Author Archives: Julie Riebe

2015_Day 91: A garden photo (or four) each day in April

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The view of my vegetable garden from the middle of my backyard, on April 1.
A side view of the garden, with peas and beans in front, then two individual beds of tomatoes and, finally (and a little hard to see), a bed of cukes, onions, basil and chives.
Each of the four individual beds on April 1.
A mixture of green, yellow and purple beans. Pretty!
The red onions are looking good.
I can’t believe it’s already April. Three months of 2015 down. This is my 90th post in my yearlong effort to blog every single day of the year. So far, so good. Continue reading →

2015_Day 90: Bewitching beans from a dirt level view

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A dirt level view of my beans.

A dirt level view of my beans.

I’ve always loved taking photos of the flowers and vegetables I grow, even though I usually just use the camera on my iPhone or iPad. The quality is usually pretty good, and every once in a while I take one that really tickles my fancy (does that make me sound old?). Continue reading →

2015_Day 89: What a difference a day makes

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In 24 hours, my beans went from only one or two peeking through (right) to, well, pretty much all of them.

In 24 hours, my beans went from only one or two peeking through (right) to, well, pretty much all of them.

It never ceases to amaze me. I just can’t believe that overnight, a row of beans can literally pop up out of the ground a good half-inch to an inch or more. Continue reading →

2015_Day 88: Truck owners once again

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My new 2015 Barcelona red Toyota Tacoma.

My new 2015 Toyota Tacoma.


I don’t know whether it was seeing all the trucks on the road in Texas or the fact that I missed the little old Ford Ranger we left behind in Wisconsin, but we’re no longer truckless. We bought a 2015 Toyota Tacoma this weekend. Continue reading →

2015_Day 87: More peas please

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This photo was taken late in the morning before the busyness of the day took over (soccer and truck shopping). Overnight Friday, three more pea seedlings pushed their way through the dirt, reaching up to the beautiful blue sky that ushered in Saturday. Continue reading →

2015_Day 86: Houston, we have a tomato

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I spotted the first green tomato on one of the Early Girls tonight.
I staked the three bigger tomatoes tonight. Thursday’s gusty wind had them tilting sideways.
Isn’t it just the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?
The first pea peeks out of the ground.
I finally screwed in the little square corners on the raised bed tonight.
Another view of the raised bed from the other side.

My weekend got off to a great start despite working later than usual Friday night. After a quick supper, I headed outside to water the flowers and vegetables and stake the tomato plants. I think I squealed when I saw a cute little tomato growing on one of the Early Girls. Continue reading →

2015_Day 85: Flower power rocks!

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I think these are cosmos seeds that have sprouted.

I think these are cosmos seeds that have sprouted.

I planted my flower seeds Sunday morning, and five days later, lovely green leaves already are popping up out of the dirt. Just five days!

Seeds have sprouted in two of the three tiers; the lower one, which has painted daisies and cosmos, and the middle tier, which has a mixture of zinnias and another type of cosmos. Didn’t see any sprouts in the upper tier, which has California poppies and gazania, but hey, two out of three’s not bad, right?

I know I’m pumped! Have I told you lately how much I love Spring? Woo-hoo!

Could these be zinnias?

Could these be zinnias?

2015_Day 84: Tomato plants, crape myrtle looking good

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A couple days after being transplanted from pots to the garden, my tomato plants are looking great. All seven plants look strong, with multiple flowers on the Early Girls and Better Boy. Continue reading →

2015_Day 83: #fitat50 challenge is more challenging than imagined

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imageA little more than three weeks into my #fitat50 challenge and I’m beginning to realize just how difficult it is to lose weight as you get older. In my 30s and even early 40s, I think I could have easily lost 5 pounds in three weeks. Not so these days. Continue reading →

2015_Day 82: Hoping for a colorful bed of Texas flowers

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My three-tier flower bed.

My three-tier flower bed.

There’s no color in my backyard flower bed or pots yet (unless you count the pictures on the seed packets), but I’m hoping for lots of pinks, purples, yellows, reds and oranges. Continue reading →