We did not get any more rain but the temps have adjusted down to mid to low 90s. After this horrible summer it's amazing how tolerable that feels.
My life is so exciting that I cannot remember what I did on Saturday. Apparently nothing. Oh, I guess we finished watching season 3 of Reservation Dogs. I had replied to a comment that it has been canceled but then I read that season 3 was written as and intended to be the last season which is a shame because it is so good.
Sunday I read all day trying to plow through this last book of a trilogy which I'm totally over to the point that I'm just skimming over some pages. Depends if there's action or just the same sort of dialog that has been prevalent through all three books.
I did haul two cart loads of fallen tree debris over to the burn pile and trimmed two small branches off the yew tree over the deck with my little mini chainsaw and picked up the dropped pecans which I hadn't done for two days. When they drop early and with the husks still on they're either rotten inside or empty. I've filled two 5 gallon buckets to the rim and am a little less than halfway on a third. Still, I look up and see plenty of pecans on the trees. My neighbor thinks the ones being dropped are at the tops of the trees getting scorched by the horrible heat and lack of rain.
We did a run to Spec's (liquor warehouse) and Costco today to stock up. Spec's is in the shopping mecca in Rosenberg and Costco a little farther in Sugar Land which is basically an extension of Houston nowadays. When they built that Costco out there it was in the middle of nowhere, standing alone. Now it's surrounded by another shopping mecca and housing developments. Houston is slowly inexorably stretching out towards us. This visit to Costco was a little disappointing. They did not have the cereal I buy, they did not have the samosas, they did not have bird seed, and when I asked about the chia seeds the woman told me she heard they had been discontinued. They did have the spanikopita which they haven't had the last several times we've been though I think it's a different brand. They used to carry the short grain brown rice which I like but haven't had that for years which is why I buy it online now. You know what they did have? A million different versions of moon cakes. OK, maybe not a million. And Christmas. They had Christmas out the wazoo, just passed over Halloween and Thanksgiving altogether though I did see a rack of Halloween costumes. Anyway, I just avoid those isles.
Since this morning was the coolest morning we've had so far I grabbed the shovel and turned the dirt where the tomatoes and zinnias were this spring to start getting it ready for the winter garden. It was perfect for digging, not too wet from the rain, not hard and dry. I'll mix in some compost and fertilizer before I plant.
That 2” of rain after so long without has prompted the yellow rain lilies. The camera would not focus on the rain lilies no matter how many times I tried.
And while I don't have any surprise lilies (yet hopefully) or hurricane lilies as Ms Moon calls them, the oxblood lilies are popping up all over.
Oh, just saw a hummingbird come hover right outside my window looking in.
The hummingbirds left us a while back. I get maybe three brief sightings a year, such excitement.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to set out my feeders today as the only thing blooming is the turk's cap and the yellow bells sparsely though we do get a few who summer over here. saw a ruby throated a few days ago.
DeleteThe cure for that trilogy is almost anything by Elmore Leonard, the prince of living dialogue. Also for the first of his Ten Rules For Fiction Writers. "Never mention the weather on page one."
ReplyDeletewhat?! no 'it was a dark and stormy night'? anyway, it wasn't about the weather so much as my changing perception of it.
DeleteMike saw a hummingbird scoot past the kitchen window yesterday evening. We just haven't been sitting outside as much as in years past so I've mostly missed them.
ReplyDeleteNow I want to know what the trilogy was! I just finished that Dean Koontz book you read & ended up not really liking it at all. It was already pedantic & over the top & then that business of plugging into the outlets to create more - no thank you. Ha! I usually like his stuff, so I may try again with the next book.
Nora Roberts 'The Dragon Heart Legacy', bit of fantasy with the Fey in Ireland. I usually like Nora Roberts, she's a prolific writer and a good storyteller. I do just skip over the blow by blow sex descriptions in all her books. I was interested enough in the first two so I don't know why I'm not really engaged in this one. The Dean Koontz book was a bit far fetched even for him.
DeleteIt is infuriating when Costco arbitrarily decides to stop carrying something. If seems to happen more often than is reasonable.
ReplyDeletemy local grocery store does the same. so many products I used to buy there that they have stopped carrying. it's aggravating.
DeleteJust left Walmart and their shelves are bare again! Couldn't find many things that The Patient had requested. He wanted biscuits and gravy. from the frozen aisle, but there were none to be found. I bought sausage biscuits from Jimmy Dean and bought an envelope of the the sausage gravy mix. It made two cups and now he can just nuke the frozen biscuits and heat up some of the gravy. He made a face after I went to the trouble of making the gravy and nuking the sausage biscuit before I even took the time to pee after my trip. The Patient is really pushing the limits of my sanity! I had to pick up RX or I wouldn't have even gone. I was cleaning the porch area and found a dead humming bird that came in through the open door and never found his way out. I was so sad, I wanted have a funeral!
ReplyDeleteoh, poor little hummer. I worry about the wrens that often come in the house when the door is open in nice weather but so far they have all made their way out.
Deleteyou are far more patient with the Patient than I would be.
Our hummers have all gone south, or wherever they go.
ReplyDeleteCan you believe I've never been in a Costco or a Trader Joe's? I have made it into Spec's, but that's usually a one-time run during Christmas to pick up bourbon for my favorite cookies. They had a wonderful Texas Tempranillo that I really liked, but it disappeared, and they weren't sure what happened. It may be that, if it was a small vineyard, they had a bad year and just didn't produce it. The vineyard was up in the hill country somewhere; I can't remember the name of it now. I'd wondered about the sudden absence of squirrels from my feeders, and finally realized the cypress tree balls are ripening fast. The ground is covered with them, with a few bites taken out before they're tossed.
ReplyDeletethey've been testing my pecans for months. but I have finally thwarted them off the bird feeder.
DeleteI always love seeing pics of your oxblood lilies!
ReplyDeleteI tried to take a quick picture of a woman standing in the Christmas aisle at Costco yesterday with her back to me. She was wearing a glorified beachy playsuit in great tropical colors with legs and arms exposed. The contrast of that and Christmas was so funny to me.
ReplyDeleteCostco does indeed discontinue products and I don't know why but they do. I had to make my own fruitcakes last year! Haha.
But it can be aggravating for sure.
I need to get out in my yard and start clearing areas that have been taken over by invasive plants. I have a feeling today is not that day.
I always wonder about people who want it to be cold so that it 'feels' like christmas. in the southern hemisphere it's summer for christmas. heck it's often summer for christmas here.
DeleteIt's cooled off here - I had to turn the furnace on for a bit last night as I was so cold. Now we have a couple of warmer days but we are getting into Fall soon now.
ReplyDeleteYour flowers are so pretty, Ellen!
it will probably be December before we turn on the heat.
DeleteI've never been to a Costco. It's at least an hour drive to get to one. Trader Joe or Whole Foods is non-existant in my area. So, I make do with what I do have fairly easy access to. And *when* they don't have what I want, I consider ordering on line, but usually I decide I don't need the item that much.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever considered burying the trimmings from your shrubs and trees? It's called hugelkultur, the wood soaks up water and releases it over time when it's dry. And the decaying wood is good for soil, and no worries about wayward sparks and which way the wind is blowing as with burning.
I would need a backhoe and a lot more land if I wanted to bury all the tree debris that falls on my half acre. four pecan trees, two oaks, and three tallow trees all of which drop branches and sometimes limbs on a regular basis and especially if it's really windy or stormy. not to mention the four red tip photinias and two yes trees I prune.
DeleteI have been noticing that some of our favorite stuff at the local food co-op is not available. Lots of empty spaces on shelves lately. I often wonder if it is supply chain issues or simply no longer being made.
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely getting to be time to clean up our garden here too. Getting ready for winter.
part of that food shortage the grocery store manager has been warning about. I'm ready to plant some seeds but it's still just a bit too hot. maybe next week.
DeleteI got a Costco membership this year for cheap prescription eyeglasses. I'm glad I didn't get a membership before this because I would now weigh 700 lbs
ReplyDeletelots of things we don't buy there like the giant bags of chips. but their rotisserie chickens are really good and a great deal.
Delete