I've felt bad about filling the wading pool with water for the ducks in the midst of this drought, but Bob suggested using the dirty water on the veggies. Great idea! So I scoop it out by the bucketful and deposit in the garden instead of just dumping it. The ducks manage to dive and swim in circles under each other when the water is filled to the brim of the pool. They are so cute.
The squash is going like gangbusters now. It's hard to keep up with. I'll have to start looking for things to make. I made raspberry jam last night and am freezing the rest of the berries as they ripen. The strawberries are producing and the slugs aren't getting them. Kale and chard plants are steadily putting out new leaves, enough to give us, the ducks, and our neighbors daily greens.
Underneath everything in the picture is a load of basil for another batch of pesto. The tomatoes and peppers are getting close. We ate the first beefsteak tomato this weekend and all I can say is what's sold as a tomato in the grocery is a poor imitation.
Hooper is doing well, starting to eat a little more but still refusing the kidney food. Tag is steadily getting worse, sight, hearing, stability, but he eats well and wants to go out every evening for a walk. If I don't keep an eye on him he might get stuck in a corner and pee, I guess thinking he's outside, if he is thinking at all. I usually have to help him to his feet and guide him outside soon as he wakes or there will be a mess. Poor old guy. I have a gallon of Nature's Miracle on hand to clean up after both of them as Hooper was just as bad when she was sick. Tux is doing well and I feel a little sorry for her, stuck with these old dogs. She is good to go for long walks but the old ones limit what we can do.
It cooled off a bit today with some cloud cover and the smoke from the fire in Canada seems to have blown out. The day would be nice except for the news that neighbors on either side of us had their sheds broken into.
