Thistle

 Work this morning was a little stressful.  When they asked if people wanted to volunteer to go home, I jumped at the chance.  I had hoped to get laundry done and pack for the weekend.  I leave Friday morning with two friends for Pennsylvania.  I will be packing in the morning because I needed to do laundry.  I also wanted to mow some of the yard.  It was a very hot day and I didn't mow until late afternoon.  I'll get up early in the morning to get ready.  Happy things for today include:

• Binge watching New Girl on Netflix this morning until the rest of the household woke up.  After breakfast I had a nice nap.
• Running errands with Keziah and helping to choose new toys for the pets.

• Eventually I made it outside to mow some of the yard and to make my way as best I could to the wildlife camera.  I mowed as much of a path to the wildlife camera as I could.  Zed came out and used the weedwacker the remaining way to the camera.  There is so much growth the camera isn't catching as much any more.

It has been a while since I mowed.

After I mowed and cleaned it up a bit.

• I looked closer at the jewelweed today and it is huge.  I'm pretty certain that it has stretched over eight feet to grow taller than the Japanese knotweed and staghorn sumac that are crowding it out.

• There is a milk thistle that is threatening and beautiful all at once.

Thistle.

Thistle seeds.

Milk thistle

More seeds.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner, by Ann Larkin Hansen.


Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Morning Sun

 It isn't finished.  After getting up super early this morning and getting outside at around six o'clock I made a bunch of progress on the driveway triangle.  I hadn't been able to work in that area for a while and the good that I did a month or so ago was eclipsed by the amount of grass and weeds that shot up recently.

From the south.

From the east.

From the north.

It seems like a small area, but it really isn't.  With only one bag of mulch left, even after all the weeds are removed, the area won't feel 'done' for a while.  The way things grow, 'done', is really just a temporary state, but still something to strive for.

I didn't get the angles the same.
This is from the southeast-ish.

This is a little north of east.

This is still basically from the north.

The area is starting to look bare.  I'm glad I have plans for it.  Other happy things for today:

• When I first went outside, I noticed the roses by the door.  Something is already chewing at the leaves so I got a spray bottle with water and a little dish soap and sprayed them down, before the sun was high and the heat set in.  Hopefully that will help.  I noticed the red roses getting ready to open.

• Another thing I noticed as I went to work on the front part of the property was that the sun still hadn't cleared the trees at the back of the property.  Last year I was up and out early almost every  morning.  It looks to be a hot summer (still spring and temps in the 90's) so the earlier I can get out, the better.  

Sun peaking through the trees.

• While cleaning up, I noticed that while I was weeding, some of the roses had opened.

The red, and more of the pink were open
later in the morning.

• In the afternoon I took the tiller that we got from my aunt to the shop.  I showed it to a very nice man who looked it over and let me know that he could fix it-IF he could find parts for it.  He also let me know how much it would cost just for parts, before labor, and that he didn't think I'd be happy with the performance.   This is not the answer I was hoping for, it is the one I was expecting.  We had to ask, they don't make them like that anymore.  I'm happy that I tried and now I can move forward. 

☮

Currently reading: The Burgess Book of Nature Lore, by Thornton W. Burgess.

Stay safe, thank you for being here.








 

Things to Burn

 It was another busy people day.  Somehow I was able to ride out the social anxiety of being with people better today.  Perhaps only because I am physically exhausted, although I did run and hide a little, mostly I stuck it out.  Other things I am happy for today:

• I mowed.  Not the lawn, but some areas that last year I just mowed paths, I mowed a big section.  One way to help reduce the amount of ticks is to keep grass from getting too high-at least that is what I read somewhere.
• There is a section of land between the garden and a line of staghorn sumac that I have been trying to clear.  It is done.  

This last section had that pile of brush
as well as the multiple things growing up.

The brush is out, many of the things trying 
to grow are cut, and it is raked.
Now it will just be upkeep.

• Today was a bardic competition and between all the other things we were doing I was only able to catch a little bit.  What I saw was impressive and I hope to watch it later.  Two people I know from the state competed.
• Some of the people that came by today brought their truck and a chainsaw.  The fallen tree that was over part of the trail is mostly cut smaller and some of it removed.  Maybe next week more will get moved.  A dead tree was also cut down.

Dead tree.

Dead tree down.

• The dead tree made for good firewood.  We sat around the fire, some marshmallows were toasted, things almost felt normal.  So very thankful for all the help we got today.

🔥☮🔥

Currently listening to: Too Like the Lightning, by Ada Palmer.

Stay safe.