Ribbon Dancing and Cushaw Squash

This week has been fabulous.  It’s going by much too quickly, but I’m loving it!  For the first time since 2005, it feels like summer vacation.  :)

Yesterday James had a tie from a sweater of mine.  He used it to do some ribbon dancing.

Isn’t she beautiful?!!

And so smart and sweet and loving.  And whiney.  :)

This morning Matt and the kids were prepping the yard for mowing when they found squash on our plant gone wild.

If you’ll remember, back at the end of May I found what seemed like a yellow squash plant growing out of the compost.

As it grew and spread and became much more vine-like, I thought it seemed less like a yellow squash plant and more like watermelon or pumpkin.  I didn’t really think it was either of those though.  I pretty much thought it wouldn’t do anything but grow around and around our compost area.

Today, seeing the little guys, I know what they are!  They’re cushaw squash.  Or at least that’s what I decided they were last year when my grandma gave us some out of her garden!

And that makes sooooo much sense seeing the vine and how late in the summer they’re growing.  They’re sort of a cross between winter and summer squash.  They have more of a hard shell like butternut, but you can eat it like zucchini.  We ate it all kinds of ways last year.  We grilled it.  I probably also steamed and baked it.  I know I put it on a pizza.  I will be SO EXCITED if these little guys continue to grow and we can actually eat them!