Will Lee Bring Us Any Rain?

Since rain is forecasted for the remainder of the week, thanks only to Lee coming up the Tennessee Valley route, we might get some of the wet stuff.  Nothing yet, but the atmosphere is ripe with humidity. 

After a nice morning spent at church, we met our friends for a lunch table full of food and fun.  Sweetz and I each ordered a flounder plate, was pretty good.  He ate all of his, I brought half of mine home for a meal tomorrow.  That is, if I can keep his grubby hands out of my take-out container.  Yep, and it is one of those white styrofoam ones.  Not green, you say?  Well, perhaps I can justify it if I promise to reuse it.  Might paint on small squares and shrink them with a heat gun to make buttons?  Naw, then maybe I could use both the top and bottom as paint palettes?  Maybe getting greener?  Well, how about a large belt buckle?  Gracious, that wasn't even funny. Ahhhhh, got it...cut it up into squares to use as tic tac toe markers!!!  Oh come on, be patient with me until I can figure out something.

We have a big pumpkin growing in the garden on a vine with HUGE leaves and large stems.  This picture doesn't do it justice.  And the best part?  It came up as a volunteer.  I might need to measure it one day to determine the circumference. Sweetz is just hoping it doesn't rot in the rain we're predicted to get this week. I put my camera lens cap on top to help illustrate the size. 

Sweetz planted gourd seeds this year and we have 3 different types.  Here's two of them.  I did a bit of research online one day a couple of weeks ago and one author said she leaves her gourds to dry right in her garden over the winter.  I Plan to follow that advice - sure sounds easy enough plus it keeps the dangerous molds outside.

These whitish gourds have a straight neck if they grew suspended on the fence, but sport a crook neck if they formed on the ground.  This one's neck is crooked, but doesn't show that well in this photo's angle.  The second type is the orange ones with knotty areas all over them. The third type is the cute little orange and green ones like are found for sale before Halloween and Thanksgiving.  I'm not planning to treat mine but am letting them all dry naturally - out in the elements.  They are losing their brilliant coloring at this point but I understand that is normal.  Nope, not sure what I will use the gourds for.  It was a experiment in variety.  Next year, I told Sweetz we will plant more beans and peas so we can eat the produce. 

And this fella was found today enjoying one of my zinnia blooms.