Coreopsis Heaven's Gate & Japanese Beetle Puree

Can I just mention how very happy I have been all day.  My cheeks feel all exercised from all the smiling I did today and I even laughed out loud once or twice.  Rare.  So very rare.  It felt luxuriously sinful.

I had a very restless night, last night, and was sure I would be cranky from lack of a good sleep.  The opposite was true.  I "listened" to my co workers and made the appropriate pleasant comments and they responded with their own smiles and happiness.  In other words, I wasn't myself all day.  LOL.

The window guy left a message.  He's very busy.

P left a message to tell me she has "solved" her Japanese beetle problem.  She is collecting the beetles and BLENDING them with some water and some garlic, straining the "solids" out of the resulting liquid and then spraying it on her grape vines (which have been covered in beetles).  She reports only a few pair on the grapes this afternoon.  In fact, she was bemoaning the fact that she was having some difficulty collecting enough beetles for a fresh batch of spray.  P is as enchanting as you are imagining.

P had done this once before with slugs.  Her garden is very fertile and the slugs were very large. Eating everything.  I remember how large they were as we fed them to the chickens and they nearly choked on them. (G thought he might have to Heimlich the chicks) Anyway, she burned out her food processor making a slug "liquid" and had to go to Goodwill for the blender she is now using to puree the beetles. It is used solely for bug spray.  I asked.  But, still, I will refuse any blended drinks she may try and serve me.

There are no grapes on P's grape vines.  I will not be carrying home multiple box loads of Concord grapes to make into jelly this year.  I will not have boxes of grapes to give to my coworker who makes grape juice.  I can't say that I am sad to not be slaving over a hot stove and a big vat of boiling jelly jars in August.  We still have enough zucchini pickles so I won't be processing sticky sugar coated zucchini slices in that vat of boiling water, something that also happens in August.

Instead, I will be grating and squeezing zucchini and baking fudgy zucchini brownies and chocolate chip chocolate zucchini bread.  I am going to try for a low carb version that I can eat.  The flour is the only problem ingredient.  I need to test some of the "low carb" baking mixes.  Or just go ahead and eat the stuff.  One little square a day.

G is coming home in a few minutes and I want to take a shower so we can go out for dinner.  A nice dinner.  Like a "date".  So I can try this smiling thing out on him before it wears off.