Garden, summer 2014

I was a little more ambitious this year with the garden, adding zucchini and squash to the usual mix. They have done well, but have been crowded, and have crowded out other things like the cabbage and cucumbers. I'll have to move them next year. I also tried onions again, and they did next to nothing. I think maybe the dirt is too compact for them. I put in a bunch of potatoes and they have done well. Now that I am bringing them in, I am putting green bean seeds where they have been in the garden. I missed the prime time to plant lettuce seedlings, so I had to start lettuce from seed; it's just now starting to look like something. Nothing to harvest yet though. Here are some photos of veggies and meals from the garden so far this year.

Lentils with zucchini and beef satay, a very tasty dinner.

Three varieties of potatoes: purple, Yukon gold, and white. I've used them to make fried potatoes for breakfast and potato salad.

First little cabbage: I picked it small so none would go to waste. Reds are right behind the whites.

Sauteed vegetable medley: zucchini, squash, tomatoes and onion.

Pumpkins early in the season. They are now beginning to turn orange.

Rockmont, 2014

Both Eli and Briggs have been recipients of incredible generosity bestowed by Camp Rockmont, and the director there, Dan Davis. They have been given 90% scholarships since the second summer we were in Black Mountain, to attend two weeks of camp. Eli attended six years as a camper and this year is working in the kitchen. Briggs attended overnight camp last year for a week, after attending the day camp for a week in 2012. Libby reports that when she was dropping Briggs off this year, Calvin said he wanted to attend overnight camp next year. However, he would only attend if he had his purple bunny (a favorite stuffed animal) go with him! So, maybe day camp for him next summer.

One of the nice things about this camp is that they send a "report" of sorts on how each boy is doing. These reports strive to remain upbeat and put the best possible spin on everything the boys undertake and experience. Briggs' report for this session arrived today. His cabin leader, a college student from SC, ended the report stating Briggs "epitomizes the rejection of passivity." While I might have phrased it differently, I get the sentiment. Briggs does nothing in small ways. His cabin-mates have obviously been getting the full brunt of that exuberance while at camp.

Eli has been working in the kitchen, running the dischwasher after meals. He got his first check this week and remarked, "Wow, that's a lot of money!" Perspective is everything I suppose. He very often works split shifts, so he has a couple of hours of down time. Having attended camp before, he knows the ropes, and managed to score some canoe time last week.