Doings

Last night the cat was quite interested in something by the sliding screen door. When I opened the screen to take a look, in ran a very small alligator lizard. Afraid that the cat would hurt it, I picked it up and it bit me. ouch! It must have been 4" in length, but its tiny teeth were sharp. Ignoring the lizard's bad manners, I let it go where the cat wouldn't see it.

We're still having cloudiness in the morning, so I thought I'd stick in a few more veggies/flowers before the heat really sets in. Paste tomatoes, to hopefully can this summer, butternut squash, cucumbers on trellises, and more perennials about the front yard. The chickens were out in the front 'helping' me, fertilizing wherever they felt the need, eagerly waiting for me to throw them snails. I did find an odd green flattish 1/2" bug, with black stripes. Lizzie was the only taker, and she did scarf them down.
If they were stink bugs, it didn't bother Lizzie. I held one bug in my hand, and as she looked it over carefully, it raised and lowered itself several times on my hand. I wasn't sure if it was releasing a stinky scent, or showing off its muscles.
Whatever. Lizzie ate it in one gulp.
Everything was carefully planted, fed and watered, and I finally came into the house, tired. But all the plums on the counter called to me. I had planned to just bottle them; it would be easy to do. When I was a child, one could purchased canned plums in the stores. I haven't seen them for years. But instead I decided to make more tart plum jam.
12 pint bottles resting happily on my counter.
Your dad likes the jam on vanilla ice cream.