Hey, good morning! It’s very nice to see you. I hope you had a great week.
It’s a busy one here, but all is well. Summer is summering along. There’s rumour of a beach trip later today, so things can’t be going too poorly.
Grab a mug. Here’s some tea. Let’s catch up!
Pinching suckers
We put our garden in a little later than usual, but our tomatoes certainly aren’t suffering for it. With a little more space, sunlight, and air in the garden than in past years, the tomato plants are absolutely thriving.
Every time I leave the house these days, I do a turn around the garden to see what’s new and what’s changed. One of my favourite things to do that makes me feel like I’m making a meaningful contribution (because let’s be honest: it’s 99% Erin’s garden) is pinching suckers from the tomato plants.
Suckers are new stems that spring forth from between the main stem and leaf of the plant. Pinching them off is part of the pruning process which helps prevent the plant from becoming too big or unruly. It also encourages the vine to put its energy into growing nice fruit rather that more plant.
I’m reading articles on the subject as I’m writing this section, and I’m also seeing advice to remove leaves from the bottom third of the plant, or at least from below the lowest fruit on the vine. I’ll have to chat with Erin later on whether we want to adopt this policy, because I’d love an excuse to fiddle with the tomato plants in a helpful way.
Erin’s milkweed
Erin has been trying to get milkweed to grow in her garden for a few years. Growing milkweed intentionally is a bit of a tricky thing, as the seeds have to overwinter in the soil in order to germinate. Even then, you’re not guaranteed success. She’d tried a few years with some common milkweek seeds a friend had given her without luck.
Last fall on a trip to Ontario, I watched Erin sprint to a hedgerow near the back of a parking lot at an En Route rest stop when we pulled over to get some gas. One learns not to interfere when Erin laser-focuses on a discovery like this.
When she returned, she had a paper bag filled with seed pods.
“Milkweed?” I said, recognizing the long pods.
Some of them had already broken open and bits of fluff was exposed. She nodded giddily.
“Swamp milkweed,” she said. “And they’re just releasing seeds, so the timing is perfect.”
“Do you think you have enough?” I said, motioning to the bag. It overflowed with seed pods.
“Shut up,” she said.
Anywho. There have been some sucpiciously milk-weedy plants growing in the side garden where she planted it last season, and the Seek app confirmed for us this week her experiment was a success. Long live Erin’s patch of milkweed.
PRIDE 2026
While most of the country celebrates Pride in June, PEI waits until the end of July when the weather is reliably nicer. We also go all-out with dozens and dozens of events. It really is worth taking a look at the official website.
Friday morning, I biked down to Charlottetown city hall for the official flag raising. I was greeted by some familiar faces and warm hugs. The ceremony lasted the better part of an hour, but it didn’t feel that long. Emcee Derrick Biso, who is back on PEI after living in Ontario for the last few years (indeed, they introduced Charlottetown mayor Phillip Brown as being mayor of Windsor…) did a wonderful job of keeping things moving and full of energy. It was nice start to the week.
I marched in the parade yesterday with some friends from Trinity United, who organized a group of 14 United and Anglican churches to march together. I somehow got roped into helping carry the banner at the front of the group, and it was wonderful to see the response from parade-watchers as they read and realized who we were.
Seeing a group of Christians — who aren’t always considered to be the most reliable allies, and are quite often the people saying and doing the most hurtful things — marching in solidarity and love was pretty meaningful for many. I think dozens of people yelled some variation THANK-YOU at us as we walked and waved.
Erin and I scooted back to Trinity when the parade was all done, as the church was hosting a big barbecue as part of the official Pride Festival schedule. I was pretty chuffed by the numbers of people who came to munch hot dogs and sit in the shade with a cool drink.
The most repeated conversation: I want to shake the hand of whoever decided to move the parade an hour earlier than usual. We had a cloudless, sunny day—as we often do. But full exposure at 10:30 am is a much different thing than that at mid-day.
It was a great morning. Erin and I came home and had our annual Pride Nap.
That’s all for old Davy today. Be sure to pop over to my serial fiction Substack Dunnock Bay. Mindy the librarian is back at work after breaking up with Lars. Go take a read.
Erin picked up a few more participants in her Strong by Nature course she’s running this summer. There are three more classes, and you’re welcome to join for one or all of them. They are having so much fun. Sign up here. Fees are flexible and run from free to more than free.
I hope you have a great week.