Category: 2013

Temperatures as low as the teens last weekend into the early part of this week pretty much took care of any fruit crop we might have had. We plant the fruit trees, water them, trim them and fight the insects that attack them only to have all effort wiped out in a single night or two. Oh well, one of these years conditions will be such that all the fruit trees have bumper crops and we’ll be covered up with cherries, peaches, apples, pares, apricots and plums. One thing about it, there is the possibility the freeze reduced the pollen in the air that was causing so much discomfort to those afflicted with hay fever.

Later in the week it warmed up even though the wind continued out of the north for the most part, what little wind there was, which wasn’t much. That made for several very nice days in a row, including Saturday when them girls were able to run and play with abandon. Which was good because when the Wylies arrived Friday evening and turned their three little girls who had been cooped up in the car all afternoon loose I was afraid the walls were going to buckle and the roof fall in on us.

As for me, I got the garden beds squared away and, with Chris’s help, the rest of the cattails cut down, which involved getting into the pond. We were able to wear Dad’s old galoshes to keep our dainty feet dry. Not at the same time, of course. I started out with them on but Chris wanted to try them, though his feet are smaller than mine, which are the same size as Dad’s. I was happy to let him, considering it wasn’t any fun bending over and cutting the cattails off. We finally got them cut down and sacked up, though, and I’m happy. I think my ducks will enjoy the extra space to paddle around. The cattails are by no means eradicated but I should be able to control them if I stay after them. I really don’t want to have to go through clearing them out again. Way too much work. As I’ve said, a few would be nice for aesthetics, depending on how much work it is to control them.

Monday evening when it was still too cool to work outside after work I re-racked my wine. Part of that process is tasting it and it had made a big improvement since I last racked in December. I’m encouraged. Meantime, the 2011 vintage is rounding into form. We shared a bottle with H&E when they were here and the didn’t spit it out, so again, I’m encouraged.

 

A pair of mallards were taking their ease in the pond Saturday morning when I started my work.  That’s the first we’ve seen of them and it seems early but we’re glad to have them, as always.  There’s a good chance it is the same pair that was around last spring.  They weren’t shy and stayed put even when I went into the enclosure to get a stick I needed.  There was an unauthorized cat in there as well, no doubt wishing it could get its nasty paws on one of the ducks.  The mallards finally took off when Chris and I started trimming the big elm on the south side of the enclosure.  They probably didn’t care for the noise we were making but I’m confident they will be back. Continue reading “Ducks for Easter” →

Devon and Dennis stopped by on their way home from their Colorado ski trip. It was a little chilly for a weenie roast so we made Chris grill them while we stayed all comfy inside. The kids played out side. Not too cold for them. Jill and her girls and H&E arrived the Friday before so there was lots of company on SA. Since they arrived we’ve had weather ranging from truly nasty (cold and wind) to unbeatable. The latter gave the Wylie girls a chance to get out and enjoy SA. They don’t get a lot of opportunity to get outside with lots of space to run and play in at home. They got to participate in a weenie roast and play on the tractor some. For them, SA is a great place to visit.

For me, it’s a lot of work. Saturday Chris helped run the leaves I’d raked up out of the pond after I let it partially dry up through the shredder. Once shredded I put them on the caliche mounds and will eventually cover them so they will decompose. When we finished my project I helped Chris put dirt around his patio. We used the tractor and trailer to haul several loads of caliche from the mounds to the patio. Once we had the caliche spread at the base of the patio and tamped down, we put a layer of topsoil on top of it.. Rain will cause some maintenance headaches until the grass grows over the berm but who knows when that will be.

Jill and Kari took advantage of the warm afternoon Friday to tackle the lily pool. It had been five years since the last time we cleaned it out and that really should be done every year, every other year at the most. The mini hurricane we had last summer seemed to have filled it with crud and done away with the fish. Could be that the inch and a half of rain in 15 minutes created such a run off that the fish were able to swim out of the lily pool, much to their detriment. The lilies were so over-grown they were taking up too much space and it was a real bear of a job to get them cut back. It being Friday afternoon I was reluctant to pitch in when I got off work but couldn’t just stand around and watch them do it. I changed into shorts so I could step into the pool but by the time I did so they had gotten the biggest pieces out and all I did was help them finish up. They plan to take their daughters to the pet store and let each of them get a gold fish to put in the nice clean lily pool.

Hans’ back started giving him trouble before they left Switzerland but they came anyway hoping it would get better. It didn’t and they had to cut their visit short. Poor Hans was reduced to having to be wheel chaired around the airport and on and off the airplanes. They hope to come back at Christmas if Hans’ back is OK by then.

 

Joyce ordered three new trees from her favorite tree people, two plums and an apple.  They arrived Thursday, I think, and we planted them Saturday morning.  Joyce orders what she wants and it’s up to my to find a place to plant them.  I had several red maples Arbor Day sent free with some other trees I’d ordered and I had been toying with the idea of planting them northwest of 2005 but just couldn’t bring myself to do it.  I don’t know much about red maples but I’m skeptical of any tree they give away.  So instead we planted the apple west of 2005, sort of between the golden raintree and the big pine.  It should offer a nice display out Kari’s back porch window when it blooms in the spring eight or 10 years from now. Continue reading “The triumph of hope over experience” →

Chris and I were both out of town this week when the blizzard hit.  Our women folk were left to face the elements alone.  As it was, they were able to hunker down until Wednesday but then they had to get the Abster and Little R to school.   Joyce shoveled our driveway in case Kari couldn’t get out but Kari was able to navigate the drifts. Continue reading “No man when you need one” →