A Watched Squash Never Grows

Here is a picture of my son and I at the beginning of our train trip to Michigan last week. It was quite the adventure. Both ways it was about 13 hours. That makes for an extremely long trip with an active 6-year old boy in a confined space. We took lots of coloring books, transformers, snacks, and a borrowed, broken dvd player. We did NOT break it.

My son was very happy to see his pop-pop, and meet pop-pop's new dog. The new doggy is a very enthusiastic puppy. She is anxious to lick your hands, face, or anything she can get her little doggy face close to...here is a video of her checking out my son.



Both puppy and my son got in trouble several times for getting too 'rowdy'. I think they are pretty similar. They both have boundless energy, excitability and bad timing, and are intelligent but immature. I was struck by the similarities between my son and the dog several times.

I think she may be bipedal...she spent at least half the time on two legs. What a cutie!

We also got to spend some time hanging out with (okay follow me here) my dad's girlfriend's granddaughter...whew! I think my son was quite taken with her. He did everything but scrape the toe of his shoe on the ground and say "Gee, shucks!" He isn't used to hanging out with girls his age. We played lunar golf with her...blacklight golf. It was pretty cool.

They enjoyed a post golf icee. I didn't do too bad myself. I usually bite the big one when it comes to golf, but I was averaging about 2 a hole. My son and his little friend were playing a strange game of speed golf ahead of us, simultaneously 'pushing' their golf balls into the holes.

And now onto garden update. While I was gone, many things in my garden doubled in size. The corn is sporting huge tassels now, and the ears are starting.

My bean crop is taking off...I've never grown beans, so I am not sure when they are ready...but I am growing mine for dried beans, so I suppose they have got a while to go.

The squash has absolutely exploded. Here is more sneaky squash creeping towards the tomato area. A blogging friend of mine said recently, "A watched squash never grows", which means mine had ample unwatched opportunity this week to take over a third of my garden.

The lettuce is going to have to go, I think, at least from the west end of the garden. Either way, the squash will choke it out soon. It is going through the carrots, but they are so well established, I don't think it will hurt them.

Here, my lettuce is actually blooming. I have never even seen a picture of this, so imagine my surprise when I go out this morning and see beautiful little star-shaped yellow flowers all over the plants. However, when I came back later to photograph them, they were shut up tight as a drum. Evidently, they are morning bloomers. Maybe tomorrow I can get up early and catch the lettuce while it's blooming.