Greetings from the island everyone. Hope all of you are doing well and enjoyed your Independence Day weekend. The firework display in POC was great Saturday night. I always watch them from my upstairs deck on the island, a nice clear view without any of the crowds or traffic; now that’s paradise to me.
I enjoyed a nice airboat visit over the weekend from Randy and Marion, childhood friends, and Cindy and her husband who were with them. Fellow islanders Randy and Shirley and two of their friends also stopped over later for some of my famous homemade island coconut ice cream. Made with real cream of coconut, half and half, heavy whipping cream, vanilla. . . I can almost feel myself gaining weight as I’m saying the ingredients!
Oh, the occasional joys of summer time, homemade ice cream, cold watermelon and cantaloupe, a big glass of Snapple Peach iced tea while sitting in the shade, afternoon naps in the hammock, wade fishing the surf in the cool of early morning. And did I mention NOT having to go back to work the next day?? Yep, there’s something to be said about finding a steady job early in life and sticking with it, through good and bad times and great and horrible bosses, and being able to retire at an early age to enjoy the fruits (and tomatoes) of your years of labor. I just wonder if the same work ethic is instilled in today’s young generation. Time will tell.
Well, a few weeks ago when everyone else was getting 2-3 inches of rain, only a half inch fell upon the island. But I’m keeping the faith and the prayers will continue.
My Spring and early Summer tomato plants are finished and have been pulled up and thrown to the chickens. If I calculated correctly, being the anal statistician that I am, my 38 plants produced around 900 tomatoes for the season, with one variety, Golden Rave, putting on 150 per plant. Now THAT’S a lot of tomatoes! My heaviest one was two ounces shy of 2 pounds, so I’m still shooting for that three pounder. Of course the severe drought did not help matters for me out here, and also contributed to a problem with blossom end rot on my larger tomatoes. But all in all I’m very happy with the crop.
Earlier this week I gathered fifteen shrimp baskets full of seaweed off the beach, and I’ll compost these down to a soil consistency to use as an organic fertilizer in my garden. I honestly believe that this seaweed (kelp) fertilizer is the key to my successful gardening on this barrier island. And it’s free!
Well that’s it from the island for now. Everyone stay cool, make some homemade ice cream and have a big glass of iced tea and enjoy life.
