The Scents of Summer

It is easy to see the signs of late summer everywhere. Sunflowers have bloomed and the seeds in the heads are ripening. Every evening, the barn swallows are gathering on our power lines. I'm pretty sure the numbers are from 200 to 300. It is a very interesting sight even though it makes me sad because I am never ready to give up summer. When I was a kid it seemed that the summers went on and on for a deliciously long time. It seemed like tomatoes were ripe almost as soon as school was out and we ate them all summer long. Now I know that wasn't true, but scents of summer are definitely smelled in out house right now. Yesterday, I made tomato paste for the very first time and the aroma was amazing. I couldn't believe how many tomatoes it took for not more tomato paste I got, but I will definitely do it again if I get enough tomatoes. I loved doing it. I used 15 pounds of tomatoes and ended up with 2 1/2 pints of paste. Unbelievable!

It kind of felt like I was taking care of a toddler yesterday. I was dog sitting for my niece's dog because they were away for the day checking out colleges. The dog had so much energy and was constantly dancing around looking for somebody to play with. He was pretty good at begging for food too.

I had taken him outside for some exercise and we came across these toadstools. Of course he dad to so some investigating.

Today I made pickle relish. It wasn't nearly as long a process as the tomato past but I enjoyed it too. I ended up with 17 pints. I had been shopping with Beth and when she bought some pickle relish, I told her, "I could make that for you" and so I did!

 I've raised some different cucumbers this year but I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them. They are called cucamelons. They look like miniature watermelons but are actually cucumbers. I've checked online but I've not found any recipes yet.

Today is a pretty special day. Ive brought Cathy to the cancer center for her very last radiation treatment. I'm so excited for many reasons. but most of all because it won't cause her pain anymore.
God is good!