First summer blooms

I'm still catching up from my fourth of July weekend in La Crosse. I had a great time catching up with my dad, running my first 5K of the year, watching the fireworks and eating -- a lot! The city's Riverfest celebration features many wonderful food vendors that offer more than the typical festival food. I ordered the blackened fish sandwich, and I split a "Blarney Bar" -- a gigantic brownie sundae -- with my dad and his girlfriend. It was a sugar overload, but I loved every bite!

Anyhow, with a deadline at work this week, I haven't done much at home but read and sleep. But I try to walk outside and admire my little victory garden every night. I was excited to see the first acorn squash blossom this week.

Unfortunately, the squash is starting to look yellow and mildew-y from all the wet weather. We probably received another inch of rain this weekend. The temperatures are also below normal -- tonight it dropped down into the 60s.

The first nasturtium are also starting to bloom this week. It's the first time I've planted these edible flowers, and they have been doing well and growing fast. Here's an odd, fuzzy picture:

I've got big reverse-homemaking plans for this weekend. I checked out a copy of "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" at the local library, and I've got a month to experiment with the recipes before I need to turn the book back in. I'm also going to make more jam; I bought a bunch of apricots at the grocery store.