Thursday, September 13, 2018

demolition, garden club, and a rescue


The mosquitos are so bad out there that if you walk anywhere even near foliage you are immediately swarmed from head to foot. Takes them a few extra seconds more to find you standing out in the open. Rained again early yesterday morning with light sprinkling throughout the day but so far no rain today. That is supposed to change tomorrow and Saturday as another big mass of tropical moisture (not quite a tropical storm) is in the Gulf and headed straight for us. Because, of course. Gunnar bleached and power washed the house yesterday while Rocky worked on demolishing the big planter that lines the small covered porch in the front of the house only to discover that the 8” x 8” pillar at the end that the wrought iron piece sits on that supports the roof is not made of brick but solid concrete. Yay! He managed to bust off a portion at the top with a sledge hammer but it's gonna need a jackhammer to take it down.




I've guess I'm not going to do any more model making until I have cast the ones I have ready. I think. I haven't started anything else and today I went to the garden club meeting and then cleaned the cedar chest. This was the first meeting of the year for the garden club which meets September through June. I usually miss more meetings than I attend because the programs don't usually interest me but today it was about native perennials, my favorite kinds of plants. The club also has a drawing at the end of each meeting to give away the things that other members bring for 'door' prizes, most always plants of some kind or another but also sometimes not plant but garden related. Since the first meeting of the year is always well attended and many people bring something for the drawings there was a lot of stuff today, even I took something, a volunteer confederate rose that had come up. My ticket rarely gets pulled but sometimes it does and even more rarely right away. Today, there was a rain gauge on offer someone had donated. 'I hope my number gets called first,' I told my sister, 'because I want that rain gauge'. Well, it didn't get called first and the lady picked a plant but it did get called second so I wasted no time getting over to the table and then bid my sister adieu.


The other thing I did today was clean the cedar chest that was damaged from Harvey but I couldn't throw it out. I emptied it, washed it off as best I could, and then put it in the garage where it has been for the last year. I got Rocky and Gunnar to carry it in for me yesterday and so I removed the rest of the veneer that I hadn't already pulled off since it was all bubbled up and cleaned it inside and out. I still need to get some good wood cleaner and go over it again and it should be sanded where there had been veneer but that means going outside again and with the mosquitos this bad that's not likely to happen or I could get the wood cleaner and then move it into the back bedroom where it goes and out of the way. Guess which one's probably gonna happen.


Oh, and the other thing I did was go back to the ditch along an empty field where I saw three or four clumps of blooming oxblood lilies (did I take a before picture of them in situ? have you met me before?) blooming in the ditch and dug some of them up. The muddy clumps I dug up expanded when I rinsed them off. Giving some to my sister and the rest I'll have to get planted. Not great timing considering the whole mosquito thing.







17 comments:

  1. Our mosquitoes are just starting to be unbearable due to all this rain. Nights are starting to cool, though, so maybe that will make them retreat. You have had your share of repairs and seem to be mellow about it all.

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    1. well, I figure getting all upset won't help and will just raise my blood pressure.

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  2. Those lilies will be amazing when you plant them again. Don't you need some kind of support at the corner of that roof? Are you putting in a new pillar?

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    1. yes and yes. it's not obvious from the last picture but that vertical brown stripe at the corner of the house is a 4"x8" supporting the roof. once he has the concrete removed he'll move it to the corner of the roof that the wrought iron is hanging from.

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  3. The lillies are beautiful but I’m with you on the mosquito issue. Just keep them in dirt and light till the coast is clear to go outside again. It has been a rough year with bugs because of all the rain we have had in the NE this year and I have spent less time in my gardens. Five minutes outside usually equals five bites.

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    1. that's probably what I'll do since we're still getting rain anyway.

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  4. Heat. Mosquitoes. It's all too much and whatever energy I may have managed to maintain up until now has dripped off me with the sweat. I swear. The local weather guy that I like here warned us that Florence was going to make it hotter for us and I didn't believe him but he was right.
    I surely love those oxblood lilies. You have the best lilies.
    I hope Isaac doesn't give you any trouble. You've seen enough.

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    1. the temps are tolerable due to the rain but because of the rain and mosquitoes I can't go out. I'm hoping Isaac dissipates instead of strengthens but one neighbor already has her bags packed and is ready to leave. I have the oxblood lilies in two places but they have only bloomed in one location and I'm wondering if the bridal veil wandering jew with it's tiny white flowers that sort of took over there is responsible. oh, and, I forgot to add the picture of the cedar chest but it's there now.

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  5. All the little and unexpected jobs are so damn discouraging, especially in mosquitoes. The job this weekend is to spread out some plants. No oxblood, though. I must look into them. The therapist yesterday commented on the depression glass ornament. Like everybody, she had to know what it is for. It holds down my garden, I replied. Nails it right to the ground.

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    1. they are tropical bulbs, hardy from zone 7 to 11. I could send you some but you would have to dig them up every year and replant. and how funny, people want to know what the totem is for. uh, decoration? but your answer is perfect.

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  6. I am covered in mosquitos all summer being on the lake with mass plantings. Last year I bought a huge citronella plant and sat it right next to my chair on the porch and they lived in it. I just hate to spray stuff on me, I hate those little f er's.

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    1. yeah, I bought one of those citronella plants last year too. didn't impede them one bit.

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  7. Those oxblood lilies remind me of the surprise lilies that would bloom in Ohio - those were usually pink. When I first saw them I thought they were BIZARRE because they didn't have any foliage.

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  8. Galveston flooded again today, and yesterday we had street flooding, so I guess (I hope) it's headed your way. The mosquitoes are swarming everywhere: no grass or shrubs needed. The dragonflies seem happy, though. Dinner on the wing.
    I saw some of those lilies in a vacant lot before the rain. They seem to have disappeared now, except maybe some new ones are coming up. I was tempted to stop and explore, but as soon as I opened the car door -- well, you know what. Danged mosquitoes.

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    1. well, I hope not. I could use a few dry days. just a few mind you.

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  9. Those lilies are gorgeous.

    When we lived in paradise (3° south of the equator), I innocently tried all the *nice* stuff to handle the mosquitoes, the burning coils, lemon grass, various oils - but soon enough, spraying DEET over legs and arms at sunset was as natural as having a rum punch.

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  10. That sounds like a lot of mosquitoes... hopefully the cooling weather will take care of their enthusiasm.

    Love the lilies.

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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.