I am a bit late on my blog this week because I was pretty sick. I have lupus and this week I had a severe flare due to mosquito bites. The mosquito population has been out of control this year due to all of the rain. I have a severe rash and my eyes swelled up a little. I have been taking Benadryl and practically bathing in calamine lotion to stop the itching. I wasn’t able to visit the farm this week due to being ill and being busy with work. I did see the crepe myrtles blooming in my city this week. I also saw a lovely pearl crescent butterfly on my bell pepper plant. Butterflies are one of my favorite subjects to photograph. We had some rain earlier in the week but now it is hot and sunny. It is finally starting to feel like summer in central Oklahoma. My banana tree doesn’t seem to like the heat much and has been drooping during the day. My boyfriend told me that this is called transpiration. My other balcony flowers are doing great. I hope to have zinnias, marigolds, and nicotiana blooming soon. I pulled another radish this week and it is also too small. Will wait another week or two and check again. I started reading the book “Edible Landscaping” by Rosalind Creasy. It is pretty good so far. I am trying to start eating healthier since I have been sick lately. I am planning to start making more vegetable sides and soups for dinner. I also got “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by the famous Julia Child from the library and want to try out some of the recipes. I will make beef and broccoli this week since my boyfriend has requested it again. I tried my first Korean corn dog this week and it was amazing. I have been working on drawing the anatomy of the back this week. I will be doing some more drawings for more my family in the next two weeks. I will go visit my family for my niece’s birthday on July 5th. I am really looking forward to seeing my family again since it has been about a year since I have seen them. I will have to be very careful about sun protection during the long drive. UV exposure is one of the things that can trigger lupus flares so I need to cover up when I am in the sun. I am already starting to think about the fall garden and I am still planting a few things. This week I planted more milkweed since I haven’t had any luck with it yet. I also planted black eyed Susans, blanket flowers, and a moon flower to take to the farm. I planted more sage and parsley on the balcony in a pot to cook with. I haven’t had luck with starting parsley from seed yet but I have read that the seeds can take some time to germinate. I think I will have better luck this time now that the rain has stopped for a bit. Better late than never, but better never late.
Lisa Ledbetter 