Our first Persian melon came off the vine this weekend…though not intentionally.

You see, I went out the other morning to test if it was ready~ it should come unfastened from the stem when it is properly ripe, so I put on my green gauntlets (remember the rabbit protectors?), reached down gingerly through the scratchy vines, & heaved it up (it’s the size of a basketball & at least 15 pounds) to see if it would come loose. I was bent over, the melon about 18 inches from my chest, when a half-dollar sized black widow jumped out from the underside straight for my face! I yelped, reared back, & simultaneously dropped the melon over the side of the raised planter, snapping the stem & barely missing Dahlia who had come to “help”, and bolted for the house screaming “RAAAAID!!!”

Sam came running to the rescue clad only in boxer shorts, armed with a pellet gun & a spray can of bug killer (don’t ask me~ it must be a guy thing); unfortunately for him, the falling melon did the job before he could, but he was kind enough to extricate the cat from under the potting table & clean off any “residue” from the fruit before bringing it inside the house.

I sliced & served half of the melon with breakfast, but not before Chris christened it:

July simply slipped away on us~ blink twice and it was over.

The heat has broken for the time being, which means a pleasant weekend ahead; we’ll be celebrating Chris’ birthday (47 years old and doesn’t look a day over…48), attending another wedding (nothing for 3 years, now every third weekend we’re attending one), and hopefully spending some time with my knitting group~ work has really been getting in the way lately.

Some significant things have come up~ I’m just not ready to blog too much about them

b   As of last night, the merger is off; I’m still processing the information, so I’m not certain how I feel about it yet~ could be a good thing in the long run.

b   Jessica is soon to be homeless again; I know how I feel about this, so I have to let it go and turn it over to God.

b   My former husband is getting married again. Surprising would be an understatement~ five years ago, he stated emphatically “Never again!”(his second marriage was horrible), but that was before his mother died. I wish him all the joy and happiness a good marriage can bring.

b   We’ve begun the process of buying our own house; this is a dream too dear to my heart, and my nature too flipping superstitious, to share much here~ although prayers would be greatly appreciated.

b   I quietly joined Weight Watchers this week~ very personal stuff for me, so enough said.

The garden faired pretty well through the last heat wave~ I have a steady flow of cucumbers, the occasional zucchini that makes a surprise appearance- seemingly out of nowhere- but the tomatoes, beans, and lemons are a bust this year. We are still waiting for the first Persian melon to be ready, but I’ve found 3 more in various stages of development~ I’m very excited to try my first home-grown fruit, though I’m a bit worried about the vine taking over what little backyard we possess.

I’ve taken my next steps into home canning~ we were gifted with bags of apricots and peaches, so I’ve been attempting low-sugar jam. The results have been mixed, but all tasty~ the pantry shelf and refrigerator are sporting pints of colorful goodies for the family, from soft apricot preserves to basically peach syrup (not that anyone is complaining that much). I’m looking forward to apple season and perfecting my chunky applesauce~ the last batch only made it to early January.

All this old-time domestic activity is a constant source of consternation and humor for my mother~ she cannot understand how a child raised in Berkeley in the 70’s, by progressive, liberal, and feminist-leaning parents, finds such fascination and contentment in homey activities like gardening and knitting. I think I pushed her over the edge when I voiced my interest in raising backyard chickens~ there was a significant stretch of silence, either from stifling the urge to laugh or struggling to form a polite response, before she could reply “Your grandmother would’ve been proud.”

I think that’s almost the nicest compliment I’ve ever received.

   Despite the nasty heat (topped out at 115 degrees- that’s not a temp for living in- it’s the temp to bake cookies!) I had an urge to do something about my front flowerbed  . No, I didn’t want to work on it- I’m not THAT motivated- I just wanted to buy stuff to plant in it. This area has become my Everest to conquer; I can’t seem to find much that will survive, let alone thrive, there. It’s one of those awkward areas- north facing, shaded by the house & the tree, early morning & late afternoon sun, & subject to almost constant wind. So far, alyssum, 2 geraniums, my giant dahlia, & (surprisingly) California poppies have done well, but with the wind & heat, everything is looking pretty dreadful . I had a gift certificate my mother-in-law gave for graduation to a very cool nursery in Lafayette called the Orchard, plus some bonus bucks that were only good in the month of July. So, I woke up early (for a non-work day), shoved Sam into the shower, fed the animals, & hit the road by 8:45, after fortifying ourselves at Jamba Juice (Melonade Wave w/2 scoops of soy protein- YUM!).

   I could normally spend about 3-4 hours just wandering around this place- permanent living display areas, cool things tuck into every corner, detailed descriptions for every plant, plus a gift shop, statuary, fountains, tools, gadgets, & a great, friendly staff. Even though we got there by 10:00, it was already over 90 degrees & very humid- not something we’re use to- so every 5 minutes, someone walked by & handed us each a COLD water bottle. I ended up buying 5 plants- Myoporum, a low-profile groundcover w/pink flowers; Cosmos, an old fashion flower that’s suppose to be heat tolerant; a topiary ivy for inside; a dark red Geranium to replace one that didn’t make it; & another Lemon Balm, since the Orange Mint I planted smothered the last one. One of the staff suggested I try this product called Cloud Cover for my fuchsias & hydrangeas- they keep getting wind burned. I also picked up a ring stake for my dahlia (it has 3 blossoms on it) & the cutest little trellis for some sweet peas I want to put in- & I got out of there with a $1.68 left on my gift card!

   Since we were only about 10 miles from Berkeley, stopped off for a visit with my family. Mom & Michael, my step-dad, just returned Thursday from seeing my sister in Hawaii  , so we were fortunate to find them home. We had a nice catch up in the garden, where it was relatively cool, then had some lunch inside. I caught a glimpse of my youngest brother, but never got to talk to him- he hightailed it back upstairs when he realized someone was in the house (he’s kind of an odd duck- musician/science major with anti-social tendencies    ) Even though they’re only an hour away, we only see my family a couple times a year when we drive out to see them. Mom is bi-polar & it is sometimes difficult for me to be around her- I get worried & stressed because they’re somewhat casual about her medication. Michael is pretty much in denial about her illness (he thinks she’s just a little high-strung) but he keeps her balanced- they will be celebrating their 40^th wedding anniversary in January. Fortunately, her case is not very difficult- her cycles are regular & not horribly severe.   

   Sam & I headed home around 2:30 to beat the traffic coming home from the beaches. As we drove home, this huge band of thunderstorm clouds came in from the southeast- it never did rain, but the clouds blocked the sun long enough to take an edge off the heat. We spent the rest of the day napping & watching British comedies & Mystery on PBS. At 8:30, we decided to hit the grocery store for water, ice cream & mustard- we never seem to have enough mustard around our house!

   Chris gets home late tonight    ; I think I’ll wait until tomorrow to tell him we’re going to dig up the front bed again. Actually, I need to get some more mulch & compost to put in the ground, & pick up a new spading fork; besides, I’d like to wait for a break in the heat- possibly this weekend- so we don’t have to work in the dark!