the Good, the Bad and...

... the yummy.

We are at the end of our Jonkheer Van Tets and Champagne currants' season. Note to self: wait. Every year, I think that the first currants to ripen on the vine will be too far gone when the bottom ones ripen. Not so. Today, picking was easy and the currants were juicy and almost sweet.

More good: we'll be picking green beans this Wednesday.

Even more good: the tomatoes leaped in size after the past two days' 17 mm rainfall.

Our first yellow zucchini are looking good.

And, now we come to the bad: Japanese Beetles. Ted has been battling them for two years now with very little success. It's heartbreaking to see the damage they've done on our elderberry (below), grapevines and raspberry plants. Gardening is never easy. Every year brings its own good and bad.

Annual rudbeckias are blooming now. Fortunately, nothing is eating them.

We've got dozens and dozens of new frogs this year in the ponds. They started in the big pond and just this week they figured out how to get to the little pond.

The last variety of raspberry is ripening. Thanks, Diane

Coneflowers haven't been damaged. yay!

There's an interesting light this evening. I am guessing it may be somewhat smokey again.

We are seriously considering ripping out the grapes. Looking at the image below, you would wonder why?

I am not sure that the vines will be able to support the ripening process if all of the leaves succumb to the Japanese beetles like the top ones have.

All we can hope for is that the good will outweigh the bad and we will be able to enjoy some yummy along the way.