Weekend Update

We planned to camp out on Saturday. It started raining around 4 o'clock (of course, it did). We remained undaunted and set the tent up on the front porch. We cooked our food on the grill and we played Chutes and Ladders, watched the bull frogs in the fish pond and the chickens chasing bugs across the lawn. Dinner was a scrumptious Silver Dollar Casserole.

The Silver Dollar Casserole goes by various names. The SDC is the summer camp version of Salmon en Pappaillote. The salmon became hamburger. The vegetables were baby potatoes, onions and carrots from the garden. The parchment paper became aluminum foil. All was cooked on coals in the grill. It was yummy. We later toasted marshmallows over the grill and made s'mores.

We did have a little time to work in the garden. The tomatoes are getting taller and are covered in little green fruits. The much needed rain is triggering some rapid growth among the cucumbers. Unfortunately, the heat is signalling the demise of the green peas. But then again, there is a silver lining - the corn and cow peas are taking off. It's time to pull the beets and put in a few more rows of green beans. The black raspberries are there for the picking and the blackberries are loaded and starting to turn. The blueberries needed this rain, but I hope it doesn't cause them to split.

It's still raining. And I can't really complain. We are leaving for the beach in two days and if it's raining south of Charleston, I will be slightly cranky. A couple days of fresh seafood, low country hospitality, loggerhead turtles, alligators, sun and surf will be good for us. My only concern is that my regular animal sitter cancelled on me and I have to find a replacement ASAP - like today. Keep your fingers crossed. I don't think the house owner would like it if I brought the goats along...