a little giddy (a long one)

I switched to using my trusty camera last week, I want to avoid the washed out look my pictures have when I use my camera phone.

Sadly, I left the camera out yesterday when I left for work, and only just noticed it now... The next morning.
In the camp chair.
In a puddle in the camp chair.

Water ran out of it when I picked it up. I can see full on droplets in the viewing screen, and behind the lens. It turned on though! I think the inner workings were protected, and I've got it sitting in a bowl of rice on the counter.

I think I'm going to need to keep a bag of rice handy dedicated to the revival of items I've allowed to get wet. Because right now? I don't have any rice for eating left.

Anyway, garden update!

I built another raised bed yesterday. This one is only 2x5...or 6? I didn't measure. When you have power tools... you don't have to measure anymore, I figure. *

Anyway, it was too hot to build the damn thing, but I had a load of dirt in the trunk of my car** that I needed to take out- gas is expensive these days- and I had nowhere else to put it. So, I dripped and dripped and built the stupid thing. *** Loaded the dirt in, and moved two of the orphaned tomato plants (from the Tomato Lady in Port Hope... look her up next spring... 72 varieties at the market!) I think they were a Paul Robson and a Black Cherry... but I forgot to put the tags out when I planted them.
They'll be much happier there. When I dug them up out of their temporary home, I realized that 6 inches down under them- there's some sort of large boulder or cement running the length of the fence line.**** And now with the new bed I'm actually at 92 square feet of garden...

So... garden excitement?! (interrobang)
The strawbale tomato garden finally caught this weekend. It takes a while for plants to get established in the bales (no soil.. just composting bales) But once they do... look out! Two of the plants doubled their size since Saturday! *****  The later planted strawbale toms even look like they've caught, which is crazy, because they've only been in there 2 weeks.
More excitement?
Garlic is nearly ready to harvest, 3 stages of beets in the ground, Chard is still going strong, tiny toms are COVERED in fruit, Peppers are coming on, Eggplants are growing, there are BEANS on the tower, carrots are more than 3 bites now, lots of flowers on the soy, brussles sprouts are getting tall- and I can see lots of little baby sprouts growing up the stalk.****** First ground cherries have dropped, onions are fist sized, and the tomatillos are looking like cute little lanterns... and ... and ... the grossille tomatoes have their first pinkish fruit! And I'm eating raspberries.

whew.
awesome.
good thing I don't have a full sized farm.
Now, off to update the 1000 lb challenge page.

*Every time I turn on the saw, a neighbour comes to check on what I'm doing. I don't think they trust me. Or maybe I haven't desensitized them enough? It's been a long time since I borrowed the air gun....

** Don't you put loads of dirt in the trunk of your car? The washing machine repair guy at work thought I was nuts.

*** It only took 10 mins to build! The last one took me nearly an hour- thank you power saw and drill!

****Old houses are weird.

***** They've nearly caught up to the garden bed Toms.

******Sort of an experiment, as I keep having to take leaves off one side of the plants to keep space for the soybeans. Next year I'll put the Sprouts over in the far end of the new bed to give them some space.