One thing and another

I haven't had a lot of good luck in the garden this year.  The potatoes didn't do well at all; I'm glad I didn't plant too many of them.  My tomatoes always have blight, but we have had some delicious big tomatoes anyway, and I've been sharing with neighbors while they last.  

The yellow onions all split into two parts as they grew, and they won't keep very long.  The red ones look good though.  I can always count on green beans, so I'm passing those around the neighborhood too.  I'm trying to fight off the squash bugs from the zucchini plant.  Nothing seems to stop them, but Rebecca in south Missouri said she is smashing the adult bugs.  I cannot do that with my bare hands and fingers, but I decided to try it with my garden gloves.  Ohhh, but it was a great feeling to grab those ugly things as they ran away and killing them!    

Two of the split onions.  They just grow that way sometimes.

I have decided Walmart is the winner in these high inflation times.  They have the lowest prices by far on most groceries.  On Wednesdays I always look at ads from Price Chopper, Aldi, and Hy-Vee, hoping to find a bargain that's worth driving to Blue Springs for, but lately it just isn't worth it.  Walmart made a whole line of off-brand cereals that are half-price of the name brands, and taste exactly the originals.  They have the cheapest butter and dairy products.  I don't always love their fresh fruit and vegetables, but most of the time they are acceptable.  The Oak Grove location doesn't have  quite all the stuff that larger Walmarts carry, but they have most of what I need.  We can also do our banking at Oak Grove, and there's a place to buy goat food.  

I didn't plan my garden very well at all this year.  I planted the row of cantaloupes five feet away from the row of red onions, but it has totally covered them up.

Also there's this problem with the cantaloupes:  If you step on the vines, they die and baby cantaloupes die along with them.  So if I want to get to a ripe one, I start tenderly picking up the vines and moving them over one by one, hoping not to fall on my face as I lean, reach, and crawl far beyond my capabilities.  I didn't think we were ever going to taste any of the cantaloupes because the first three rotted just before they were ready, and I tossed them.  However, last night I brought one in that was as good as they get.  I'm hoping for more.  You can see two of them in the middle of the greenery that should be ready in a day or two.

That's the grandson's dog Klouse riding in the middle of my two slaves.  Usually Bonnie is riding too.