Rocky showed back up Friday and replaced a leaky ball joint to what was the connection to the water heater we tossed out after Harvey and have not replaced. I have no idea if it worked since we never tried to use the hot water previous to the flood. And then he replaced the galvanized pipe that ran above the studio to the sink connections, then reattached the flexible hose from the water pipe to the sink faucet and then turned the water on again...softly, slowly...and it all held and ears to the bathroom wall listening for the sound of water leaking and nada. Phew! Then he cut out the section of ruined sheetrock in the ceiling to see why the roof repair didn't hold. Except I went over a couple of hours later just to check and discovered two very very slow drips, one from the p-trap under the work sink and one from the connection to the shut off valve to the toilet. I just put basins under each until Rocky comes back to finish repairing the roof and ceiling in the studio. It was so miserably hot over there.
It is so miserably hot outside today. It's currently, at the time of this writing, only 87˚ with 58% humidity. But here's the forecast for today...
Note the real feel is 103˚, 98˚ in the shade. In the shade!
My daylilies should be in full bloom by now. I've had 3 varieties bloom but sparser than usual, a couple of others put up only one or two flowers, and my common double orange daylilies that comprise 80% +/- of the daylily bed are not blooming at all, no bloom scapes except for one or two plants but the nile lilies surprised me with three blooms.
I didn't think they would bloom this year since they froze to the ground and took a long time to come out. Another surprise was two easter lilies since they also froze to the ground though smaller ones that were just beginning to grow survived and these flowers came from some of those.
The red crinum lilies are putting up their bloom stalks
and the yellow angel trumpet in a pot is blooming again
and even the pink one has put on a couple of buds.
The butternut squash vines growing out of the compost pile are taking over the yard. I picked four more today for a total of six and counted 14 more on the vines from 3” big to big ones.
You might remember I bought a large faceted glass ball a while back. It hangs in the window where I sit at the computer and this morning it was casting rainbow spots all over the walls and ceiling.
And finally, I did get a return email from the precinct 2 commissioner who assured me he did know how to drain water since I questioned that in my email to him and he agreed that just a scoop at each end of the culverts does not solve the problem and would get it fixed in the near future. He also said he would be by my house Thursday or Friday but if he did come by, he just drove by because nobody around here ever saw him.
Hmmmm...I would love to know whether the commish showed up. Love the disco ball effect of your glass ball! We have a similar one and it always throws interesting rainbows. Hope the plumbing gets sorted!
ReplyDeleteif he did he certainly wasn't interested in stopping and engaging me in conversation. the plumbing is all but done. it's the rusty metal leaky roof that is the main problem now.
DeleteI can't believe your butternut squash plant is already producing such beautiful squash. Wow! Our squash plants are just now starting to produce flowers. Love the rainbow light on the walls there. Such a cool sight.
ReplyDeleteHow interesting that the commissioner said he would be by your house and yet you never saw him... mmm...
I hope the temps cool down there.
our spring gardens go in late February to early March here and then we have fall gardens too. the butternut was not planned. I've had squash come up in the compost pile before but never produce anything. these butternut vines are being phenomenal. what am I going to do 20 butternut squashes! the neighbors are all getting one even if I have to leave it on their doorstep in the middle of the night.
DeleteCurrently it's 110 degrees, with 3% humidity. It is just unholy hot. The rest of the week will be worse. Yay! At least it's not humid yet, that comes in July and August when we get the cloud build ups that don't bring rain.
ReplyDeleteHope you get the plumbing sorted soon.
my sister lived in Arizona for a number of years and that's what she said too about the 'dry' heat. when it's 110, dry or wet, it's hot.
DeleteI was looking at your Nile lilies and thought to myself, "Wait- I always thought that was agapanthus." I just looked it up. Same-same. "Agapanthus" is one of my favorite words and I have no idea why. Like- that should be the name of the protagonist in a novel.
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm thinking about it, if you want a recipe for some of your butternut squashes (and Lord, they are beautiful!) let me know. I make a curried soup with them and cashews and sweet potatoes that I love so much. It's a NYT's cooking app recipe so if I link it you're just going to get a fire wall but I'll make sure you get it. It was offered for free somewhere and I tried it and ended up buying the app.
I am hoping that my crinum lilies will bloom this year as they have a lot more sun now that we cut down the cherry laurel but no sign of that happening yet.
Your city commissioner- well. That's about what I'd expect.
Too hot here too and it's only June.
yes, I would like that recipe. my favorite word has always been 'ocean'. the way it sounds and feels being spoken and especially the way it's written in cursive, like the waves coming to shore.
Deleteif the precinct 2 commissioner did come by he must have just driven by. if he stopped, it was just for a minute. we'll see, he says they are working on the problem but seems to me if they were going to grade the ditches they would have done it when the digger came out instead of just at each end of the culverts.
I hope your crinums bloom. what color are they? I have two bulbs I got at a giveaway, too young to bloom but they are in the ground now so I hope they bloom soon so I can see what color they are. I lost my pink ones to the deep freeze.
I expect he sent someone else to drive by..
ReplyDeletePlumbing is a never-ending thing chez Ellen, it seems.
Your flowers always amaze me.
I had a butternut squash and today baked banana bread with it, instead of bananas. Tired of the soup for now.
we've hit high summer now so only the most stalwart flowers will bloom, the orange cosmos and zinnias, the ginger.
DeleteI think we've got the plumbing under control now except for those two spots that just need to be tightened. it's the rusted metal roof on the shop that continues to give me fits. next try is flex seal paste.
Your row of squash looks like a ghost family looking out the window :)
ReplyDeleteit does, doesn't it.
DeleteI had a momentary optical delusion up there. I visually blended the racing squash vines with the line of butternuts looking out the window into one picture and laughed that you had posed them inside the house, looking out at what they escaped from.
ReplyDeleteexcept the vines are way at the back of the property. they're all lined up in the window to get a bit more ripe because they looked oranger in the sun than in the house.
DeleteSquash already. Our plants are just starting to burst forth. Lovely lilies.
ReplyDeletespring gardens go in very early here. and these guys, seeds tossed on the compost pile, planted themselves.
DeleteI hope the commissioner actually did check it out. You'll be able to tell if another team is sent to work on the culvert water issues. Remember to keep bugging him if no action on the culverts:) I love how all your wall hangings look on your white wall. You have made a nice arrangement of them.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure he's getting an earful from more neighbors than just me. and truth be told, my end isn't a problem, well except for the hole they just dug.
DeleteThat faceted glass ball is spectacular. House maintenance is so dispiriting, I find. So much feels beyond my control. But, nothing to do but bird dog it, so go, you.
ReplyDeleteyeah, that's the downside to home/property ownership. all the maintenance and repairs are on you. I've got a good fix-it guy so that helps. it's the housecleaning that I can't seem to manage.
DeleteI am such a sucker for glass, especially faceted glass. I have to get nosy and ask where you purchased that crystal globe. I think it's gorgeous and I love the way the light displays all around your room. Wonderfully calming effect! And your flowers are just as lovely. I know how much work you put into your gardens and it definitely shows the labor and love. Thanks for sharing!!!
ReplyDeletethere a junk/antique store here in town and that's where I got it. she has a lot of them, most have a chip or two but I was fortunate enough to find one in perfect shape.
DeleteWe are just a few days behind you now with the lilies and the agapanthus getting ready.
ReplyDeleteYour plumbing series is turning into an epic saga, what next???
And that faceted glass is such a beauty.
Goodness. I love your agapantha.
ReplyDeleteThose red crinums are lovely; they're one of my favorites. I'll confess that I hate and despise Easter lilies. They're pretty, but to my nose they don't have a scent -- they have an odor, and it isn't pleasant. I'll make a big detour around them in the grocery stores when they're in season. As for the heat: well, yes. It takes me a couple of weeks to adjust to being out on the docks when summer shows up, and I'm still adjusting. I need to drink even more water, I know that. Readjusting to that takes a little time, too.
ReplyDelete