You know how you end up cleaning counters and putting away random stuff when someone is coming over to the house? That is me, this morning, waiting in the air conditioning tech crew. I'm sure they'll manage to declutter my wallet of a few dollars.

I'm not sure if they'll spend more time indoors (that inside unit is in a closet in a hall - easy to reach) or by the outside fan (next to the asparagus and the hibiscus). I've planned to trim the asparagus to get another crop, I think today, before they arrive, is the perfect time.

For the time being the large canning pots are back in the pantry. The wild grapes weren't ready when I checked on them this week - I picked a couple of quarts of ripe fruit, but the rest are green and will ripen in the next week or so. This weekend is soon enough to try again. I have a steam juicer to extract the juice, and then I can make jelly any time in the next couple of weeks.

Dorothy, I also have a few crops that have had predatory visitors. The beans are gone (snails, I think). The tomato plants are looking unhappy. It's time to plant for fall crops if I want new plants (instead of nursing these along) but the place that consistently sold the variety I like has closed the nearby store. I'll try to keep these vines going and come fall they'll perk up and make more fruit.