Earthquake

A magnitude-5.5 earthquake struck at the Ontario-Quebec border region of Canada at 1:40 p.m. EDT today, shaking homes and businesses from Toronto to Rochester, NY and was also felt in parts of Michigan and Vermont.

At the time of the earthquake I was 100 miles south of Rochester, in Ithaca, NY, where all was still and peaceful. Visitors to Taughannock Falls climbed the gorge and snapped pictures, completely unaware of what the earth was doing a few hours to the north.

Of course, after experiencing a 7.5 in California in 1999, I might not have noticed what happened today!

Happy Summer!

It’s the first day of summer and I’m already making plans for harvesting, drying and canning.

The poblano plants, which went into the ground just a month ago, already have little tiny peppers on them, and the jalapeno and cayenne pepper plants are flowering too. The tomato plants, which went in a few days later have lots and lots of big yellow flowers.

The cilantro has gotten so bushy I’ve already cut it back and processed it for use in salsa later this summer. The lavender bed in the front of the house is spilling out of its boundaries, so it’s been cut back and dried for use in sachets. Gifts from the garden!!

Summer Gardening

Summer will arrive tomorrow - Monday, June 21st at 7:28am Eastern Daylight time. The pepper and tomato plants just went into the garden about 4 weeks ago, but they seem to think that harvest season is coming soon. This strange, early, warm spring has already coaxed flowers from the tomato plants and a few tiny pepper buds.

Last year I began making the salsa (which became Christmas gifts) in early September. This year the process could begin as early as Fourth of July weekend! I'll work on getting some photos posted over the next few weeks to show just how freakishly early the garden is coming in.

I'm NOT complaining about the weather. As a friend here in Rochester once said: "You don't have to shovel heat!"

Happy Solstice!