| Stormdancer Posted on Monday, April 14, 2008 - 06:47 am: |   |
At 8am its now 58 f...while listening to the weather this morning I heard them say that our weather for the next couple of days is going to be more like what we see in January rather than April. In the morning we are expecting temps of about 45 f...the wind is also expected to pick up and be bringing quite a chill with it. Understand that its part of a front sitting up in the midwest that's dragging Arctic air in from Canada....brrrr.
Got up this morning to find one of my bird feeders had been broken overnight...my first thought was the deer had been in it...a short bit later was confirmed when I spotted three of the little darlings out front at the feeder.
I haven't been putting seed out for just this reason. The birds have all been hanging out at the chicken yard and I was attempting to draw them back to the front. SIGH...guess I will just have to put less in the feeders. I truly adore the deer and other wildlife, its just aggravation when they destroy things, even though unintentionally ...they are afterall just critters doing what they do.
Wandering around the yard over the weekend checking out what is growing...Blackberries are in bloom and already beginning to set fruit. Lots of little wild flowers in the back pasture...a wild Pitcher plant has bloomed near the area where we park the tractor. Told DH to NOT run over it when he moved the tractor for me...he can park it in some of the tightest spots...
Found some toadstools/mushrooms growing pretty numerous in one area. Of course I didn't have the camera as I made my way around the yard...maybe later...we'll see. Frustrating not to know the mushrooms that are edible with all of these marvelous specimens popping up in my yard...
Talking fire threat on the weather at the moment...I swear they would start with the fire threat garbage if we were sitting under ten feet of water and the temps turned cold... every time the humidity drops and the winds pick up we get red flag warnings for fire. Is it any wonder that people here ignore warnings of any nature at this rate? So much garbage to filter through just for an idea of what the weather might do. Its the same during the hurricanes...lets do the overkill to the point no one listens. Guess even the news is just about ratings anymore.
DH let the chickens out of the coop for me this morning when he got ready to leave for work...says they sat real quiet until he was back outside the gate and they heard the latch fall...hahaha...must have been a shock for all of them, usually Ms Piggy hits the ground the minute the door opens...last in, first out. DH doesn't mess with the chickens much except to stop and speak to them when he passes by... he is so good with animals and most of them adore him. Several of his friends get the biggest kick out of Ms Piggy's habit of coming to the gate to see what treats are being given. She is the only one that will take what is offered from your hand.
Found a tick on myself last night after we had come in and got settled for the evening...had to call DS and have him check the GD really good before she went to bed. I think one of the dogs carried it in as it wasn't "stuck" to me, but was on my neck...must have been a "vampire tick"....LOL One more reason to keep the yard under control. GD was busy picking up pinecones and playing hard in the yard with all of the dogs for the better part of the afternoon. I'm sure she slept like a rock after being outside running around all day... |
| Stormdancer Posted on Monday, April 14, 2008 - 10:26 am: | |
Continued for April 14...The day is actually turning out to be pretty nice...it has actually warmed up to about 68 f...still has a chill on the air though. The skies are blue and clear with puffy clouds floating high.
Had a nice chat with an old friend this morning and she may have a solution for our "temporary residence" on the mountain... her husband and she own a small cabin RV like some of the ones I've been looking at....the best part is they are looking to sell it due to not being able to put two RVs on their property and this one being smaller than the one they live in...the price is right, now all I have to do is get DH to go look at it... things seem to be falling into place.... |
| Stormdancer Posted on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - 01:02 pm: | |
Another very chilly day here in Sunny Florida...the temp at 2:30pm...62 f....the wind is definitely cold. Only one more day of this before the temps begin to climb back into the 80's. Can hardly wait...on the other hand, I checked the temps around the property...at this time, its only eight degrees warmer here than the mountain!! Of course, its way colder for the overnight temps there...getting down around 29 f tonight there.
Tossed the idea of checking out my gf's rv to DH and he's not thrilled. SIGH...guess I'm back to square one. I don't know at this point what to even consider doing. I also asked about setting a tentative date for our first trip up and was informed that we still have to get a vehicle ready...DUH!!! like I don't already know this, but how can I get the ball rolling if I don't know WHEN he's wanting to take off. Maybe I should just crawl back into bed and let him cope with all of the crap. Yeah, right...at the speed with which he moves to do things I'll be dead before we make the move. So frustrating. If he isn't going to take part in any of the pre-move stuff, then he just may have to sit his happy hiney here in sunny Florida and work until hell freezes over so HE can live here. I don't need the stress!! I'm trying to be good and work through my own emotional garbage so I can get out of this funk depression that I've been coping with for the past five years...this is just uncalled for stress that I am not going to accept. Fine, if he wants to make the move, then HE is going to have to get involved and make some decisions instead of tossing the ball in my lap and then saying he doesn't like my ideas or the results from any of my research. I've only been online for the past week since he made the decision about wanting to move, checking out different options for us so we can have a place to live while we are setting things up besides the tent. After all, neither of us are kids anymore and HE is the one who has to pack all of the conveniences of home when we camp...if we could get a signal on the mountain, I'm sure he would take the tv, I'm actually surprised he hasn't requested the DVD player...give him time I guess. But,I am not about to spend the entire time we are setting up for the house living in a tent, I know how s-l-o-w he is about doing things. NOW, I AM definitely depressed... |
 I hear you, sister. Ugh... some people!  LOL! |
| Stormdancer Posted on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - 10:20 am: | |
Thanks DJ... at least I know I'm not alone....just very frustrating to deal with...
The weatherman was right on the money about the wind for today...blowing like crazy at the moment...its 67f at ll:47 am and the sky is cloud free and beautiful blue. That wind sure has a chill in it though. Expected high for today is only 70 f, but tomorrow is supposed to be much warmer as the front moves on out to sea away from us.
Took a walk around the property, through the back pasture... was wanting to share a wild Pitcher plant with one of the gals I work with. While we were walking around, we discovered several more groups of the Pitcher plant in a few different spots...way cool. Will have to take the camera out and get some shots of the bloom on the one group before something destroys it...like DH or the dogs...lol.
The blackberry bushes are in full bloom and a couple are starting to set fruit. Hopefully they will get enough rain this year to be good. We lost several that had been loaded with berries our first year here because of the drought conditions last year. But, being the wild things they are, we have them all over the place, grabbing unsuspecting bare legs as they are passed.
I just love being out in the yard here, it has a very calming effect on my soul. That has been one of the reasons I fell in love with this piece of property. The healing of my battered emotions after the loss of my mom, the accident a year later involving DH and his oldest son, the diagnosis of cancer in both of my younger sisters two years later and then losing my one sister last January, has been, in my opinion, due to the peace I feel when I gaze out at the beauty I see in this property. It has become my safe haven from the world, where I can draw into myself and sort through all that troubles me. My hopes and prayers are carried high on the wings of the wind. The songs of the birds visiting throughout the day lifts my spirit when I am down. Whispering pines catch my attention as the wind gently caresses the sun kissed ground below. All within my sight brings joy to my soul and the healing continues. This place is the closest to what I feel when I am on the mountain where my heart calls home. Days like today when the pines are talking in the wind I can close my eyes and see the mountain peaks around the property as if I am there. |
You have had some very rough times! It's good that the mountain will offer you the same (or better) peace as you have now.  |
| Stormdancer Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008 - 02:58 pm: | |
Thanks DJ...it is slowly getting better and time does help with the healing. I know things could be worse and I know there are many others dealing with similar and even harder issues. Sometimes I just get over whelmed by life in general.
The temps have climbed to around 75f here today. Lots of puffy clouds in our blue sky. The wind is still cool, but in the heat of the sun it sure feels nice.
The cukes are growing like little weeds and looking very nice. The Rhubarb has decided to grow afterall...spotted a new leaf yesterday...right next to the only leaf that remained from the three original ones, which also is curling up and getting ready to drop off. If it grows it grows and if it dies, well okie, dokie then. More ripening tomatoes are on the way...looks like three, maybe four more will be ready in the next couple of days. Carrots are still growing pretty well...pulled a couple the other day and both were fair sized. On the carrots, I think I need to continue waiting until I see the tops of the carrots begin to push up out of the ground...those are the ones that have been the largest so far....also worked quite well with the Turnips waiting for them to push up out of the ground before I pulled them. Sometimes I am not very patient. 
The new front flower beds are continuing to look very nice. Everything is spreading out and seems to like the area. My Aloe has really went nuts in that bed and appears to have almost doubled the size on most of the plants. The Cannas are spreading out as well and looks like the space they are in will be very full in no time. I think I recall having about a dozen when I put them in the ground and now I am seeing three to four in each spot where I planted ONE...works for me!! The two Poinsettias that were hanging on in the pots have also come back to life since being put in the ground. They obviously love their new spot as both have sprouted much new growth.
I'm trying to decide if I want to find a really huge pot for the Stevia, which self seeded in its current pots, or do I want to put it in the ground and then dig it up when we decide to move...it is looking so good at the moment that I really hate to mess with it at this time. The basil definitely needs to be put into the ground for now and I know I can always dig it out and pot it when we get ready to move...basil seems to grow well for me regardless. The Thyme is doing good in its pots and I love the smell...kinda funny when we mow for our friend, cause the stuff grows wild and so does a variety of sage and I smell both when we cut their pasture...just haven't been able to Id it when I'm on the ground.LOL
My mint would probably do better if the dang dog, Bear, would stay off of it and STOP peeing on it...grrrrr, fixin to nail him with the water hose!!! Other than the dog, it looks as if it is trying to spread out in its spot, which is what I want. Will probably pick up a few more varieties later this spring/summer. Had a Chocolate mint that was soooo yummy a couple of years ago, but lost it during the summer months after I had put it in the ground...probably had something to do with one of the dogs. Same with the Lemon Balm...the neighbors' cats would come right up on my deck and chew it to nothing every single time...could have been the cats on the mint as well.
The Crape Myrtles in the front half moon garden are leafing out as is the one on the end of the plant group at the end of the trailer. They are so pretty when they bloom and we do not cut ours back like the ones on the medians and other places. I did some reading on them and there is much discussion about them being cut back so far every year. The last time these were cut like that was when we transplanted them after rescuing them from a demolition job. We have a red at the end of the trailer, a purple/lavender and white ones in the half moon garden. The last two were very mature when we transplanted them, being over six feet tall at the point where they were being cut back every year. Definitely need to get some pictures posted of that bed also...the Rubbertree cuttings I put out there our second winter have developed into very nice little bushes. So far, the Firebush plants in that garden are coming back slowly...DH says its my fault because I don't keep the grass off of them...okay HE is the one who wanted them there...but its my job to take care of them...grrrr...get a life dude!...or at least help out.LOL They will grow as they want and seem to be coming along ok...at least they are still showing growth. Guess it just kills him because the two that we didn't think would make it are doing fantastic in their huge pots...of course I had to cut them way back because they had been so damaged and broken during the demolition job. DH just hates to see perfectly good plants get trashed...some I can save and some I cannot. But I do think it is sweet that he brings them all home to me to "doctor" back to living.
No further blooms on my little "Sunsprite" rosebush...she is putting out some nice foliage right now and is probably just enjoying being able to set new leaves without having them chomped on constantly. Should probably pick up some Rose food to mix for her every now and then...she loves bananas and I put them around in her pot occasionally...momma is the one who told me Roses love bananas and she was sooo right... I had a Blush that would absolutely set blooms within two or three days after placing a banana around her ground. Now if Sunsprite follows in that one's footsteps that would be awesome... |
| Stormdancer Posted on Friday, April 18, 2008 - 06:20 am: | |
WOOOHOOO!!! The warmer weather is returning!! While yesterday was very pleasant after our dip back to brrr early in the week, today should really feel like our Florida weather. We are heading back up in the 80's today and by next week, we shall be in the high 80's which will feel more like summer weather...just got the electric bill and it has begun to drop...YEAH!!! Had to laugh when DH came in last night...HE actually was the one closing the windows and doors and turning on the heat because HE was cold!!!...hahaha, usually its ME that is the popsicle... told him he just needed to put long sleeves on. The temps had begun dropping as the sun was setting, but it was still in the low 60's.
Trying to get the Confederate Jasmine to root, took some cuttings a couple of days ago...hopefully I will have success. Its really planted in a bad spot and I need to dig it out and move the entire plant...but at this time, I don't want to kill it either and that's what worries me. Don't know why anyone would have planted it that close to the back door knowing how crazy it becomes and how heavy the fragrance is. I love the smell, but know that it can bring on some very nasty headaches.
DS finally remembered to bring me the cuttings he has had for several days...ooohhhh, how pretty they are, now to see if they will root and then maybe Id them. Got some very different looking flowers on these cuttings...I hope they take root.
One of my Hibiscus cuttings that I had out in the bucket has popped its first bud open...very different color than the parent plant which is RED...this is a pale pink...wondering if it has to do with the fact that the cutting is in water rather than dirt? Those cuttings have been out in the bucket since what, September or October??...wasn't something I intended to grow, was just hating the idea of tossing the nice long cuttings when I pruned her so I dropped them in the bucket and now it looks as if I have some new plants needing to go in the ground. These will probably end up in pots as the deer will chew any new plants like that clean to the ground. Looking like the "green thumb" may be returning...lol. Bout time...was beginning to wonder if anything would ever grow for me again!!! |
| Stormdancer Posted on Saturday, April 19, 2008 - 09:14 pm: | |
DH's youngest brother's youngest son got married this afternoon...makes me feel old!! When we first got together this kid was just starting kindergarden, now he's got a two year old of his own and finally marrying the girl he's been with since middle school...seems this family has luck with marriages lasting even when they start as kids, that's a good thing and I wish them happiness and a life full of love for each other.
The party after was great fun and even got DH to dance with me finally... one of the nieces got me on video dancing to "Electric Slide" and "Mony, Mony"...two of the songs that I love to dance to...too bad DH wasn't up to the dancing, cause the music was sure in my feet tonight. Looks like the kids will be partying long after all the "old farts" poop out...little do they realize, all of us have already been there and done that...lol
Was a very beautiful warm day and even though the clouds grew dark and threatening, the rain never came...worked out perfect as the wedding was outside.
Had a very large American Kestrel outside the chicken yard yesterday. Was sitting on the porch visiting with my sis when the chickens started making all kinds of racket...very unusual for them so I went to check...both dogs went along and as I got close to the pen, I saw the Kestrel fly up to a close pine...looked ruffled like she had attempted to get through the fence. Made Spike come in, he is small enough for her to attack, and Mojo hung out near the pen for a bit. Saw the Kestrel finally give up and head out across the neighbor's pasture. Glad the pen is fully enclosed. She sure was upset to be run off, screeched all the way out of the area. On a different note, we have one Mourning Dove that is totally stupid...keeps getting inside the pen and then can't seem to remember how to get back out...I feel sorry for the little thing because it keeps banging its little self into the top and the sides of the pen. I usually leave the gate open when I go in to close the coop after they go in...the dove will bounce off every side and the top before finally finding the open gate...goofy little bird...got stuck in there yesterday, landed near the food, promptly got pecked by Ms Piggy, bounced off the side hard and then finally walked through the fence....you'd think it would learn. It is the only bird that seems unable to find its way out.
Hoping to get a chance to work in the garden tomorrow...wanting to get the Basil in the front garden and get some of the seeds planted again as well...still considering just exactly how I want to lay it out. I have a fair idea of what I want where, just a matter of getting it done.... |
| Stormdancer Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 07:33 am: | |
Seems the Kestrel has taken an interest in the chicken pen...makes me very glad that it is totally enclosed. She's hanging outside on the ground next to the pen as if she is looking for an opening...I turned Mojo out as he is large enough to scare her off without becoming her next meal. He thinks its great fun to chase the wild turkeys and make them take to the trees, so figure he will keep her on her toes as well. The chickens aren't scared of Mojo since he usually just sits quietly outside their fence, unlike Spike and Bear who get great pleasure out of charging the fence and watching the chickens scatter. As many squirrels as hang around the chicken pen, I'm surprised she didn't go for the easy meal...there were three or four right on the top of the pen and one of the close trees...guess she just had her mouth set for chicken...lol.
Picked four more tomatoes, checked on the cukes...they are setting blooms already...WOOHOO!! another of my favorite things to munch on!!
Grilled some hamburgers and cooked potatoes with onions wrapped up in foil on the grill as well...sliced up several of the fresh tomatoes and that was supper last night. DS and GD stayed to eat with us...she loves Nana's tomatoes.
DH brought me home several dust masks Friday, so we got to run the mulcher Sunday. My new headset worked well and at least I could hear after we were finished. Got all of the stuff run through and now I have a very nice pile of mulch to use again. DH ran the mower around the firepit and swing area as well.
All in all has been a very productive and pleasant weekend. The temps have returned to the low to mid 80's during the day and the nights are mild, only to the low 60's to high 50's. Sunday night it was still 71f at midnight...summer isn't far behind at this point. |
| Stormdancer Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 10:00 am: | |
More Monday stuff continued:
Almost forgot about our experience with the Scorpion Friday... had sis's gbaby out playing on Mojo's dirt pile with the buckets, shovels and cars while they were here...we had set the lawn chairs under the shade to watch her play. One of our beach chairs that sits very low was placed where the little one could get in it. Sis happened to spot a critter, which of course turned out to be a brown scorpion about 2 inches total...the body was over an inch long itself. We got it knocked off the chair, put the chair away just in case there were more. Next thing we see is Mojo playing with something in the dirt...he's jumping back and then checking it out again....wasn't until he did a little "crow hop" that we saw it was the scorpion...sis thought maybe he had got stung, but I think it just spooked him good. We squashed the scorpion to keep it from hurting anyone. I don't think about these things, I know they are around, I tap on the bricks and pavers when I get ready to move them and usually wear gloves when I handle that stuff...I wasn't even thinking that the baby would run into one on the dirt pile area. DUH!!! Sis is very allergic to bees and we keep the Epipen handy for her. Would have hated to have needed it for the baby.
I also had three black snakes the following day that came right up to the new flowerbed area, across the front walk...one right after the other...was pretty cool to watch. Each was about 3 1/2 feet long and could very possibly be the prior owner of the snakeskin I found out in the back pasture last week. And DH wonders why I grab the rake instead of putting the hands where I can't see. Maybe the snakes will help get some of the rodents under control...if not, guess the Kestrel will have black snake on her menu as well.
The snakeskin I found was pretty cool...totally intact including the tip of the tail and the eye caps...usually find bits and pieces, but never an entire skin in one piece. DS, who collects snakes and other reptiles, tells me that in order for the skin to come off like that the temps and humidity have to be just right... I just thought it was a cool find.
Got Mojo to hop in the front seat of the truck when I headed for town this morning...he wasn't shaking quite as bad as usual this trip. Had to laugh at the bank...the teller at the drive-thru asked if he was the only "puppy" I had with me and then stated that "he looks bigger than you"...he is bigger than me when he's sitting on the seat...she sent him a treat...small Milk Bone, which he wouldn't touch...lol...goofy boy usually inhales the dog cookies. He finally took it when we got home and he was out of the hated "monster" that he just knows is going to eat him. |
Ugh, I had forgotten about the scorpions there. One day while I was out at the pond behind our apartment in St. Pete, my neighbor came running out and showed me a nasty sting on her chest and held up a scorpion in a canning jar. She asked what she should do. I said she should go to the hospital because you just never know if you're allergic to these kinds of things. She'd gotten stung fluffing up the sheets while making the bed. You just never know where you'll find them. I am glad you are all okay. Frightening! |
| Stormdancer Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 11:23 am: | |
LOL...I tend to watch for them like I said...looked of course for snakes when I picked the chair off the ground...but never thought about a scorpion hiding in it...definitely will look from now on tho!! Sis was more concerned for Mojo since he was crow-hopping around in the driveway...I figured he has so much hair that unless the scorpion got a pad, his nose, or the soft part of his belly he'd be ok...Mojo just got up and got away so "momma" could squash it. I have found one or two on the front porch now and then...and I always knock my shoes before I put my feet in them...spiders and scorpions...oh my!!hahahaha...now if my DH would practice this I might be able to lower my stress level many degrees.... |
Haha!
Aah, if only it worked that way. *sigh* LOL. |
| Stormdancer Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - 11:06 am: | |
Looking out my front door you'd swear its summer here in Floria already. Everything is beautiful shades of green, things are blooming and the yard is looking pretty "wild" at the moment...looks like I need to cut the yard again already. From what I heard on the weather the other night, we have been without rain now in our immediate area for about thirteen days...hmmm, I'll have to look back through here and see cause I'm sure I would have written about rain...
With that in mind, looks like we could be entering the dry season now...wild fires are already starting in Brevard county which is south of the Daytona area on the east coast. Darn!! There goes my "hawk deterent" idea...was going to pop bottle rockets her direction when she harasses the chickens. Not now tho, cause with all these pines a spark from that would be ugly. Back to the drawing board there.
Will be watering the garden again this evening...no rain means I water at least twice a week for about ten minutes in the garden. Everything in the front garden will get a bit of water as well. With the mulch the front doesn't get quite as dry as the veggie garden in back which gets sun all day. But our "sandy soil" just lets the water run right through so if I want to have the garden this watering is a must. My furthest garden area has soaker hoses which I really love and they get turned on when I water everything else. Since they water at a much slower rate, they are usually left on for at least an hour.
Still need to get them set up in the veggie garden.
At this time I have almost a dozen tomatoes that are almost ripe enough to pick...think I'll let them stay another day or two, probably pick them sometime Friday or Saturday...we shall see. Hate to leave them long once they begin to turn bright red because it seems things begin to chew on them. The cukes are all in full bloom so I'm thinking we could see fruits in a couple of weeks or so...hope those darn boring worms don't bother them, I really don't want to have to go to chemicals...be looking through the books for my natural stuff and see what I can find. Duh...and I bought those books why? if I'm not going to use them...
SIGH...another reason I need to get that back room done...so I can at least get to the bookcase!! Its on the "to do list" which of course means it may be there for a very long time...lol...but it does have to get finished. |
| Stormdancer Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - 02:17 pm: | |
More for Wed April 23....
Got some scary news regarding DH's job...they are currently out of jobs to do...his boss is scraping metal so he can make payroll and selling some of the equipment off to help take care of the bills. DH doesn't know just how long he will be able to continue working at this time...on the plus side, DH has many talents and is really good at picking up "side jobs". Me, well I'm taking this as a "sign"...we've been discussing the move almost daily and making notes on the things we will definitely need to do in specific order on our first visit up to the property. With this new twist, it seems as if we are being "pushed" to go ahead and make the leap. We normally take the attitude of "if its meant to happen then things will fall into place easily and if not, then it means we should wait"...no work is definitely a good reason to look elsewhere. Financially, its do-able without hurting ourselves too badly. Even the initial costs of getting everything there is something we could handle, right now...if he's out of work here for very long before we get things rolling it will be another story...even traveling back and forth, we will still have to pay the bills here while we are getting things set up there...things will work out if this is indeed what we are to be doing at this time.
The afternoon weather is sure looking different from this morning...the sky has grown full of dark, ominous looking rain clouds...the temps have dropped back to the high 60's ... was 78f earlier...the wind has really picked up in the past hour or so as well. From where I'm sitting, sure looks like we could see a bit of rain possibly by dark...unless the wind pushes it past us. I'm hoping it goes ahead and throws a bit of "liquid sunshine" our way...will save me from having to water the gardens tonight.  |
| Stormdancer Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - 02:23 pm: | |
addition to Wed April 23...checked the archives and seems the last "real rain" we had was around April 9...looks like we may have had some little spits of rain on the 13th from what I wrote...so I can see we are definitely due for rain...hope we get it tonight... |
| Stormdancer Posted on Thursday, April 24, 2008 - 05:47 am: | |
Rain, beautiful rain fell last night about 11 pm...so glad I decided to wait about watering the garden. It came down pretty hard for about twenty minutes and then was gone. Makes me glad I don't have any tender seedlings sprouting at this time. Not sure how much we got, but at this point, I'll take whatever we get.
Saw a very large Raccoon in the yard last night before dark...this is the first and only one I've seen out here...makes me think it could have been it when Goldy disappeared. Could be what Spike has the scent of when he is exploring behind the coop. I worry about the coons because of rabies...constantly seem to hear of them being rabid here. A family near the Orlando area had their kids attacked by a Fox yesterday according to the news...the fox was killed, but now they are waiting to hear if the kids are going to have to take rabies shots. Several of the kids were bitten. Just one more thing to watch for.
Weather so far is beautiful once more with loads of sunshine bouncing across the early morning sky... looks like the beginning of a fine day. |
| Stormdancer Posted on Thursday, April 24, 2008 - 12:32 pm: | |
The afternoon is as beautiful as the morning... the temps have hit 80 f at this time, with a light breeze to cool the sunshine. Last night's rain doesn't appear to have been much, maybe 1/4 inch or so.
The Confederate Jasmine has popped into full bloom on the back deck...the starts I took aren't looking very promising at this point...but we shall continue to watch for roots.
DS has told us he has seen rabbits at the end of the drive the past two nights when he leaves...haven't seen the rabbits but once since we moved here....so far they haven't discovered the garden out back...I'm hoping they don't.
DH continues to deal with the allergy flare-up caused by the pine mulching over the weekend...tried to get him to use the dust mask that night to no avail. Guess he'll just have to deal with it until it passes...lucky him.
Spent the morning at the farm going through things with the boss...glad I'm done for the week now, I'll just have to remember not to answer the phone Friday morning without checking the caller id...I'm behind on so many things here at my own space that I need to concentrate on our needs right now.
Went into town and picked up the sticker for the trailer so DH can make a scrap run for us...he has finally got his junk picked through so he can start cashing it in...just had to renew the tag. Really don't understand what everyone whines about when they go to the tag office...I've rarely been there longer than fifteen minutes myself...today was no exception, took a number and before I could get sat down I was directed back to the clerk. Took me longer to drive in to town than it did to get the sticker...my kind of service. 
Noticed that quite a few of the new plantings that were put in last summer in one of the new developments had been pulled out...good to know that I'm not the only one who "kills" things...lol...my own plants are looking pretty good at this time. I need to take the truck out back to the new mulch pile and load it so I can spread it out front around the new beds and walkway...seems DH has the back pasture blocked with the loader right at the present time...he has it parked square in the middle of the drive area so I can't get my little truck past it...grrrr...and of course its one of those pieces of equipment that only HE knows how to start...its kinda rigged...my luck, its probably out of gas. Got quite a bit of mulch around the new plants in the bed, but was needing more to complete the walkway and remaining area in the new bed. Hopefully, I'll have enough to continue along in front of the other front beds off the screened porch area. So hard to get in the mood to do this with knowing that we could actually be making a move later this summer if the job situation doesn't improve. Reality bites, but I'm excited about the prospect of moving to the mountain... |
| Stormdancer Posted on Friday, April 25, 2008 - 11:28 am: | |
Woke up yesterday with the allergies flaring a bit, today is not much better. Sure would like to know what is triggering this for me!! I've been trying to stay away from things like the mulch for this very reason...oh well, shall be eating allergy/sinus pills again until it is past...was hoping to get out to the garden today, but with the nose dripping like a leaky faucet that doesn't seem likely...and the headache that comes with it, YUCK...
DH and I spent the evening getting the trailer loaded for our scrap run on Saturday...he has been hanging on to some of this junk for years and is finally ready to let it go...WOOOHOOO!!
He showed me how the loader is started (HA!! I knew it was rigged!)and I finally drove this one for the first time...he definitely needs to work on that thing...hard to steer is an understatement. But we have only a few more things to load tonight and then off to the scrap yard first thing Saturday morning...looks like this weekend will be a very full working weekend...
A friend called late last night wanting to know when we might be available to run the brush hog on her back pasture...got some trim work to do for her as well... so that will be our Sunday chore this week... looks like the tractor service is back in business for a short time!! We were supposed to go cut for her last summer, but she never was ready then... ah well, better late than never I guess. I'm just curious to see how high the pasture has grown. Can't seem to get her to understand that it really should be cut even during drought conditions just to allow for new growth and to get rid of the dry dead tops. Our back pasture remained green last year because I kept it trimmed. Only had to cut some areas once, but at least it took the dry off the top.
Today is kinda odd...the temps are pretty warm, even at 8 am they were already in the mid 70's, yet it was very cloudy and overcast up until about an hour ago. If it is gonna rain, I hope it does it today instead of the weekend. |
