The rest of the yard trimming hasn't gotten done yet. Tuesday I never really did wake up, even took a nap after lunch, something I rarely do, and had a pain in my neck and a pain in my butt (no, not Marc though he does qualify on occasion). Clearly those days outdoors did me in. Wednesday morning I went to see a chiropractor because for the last 4 or 5 weeks I've had a pain, or ache really, in my right butt cheek down around my tailbone. Some days it doesn't hurt at all, some days just a little ache but some days a big ache that travels down my right leg. Anyway, she did her magic, said my hips were out of line (which is sort of a chronic thing with me) so she straightened them up and did other stuff up and down my spine. The problem was that when I was there it was a day with just a little ache and I had a hard time pinpointing it. And Thursday, after four hours on my feet at SHARE, it was pretty achy. I don't expect instant relief because I know that the body forms habits and I imagine it will take at least one more adjustment to convince it to let go so I go back next Wednesday for a follow up. If all that wasn't enough, I don't think I slept at all last night. I was restless, tossing and turning couldn't get comfortable laying there with my eyes closed trying to convince myself to sleep. I had slept for about two hours when I woke around midnight. I don't remember sleeping after that, no dreaming, but I must have slept at least lightly because when I finally was giving up and reached for my phone for a couple rounds of solitaire, it was 6 AM. Laid there another half hour and then read a few news items before finally getting up at 7:30. So that's been my week so far. Today I have zero energy. And it is back to being hot and humid again with a high of 90˚ expected today.
Today I'm going to vacuum the house (we'll see, so far, no) and come up with something for dinner. My brother is coming in today for his every other year visit. He always stays with our sister because we no longer have a guest room.
The conclusion of the ant wars...You might remember that September 9th I caulked around one of the pocket doors in the kitchen where they were streaming out and into the trash can and that seemed to have done the trick until a couple of weeks later when once again there were about two dozen ants on the kitchen counter. I traced those back to the faceplate of another plug. This time instead of coming out of the third ground hole they were coming out from the bottom of the faceplate. I caulked all the way around that and that was the last time I have had ants in the house. Of course the rain finally came and the temps cooled down some and they are now busy making little mounds all over the big backyard so I'm not sure if I won the war or they just abandoned their attempts.
Yard stuff...The mustard greens seeds all sprouted virtually overnight and I have some major thinning to do
and the next day so did the lettuces, carrots are still a no show. Ms Moon asked about green beans in the fall garden and they will do fine until the first freeze and depending on when that is we'll either get some or we won't. I have 19 peas coming up out of a total of 90 planted. Another week and I'll put them in the ground.
The night blooming cereus put on it's first round of blooms for this year. It had 22 buds that opened over three nights (flowers only last one night). I managed to remember and go look around midnight on the second night. I didn't have a flashlight with me so I just pointed the black screen of my camera where I thought the flower was using the flash. I got a few fairly good pictures.
Pecans have been falling and I've been picking them up. Right now they are on a bread tray I borrowed from SHARE while they dry out and harden (the nut inside, not the shell). They're still pretty soft here at the beginning of the harvest.
The turk's cap is blooming
as is the pink trumpet flower vine/bush.
These white rain lilies took their time but they finally responded to the rain,
here's the white phillipine lily shrub,
And another picture of the chinese fringe flower (loropetalum) tree because it was looking like a giant pink torch just now.
