How Grows Your Gardens? Here's Mine:

If you're wondering what's keeping me busy these days- it's this- (and so much more)!

But it's the second most-wonderful-time-of-the-year for me!

Have a look-see from this morning:

God is good to give me such a view!........I can hardly wait to jelly those nasturtiums!

This is my healthiest looking apple tree!

There are some rust spots on the leaves, but the apples are looking very nice.

If your zukes didn't come up- don't feel bad- this one is the only one so far.

Sugar snap peas growing up on a fence.

Yummy kale along with some green onions...some going to seed.

The cukes came up very nicely!

Beets are a little discolored but yummy.

Bean sprouts! Hooray!

Larkspur...but looks like hyssop, doesn't it? Anyone know the difference?

These leeks are flowering but they were over wintered so I had it coming! See the bright lights chard?..Oh and my garden notebook that I accidentally left out in the rain? Ugh!

This is what happens when you let your leeks go........

Not so bad, huh? But- they do smell like onions- not roses :)

I love these nasturtiums! I love to eat them straight from the gardens and in salads...but these..I'm saving for jelly!

My blueberry bushes are struggling but this one is the healthiest. Yummy!

The top left corner is for tomatoes, these are some new patches I'm working up for beans and more squash.

The firepit had sprouted tomato plants, so I dug them out! There are 2 figs, a pear tree, the corn garden, and willows here. Those willows are amazing! Wonderful shade and you can hide under them in the rain and climb in them if you're a kid!

The beautiful plum tree that won't bear fruit. It flowers early, then frost, and off drop the blossoms. Sigh. However, the tiny little plum on the left has two plums! ..It flowered a week and a half after this one. Small berry bushes line my side of the fence on the right.

Ah- and the grapes are something to write home about this year! They are doing very good! Not super full, but growing very good.

Blackberry blossoms.

These are what I've been waiting for! They were this springs newbies. I am hoping to get a bunch at once and make jelly!

I love rosemary! Great in soups, or veggies, and on meat, but amazing in that herbal summer tea that I make!

This lemon balm has already given me jelly this year. So tasty! Great in fruit salads and herbal tea.

This is Kyler's pumpkin patch. He hopes to turn a few bucks out of this- I pray he does- and gives me his extras to puree and freeze for pies :)

My blurry blackberries. The wind was blowing and they just would not hold still!

Song of Solomon 2:1  I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.

This was hiding under the tiger lilies that are almost ready to bloom I brought this balloon flower in to put on the piano in a sleek goblet. Lovely!      ...But I may have to try to move them since the tigers are covering them now.

Hope you all are enjoying your summer- and God's beautiful creation!

Gen 1:12  And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

How to Tell When Your Boy is Ready for the Navy, in Pictures:

Kemmie applies the duct tape

Kayanna expresses her vision

Kellan and Kyler are not sure the plan will work

Time for deployment!

It's now or never boys!

SAIL!

"Living the dream!"- Krestan

"I got this!"- Krestan, again

And this, my friends, is how you know your little boy, is ready for ship life!

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Acts 27:24 ... God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

"Boiling Springs" in Jackson County!

Here's a neat little place we found out here in our own county several weeks ago.

I hear the locals call it Boiling Springs since it is spring fed and really looks to be 'boiling' up from the middle of the pool of water. And boy is it cold!

This seems to be fed from the bubbling spring and several other places coming right from the mountain.

Like here! This seems to run out from the mountain.

It really looks like it's boiling!

There are mudding trails back through this area too. Some with very deep ruts! But it's so beautiful and densely green back in here you kinda wish it was all foot paths.

The water coming down from the spring is a beautiful green and feeds into the river that becomes Roaring River in Gainesboro.

This sandy, rocky area separates the spring feeding into the river from this creek/river which appears to come from the creek that we frequent, Blackburn, which runs off Cummins Mill Falls and all of this water feeds into Roaring River.

While we were there, several other people came and went. I imagine this is a very popular place in the heat of summer.

And on our way out, what should we see? A pack of wild turkeys and...

...a turkey vulture in a tree!

Psa 150:6  Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

Old City Lake in Cookeville, TN

The lake is not very deep in this area, only inches. You can often see fish, frogs, geese, ducks, and heron here on the pier that we are standing on.

I have no idea what this is, but it grows fairly close to the ground and smells wonderful!

I love this wooden platform. It houses some sort of water main that as you can see, is safely enclosed.

This is at the top of the trail and well-worth the fairly short walk up. In the heat of summer, this is usually the only water flowing, but in the spring there are multiple falls back in the distance around this area. The sound is delightful!

And the green moss grows all around all around, and the green moss grows all around!

Here's is another water fall that has quite a deep area at the end here. Very pretty!

And the tree fungus grows all around, all around...and the tree fungus grows all around!

Lots of varieties of flowers!

There are several places where you can get down to the creek. Go ahead- jump in!

Most of the trail is paved, but the upper part is gravel.

I love the red bud at the entrance. There are several picnic tables here, along with a boat dock where canoes and kayaks are often paddling around. Some say the fishing is good here.

Moving water- beautiful! It's spring fed too, which means it's nice and cold!

I hope to go back once summer is on and everything is greener. But, as you can see, it's lovely in early spring too!