We had a warm up, rain, and now we’re cool again. The front field was limed and reseeded last Thursday, got a nice soaking rain the evening of the work, had a week of sun and warmer temps to help sprouting, and last night got a second nice rainfall. We should get a good result thanks to the timing of the work with the rain and the good fortune of the following week’s weather.
Yesterday I finally got out to treat fire ant mounds with orange oil and water. It’s not a difficult chore, but requires many returns to the water hydrant for refills. I’d opened the grass paddock to the herd while I was working so they could enjoy the grass until the rain came later in the evening.
Little Man apparently stepped in a fire ant mound I hadn’t gotten to yet (a few had popped up since I treated the grass paddock last week) and went into a bucking, galloping fit. He wouldn’t stop for several minutes for me to help, and kept going up to Keil Bay as if he wanted Keil to help him! - but when he settled down I used fly spray on him and didn’t see any ants. He quickly resumed grazing.
It’s absolutely looking like fall is here now, and we had geese flying over a couple of days ago, honking and making their way south.
I have my new bed planted and forgot to get a photo, but it’s going to be great - will be beautiful, native, and forage for many pollinators and birds - and will also serve as a rain garden on a slope where we need some help with run-off. I’m going to move four of the blueberry bushes I misplaced in Poplar Folly. They’re not getting enough sunlight and some critter keeps eating their leaves. I’ll make a row to the side of the pollinator bed and that will all work to help with water run-off as well as make that area a pretty corner to look out on. I’m sure the birds will go wild over the blueberries once the bushes start bearing fruit.
I checked the fig tree yesterday. It’s loaded but they’re not yet ripe. We’ll see if they can ripen given the temps are cool again. We’re onto a week of sunny days, so maybe they can. What I found ripening nicely yesterday were these persimmons, on the path down to Poplar Folly, and a surprise to me. I didn’t even realize the tree there was a persimmon, as I’ve never found fruit before, but it too is loaded this fall, and the persimmons on the ground are sweet and perfect. I left what was there for the wildlife, but this weekend I may take some for myself.
This week is busy with home inspection and other new house things, the in-person ones we’re assisting with since we’re here and my son and daughter-in-law are not. One nice surprise is that we knew the house was on 2 acres of land but didn’t put it together until yesterday that the house sits on one of the two acres, and across the gravel lane leading to their driveway is the second acre. It was like discovering they had a whole new piece of property! I’m going to go explore it for them tomorrow and take photos.
Also a good surprise: they learned their baby is a boy, and they’ve chosen his name, so we are starting to think of “him” instead of “the baby” and it’s exciting to be thinking about getting to know him when he’s born. I had to break the news to Little Man that the pony girl I had promised him is now going to be a pony boy, but he’s fine with that. :)
One of the (many) good things about having my son local is his serious cooking and baking. He sent these photos from his kitchen last week and I realized this is what we have to look forward to!
My daughter shared a beautiful photo she took (her photos are gorgeous and this is a fine example) of Clementine sharing some time with my daughter-in-law over Labor Day:
Clementine brings so much joy and comfort to us all. This week while shopping online for groceries, this popped up in a search and while it wasn’t even what I was looking for, how could I resist getting it?
I bought it for the box but after last night’s debacle with the mad Trumpkin ranting and raving like a petulant child, I am actually drinking it.
Please VOTE HIM OUT so we can get back on track as a nation.
