Tuesday, June 18, 2019

summer picks and pics from the yard part 1


I did finally finish filling the mold I had been working on and it's currently in the kiln. And I finally got a night blooming cereus cutting wrapped up and sent off to a friend. And I finally cut back three pecan trees that had sprouted snug up under three established plants so there was no way to dig them out and treated the stubs with brush killer (no spraying, just a few drops from a pipet). And I finally made tomato sauce as well as skinned and cut up those that were left and froze all that from the tomatoes that have been piling up in the refrigerator and on the windowsill which is now already full of more ripening tomatoes. And I finally went to the feed store and got some insecticidal soap for the stink bugs. And I am finally resigned to going through with all the scheduled procedures and now I just want it to be over with and working.

The summer yard is hot and wet (another 1 1/2” of rain Sunday night accompanied by a freaky little dog wanting lay on my head and pant in my face) and full of mosquitoes (which had just started to diminish after the 11” we got week before last) and the weeds from the seeds deposited when the yard flooded from that 11” of rain have all sprouted and some of the plants I bought during the last trip to the nursery for summer blooms have either died or aren't blooming and I desperately need to trim the little backyard but damn it's hot and humid and the mosquitoes are fierce!

Nevertheless there are some bright spots. One of the yellow angel trumpets bloomed (but still not the pink which has never bloomed) and the plumerias are starting to bloom, the native Texas star hibiscus,


and the datura which I never remember to go out and look at at night when they open


the pink crinum lilies are done but the reds are just starting up


the day lilies are nearly done, nile lilies are still blooming, zinnias too even though many of them are laying on the ground from the heavy wind and rain, the orange cosmos are starting up, and the rangoon creeper is in full bloom.


A huge limb from the native pecan at the back of the property that straddles the property line (mostly on her side) has fallen but not broken off completely because, I think, it fell on top of my neighbor's container. 


I imagine we will get it taken care of since no one seems to maintain that property anymore after she called the sheriff on us for 'stealing her stuff' last February or maybe I'll just trim off the branches hanging on our side or let the whole thing hang there til she shows up again and let her deal with it. I've got bigger fish to fry right now and other expenses to take care of.

Next: the summer yard part 2 – the critter version




6 comments:

  1. Just had a walk in which I reunited a dog with its human and now I guess I'll go do some yard work. I sure do wish I had as many beautiful flowers as you do.
    I hope you've come to peace with your decision to go ahead with the procedure. GET 'ER DONE! Proud of you, woman.

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  2. Yard work is never done. The storm we had Monday knocked over mt potted lemon trees. These are big pots too. So I had to throw some soil back into the pots that lost theirs. You have such beautiful flowers. The Texas heat is a killer. I prefer to go out in the evening when it's setting. Some how it gets a lot cooler around 9 pm. Oh the second weather guy was right. That storm up in Austin went zzzZZZTT. Yeah, it fizzled right up before it even got here. Not even a bit of spit.

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  3. All wonderful, lush and soo colourful.

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  4. I read that you have weighed it carefully and made your decision. Reasoning things through is a great ability of people, and especially of people who do it. Good job. Your yard looks as if it's had an equal amount of attention. I have a friend who has those little night blooming thingies, except hers bloom at dusk. She has chairs set around and she and her neighbors gather to watch them open.

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  5. You have an abundance of flowers. My early lilies are done, mid-lilies waning and late lilies just starting.

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