Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Strawberries and a Dog and a Cat

Strawberries finally arriving
Second week of July

I really need to read the UW Extension brochure on raising strawberries. This is the second year for these plants, and they're in two nice, pretty-much weed-free rows because I have strips of carpet on either side of the rows. We had a satisfying crop of berries until it got really hot, several days (it seemed) in the mid nineties. Then the berries seemed to stop. There are a few, but they're marble sized. Once they're completely done bearing, I need to figure out what to do for next year, whether it's transplanting the smaller berries and tilling down the row of older berries or what. I love having strawberries and I hate weeds. Hate may not be a strong enough word.


Just a handful, 
but a couple days later, about 5 quarts
They're not huge and beautiful like the ones in the store, but the taste is amazing!



 Some small, some big, but all sweet and delicious!

I checked with those who frequent Hometalk and one of the responses to my question about getting bigger berries informed me that my strawberries might be too close together (which they are!), and that they need to be fertilized twice a season (which they've not been). So, I think I have some good information to take into next year's crop.





Blind and deaf little Misty

The update on Misty is that since the photo above was taken, she is completely blind and almost totally deaf, never leaves the kitchen except when I take her out on lead to the great, scary outdoors. Right now she is lying on the cool kitchen vinyl floor. I try to spend several petting segments with her each day, for that seems to be the only time she interacts. She still usually raises her head and sniffs the air when someone comes into the house, so we know her olfactory receptors are working. 

Until a couple years ago, Misty spent summer afternoons running and leaping through the alfalfa field, chasing butterflies. She loved it! Now her world has become much smaller and she confines herself to the kitchen, except when I take her outdoors. Even then, she wants to get her business done and get back to the safety of the house. Misty is a sweet little girl, but something tells me that this (probably) 13-15 year old dog isn't going to make it another winter. Maybe she'll surprise us. I hope so.

Tuppence, in her favorite spot:
Lying next to me on the chair, watching TV
'Endeavor' - PBS Masterpiece
Check it out!

***


Buy Any Five, Get One FREE

'Fig & Brown Sugar'
Natural, Handcrafted Vegan Soap


...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at



This post may be linked to one or more of the following: Mop it Up Monday  and Get in My Tummy and  Cure for the Common Monday and  Clever Chicks Blog Hop and  Barn Charm and  The Marketplace  and  Mix it up Monday and Make it Pretty Monday and    Making the World Cuter Mondays and Make the Scene Monday and  Something I Whipped Up Monday and  Motivate Me Monday and  Making Monday Marvelous and Get Your Craft On and Efforts and Assets and   You're Gonna Love it Tuesday and Creative Showcase and Memories by the Mile and Crafty Texas Girls and  Tweak it Tuesday and  Coastal Charm Tuesday and  Take a Look Tuesday and  Tasty Tuesday  and Love Bakes Good Cakes and Mom on TimeOut  and Adorned from Above and Wildcrafting Wednesday and   Cast Party Wednesday and  We Did it Wednesday  and All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and It's a Party at Creative Princess and Artsy Corner Thursday  and The Girl Creative, Thursday and  Creative Things Thursday and Be Inspired and Time Travel Thursday and Thrifty Things Friday  and  Friday Fences and  Thursday's Inspiration and  The Self-sufficient Home Acre and  I'm Lovin' it Thursday and Creative Things Thursday and   Mandatory Mooch   and Foodie Friends Friday and Freedom Fridays and From the Farm and   Anything Blue Friday and Junkin' Joe and  Serenity Saturday and Get Schooled Saturday  and Inspiration Friday(ThursNite) and Vintage Inspiration Friday and Photo Friday and Share Your Creativity and   A Favorite Thing Saturday and Sunny Simple Sunday and Sunlit Sunday and  Market Yourself Monday and  Saturday Nite Special

28 comments:

  1. Morning
    My strawberries never get very big either.
    But they taste amazing.
    They have larger strawberry berries you can buy but I truly don't think they are a sweet.
    Oh precious Misty.
    What a sweetie and your snuggle buddy.
    Woolie Hugs

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aww, poor Misty. I'm so sorry, Judy. I know what you're going through with her because our Gage is not doing well at all and I'm afraid his day's with us are limited. His kidney's are going out.

    I don't care what size your strawberries are, they look delicious to me!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Home grown strawberries are SO much better an store bought. Wish I were there to help pick them.

    Poor Misty. Getting old is hard on the dog and the humans who care. I am sitting an old girl right now. I have to guide her much like a horse to go out to potty. She is so sweet though!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I adore strawberries and there is nothing like getting them from your own garden!! I wish I had some pointers for you, but as I think I told you before, I do not have a green thumb!!
    I'm so sorry to hear Misty is completely blind and deaf... but at least you are still giving her lots of love an attention when you can!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. those berries look great to me and I do love fresh ones...size doesn't matter, taste does.
    sorry to hear about poor sweet Misty...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Its the quality not the quantity!! Poor Misty, as they say, sucks to get old!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Judy Your strawberries looks good adn I wonder if they are bigger, will they be as sweet. that will be interesting to find out. Perhaps next year you should do an experiment and grow them your way and the improved way to see which is best! Margaret

    ReplyDelete
  8. What beautiful strawberries! I love seeing photos of your garden goodies and your sweet pets. I'm sorry for your sadness though. We all know how hard that is. Sweet hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  9. oh, sweet old pup! i hope she is not too scared.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am sorry about your strawberries - I am sure you will have it figured out. And poor pup - that is a lot to have wrong. It has been a rough year in that respect. sandie

    ReplyDelete
  11. Home grown strawberries are THE BEST!They taste so much better without the "styrofoam" centers of the big tasteless store bought kind. Nice that Misty has people who love her! Fun kitty photo, too.

    ReplyDelete
  12. CC's grandmother, now gone, used to have hills and hills of strawberries. They were well spaced apart. When we visited we weeded. A lot. That woman worked and gardened into her eighties. Sweet Misty, I will pray for her comfort. It is chaos her with our new kitten.

    ReplyDelete
  13. strawberries from your own garden (or if you pick your own from a fruit farm like we do) almost always taste SO much better than the ones in the store. And while they may not be as big, they are certainly sweeter!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Our sweet pets age so much faster than we do. Misty is precious. So is your sweet kitty!

    When I lived in Maryland, we had a quite large bed of strawberries, left behind by the former owners of the house we bought. There was just a huge bed of strawberries. We thinned it out at the end of each season, and it would brave through the winter and come back in the spring with the sweetest berries. We did nothing else to it. There was also asparagus all through the berry patch, which we also gladly harvested each year. We were lucky, I guess!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I can't wait to go berry picking! I love to go with my kids. We go to local orchards, or we go to my Grandmother's house. They love it too! :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. How we love our pooches - whatever the age!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. My strawberries are all done for the year. Love those sweet little ones.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love fresh berries and these looks good. I think the smaller ones are better than the big ones you buy in the stores.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Poor Misty. I suppose she, even as a dog, feels a bit sad and scared to be blind and deaf. Poor thing. Love your kitty picture, too.

    We don't have any strawberry plants but home-grown ones are amazing. It's a whole different taste than store bought ones. xo Diana

    ReplyDelete
  20. Your strawberries look amazing! I have never grown them, but love to eat them.

    Misty seems like such a sweetheart. Pat her for me.

    Judy

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh what a dear dog- it must give her peace of mind to know she's safe and loved-
    and your cat is too funny- I have one cat that always watches Masterpiece Theater with me on the sofa- my husband jokes about it as she seem to know when it's on-we're loving Endeavor!

    ReplyDelete
  22. i'm so sorry to hear about Misty ... pets are such a special part of o family ...
    ^)^ linda

    ReplyDelete
  23. Well, I've heard that it's not the size that matters. LOL As long as they taste sweet, they're good! I feel so bad for Misty. I teared up. I'll be thinking about her. Tucker sends his love too.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Poor Misty! She's an old dog and it looks like she has cataracts. Keep on loving her and give her reassurance!

    ReplyDelete
  25. There's nothing like the taste of homegrown strawberries, even if they are small. Putting hen poop (we have a name for that in France, but I don't know it in English) helps them grow!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Tuppence is growing on me - when Lionel was around, she didn't stand a chance with me!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Poor Misty. Her world may be small now but it is filled with love.

    ReplyDelete

Hi! And thanks for stopping in at Cranberry Morning. I love reading your comments and visiting your blogs. I am unable to respond to No-Reply bloggers, so please make sure to enable your email address on your blog. Also, many Google+ blogs don't allow me to comment because I'm not a member of Google+. So, I'm not deliberately avoiding you, but Google+ is not commenter friendly.