It has been a very hot start to October for us here in central Oklahoma. It has been dry all week as well. I didn’t go to the farm this week as I had a busy week at work. My balcony garden is still doing ok, although the nicotiana has stopped blooming. There are still a few marigolds and the zinnias are continuing to have lots of blooms. There is some powdery mildew on some of my plants. The scarlet runner beans are still blooming but I have not seen any beans yet. I would like to save a few of those beans to plant for next year. The squirrels sometimes try to eat the runner bean plant and the zinnias. They have been bringing lots of acorns to my balcony to bury in my pots and raised beds. They keep digging up my ginger sprout and I have replanted it a few times. Those guys are cute though, so I’ll allow it. I saw my favorite squirrel this week and I am always happy to see him. I saw some familiar butterflies on my balcony this week. I saw a gulf fritillary and an eastern tiger swallowtail and got some nice pictures. I also saw the pipevine swallowtail return. I saw a monarch this week but it flew away before I got a photo. I also saw some sachem on the zinnias this week including two that were sharing a flower, a real zinnia party. I didn’t see any new butterflies this week. I bought another coral bells at the local nursery since they are still on sale for seven dollars. This one is called “Fire Chief”. The other one I forgot to plant last week is called “Obsidian”. I moved all of my seedlings outside to prepare them to be transplanted the next time we visit the farm. I think the amount of sunlight on my balcony is changing with the seasons. It is not getting as much sun as it did earlier in the year. I cooked some baked barbecue ribs and my boyfriend finally tasted the kimchi I made for him. He liked it but said it was a little too fishy tasting. I think I would reduce the amount of fish sauce and salted shrimp if I made it again. I had Friday off and spent the day cleaning and drawing. I started to read a new book about pen and ink drawing techniques this week. I did a cat drawing for my mom but I haven’t had time to work on her Michael Jackson drawing yet. I plan to start on it soon. I have the next three days off due to the Korean and Chinese holidays. I am looking forward to sleeping in a lot. 💤
Lisa Ledbetter 