"SCOOTER, SCOOTER!!!" yelled Mom. "I need your help picking Lima beans. The weather has turned cold, it is about to frost and if I don't get the beans picked today, we will lose them. I need your help."
"Seriously? I can't believe you want me to pick horrible, disgusting, nasty Lima beans. I hate Lima beans!" replied an offended Scooter.
"Sorry. Can't help. Don't see them."
"You are sitting on them. Just look down."
"Nope. Still don't see them."
"Look HARDER!" snapped a hurried, panicked, frazzled Mom.
"I am trying but everything looks green."
"Found one. Ppfffttt!!! Tastes terrible! I HATE LIMA BEANS!" Scooter spits.
"Methinks I see an escape."
"Shhhhh. Mom will never find me."
It's crazy how many blooms and tiny beans you still have on such lush plants! My garden is NOT lush, the bean bushes that were remaining turned yellow, stopped producing, and were pulled out already. But, that's ok. I have so many beans in the cupboard and freezer that I know we will not finish all of them this winter.
ReplyDeleteI do have a few nice-looking cabbages, and I will try to get out there and pick one today, along with what other stragglers I can find. We already had a couple of frosts, but they were little and only killed off a couple of zucchini plants, which, I will admit, is ok, too. Those bushes have done their duty and more this summer, and I am not very popular around here when I serve zucchini anymore, let's just say.
I got a few flowers, and hope to find a few more today. I'm amazed that we had a 70 degree day this late in the season, and it has prolonged things. So, that part's been nice!
Yesterday I was out picking because last night it dipped down to 32 degrees with about one inch of rain. That ended the summer garden. What I did pick was turning yellow from the few light frosts we have received. I hate to see summer leave but I too am ready for winter vegetables. No more Lima beans for me for a while. Well,at least not until January and then I will get a craving. There are still some left on the vines. They will be dried and used for seeds. We could have picked all of them if SCOOTER HAD HELPED like he was supposed to do.
DeleteLima beans are not grown here and they are not well known.
ReplyDeleteI think they need a longer time to manure and our summers are not long enough. But I have seen dried lima beans in organic food stores.
I have never eaten them.
Christel
The dried lima beans taste alright if you mix them in a pot of soup but I do not consider them very tasty. It is the fresh flavor I enjoy and am willing to do all the gardening work to achieve it. All fresh beans are better tasting than dried ones, in my opinion. There are those that mature early and might grow in your area. If you have ever had green beans go to seed, then you could grow other shelly beans.
DeleteI do know other gardeners who grow beans to dry but I can buy them cheaply at the grocery store. My garden goals are to grow foods I love but can't get at the store. I also like to grow foods that are expensive in my area. Potatoes are something I no longer grow because they are very cheap here and it hurts my back to dig them. Although, I might try something new next year. When the seed catalogs start arriving, I always get excited.
Does Scooter have an annual contract renegotiation period? I recall from a previous post that he executes the portion of his contract requiring him to eat all food that falls upon the kitchen floor with alacrity. Maybe he is invoking the Lima Bean Clause to leverage more cuddle time with Pack Leader during the next signing cycle.
ReplyDeleteThat Scooter strikes me as a pretty savvy negotiator. He knows he has an ace in the hole should he ever need to play it - The Grandma Card. It might be time to bring on an assistant dog for Lima bean duty. A bean picking apprentice, if you will.
Scooter was hired as contract labor and his renegotiation date is in July on his annual employment date. At that time we enter into labor talks to discuss new standards.
DeleteHe has invoked the Lima bean clause and is trying (with the help of a slick lawyer, Grandma) to apply it to the dry dog food clause. The negotiations have stalled over the definition of “Fried Chicken” as opposed to “chicken parts” as listed in the ingredients label on the dog food bag. “Fried Chicken” will exceed the allotted funds in the budget.
Scooter is also balking at the annual physical. He insists rabies shots and dental cleanings violates his personal space. We claim the shots are required by law and the dental cleanings cures “bad breath”. We insist it is a polite consideration owed to the other employees.
Grandma has already invested in a freezer full of hot dogs and is awaiting the right time (Thanksgiving) to use them as a bargaining chip. She is unconcerned about the results caused by the excess since she will be back home and unavailable to “clean up the mess”.
As for hiring a bean picking assistant for Scooter, Pack Leader is firm and refusing to negotiate. In fact, he considers it off the table. However when a prospective new employee looks at him with sad eyes and slowly wags his tail, Pack Leader always caves.
I will continue to post updates and changes.
I enjoyed reading the current status of Scooters contract negotiations so much that I read the response twice! While I know contract negotiations are usually kept confidential, I appreciate that Management was willing to share this information for the readers' benefit and amusement.
DeleteWhile I'm firmly Team Scooter, I can appreciate Management's demands regarding rabies shots and dental cleanings. I'm sure Scooter's counsel, Grandma Esq., will advise him to concede those points in a show of good will. Perhaps Management could agree to a weekly allotment of hot dog morsels, in return. Of course, should Scooter wake himself from an afternoon nap by unceremoniously passing gas as a result of eating said hot dogs, and should Management happen to capture this comical occurrence on video, Scooter would have to waive his rights said video, and any profit generated by said video, should it "go viral."
I agree with Scooter. Lima beans are gross. As a child I would have to pick beans and I would miss lots of them and even leave half of the bean on the plant...on purpose, because beans are gross.
ReplyDeleteOh Ms. Rebecca, thank you for understanding. Mom was so mad at me about the Lima beans. She loves them, I hate them. You are right - beans are gross.
DeleteYour new best friend,
Scooter