September 14-15, 2012

Due to a slow moving cold front it was forecast to be a rainy weekend, so Sally and Tender staid back. I had picked up a load of free mulch from the city and borrowed Chris' ladder, so I had some projects. There was a light rain until about 5:30 Friday, and off and on rain Saturday. We received less than a quarter inch by Saturday morning, but with some harder rain Saturday, the total got up to near an inch. Temperature was around 70 each day.

Hang Swing

The rope holding the swing up across the spring had broken after 9+ years. This was how Eddy had his swing hung, and I just used the same when I bought a replacement. (He took his swing with him.) I bought some chain and still had the original eye bolts with S hooks that had come with my swing. With Chris' ladder and a load of mulch in the back of the truck, I was able to reach the very high white oak limb. I removed the rest of the rope, drilled holes for the eye lag bolt, screwed them in, and attached the new chain. Then, with the truck out of the way, I connected the swing chain and was done. At least I got something done Friday.

Mulch

I can always use mulch, so when the city advertised it free due to a surplus I figured why not get some. Saturday morning I pulled the truck along side my baby trees lining the drive and added a good dose to each. I also had enough to spread around the two apples and one of the pears. It left the truck a mess, so I had to wash out the back.

Flag Trees

I bought some new flagging tape and wanted to flag what few little trees have survived so they wouldn't be brush hogged. So I walked the road, both creeks and up into the back pasture putting tape on the few walnut and pecan trees I could find. I also followed the line of pine trees up the hill flagging them, once again.

Drought

With the one inch or so of rain we have been receiving weekly, you would think it would have made a dent in the drought. The burn bans have been lifted, but according to this article in Friday's paper we are still in an exceptional drought. Ours is the only section of the state still at this most severe level, as you can see from this picture. Hopefully the rains will continue.

Garden

Everything was wet with the rain, including the produce I picked. I tried laying it out on the picnic table, but it wouldn't dry off there. So I moved it into the house and spread it on a towel under a ceiling fan to dry. Once dry enough, I started picking the leaves off the basil. By the time I got to the end (a good 12 cups), the basil was beginning to wilt and my drying had progressed too far. I also got lots of chard, a huge bowl of jalapenos, a few good tomatoes and some kale. However, I went off and left the chard and kale in a big plastic container in the fridge. I also did some weeding in the garden.

September 7-8, 2012

We arrived late because we participated in the office's First Friday Lunch and Bowl. Fun, no scores worth mentioning, but lots of sore muscles. There was only a tenth of an inch in the gauge and neither rain barrel was full. But as I was mowing the back it began to sprinkle and I barely got the front done before the skies opened up. We got 2 inches in about three hours. Tender could not settle down with all the thunder. The rain was part of a cold front which brought us 70 degree temperatures Saturday.

Garden

The chard, jalapeno and basil continue to be the big performers. Sally is anxious to dig up her sweet potatoes, but the tops are still lush and green. She got a few beans and small tomatoes and pulled up her one beat. She also found a tomato horned worm, and I forgot to follow up with another check. Only a few of the kale seeds I had planted a month earlier were up. She planted more. We picked about 12 cups of basil, and there is plenty more. I really like just chopping off the tops since it is easier on me to pick the leaves inside, it gets rid of the flowers, and I think it rejuvenates the plant. Had pesto pizza for dinner.

Road

We walked up the road Saturday morning and I noticed how most of the water bars were failing – they had silted up. Thankfully not a lot of damage, but that was my first task Saturday, clean them out and then cover the muddy bars with leaves and pine straw (to keep it from sticking to my boots and the car tires).

Birds

There were lots of birds around, especially gold finches. Nice. The blue bird eggs were still in the house out back so I removed the nest and eggs. The eggs were a bit discolored, since by now they must have been close to six weeks old. Don't know what happened that caused the momma to abandon them.

Mow and Weed Eat

So after mowing around the house on Friday, I did across the spring on Saturday. Then I took the brush whacker all the way up and down the road, around out front, the hill South of the house, and much of the hill out back. With rain the grass is growing again. Armin thought I should have more pictures of me, but its hard to take a picture of yourself – and what's there to see.

Toilet Leak

Friday night I noticed a stain behind the toilet, and found it wet and leaking from one of the tank bolts. I thought this was very unusual since it hasn't been messed with in years. I dried it up and put a jar under the drip. There was just a bit of water in the jar in the morning, but then Sally leaned on the tank and it really began leaking. One bolt was loose to the touch. I tightened them both up and the leak stopped. I'm glad we turn the water off when we're gone.

Garage Latch

When we were ready to leave, I couldn't get the latch to meet on the garage doors in order to lock it. It had been difficult for awhile, but with the rain I guess the poles (its built like a pole barn) moved a bit. I decided to remove the right side and reposition it. Three of the screws came out okay, but I had to drill out the fourth and use a tap to get it out. Remounting it was easy. I wonder if the doors will continue to move and cause future problems, or whether the poles are rotting and need replacing.

September 1-2, 2012

It was raining steady on Friday due to tropical storm Isaac blowing across Arkansas, so we waited until Saturday to come out. It was nice to find 2.25 inches in the rain gauge. I suspect maybe half of that had come the previous weekend, as we got less than 1 inch in town from Isaac. Nevertheless, it was great to get this slow soaking type of rain. The garden was well watered and the rain barrels were full. It did make for a warm and muggy weekend however, climbing up into the 90s Sunday after a dewy foggy start to the day.

Garden

The basil was fantastic -- lush, bright green, and tender with very few blooms. We picked 12 cups and could have gotten another 12. The jalapeno peppers and chard were also producing well. Sally picked a bell pepper that was slightly yellow, but turned full yellow by the time we got home. She also got some green beans, a half dozen small tomatoes, and several kale leaves from our sole plant. She pulled up a green bean plant that had been sheltering what I had assumed all year was a chard plant (and had picked and eaten as such), but it turned out to be a decent size beat. And then there were a dozen Sun Flowers that had come up and were blooming -- ones we did not plant. I suspect some critter had planted them for us, getting the seed from the bird feeder we had moved out back.

Sunday I took the potato fork and tackled more of the bermuda that's crept in. What a job. Sally was pulling some mint from outside the fence and pulled a big cedar log (holding the chicken wire down) over leaving a long scratch on her leg. (Thankfully it is healing nicely without any infection.) It was already drying up, so we went ahead and drained both rain barrels on the garden -- just moving the hose around occasionally.

Mow and Weedeat

Everything needed mowing, but I only did down to the pond, over to the spring, and around the barn. It had been early June since some of this had been mowed. I decided to just wait till the next week-end for everything else. I did weed eat around the barn.

Pond

The rain we've gotten seems to just get soaked up. Neither creek was running, and the pond level seems to continue to drop. I've not seen any fish in months and fear they may have perished due to oxygen depletion (without the continuous inflow).

Thistle

I spotted more thistle. Some around the spring and more down by Gum creek. I bagged it and, with the burn ban off, burned it and others I had collected over the past couple of months.

Trees

I cruised along the road, where I had flagged walnuts the past 4 years so they wouldn't be brush hogged, and along the creeks and fence line where I had planted 100 pecans years back. There were only a few walnuts above 10 inches, and I only found 4 pecans. These past two summers have just been too much for these babies.

Walking Sticks

This baby and parent were frozen right outside the back door. Strange position they had assumed, I must say.

Blue Bird Eggs

There are still 4 eggs in the house out back, and no sign of momma. Since they have been there 3-4 weeks I believe they have been abandoned, but Sally is holding out hope.