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Marion Soch - Correspondent

(Popple River News) - Another pleasant week of summer has passed us by. We were blessed last week with some rain, which was badly needed...Monday of last week we only got .2, but on Thursday afternoon we got dumped on with 2.1 inches. It came down in sheets with the wind, but the ground was so dry, it all soaked into the ground within a short time. With the warm, humid evening, it seemed the garden grew inches overnight...could hear the cornstalks crackle as it grew! The fresh garden veggies are surely tasting good! I had the first kohlrabi the other day, which was so crunchy and crisp and oh, so good.

Speaking of fresh veggies from the garden, I believe the first tomato of the season award goes to Janice and Bill Lange, who reported they had their first ripe tomato on the Fourth of July! No one else reported anything earlier, but they can still do so. The Langes cheated, though, as they had bought a big plant from the nursery. Way to go, as it was a slow start with gardening this season, and it doesn't seem like it will "catch up". It seems like growing hydrophonic tomatoes is the way to go, as many folks are doing this now. They say they get many more tomatoes off their plants versus growing them in the garden and the taste is the same.

We have been watching the arrival of the newly hatched birds to the feeders. They are surely fun to watch, especially the bluejays with them fluttering their wings and opening their beaks wide hoping for mom or dad to feed them. We've seen the young rose-breasted grosbeaks, evening grosbeaks, mourning doves, lots of black birds, cardinals, a flicker in a dead tree, but no robins as yet. We see the old robins in the yard, but no babies. Our Phoebe has evaded us by hiding her nest very well this year, so we didn't see her babies.

I still haven't seen a baby fawn this season although she is around. We do see the baby rabbits and baby chippies in the yard. The baby chippies are so fun to watch moving so quickly about the yard. One was going back and forth in front of the house while we were sitting out, and neighbor, Lois, came over and the chippie ran right over her foot, rather startling at the time.

Other newborns in the yard were three snakes I discovered as I was moving a few rocks which must have been their home for the moment...two red racers and a garter snake. That was startling at first, but then I observed them for awhile to see where they went to escape the disturbance. The next day I moved some bags of leaves I had saved for mulch and compost, and found the snakes harbored among them. Poor things probably were scared out of their wits...so now I won't bother them anymore. They may startle me, though, as I work in the garden!

Visitors Tom Van Boxel and son Dylan and a friend were here for the weekend. Tom joined Dad, Larry and Lynn at the vacation cabin on Big Twin Saturday to fish with them. They said fishing was not very good on Saturday. Dylan and his friend fished the Popple and caught a nice 11" trout which they so thoughtfully gave to Lois Kemps. They also enjoyed ATV'ing the roads all weekend.

Wayne and Rosie Konitzer enjoyed a two-week vacation at their place, but it ended this week. They said it was time to get back to work! Their daughter and her mate spent one week with them enjoying cookouts, campfires and ATV'ing.

Enjoy your week.

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