With Sally in NM this was just a boys trip (Tender and I). We received rain on Thursday morning so I decided to come the short cut. Didn't see one vehicle, but did meet a horse party of about 20 of all ages. The road was in pretty good shape -- I was able to drive the entire length in second gear and never had to use 4WD.
Garden
The rain gauge had almost an inch in it, so I didn't have to water. There was lots of bok choy, but some little white fuzzy worm was helping itself to it. Tender also likes it. I also picked some beautiful orange bell peppers, a bit of lettuce, and small container of cherry tomatoes. Plus I did some weeding in there.
Mowing
The grass had really grown, with the recent rains. I mowed the upper level Saturday. Sunday morning it was raining lightly and I was regretting not doing it all the day before, but it cleared by late morning. The grass was still wet, but I got the rest of it knocked out in the afternoon.
Cursed Weed Eaters
I determined the Poulan is not getting fuel, but didn't have an allen wrench to get it apart. The brush whacker had a badly fouled plug. I finally got it to run briefly, but then couldn't get it re-started. Did what I could with the little John Deere.
Kitchen
I made black berry muffins Saturday night, and a double batch of pesto Sunday morning while it was raining. I froze the pesto in muffin tins, and then popped them out, wrapped 'em in plastic, and left them in the freezer for a winter treat.
Wood
Loaded the truck with wood, and that was the weekend.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Sept. 14-15, 2010
This was a fun trip since we were hosting Amanda, John, and John's niece Ann. The weather was still a bit warm and muggy for mid September, but still pleasant. We'd received 4.75" of rain (probably more) over several days the week before -- so everything was growing again.
Garden
The basil looked great and we picked enough for a double batch of pesto.
Amanda said she had never seen a plant this large. We had enough large bell peppers to make buffalo stuffed peppers for dinner, to go along with the leak and gruyere quiche Sally had made and frozen our last trip out. There continued to be plenty of cherry tomatoes. That was about it -- a little spinach for eggs in the morning, a couple of bok choy leaves, and a few peas. There were green shoots from what looked like onions that maybe had been laying dormant?
Dinner/Night hike
We ate about dusk out back and enjoyed a nice Spanish white wine Amanda had recommended.
Afterward, since there was a crescent moon out, we decided to hike to the pond. I refused to turn on the flashlight, in spite of Sally's protests.
Apples
We picked the dozen or so Gold Rush that were still on the tree. Everyone agreed they were very tasty. I don't know if we will have any next year since the other apple seems to have died and you need to varieties to pollinate. I doubt the small pixie delight is mature enough to bloom. We also picked the one pair we had this year. Sally was afraid it wasn't going to be good because it looked a little rough on the outside, but it was firm and juicy.
Brush Hogging
Larry couldn't brush hog two weeks earlier because it had been too dry and there was danger of a spark starting a fire. He did get it done the previous week -- some of it in the rain. I wanted to inspect his work, so I drove John and Ann down to the pond so I could check out my trees. It looked like he did a good job of going around the flagged trees and staying out of the back area I have planted (this is a first!).
Log Splitting
I just had a few logs, but wanted the visitors to experience log splitting. They were all successful, though Ann and Amanda got to tackle short small pieces. I think John could have a second career -- or at least qualify as a farm hand. It took a while, but I finally got them to understand that this activity was not chopping wood.
Garden
The basil looked great and we picked enough for a double batch of pesto.
Amanda said she had never seen a plant this large. We had enough large bell peppers to make buffalo stuffed peppers for dinner, to go along with the leak and gruyere quiche Sally had made and frozen our last trip out. There continued to be plenty of cherry tomatoes. That was about it -- a little spinach for eggs in the morning, a couple of bok choy leaves, and a few peas. There were green shoots from what looked like onions that maybe had been laying dormant?Dinner/Night hike
We ate about dusk out back and enjoyed a nice Spanish white wine Amanda had recommended.
Afterward, since there was a crescent moon out, we decided to hike to the pond. I refused to turn on the flashlight, in spite of Sally's protests.Apples
We picked the dozen or so Gold Rush that were still on the tree. Everyone agreed they were very tasty. I don't know if we will have any next year since the other apple seems to have died and you need to varieties to pollinate. I doubt the small pixie delight is mature enough to bloom. We also picked the one pair we had this year. Sally was afraid it wasn't going to be good because it looked a little rough on the outside, but it was firm and juicy.
Brush Hogging
Larry couldn't brush hog two weeks earlier because it had been too dry and there was danger of a spark starting a fire. He did get it done the previous week -- some of it in the rain. I wanted to inspect his work, so I drove John and Ann down to the pond so I could check out my trees. It looked like he did a good job of going around the flagged trees and staying out of the back area I have planted (this is a first!).
Log Splitting
I just had a few logs, but wanted the visitors to experience log splitting. They were all successful, though Ann and Amanda got to tackle short small pieces. I think John could have a second career -- or at least qualify as a farm hand. It took a while, but I finally got them to understand that this activity was not chopping wood.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Sept. 3-4, 2010
We finally got rain both Wednesday and Thursday -- 3.1 inches in the gauge. How nice. We got to open the windows again overnight. Saturday morning the temperature was 55 with fog hanging in the valley. 
The afternoon high was 84 -- very nice indeed.
Pine Straw
Pine needles have started falling. Since we use them in the garden to combat erosion and to keep the weeds down, I decided to go ahead and rake up what I could before mowing. I think I got 8 bags and Sally immediately started spreading it. I spread a couple of bags around the trees as mulch to help with moisture retention.
Garden
More cherry tomatoes, no hot peppers, a few bell peppers and one that actually turned 75% orange, and just a few black eyed peas. The bok choy, lettuce, and spinach was sprouting. Sally had started more in town and brought it out and planted it as well. The garden looks nice, just hasn't produced much.
Mow
Friday I took the mower down the road to the pond. The grass was so thick on the south side of the pond where the seep is that I barely could get through it on the highest setting. I was stopped when I hit yet another big rock bending the deck into the blade (again). This happened over by the swing. I took it back to the garage and used a pipe wrench to bend the deck lip back out. This Murray has really taken a beating.
Saturday I mowed all around the house and out back. It looked nice, though I probably could have gotten by without mowing at all -- but it may be a couple of weeks before I get another opportunity.
House Cleaning
I swept and mopped the entire house, some Friday night and the rest Saturday morning. Boy did it need it. I also went after all the spiders and spider webs hiding in the corners and around the ceiling.
Bat
I noticed this little guy on the north side of the house. I guess it was cool enough for him there during the day. He didn't seem to be bothered by me (he was awake and moving).
Weed-eater Frustration
I couldn't get the Poulan or the Brushwhacker started. Very frustrated. I finally just used the little John Deere to clean-up around the house.
Top Coat the Water Bars
The dirt I had mined and used to build up the water bars had turned to mud with the rain, and stuck to my tires as I drove in. So I took a shovel up the road and got loose rocks and dirt to spread over the top of it. This is something I usually do when laying it down, but it just didn't seem necessary when it was a dry powder.
Thistle
I noticed thistle at the bottom of the hill coming in, so with shovel already in hand started digging it up. I'd look around and find mover. I don't know why I hadn't noticed it sooner. I ended up with a hug arm full to carry back to the house, with seeds being scattered with each jolt. I bag it and leave it by the pit to burn.
Cut Blackberries
Sassafras
More of the sassafras had started turning its pretty yellow/orange. Maybe this rain will save our fall colors.
The afternoon high was 84 -- very nice indeed. Pine Straw
Pine needles have started falling. Since we use them in the garden to combat erosion and to keep the weeds down, I decided to go ahead and rake up what I could before mowing. I think I got 8 bags and Sally immediately started spreading it. I spread a couple of bags around the trees as mulch to help with moisture retention.
Garden
More cherry tomatoes, no hot peppers, a few bell peppers and one that actually turned 75% orange, and just a few black eyed peas. The bok choy, lettuce, and spinach was sprouting. Sally had started more in town and brought it out and planted it as well. The garden looks nice, just hasn't produced much.
Mow
Friday I took the mower down the road to the pond. The grass was so thick on the south side of the pond where the seep is that I barely could get through it on the highest setting. I was stopped when I hit yet another big rock bending the deck into the blade (again). This happened over by the swing. I took it back to the garage and used a pipe wrench to bend the deck lip back out. This Murray has really taken a beating.
Saturday I mowed all around the house and out back. It looked nice, though I probably could have gotten by without mowing at all -- but it may be a couple of weeks before I get another opportunity.
House Cleaning
I swept and mopped the entire house, some Friday night and the rest Saturday morning. Boy did it need it. I also went after all the spiders and spider webs hiding in the corners and around the ceiling.
Bat
I noticed this little guy on the north side of the house. I guess it was cool enough for him there during the day. He didn't seem to be bothered by me (he was awake and moving).Weed-eater Frustration
I couldn't get the Poulan or the Brushwhacker started. Very frustrated. I finally just used the little John Deere to clean-up around the house.
Top Coat the Water Bars
The dirt I had mined and used to build up the water bars had turned to mud with the rain, and stuck to my tires as I drove in. So I took a shovel up the road and got loose rocks and dirt to spread over the top of it. This is something I usually do when laying it down, but it just didn't seem necessary when it was a dry powder.
Thistle
I noticed thistle at the bottom of the hill coming in, so with shovel already in hand started digging it up. I'd look around and find mover. I don't know why I hadn't noticed it sooner. I ended up with a hug arm full to carry back to the house, with seeds being scattered with each jolt. I bag it and leave it by the pit to burn.
Cut Blackberries
Sassafras
More of the sassafras had started turning its pretty yellow/orange. Maybe this rain will save our fall colors.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
August 27-28, '10
We finally got a little relief from the heat with near record lows for Thursday and Friday, and dry air – we were able to open the windows Friday night. By Saturday though, the temperature was back up to 94. Unfortunately still no rain, so it was another watering weekend. (On the way out we stopped and bought a couple of watermelons from a fellow in Springdale who said he had not had any measurable rain in 5 weeks.)
2009 Rain
Sally found the record I kept of rainfall last year: May 9.5", June 4.5", July 6", August 2.5", September 1.6", and October 12 inches. What a difference this year.
Septic Tank
I brought some roofing cement out and got the lid sealed. Then I scrounged for rocks to build a box directly over the lid so whoever has to do this next want have to hunt (as I did) for the lid. Once I got the box built and filled in, it was just a matter of shoveling and raking all the fill back into the hole. It was so dry the dust flew everywhere. 
I ended up with a quite a mound, I suppose because of the space displaced by the boxed area full of rocks.
Garden
We had seen and picked off a few of these tomato horn worms
(AKA tobacco worms) in weeks past, but this week there were 15 to 20 of these creepy things. They are so hard to spot because they blend in with the leaves. You can certainly tell where they have been though, because the leaves have been stripped and you just have bare stems.
We just got a few peppers, some black eyed peas that weren't quite ready, and fewer cherry tomatoes than in past weeks. Sally had me pull up most of the summer spinach, and she pulled up the zenias that were growing or falling into the lanes. A few of the bok choy seeds she had planted the weekend before were coming up (which surprised me), and she planted more of those and more lettuce. She really wants the garden to look nice for when Amanda is here. Of course we ran the sprinkler for hours.
Water
Once again I was constantly moving the sprinkler around. I actually forgot and left it on the newest maple out front overnight. There's a huge green patch leading off from these trees that have received water.
Apples
There were none on the ground, but some rotten spots were on a few on the tree. We picked maybe 5, including the ones with bad spots. They are still too green. Keeping our fingers crossed that we will actually get some ripe ones.
Water Bars/Cattle Guard
Saturday I repeated the process from the week-end before – harvested a load of dirt, hauled it up the hill, built up a couple of water bars, and attempted to clean out from under the cattle guard.
One difference this week was that I was able make use of the front D-Ring kit I had ordered and installed in the bed of the Tacoma.
Toyota put them in while I had it in for the floor mat recall. They are frame mounted tie-downs, like in the back of the bed. I don't know why they aren't standard. Without them you just have the plastic clips on the rail, which I don't trust with any weight. This time I was able to rope the buckets, and keep them from sliding back and pinching against the tailgate. That means I can open the tail gate and take the buckets out one at a time without having to lift them over the side of the truck. Anything to make this process a little easier.
At the cattle guard I dug out and poked around each end trying to find an opening I could use to rake out the loose dirt and rock that has filled it up (it really needs to drain water underneath). But I had no luck as it seems to be sitting on large rocks the full length. I could dig out a rock, but I don't think I could ever get it replaced so that it would be helping to support the weight of big trucks (like the propane or septic tank trucks that drove over it the week before). So I did as the weekend before and loosened some dirt with the pick, used the blade of the adz to lift small portions out at a time, and got exactly 4 buckets worth. Its going to take a long time to get the job done this way, but I am patient.
Weed Eat
I had trouble getting the Poulan running without the choke on, but finally succeeded. I then began to tackle the weeds between the barn and the bluff. Half way through the fixed line got too short and I had to stop. I wish I could find another decent head for it, but I also need to figure out how to get it running good.
Tender's Bath
It was time, so I put on the spray nozzle and bathed the boy right there in the back. Once done, he likes to run around. But then his wet paws mix with that bone dry dust to create dirty, muddy paws. He got watermelon for his reward, which I think is an all time favorite treat for him.
2009 Rain
Sally found the record I kept of rainfall last year: May 9.5", June 4.5", July 6", August 2.5", September 1.6", and October 12 inches. What a difference this year.
Septic Tank
I brought some roofing cement out and got the lid sealed. Then I scrounged for rocks to build a box directly over the lid so whoever has to do this next want have to hunt (as I did) for the lid. Once I got the box built and filled in, it was just a matter of shoveling and raking all the fill back into the hole. It was so dry the dust flew everywhere. 
I ended up with a quite a mound, I suppose because of the space displaced by the boxed area full of rocks. Garden
We had seen and picked off a few of these tomato horn worms
(AKA tobacco worms) in weeks past, but this week there were 15 to 20 of these creepy things. They are so hard to spot because they blend in with the leaves. You can certainly tell where they have been though, because the leaves have been stripped and you just have bare stems. We just got a few peppers, some black eyed peas that weren't quite ready, and fewer cherry tomatoes than in past weeks. Sally had me pull up most of the summer spinach, and she pulled up the zenias that were growing or falling into the lanes. A few of the bok choy seeds she had planted the weekend before were coming up (which surprised me), and she planted more of those and more lettuce. She really wants the garden to look nice for when Amanda is here. Of course we ran the sprinkler for hours.
Water
Once again I was constantly moving the sprinkler around. I actually forgot and left it on the newest maple out front overnight. There's a huge green patch leading off from these trees that have received water.
Apples
There were none on the ground, but some rotten spots were on a few on the tree. We picked maybe 5, including the ones with bad spots. They are still too green. Keeping our fingers crossed that we will actually get some ripe ones.
Water Bars/Cattle Guard
Saturday I repeated the process from the week-end before – harvested a load of dirt, hauled it up the hill, built up a couple of water bars, and attempted to clean out from under the cattle guard.
One difference this week was that I was able make use of the front D-Ring kit I had ordered and installed in the bed of the Tacoma.
Toyota put them in while I had it in for the floor mat recall. They are frame mounted tie-downs, like in the back of the bed. I don't know why they aren't standard. Without them you just have the plastic clips on the rail, which I don't trust with any weight. This time I was able to rope the buckets, and keep them from sliding back and pinching against the tailgate. That means I can open the tail gate and take the buckets out one at a time without having to lift them over the side of the truck. Anything to make this process a little easier.At the cattle guard I dug out and poked around each end trying to find an opening I could use to rake out the loose dirt and rock that has filled it up (it really needs to drain water underneath). But I had no luck as it seems to be sitting on large rocks the full length. I could dig out a rock, but I don't think I could ever get it replaced so that it would be helping to support the weight of big trucks (like the propane or septic tank trucks that drove over it the week before). So I did as the weekend before and loosened some dirt with the pick, used the blade of the adz to lift small portions out at a time, and got exactly 4 buckets worth. Its going to take a long time to get the job done this way, but I am patient.
Weed Eat
I had trouble getting the Poulan running without the choke on, but finally succeeded. I then began to tackle the weeds between the barn and the bluff. Half way through the fixed line got too short and I had to stop. I wish I could find another decent head for it, but I also need to figure out how to get it running good.
Tender's Bath
It was time, so I put on the spray nozzle and bathed the boy right there in the back. Once done, he likes to run around. But then his wet paws mix with that bone dry dust to create dirty, muddy paws. He got watermelon for his reward, which I think is an all time favorite treat for him.
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