Raccoon, Dragon Tongue Bean, and Around the House and Gardens

This little raccoon is one of three young ones living in our area.  I haven't seen Mom Raccoon lately.  Not sure if she's decided they are ready to make it on their own or if she met some other fate.

 Here's a recent harvest.  Even more cucumbers are coming in now and oodles of peppers.  See the yellow looking beans in the center?  Those are "Dragon Tongue Beans".  This is the first year I've tried them.  Highly recommended.  They are still producing in our heat!  All of the other beans are long gone.  I'm very excited to see how long they continue to produce.  You can buy seeds to try HERE.  Those are dill seeds in the little dish.

 Herbs washed and ready to dry.

 My crepe myrtle in the front yard is lovely as usual.  All of the summer blooming trees are blooming their hearts out.

 Close up....I love the electric blossoms.  When the wind blows it looks like pink snow falling.  One area of a street in the New Orleans Bywater neighborhood is lined with them.  The street is carpeted with pink blossoms this time of year.  Surreal.

 Lovely Lovely Pride of Barbados

 My fav crepe myrtle  "Natchez"  It's branches sweep almost to the ground with heavy blossoms.

 Yep, the garden is a little rough this time of year.  Always is.  The heat takes it's toll on humans and plants alike!

 But the peppers love the heat.  They are producing like crazy.  I'm cooking with them like crazy!  This is Fish Pepper.  It is an African American heirloom.

 Crook Neck Cushaw.  A favorite pumpkin of Cajuns.

 Melons!  This is an heirloom.  I forgot the name.  I need to look it up.

 Lemon Queen Sunflower.  Pale yellow blossoms, stands about four feet tall.

How long should cabinets last anyway?

 After 19 years and much use....I had to replace my much loved and hated cabinets.  After Katrina we painted our old cabinets and prayed they'd last five more years.  Eight years later (and much fixing and shoring up) we finally said goodbye to them.

I know 18 years for cabinets doesn't seem long.  Really, I don't think that's so long.  Cabinets should really last a lot longer...but our cabinets were very thin press board....really funky cheap cabinets.  Considering the quality...I squeezed everything I could out of them.

Thanks to my dear friend Carla, I was able to get my new lovely cabinets.  Solid wood cabinets.  Yes, I am hoping to get many more years out of these.  Time will tell the tale.  I do think they are lovely.

 Oh yeah...granite counter tops too.  I'm so paranoid that my black iron pots are going to break it...eeep!!!

 Love my new buffalo check curtains.  Yep...that's a pineapple tomato I grew on the window sill.  I mean, I grew it in the garden it's just sitting on the window sill.   It weighs 1 pound  2 ounces...yep I weighed it....can't wait to eat it.  My fav heirloom tomato.

I really love the porcelain apron sinks, but I'm afraid I'm a little to rough for them.  I love to use black iron pots and I'm scared they my chip the porcelain.  So I got a new deep stainless steel sink instead.  I think it will last a long time.

 My lovely April Cornell table cloth.  I find them frequently at T.J. Maxx.  Seriously cheaper there....$16.99. I think the round ones are $50.00 on the website.  April Cornell table cloths are the best.  They wear well and wash well and look beautiful.

OK this may give you an idea of what my cabinets and stove used to look like.  I liked it then too....but my new cabinets are really snazzy.

Around The House and Gardens

Egg Yolk Cherry Tomato...Sweet and yum....it seems as if the bugs ignore this tomato.  I wonder if it's because it's yellow.  

 Front Garden....The flowers are generous!

 The shell ginger is blooming like crazy this year.  I love the purple lorapetalum, variegated ginger and the orange tithonia together.  They are in the bottom right and corner.  Green, yellow, purple and orange.

 Lovely Althea

 My side garden is wild...and I love it.

 This is the first year my pineapple guava has formed fruit...so excited...I will report on them.

 L.S.U. Gold fig... my current favorite!  They are large and yellow.  Very juicy and taste like honey.  The best for eating right off the tree.  I also have L.S.U. Purple, Celeste, and Brown Turkey.

 Persimmons!

 Little cantaloupes are covering the vines!