trees and ants and meds

A couple of the commenters on my last post offered suggestions on watering my pecan trees and they both had one thing in common, placing the source of water at the bottom of the trunk. The problem with that, according to the certified arborist that spoke at one of the EarthLabs, is that there aren't any feeder roots at the base of the tree, just the big artery roots. The small feeder roots are spread out under the canopy and only in the top 15” - 18” of ground.

Using a search engine to further clarify, one site says the critical watering zone is two thirds of the height of the tree away from the trunk with a soaker hose spread around the tree or a sprinkler or just letting the water run or a 5 gallon bucket with holes in the bottom for small newly planted trees.

I looked at several sites and they all say basically the same. I use either a sprinkler on low that throws a circle of water out about 4' or 5' in diameter but not up in the air or just turn the hose on low flow and let it run under the canopy, usually about 10' – 15' away from the trunk, which is what I'm doing this Sunday morning because I only have one sprinkler and I'm using it elsewhere. The birds, btw, are loving the sprinkler. They dart in and out of the spray, hang out on whatever plant or shrub.

My trees are mature, 25” - 35” diameters. Two of them are on either side of the septic drain field so I figure they are getting some water from that. The third does not and it seems to be the one that's dropping the most green pecans though the other two are as well. I've filled the 5 gallon bucket from the previous post to the rim and am starting on another.

Sunday the ants were on the kitchen counter when we got up, seemed to be ignoring the bait trap but by mid morning they were gone for the day at least. I located an area in the upper cabinet to seal and did that. Today, Monday they were back on the kitchen counter ignoring the bait trap so I followed their trail and dammit all to hell, they were coming in and out of the third prong hole from the outlet the coffee pot and grinder are plugged into, neither of which have that third prong. The little faces look dismayed do they not? 

How the fuck do I stop that up? I put a piece of tape over it. Speak no evil, especially ants.

Friday I spent a good deal of time on the phone trying to get meds straightened out. August 20 I renewed my two meds for the afib, sotolol and eliquis. A few days later I got an email that their pharmacist was holding up the eliquis and they had tried to reach my doctor to no avail but my other scrip was on it's way only they sent out the larger dose instead of the one I ordered. Three phone calls from me to the online pharmacy and one to my doctor's office and two return calls from his nurse who also called the online pharmacy and it was finally straightened out and the eliquis is on it's way. But while I had the nurse on the phone I told her I didn't think the lower dose of the sotolol the doctor put me on 3 months ago was doing the job, that I was having way more frequent and sometimes long breakthrough episodes. She told me to go back on the larger dose since I tolerated it well, that the doctor had lowered the dose because he thought I had complained about not having any energy (which I think he probably must have misunderstood something I said, maybe confusing motivation with energy, because he did say something about more energy), and I remember telling my husband when I got home that more energy was the last thing I needed. And then, of course, the heat dome came and sat on us and that was the end of any energy.

P.S. I'm trying to be better about replying to comments which you may or may not have noticed.

One last little observation. White wing doves, when they sit on a branch looking down, look like miniature vultures.