It’s June 9, and we’ve already surpassed May’s 3.9-inch rainfall total; most of the rain has fallen in the last three days and there is more to come. My heart goes out to all of the people who were already living with floods and certainly did not need this rain, but at the same time I am grateful that our Georgia drought has been somewhat alleviated.
I took advantage of a break in this morning’s rain to take the honey-covered blossoms from my lavender-infused honey outside for the bees to clean up and heard a roar of bees coming from the cucumber bed. It wasn’t quite loud enough to be a swarm, but it was far louder than usual — about the volume of a small hive. Lo and behold, bees of all kinds were taking advantage of the blossoms that were sheltered from the rain and still had nectar to offer. One bedraggled bumblebee was even hanging upside down trying to dry off. The fennel in the background of the top image has been a big hit with the bees the past few days, but it got knocked around in the 60 mph gusts the other day and we’re worried it may not recover. Likewise, about a third of our corn was flattened, and the tomato cages were knocked askew. We’ll try to stand all of these back up once this weather system passes — our efforts between downpours have been futile!
We’re a couple of days away from tasting our first lemon cucumber. The one in the bottom right frame is about half the size of the ripening one. I checked the big one yesterday and it’s still green. According to High Mowing Seeds, lemon cucumbers are edible but crunchy when light yellow and at their best right before turning the color of a lemon. I’ll be careful checking anything in that bed from now on as the biggest millipede or centipede I’ve ever seen hitch-hiked it’s way back into the house with me! I just tried to identify which type it is, but just looking at the pictures makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It doesn’t help that the thing either bit or stung Hubby when he came to my rescue.
(Hubby was kind enough to look it up for me. It was a centipede and they do inject venom when they bite. However, they eat soft-bodied insects such as spiders and aphids, so they are welcome in the garden, just not in the house.)
Maggie has been doing better with this round of storms. She doesn’t shake anymore or insist on being held like a lap dog. However, she does “hide” under her duck when the going gets tough! Right now, she’s wandering around checking out all the new smells and is quite content to be outside without her humans. She’ll be even happier if we grab the golf-cart keys and head out to join her — one more cup of coffee and we’ll be out the door until the rain drives us back inside.
Lazer Creek Apiary 