Saturdays in the Garden - Hoppers giving me the Stink Eye

OUTSIDE

August.  It's like the last hurrah of summer before the heat mellows and becomes more bearable.  Overall it's been a rather enjoyable summer with very few really uncomfortable days.  The garden is soaking up the heat and the result is my first ripe pepper.  These are the "Healthy" variety of heriloom peppers - more of an Italian variety.  They seem to be producing well and I'm super happy with a ripe pepper this early in my garden which is usually SO slow.

Also my Kale has rebounded from being munched on pretty heavily early in the season and it's looking lovely.

My Juliet tomatoes are becoming ripe.

Finally, I've had a third good picking from my green beans which is good for my garden.  The plants are not looking good so this may be it for them.  They do this every year and I need to investigate why because I'm pretty sure they aren't supposed to be done by now.

 Also, I ran into this guy (or gal) in the field.  I thought he/she was pretty adorable with his jaunty nose-like protuberance but I don't think he returned the sentiment.  I got the distinct impression he was giving me the stink eye. I was like "Hey, you're the one hanging out on my net" and he/she was like "Yeah, but your net is in MY prairie."  And yes I speak to the critters I run into when afield. Don't you?  I'm not sure of the species but think he/she is in the planthopper/leafhopper family.

LIFE

I've got lots of news under the Watching and Reading category so I'll keep this short.

I'm mostly preparing to spend a LOT of time on the road and in the field starting a week from now.  I'm half looking forward to it because I enjoy exploring the prairies, half dreading it because it complicates my schedule in a big way and causes some anxiety.

WATCHING, READING, and BLOGGING

Watching
I haven't been watching much of anything lately.  I kind of fizzled on my Doctor Who re-watch after season 2 but will likely pick up at season 3 again soon.  Nothing else has struck my fancy so I've been reading and catching up (sort of) with the blog.

Reading
So I have a couple of fun things to report!  Well they are fun for me.  First, I won a book!  Fantasy Cafe hosted the giveaway for Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews! It's book eight in the Kate Daniels series which is one of my absolute favorites.  I just recently finished books 5 and 5.5 in the series so I have a couple of books to catch up on before diving into this one.   So far it looks like the book is well liked by fans of the series (4.6 stars on Goodreads).  So yay!  Winning books is the BEST.

Secondly, in preparation of being in the car a lot for the next six weeks I went to the library to stock up on some audio books and scored HUGE with a bunch of great YA/Middle-grade titles many of which I've wanted to read because of other Book Bloggers' recommendations.  And that was just the longest sentence I have ever written. Anyway, check out this bounty:

Finished Last Week:

• The Neverending Story by Michael Ende: This was actually just okay for me.  I think it would work super great for its target audience (middle-grade) but it's one of those that didn't translate well for me as an adult reader. 
• Cold Days by Jim Butcher: As per usual, even though there were moments of wanting to hit something, in the end, I loved it.  I've already gotten the next book in the series, Skin Game, which is the last book to read before I am completely caught up with the series.  Then I'll have to wait.  Sigh....

Currently Reading:

• Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe: So maybe some day I'll pick this up again?  Until then it will sit here on the currently read and look encouraging.
• In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker:  Immortal cyborgs in Elizabethan England!  Need I say more? Getting close to the end on this one.
• The Founding (The Morland Dynasty #1) by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles: This is the first book in a series that follows a single British family through numerous generations into modern times.  This first book takes place in the early 15th century.  This is such a fascinating idea and I have high hopes but I have to say the characters in this first book are shallow and are doing nothing for me.  This book is officially on hold at the moment but I'll get back to it one day soon. 
• World After by Susan Ee: The second book in the Penryn and the End of Days series.  It's super grim - grimmer than book one - and I'm loving it.  What is wrong with me?
• The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: Just started this today in audio.
• Of Noble Birth by Brenda Novak: A historical romance that features pirates. 'nuf said. 

On the BLOG LAST WEEK:

SUNDAY: LONGMIRE - the First half of season 2. The third in a series of obsessive posts about this show.  Sorry. When will season 4 come out???
TUESDAY: Top Ten Tuesday: Fairy Tales Rebooted.  Meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
WEDNESDAY: Review of Changes by Jim Butcher. In a nutshell, not my favorite installment in the Dresden Files series but I like how it shakes up the series.
THURSDAY: Tough Traveling: New Beginnings. A fun meme hosted by Fantasy Review Barn to explore all the beloved tropes of the SFF genre. This particular trope seemed to be EVERYWHERE or it may just be that I really like it so gravitate towards books that use it. 

On the BLOG NEXT WEEK

SUNDAY: Fourth Longmire post featuring the second half of season 2.
TUESDAY: The Top Ten Tuesday topic this week is the top ten authors by which I've read the most books.  Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
WEDNESDAY:  Book Review TBD.  Probably Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling.
THURSDAY: The Tough Traveling meme this week is highlighting Forbidden Love in Fantasy land which sounds fun:).   Learn more over on Fantasy Review Barn.

I'll end with a good quote to remember when things are busy: