Dahlia Dalliance

The skies were sunny, but hazy for my visit to Swan Island Dahlias in Canby, Oregon, yesterday. The air has been smoky for weeks, and I expect it to remain that way until the fall rains come. The fields had just been watered, and while it wasn't particularly hot, the humidity from the wet fields made for a steamy and relatively short visit. Nevertheless, I took hundreds of pictures. Although I've tried several different ways to come up with a slide show for you, I've been unsuccessful so far. That means I can't show you all of my favorites, but I can show you some of them. So, let's just start off with that, shall we?

The flowers are so incredibly beautiful. I've been visiting each festival season for several years, they always seem too beautiful to be real. Of course, the place was crawling with bees.

I love this "peppermint" variety.

Near the parking lot there were some other flowers...lavender and zinnias, to name just a few.

Gazing out, there are flowers as far as the eye can see.

It was hard just to choose a few from among the many I took, but that will have to do for now. Possibly during rainy days to come, I'll return to the picture folder for a little rehash of these late summer bloomers.

Before I left to see the dahlias, I made another batch of Zucchini Garden Pepper Relish. That makes eight pints total, and that should be plenty to get us through the next year.

That doesn't mean there won't be more zucchini, however. For my next trick with zucchini, I think I'll make some bread and butter pickles.

When the relish was finished, I looked out the window to see these two. Am I seeing double? Where's a cat when you need one?

When I got home from the dahlias, I spent some time hand sewing the binding on the Summer Holiday quilt. I've turned two corners, and I'm about 40% of the way around.

Before I could do that, however, I needed to spend some quality time with Sadie. This little snuggle bug can never get enough lap time. She snuggled down on my lap and laid there like that for about ten minutes. Then, she was finished and ran off to take care of other cat business.

Smitty, lately, has taken to setting the agenda at the Three Cats Ranch. I think it's time to go upstairs now.

He turned on his lasers to light the way.

Today is a CSA pick-up day. No doubt there will be plenty of zucchini and cucumbers. I'm also hoping for some of their delicious melons and tomatoes. It's always a surprise to see what the week's share will hold. This morning I'm making salads for tonight's dinner. I picked up some local peaches at a nearby produce stand, and I want to bake a peach pie for two as well. Salad for dinner means pie for dessert.

But before I go...wanna see a few more dahlias?

It's going to be a busy day as usual here at the Three Cats Ranch. I hope you have a good day.