different from the pictures I posted on the blog on June 4th. Enjoy and hope you are also enjoying the fruits of your labor.

Terraced bed with stone path leading down to the fruit trees and chicken coop...

Sunflowers, Cosmos, Summer Squash, Beets, Beans, Tomatoes, Lettuce, Wild Flower Patch and Orchard...

New winter squash patch with nasturtiums and sunflowers, outback where the old chicken yard used to be...

Front entry garden, a work in progress...

Cabbages that will soon be sauerkraut...

Front yard herb, flower and vegetable garden with a little pond and stone bench...