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Horsing around!

Last Sunday, on my 30th birthday, Brian took me to Monmouth to go horseback riding! My horse was named Gracie and his was Echo. They were very very good horses and we took them on an hour and a half ride through roads, trails, and woods! Gracie didn't like the puddles much and tried to knock me into a tree but I managed to steer her back onto the trail. We even got to do a short trot!

We had a blast and are finally getting over the pain found in muscles we didn't know we had!

Tales from the Garden...

AppleBlossoms, originally uploaded by Sweetland Retreat.

Well by now most of the flowers have gone by and the fruit trees that were in bloom are now full of delicious fruit: apples, peaches, pears. Crab apples, too! We do need some help with our fruit trees if anyone is good with these trees! Pruning in the late fall is in order, for sure.

The field is full of goldenrod and gives the hayfield that look of Laura Ingles running through the field on Little House on the Prairie.

We found a nice spot full of raspberries and a small patch of blackberries, too. We had a great time filling our bellies with the bounty of our yard! We will certainly have to plant some blueberries soon!

The veggie and herb garden are coming along quite nicely. The lettuce has kept us in greens for the past few weeks and the pepper plants are yielding a nice variety of sweet and spicy delights. Leeks look great, someday I'll learn what to do with them. The squash was planted a bit late but should prove to be delightful very soon. I see some rather large yellow squash developing and I'm eager to cook them! The scallions, however, never even attempted to grow for some reason.

The herb garden is a delight, probably because I've had a bit more experience with herb gardens than veggies. The cilantro was yummy but I let most of it go by and seed into coriander. It is now hanging in the cottage drying. Sage, thyme, rosemary, oregano, chives (Jamie's favorites), and basil are all bountiful and I've begun harvesting some, as well, to dry for winter. The parsley was a disappointment this year but I still have quite a lot dried from last summer. I've heard parsley doesn't grow that well in Maine.

I'm about to finish weeding the garden to make some more room for fall crops: spinach, another run of lettuce, and I'm sure I'll find something else to plant!

If you're in the area and want to help out, grab a fistful of weeds and help me clear room for some more goodies!