Wonderful Weekend Ahead!
(Photos coming later this evening, so please stop by again if you want to see pics)
Update: A few photos posted, plus end of day update.
I'm headed outside shortly to start some marathon yardwork. Well, as much yardwork as I can do while the weather holds out. There is an 80% chance of rain for each of the next three days. I still haven't finished planting my garden because the rains came. Now the unplanted part of the garden has been taken over by grass and weeds. I'll go till it back up shortly and get it planted. It's been too wet to till the ground until the past day or two. Now I'll have to get it done today or I'll lose my window for dry ground.
Also on tap for yardwork is de-grassing the raspberry bushes by thesnake house garden shed. I've started this process already and it will be simple enough to finish. Of course the grass that I'm removing is really nice and lush. I'm hoping to dig it up in large enough chunks to turn put it in some low, bare spots in the yard as sod. I don't know how well that will work, but it's good use for the grass anyway.
A woman at work gave me some excess monkey grass and hostas that she had, so I planted them around the bottom of the snake tree, behind the garden shed. Now that it's all mulched, it looks very nice. Much nicer than weeds. I was amazed at how much nicer the mulch makes everything look. I may have to get the nursery down the road to deliver a trailerload of mulch. I had been purchasing it by the bag from the home improvement store, but I'm now sold on the improved aesthetics of the mulch so I might as well buy in bulk and get it all done faster and cheaper.
The pool is nearly ready to go. I will need to find the bolts to attach the steps that go in the pool to the ladder that is outside the pool. I thought I'd left them attached to the steps, but apparently I did not. I'm sure they're in a safe place in the garage. I'll add some clarifier to the pool when I head out to the garden. That'll get the last of the dead algae removed and we'll be all ready to go. This evening I may have to hyperventilate myself/blow up my pool floatie, not that I'll be using it this weekend with the impending rain, but it's good to be prepared. I've already purchased my first 6-pack of beer for the summer. There's nothing more relaxing to do at my house after a loooooooong day of yard/housework than to lay on the floatie, listen to music or a book on tape and drink a cold beer.
Must Find New Pool Pet
My sharkie has developed an unfortunate habit of sinking. I don't currently have a pool pet. I have a couple of rubber duckies in the house, but I don't know that I want a duckie in the pool. I did find a small toy boat in the shed. Perhaps that will suffice. The floating solar-powered pool lights have finally crapped out too, which is fine (they were here when I bought the house). I could take them apart and clean them up, but I don't know that I'm that motivated.
Fire
There was a big fire to the west of my house today. It was a couple miles west of my place. At first I thought it was at the Amphibicow Farm, but once I got home I was able to figure out it was further west than that. The pumper from my little county fire station was headed out to the fire when I came home from running errands. I hope nobody got hurt and I hope the damage wasn't too bad.
Holiday Picnic!!
Even though the weather may not cooperate, I'm going to have a picnic on Monday. Today at the farmer's market I purchased some green beans, new red potatoes and 12 pints of fresh strawberries. My picnic menu will be a fresh green salad with cucumber and green onions, potato salad, homemade baked beans, potato salad, steamed green beans and strawberry shortcake.
Obviously I won't eat all of the strawberries with my strawberry shortcake this weekend, but I will have plenty to slice and freeze for my oatmeal. That'll tide me over until the blackberries ripen. I may make some freezer jam too. I've still got pectin and jars from last summer, when I never quite worked up the nerve to try making jam. I've now decided that if I make jam and it doesn't set up right that I'll just have to make some strawberry (or blackberry) coffee cake or muffins or just call it strawberry syrupy stuff and put it on my oatmeal and pancakes. Remember, if it's edible, it's NOT a failure.
When the Weather Fails to Cooperate
I have just discovered that Turner Classic Movies is showing a 72 hour marathon of war movies. I don't think they've ever run three days of them before, just one or two days. American Movie Classics is showing westerns and today seems to be featuring the classic spaghetti western from Sergio Leone, with Lee Van Cleef and Clint Eastwood. Tonight's prime time feature will be Pale Rider. My latest Hulu obsession is Eureka. So far I've only watched the first episode from season one. That leaves me the rest of season one and all of season three (season 2 isn't available for online streaming). I'll finish up my housecleaning errands, get the laundry folded/ironed and put away, then spend some quality time knitting.
End Of Day Update
(sorry for no yard/garden photos yet. I never did take any pics of the work I did)
I got the garden tilled up and planted. I ran out of sticks to mark where I planted cucumbers and squash. I also just realized that I have no zucchini plants this year. I'll have to fix that tomorrow or Monday. I can't go for a summer without growing zucchini. I've got just enough room for two plants.
There was, however, a tragic accident involving my tilling activities. I hit a toad. :-(( Said toad is now missing his left hind leg. I saw him hopping away after I went back over the freshly tilled area to plant it. If he hadn't been hopping funny, I wouldn't have noticed. I moved him to an area of the garden where I wouldn't accidentally step on him. I hope he does ok. I feel really bad about hurting him.
While I was tilling, I tilled up the far left corner of my yard. Technically this is part of the neighbor's yard, but it's been an overgrown weedy mess since I moved in (and had a different neighbor). Now it's been de-weeded, tilled up and overseeded with coreopsis. Tomorrow I'll overseed the lawn edge with grass seed and keep it watered well. There is a nice oak seedling growing in there too. I'll dig that up and transplant it tomorrow. I don't want it to accidentally get mowed over. I also tilled up some of the back lawn on the edge of where I overseeded things last fall. Slowly but surely I'm replacing the awful Bermuda grass with a bluegrass/fescue mix. It looks soooooo much better and feels great to walk upon. The main part of the front lawn is already mostly cool season grass. I just need to kill the weeds off and let the grass shine through.
When I talk to the local nursery about delivering some hardwood mulch to my house, I'll also inquire about the delivery of straw bales too. I could use about six square bales to mulch my garden and the areas of grass that I'm re-seeding.
I didn't quite get to the de-grassing of the raspberries by the shed. I did wave at them though. And I tilled up the bare, rocky ground on the opposite side of the shed, then spread bee balm, butterfly weed and coreopsis seed over it. I also planted some of the Rose of Sharon seeds I saved from last year's blooms. That whole bed could really use some mulch too, since I'll need to keep it well watered.
The pool is clarifying itself as we speak. I still cannot find the bolts for the ladder/steps. I have absolutely no idea where they are. I will look one more time in the pool vacuum storage bin, but I'm pretty sure they aren't in there. I was positive I had put them in my toolbox or on the blue wood bookshelf in the garage. Hmmm.....
And now I'm sitting in my comfy chair, having just finished up my first beer of the summer as well as two bean burritoes. I finally started buying sliced jalapeno peppers in the jumbo-sized 1.5 quart jar, rather than the little 12 oz jar, since I consume most of a jar each week. Made an interesting discovery. The peppers in the big jar are just a teensy bit hotter than the ones in the little jar. Ooooooh that was a nice flavorful burn. I'm glad I didn't put on as many peppers as I have been eating or I wouldn't have been able to eat my dinner.
All I have to do now is figure out whether to watch Pale Rider, CSI: Miami or Hulu while I work on my knitting for the next 30-60 minutes.
Update: A few photos posted, plus end of day update.
I'm headed outside shortly to start some marathon yardwork. Well, as much yardwork as I can do while the weather holds out. There is an 80% chance of rain for each of the next three days. I still haven't finished planting my garden because the rains came. Now the unplanted part of the garden has been taken over by grass and weeds. I'll go till it back up shortly and get it planted. It's been too wet to till the ground until the past day or two. Now I'll have to get it done today or I'll lose my window for dry ground.
Also on tap for yardwork is de-grassing the raspberry bushes by the
A woman at work gave me some excess monkey grass and hostas that she had, so I planted them around the bottom of the snake tree, behind the garden shed. Now that it's all mulched, it looks very nice. Much nicer than weeds. I was amazed at how much nicer the mulch makes everything look. I may have to get the nursery down the road to deliver a trailerload of mulch. I had been purchasing it by the bag from the home improvement store, but I'm now sold on the improved aesthetics of the mulch so I might as well buy in bulk and get it all done faster and cheaper.
The pool is nearly ready to go. I will need to find the bolts to attach the steps that go in the pool to the ladder that is outside the pool. I thought I'd left them attached to the steps, but apparently I did not. I'm sure they're in a safe place in the garage. I'll add some clarifier to the pool when I head out to the garden. That'll get the last of the dead algae removed and we'll be all ready to go. This evening I may have to hyperventilate myself/blow up my pool floatie, not that I'll be using it this weekend with the impending rain, but it's good to be prepared. I've already purchased my first 6-pack of beer for the summer. There's nothing more relaxing to do at my house after a loooooooong day of yard/housework than to lay on the floatie, listen to music or a book on tape and drink a cold beer.
Must Find New Pool Pet
My sharkie has developed an unfortunate habit of sinking. I don't currently have a pool pet. I have a couple of rubber duckies in the house, but I don't know that I want a duckie in the pool. I did find a small toy boat in the shed. Perhaps that will suffice. The floating solar-powered pool lights have finally crapped out too, which is fine (they were here when I bought the house). I could take them apart and clean them up, but I don't know that I'm that motivated.
Fire
There was a big fire to the west of my house today. It was a couple miles west of my place. At first I thought it was at the Amphibicow Farm, but once I got home I was able to figure out it was further west than that. The pumper from my little county fire station was headed out to the fire when I came home from running errands. I hope nobody got hurt and I hope the damage wasn't too bad.Holiday Picnic!!
Even though the weather may not cooperate, I'm going to have a picnic on Monday. Today at the farmer's market I purchased some green beans, new red potatoes and 12 pints of fresh strawberries. My picnic menu will be a fresh green salad with cucumber and green onions, potato salad, homemade baked beans, potato salad, steamed green beans and strawberry shortcake.Obviously I won't eat all of the strawberries with my strawberry shortcake this weekend, but I will have plenty to slice and freeze for my oatmeal. That'll tide me over until the blackberries ripen. I may make some freezer jam too. I've still got pectin and jars from last summer, when I never quite worked up the nerve to try making jam. I've now decided that if I make jam and it doesn't set up right that I'll just have to make some strawberry (or blackberry) coffee cake or muffins or just call it strawberry syrupy stuff and put it on my oatmeal and pancakes. Remember, if it's edible, it's NOT a failure.
When the Weather Fails to Cooperate
I have just discovered that Turner Classic Movies is showing a 72 hour marathon of war movies. I don't think they've ever run three days of them before, just one or two days. American Movie Classics is showing westerns and today seems to be featuring the classic spaghetti western from Sergio Leone, with Lee Van Cleef and Clint Eastwood. Tonight's prime time feature will be Pale Rider. My latest Hulu obsession is Eureka. So far I've only watched the first episode from season one. That leaves me the rest of season one and all of season three (season 2 isn't available for online streaming). I'll finish up my housecleaning errands, get the laundry folded/ironed and put away, then spend some quality time knitting.
End Of Day Update
(sorry for no yard/garden photos yet. I never did take any pics of the work I did)
I got the garden tilled up and planted. I ran out of sticks to mark where I planted cucumbers and squash. I also just realized that I have no zucchini plants this year. I'll have to fix that tomorrow or Monday. I can't go for a summer without growing zucchini. I've got just enough room for two plants.
There was, however, a tragic accident involving my tilling activities. I hit a toad. :-(( Said toad is now missing his left hind leg. I saw him hopping away after I went back over the freshly tilled area to plant it. If he hadn't been hopping funny, I wouldn't have noticed. I moved him to an area of the garden where I wouldn't accidentally step on him. I hope he does ok. I feel really bad about hurting him.
While I was tilling, I tilled up the far left corner of my yard. Technically this is part of the neighbor's yard, but it's been an overgrown weedy mess since I moved in (and had a different neighbor). Now it's been de-weeded, tilled up and overseeded with coreopsis. Tomorrow I'll overseed the lawn edge with grass seed and keep it watered well. There is a nice oak seedling growing in there too. I'll dig that up and transplant it tomorrow. I don't want it to accidentally get mowed over. I also tilled up some of the back lawn on the edge of where I overseeded things last fall. Slowly but surely I'm replacing the awful Bermuda grass with a bluegrass/fescue mix. It looks soooooo much better and feels great to walk upon. The main part of the front lawn is already mostly cool season grass. I just need to kill the weeds off and let the grass shine through.
When I talk to the local nursery about delivering some hardwood mulch to my house, I'll also inquire about the delivery of straw bales too. I could use about six square bales to mulch my garden and the areas of grass that I'm re-seeding.
I didn't quite get to the de-grassing of the raspberries by the shed. I did wave at them though. And I tilled up the bare, rocky ground on the opposite side of the shed, then spread bee balm, butterfly weed and coreopsis seed over it. I also planted some of the Rose of Sharon seeds I saved from last year's blooms. That whole bed could really use some mulch too, since I'll need to keep it well watered.
The pool is clarifying itself as we speak. I still cannot find the bolts for the ladder/steps. I have absolutely no idea where they are. I will look one more time in the pool vacuum storage bin, but I'm pretty sure they aren't in there. I was positive I had put them in my toolbox or on the blue wood bookshelf in the garage. Hmmm.....
And now I'm sitting in my comfy chair, having just finished up my first beer of the summer as well as two bean burritoes. I finally started buying sliced jalapeno peppers in the jumbo-sized 1.5 quart jar, rather than the little 12 oz jar, since I consume most of a jar each week. Made an interesting discovery. The peppers in the big jar are just a teensy bit hotter than the ones in the little jar. Ooooooh that was a nice flavorful burn. I'm glad I didn't put on as many peppers as I have been eating or I wouldn't have been able to eat my dinner.
All I have to do now is figure out whether to watch Pale Rider, CSI: Miami or Hulu while I work on my knitting for the next 30-60 minutes.
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