Checked
the rain gauge Thursday morning and we got 4” of rain last Wednesday but Thursday the sun was shining and the wind was howling and the ground was
littered with pecans, this after I thought the harvest was dwindling.
I might have some to sell after all. I still haven't picked them all
up.
I
finished filling the anole with 10 petal anemone mold, all the
tedious noodling of crushed glass into tiny spaces building it up and
shoring it up is done and it and the second hummingbird mold are in
the kiln. I have one more mold waiting, the 3rd of the
large Drowned Feathers, but it can wait. I started on the finish work
yesterday and got the edge work done on the two pieces I want stands
made for if Chuck will ever work me in. Time is getting short before
our holiday open house weekends with the glass blowers. This will be
the 20th year and maybe the last. It's a lot of work and
age is catching up with one half of their team.
I
think I'll work out in the yard today continuing to clear the daylily flower bed. I have two large plants that need to go in the ground
because they have outgrown their pots and I'd like to get them
settled in before the cold weather stays. Of course, if we have a
hard winter they will both freeze to the ground but hopefully will
come back.
Many
hours later...
The
ground is still too wet at the shadier end of this particular flower
bed for the digging up of dewberry, evening primrose, and other assorted unwanted stuff after our 4” of rain last Wednesday but I got the
pink angel trumpet planted in there anyway.
Before I could plant the
porterweed at the other end where it was perhaps not the perfect
dryness but good enough, I had to dig out about 16 square feet of
black and blue salvia which is invasive and forms big nodules on it's
roots and is just taking over that end of the flowerbed.
Minnie
helped me dig, just not in the right spot
It's all got
to come out but today I just took out enough to accomplish my goal.
But even before I did all that, I went around with my Dawn dish
detergent orange oil soapy water and liberally doused all the fire
ants, including the ones that had taken up residence in the
porterweed pot. After I got the two plants in the ground and gathered
up all the plant trash and trundled it over to the burn pile at the
shop in the wheelbarrow, I made a half hearted attempt to get the
rest of the pecans and then I took the dog for her (very short) walk
and then took a shower. Needless to say, I'm bushed but it was a
beautiful day and I enjoyed being outside.
Tomorrow
I'll be back over at the shop continuing the finish work on the four
castings as it's supposed to be another rainy day.
great, make the most of a beautiful day!!! The memory must get you through the winter.
ReplyDeleteI trimmed back a crazy rose yesterday that never really blooms but sends out shoots ten feel long and I weeded around it and freed a garden hose that had been totally grown over with some horrible wiry plant that is getting away from me and then I laid poopy hay from the chicken coop around the base of the rose and dammit! Why won't that thing die?
ReplyDeleteMy yard is truly becoming beyond my ability to keep control over it.
mine too. I'm planning to take out a small flower bed around the native peach tree because it's near the rain tree and it's too much trouble to keep it clear of the seedlings and it doesn't get that much sun anyway. just one less thing I have to maintain.
DeleteThat's a whole lotta work! Aching back, indeed. The angel's trumpet looks good in that spot. I am so glad I no longer have to deal with fire ants.
ReplyDeleteSo -- tell me about this fire ant trick. How much Dawn, how much orange oil, and how much water? I've not heard of this one, and it would be good to know.
ReplyDeletesome time ago I came across a field study that A&M did on fire ants and poisons to determine which was the most effective. many of the poisons were not, or were marginally effective, and they found that Dawn dish detergent mixed with orange oil was the most effective. now, nothing is going to eliminate them completely because all those nests are connected underground but you can discourage them from building in certain spots. now and then they will attempt to reopen a nest I've run them off of but you just treat it again. this stuff kills the shit out of the ants and the eggs. I don't remember the exact formula A&M used in their study but I think it was somewhere around 1/2 cup Dawn and 1/4 cup orange oil to a gallon of water. I don't measure whether it's a gallon bucket or a 5 gallon bucket. I just eyeball it and pour in enough soap to make it feel slimy and a nice light to medium turquoise color and then the orange oil enough to turn it more greenish aqua. I don't think the exact proportions matter as long as it's soapy enough. and it is biodegradable. no poison that stays around! not toxic to pets. I generally treat the yard in the spring and fall and maybe a spot here and there the rest of the time. I don't treat every mound, just the ones in my flower beds or pots and the pathways I use. the ones is the middle of the yard I let be since they are easy to avoid and the mower generally does them in.
DeleteAh, the true artist in mixing a formula! I am exhausted after reading this post. But I can relate - once you get a sunny day after weeks of gloom, you tend to lose your sense of reality! Looking forward to seeing what comes out of the kiln...
ReplyDeleteSometimes I wish I enjoyed working in the yard, but then I decide to just go back to my crochet :)
ReplyDeleteQuite some work there.But how I envy you the rain!
ReplyDeleteYou make me tired just reading all that. LOL
ReplyDelete