more labor and fall bloomers

This is what we did after breakfast last Wednesday.

It’s a little breezy today and pecan tree leaves are steadily drifting down, as are the oak leaves and every other deciduous life form. I’m not getting any pecans this year and my neighbors aren’t getting many. Last year was a bountiful crop and after a bountiful crop the trees usually rest. Now I’m wishing I had shelled more pecans last year. 

This past week I’ve been digging up all the clumps of spider lilies across the front of Robin’s house in preparation for Rocky to rebuild the piers though I still haven’t gotten an estimate from him. Cooler days but still hot in the sun and by the time I’d worked an hour, hour and a half or so, I was sweating plenty. Monday I had done the pond form and the clump by the bunker, Tuesday was grocery shop day and one of my dinner nights so no work outside, Wednesday I dug up three clumps in front of the house (the two in the empty space and the one on the right).
 

Thursday I only dug up one clump but it was a big one 

and I was useless the rest of the day, even passed on going to yoga Thursday night. Friday I managed one clump, still had three to go. There are so many! I plan on planting some of them back in the front yard but away from the front of the house. In the meantime I’m sharing with neighbors. Loaded up the wagon Friday and gave some to one neighbor and some to another neighbor and spoke to another neighbor on my way home and took some to them today and just dropped some off at another neighbor’s house whether he wants them or not. I did knock but he didn’t answer.

Saturday I dug up the last three clumps. Now that the front of the house where the spider lilies were is exposed I see that the landscape timbers the crew put down before putting up the beige colored skirt is already rotting in places. It's only been six years so I guess those will have to be replaced too. Since I didn't take a before picture just imagine that entire length filled with clumps of long strappy leaves.
 

I've been working on editing my friend’s book in the afternoons. I’m on chapter 12 out of 18 and then 6 appendixes, so maybe I’ll finish one day next week. I didn’t work on it at all on Thursday (and may not today either), besides being brain dead I was sleepy all day.

My daughter Sarah came over Saturday with Harrison, waiting while Paisleigh played with the little girl at the other end of the street and when Paisleigh got here they stayed a little longer. At one point Harrison was pointing at the hooks on the wall that hold my keys, the little bag I made out of the Hmong reverse appliqué panels, and my umbrella so I handed him the folded up umbrella. Then I took it back and told him to watch while I pushed the button and the umbrella unfolded. His face just lit up, I handed him the open umbrella to play with. 

We still need rain badly but at least the temperatures are more pleasant. The fall bloomers are blooming. Even my confused dwarf redbud tree in a pot which is putting out new little leaves and flowers.

The orange cosmos is in full bloom with some of the plants nearly 8’ tall. That’s a guess but I’m 5’4” and when I stand next to them they do look about 3’ over my head. They aren’t all that tall and they tend to fall over when the get that tall. They are a nice magnet for butterflies. I’ve seen a couple of monarchs and a queen and the pipeline swallowtails are starting to hatch I guess. When the sun shines through the petals they just glow.

The pink trumpet flower vine/shrub is in full bloom, better than I thought since it’s been so dry but I did water it a few times in September.

The mist flower and the Philippine violets are also blooming.

Don’t give up on the flying car. There is another company, Doroni, working on the idea and they have also come out with a prototype. Unlike Musk’s circus stunt of a car, this one actually flies. It’s not a car in the traditional sense but it is a personal airborne travel device. What it is is basically a human sized drone, one big enough to sit in and powerful enough to carry you into the air. Here’s a link to their website that mainly focuses on investment opportunities but does have some video of the personal flight aircraft in action. Unless it’s AI. Who can tell anymore.