Hello all!

Just biding my time as I watch the canner percolate away pressure canning some red beans and rice.  Uh minus the rice( to be added when serving) can't can rice.  You end up with something akin to glue I suspect.  I got the idea to just make up the recipe instead of just canning beans.  I don't know why I didn't think of this before.  Hey I'm slow, but I get there eventually.  The convenience will be awesome.  Just open the quart jar and heat up while I am cooking some rice.  This is going to be so awesome this winter.
Finished up with the harvest of navy beans for the summer.  I figure I got about 4-5 lbs from about 1/2 cup of beans to begin with.  I would say a great return on my investment.  My pinto bean plants aren't quite ready yet, but they are hanging with beans.  I am just waiting on them to get some color.  I have 10 watermelons that will more than likely be ripe before the first frost.  Add to that I found potato volunteers growing and pretty good size yesterday.  We will see what I can get from these by the first freeze.  None of these items came from heirloom variety seeds/tubes.  Yet they are not only producing, but producing well and producing an item true to the parent.  My navy beans are white little beans, look like navy beans, act like navy beans; my watermelons are green on the outside, red on the inside(with seeds) and sweet!  My pinto beans so far are exactly like pintos should be.  We have all eaten this stuff from the garden.  No one has a dread disease or anything, so I am feeling fairly confident that I can save pretty much any seed I need to.  Yesterday I harvested my first group of lettuce seeds.  They are currently drying on top of the bread box.  Along with some jalapeno seeds

The little green buds here are the lettuce seeds:

You tear them open(easier after they are dried) and inside are the little lettuce seeds.  See

The little bit of white represents the seeds.  Not a great picture, but my talents don't lie in photography.  So far this year I have saved seeds from lettuce, Limas beans, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, watermelon, and seed potatoes.

Onto a different subject, remember the doll I told you about?  The one a wonderful co-worker gave me?  I am going to post a pic of her so you guys can see what she looks like right now, and hopefully I will be able to repair her and post a new pic of her. Now more than likely I will have to send her off to someone who  can take care of the really hard part, but the cleaning, etc.  I am hoping I can do.  Here she is:

You can't see it in this pic, but the paint at the seams of her legs is flaking off.  She will need to have her legs repainted and that is something I am not equipped to do.  I love her little face.  She looks very young for her age as she is 88 years old.  She was made in 1924.  She is about the size of a 1 year old baby.  She is actually in remarkable condition all things considered.  I already have plans for the outfit I will make for her.  Picture a little off white dress edged in lace and with tiny Christmas red roses.  I want to get her some little off white stocking and black patent leather shoes.  I want to make her a little coat and bonnet out of  Christmas red , trimmed in off white lace and ribbons.  She's gonna be such a pretty girl.
Well that is all from my neck of the woods.  How is everyone else?