Category: SA Times

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” →

We awoke to snow twice this week.  The first time was just a ground covering and the second was barely that, but moisture is moisture.  There are tiny remnants of last week’s snow while the two this week are gone.  I put some pine needles I’d raked down in front of the chicken yard gate and used some bricks to make a path to it so Joyce wouldn’t slip and break her neck.  We’re not used to mud.  It has been wintery all week so not much got done outside.  I assembled the bed frames for the second garden row.  Working inside the shop out of the wind, the temperature is about right.  I’m looking forward to next week in balmy Connecticut. Continue reading “Mo’ sno’” →

Snow was the big story of the week here on SA.  It started snowing in the wee hours Tuesday and kept it up until about mid-afternoon.  Never heavy but unrelenting, we probably got five to six inches.  I’m guessing it was the equivalent of half an inch of rain, at least.  That’s not a lot but a half inch can be a good amount for this part of the country if it isn’t too long before the next half inch comes along and it isn’t hot and windy.  Anyway, it was a pretty snow and we certainly need the moisture so we’ll take it.  In fact, we’d take another one just like in a couple of weeks.

Joyce has worms.  In fact, she has a whole plastic tote of red worms she plans to raise and feed her chickens.  She says they eat junk mail and table scraps and are particularly fond of coffee grounds.  Their casings sell for $44 a pound.  I suggested we convert the cave to casing production if we can get that.

Its reported that we’ll be acquiring a dog Tuesday.  His name is Valentino, Tino for short, and he’s a boxer.  He wandered onto the place this past week, maybe Thursday (get it? Valentines Day, Valentino) and Chris corralled him and turned him over to the pound but couldn’t bear the thought of him being destroyed so they’ll collect him Tuesday if the owner doesn’t show up by then.  In the mean time he’s scheduled to be castrated, tagged and inoculated.  Lucky Tino.  Guess it beats what usually befalls strays at the pound.  I knew Chris and Abigail, with Joyce’s support, would eventually get a dog.  They had to win Kari over and I think they did with Tino.  Maybe it wasn’t that hard.  No doubt he’ll fit in with the rest of us eunuchs here on SA.  John Henry is only one getting any action.

Thursday evening Chris, Abigail and Rebecca came bearing chocolate covered strawberries to wish us Happy Valentine Day.  It was a chilly evening and we appreciated their going to the trouble.  We also appreciated the strawberries.

Nice day Saturday.  It started out chilly but the afternoon warmed up nicely.  I trimmed trees and sprayed weeds.  Yes, I know you wonder how I can stand the excitement but I manage.