Beau June 29th, 2008
The change of seasons is welcome, and with the beginning of summer we find ourselves looking at the garden and landscape a little differently. The plants are maturing and bring new flowers while the weeds try to march through everything. The grapes are growing nicely on the arbor, and I think of using them for jellies or even wine someday.
But the insects are also now out in full force. We’ve been chasing fireflies and avoiding mosquitoes, and we just deal with bugs as a matter of course. But some of them are strange and pesky critters such as the Japanese Beetle. I’m told these little beetles were not around this area until just a few years ago. They apparently were introduced to the U.S. around 1916 on the east coast, and have spread a few miles every year. Last year was the first we had seen of so many around our area, and they decimated the grape leaves. The fruit just shriveled up as they sucked the juice from the leaves (see the little brown spots?) and the whole plant just withered.
I’ve noticed them over many different plants this week, but they don’t have any natural predators apparently. Does anybody know any good control techniques? I’ve heard you can get a trap, but some people think that just attracts more of them. I’ve also heard someone’s rooster liked to eat them, and someone else collects them by hand. Ours are in so many places, and high and low, that I couldn’t begin to collect them all. I did try spraying some tea tree oil soap on them… didn’t seem to bother them in the least. I’m not inclined to use harsh insecticides around the house, so I’ll keep trying different things.
I suppose like many things we’re just going to have to get used to them. Or maybe we’ll get those chickens next year after all!
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Beau June 26th, 2008
We found you in a pile of unwanted kittens,
And brought two of you to our home.
You brought us love and joy,
And a bundle of cat energy that
Wanted as much to explore as
To be cuddled in a lap.
You were spirited and fun,
With a personality so full of life.
Sometimes you seemed more like a dog.
And you didn’t hunt very well,
But you jumped at birds in a half-hearted manner,
Flicking your tail,
As if to show that, Indeed! You were a Cat.
Yet to a boy you brought so much more;
A big fuzzy kitty that he could
Drape over his shoulders,
To carry and hug and play with.
And you didn’t mind.
He loved you most of all.
Farewell Sparky.
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Beau June 24th, 2008
“Make hay while the sun shines.” A wise old axiom that’s been around for generations, and has more than a few meanings. I like to think of it as “Get things done while conditions are favorable.” It has been time to cut hay for many folks in our area now, but the on again-off again rainshowers have made it difficult. Ideally a good 3-4 day stretch of dry weather is necessary to cut, rake and bale the hay. I’ve mentioned it before, but we don’t cut hay ourselves; a local dairy farmer makes the rounds and takes hay off fields that wouldn’t be used otherwise. We appreciate the fields being cut once a year, and they appreciate the good hay. There’s still one field left to cut, but this morning it rained buckets and delayed things at least another day.
I can’t imagine how much more it costs these days to “make” a bale of hay with the price of diesel fuel. I know I’ve reduced the number of hours I spend on the tractor cutting grass, but that’s not an option for a farmer who needs hay for his livestock. Hopefully energy prices will stablize soon, and head back to more reasonable levels. I’ve been calculating the cost of driving various places lately and it’s kind of amazing to see how much we spend on fuel. But it is what is. As for me, I need to “make hay” with quite a few projects too. I don’t always act while conditions are favorable… but I try!
Think I posted some day lily pictures before too, but I was wondering- do day lilies grow everywhere? They sure bloom abundantly here from plantings long established. And they just seem to get bigger each year. I like them because they really “grab” and help stabilize the soil, and can be transplanted very easily. You may dig a shovel of roots, plop them near a tree or ditch and forget about them. Before you know it they’ve sprouted and will bring flowers year after year. Maybe I also like their tall and showy color to brighten the landscape. But no pruning required… I wish all plants were as simple!
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Beau June 22nd, 2008
My goodness the weeds and grass can really grow while one is gone, and to see how fast it all grows in the space of a couple weeks is amazing. We’re catching up at home this week after a trip with the family, and have returned to see many parts of the central U.S. inundated with flooding from the Mississippi and other rivers. The rivers are cresting now, and several towns are waiting to see how much more flooding there will be. Many of the levees have failed, but others are still holding with water right to the top. Our hearts just go out to those who will begin working to recover from all the flooding this week. There are also a few thunderstorms about, but strangely in much of our area the topsoil is becoming quite dry.
We are thankful to live a little higher and have started watering the plants around the house and garden now. And it’s time for vegetables as we’re picking the peas, beans and lettuce that is doing so well. I’m surprised the peas and beans have not grown higher up the supports, and I wonder how long they will produce this year. But it has been a cool week in terms of temperature, so that helps keep them flowering and producing.
I think the corn looks great in the garden and I thought of a dumb question today since we have not planted hybrid corn before… How many ears of corn can we get from one stalk with our garden variety hybrid? I’ve seen some of the field corn growing in our area with 2-3 ears per stalk. But a little web research indicates we’ll probably get 1-2 ears from most smaller hybrid plants. We’ll see how it turns out in a month or so as the tassels are just forming at the top of the stalk now. But the tomatoes are also coming along- small and green, and soon we’ll have more than we know what to do with.
An early morning yesterday as we went across the pond dam to check the property. The yellow lab was like a kid in a candy store after coming home from the kennel. He did very well while we were gone, and didn’t miss a beat when returning home. Maybe a little too much energy saved up for romping around the property. Come to think of it I could use a little of that extra energy… the grass on the pond dam needs cut for the year again!
By the way, the bees are doing pretty well so far. I’ve put on a second super (hive body) for both hives and the bees are working like crazy each day. One of the hives appears much stronger in terms of numbers of bees, so it will be interesting to see how they do this year. Today I removed the entrance reducers I had placed last month while the new hives built up their strength in numbers of bees and stores of food. They didn’t fuss too much and (all anthropomorphism aside) actually seemed to enjoy the opening being wider. I probably left the reducers on a little too long while we were away, and today it was like seeing a little traffic jam of bees getting in and out of that smaller 3 inch entrance slot.
So to remove the wooden stick that blocks the entrance, I took my hive tool and pried up the corners and under the reducer to loosen all the joints. Then as I wedged and held up the hive slightly, I slid a stiff hooked wire through the hole and gently pulled out the wooden reducer. The bees didn’t seem to mind a bit. So now both hives have a full entrance on top of the bottom board (actually a screen) to come and go. And it was fun watching the returning bees covered in pollen… a welcome sight. It’s also great to see them covering so many flowers around the property. Keep working little bees!
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Beau June 18th, 2008
As I read about the flooding across Iowa, northern Missouri and Illinois it’s difficult to reconcile the peace and comfort of one region to the struggle and suffering happening in another.
Of course it’s like that everyday all across the world. We know that places within Africa and Asia have such terrible poverty and strife yet they are far away, out of our reality most of the time. There’s flooding and earthquake recovery in China, volcanic eruptions in Chile, war and starvation in Somalia and Kenya and estimates of more than 100,000 dead or missing in Myanmar after a cyclone last month. And the middle east… so much more. Through all of it, how many of us really think about what takes place across the globe?
But our busy lives are lived in the present, where we stand each day. And although we know intellectually of the challenges that exist for other people, it’s hard to understand or see these events as real at times. We shake our heads and say a prayer or two and return to our lives. Maybe that’s as it should be, and serves as a survival mechanism where as humans we work harder to appreciate and maximize our own lives and circumstance while trying to empathize with the misfortune of others.
At some level, don’t we understand that it could happen to us too? It’s hard to watch a natural disaster unfold. From a different view it’s also inspiring to see the courage, determination and faith that so many of these good people are displaying while they work to help protect and rebuild their homes and communities. It really is a small world and anything we can do to help is something. Something that may make a difference.
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Beau June 16th, 2008
It’s hard to believe the flooding that has taken place just north of where we live. Our thoughts and prayers go out to so many people struggling to rebuild their lives. Our area saw incredible devastation in the ’93 floods, but not to the degree that water has risen and broken through levees further north. People that don’t live in this region complain about building in flood zones, but they know little of what it’s like to live in these states. There are some areas that it doesn’t make sense to build in, but sometimes nature just goes beyond what we can conceive that may happen. In many areas, there would simply be no human presence or agriculture that has supported the nation for generations, without the support of strong levees built to hold back the water. Maybe that would be fine with some people, but these states helped to open up the west and build the nation we have today. I think now it’s time to lend support to rebuilding these towns, homes and levees, and rebuilding lives.
We have been away traveling and have only read the news about all of it this week. Where we live there has been little flooding fortunately so far. It’s strange to be gone from what you know day-to-day, and to see that people live mostly unaware of the chaos that takes place just a few hours away.
Many thoughts recently, and I wonder how long the grass is at home? Watching fuel prices rise has been staggering, and it makes me think how wasteful it is in some ways to be putting that many dollars in the tank of the car (or tractor). Cutting the grass is an incredible economic drain in terms of the cost, and with the price of fuel basically doubling over the past year it’s hard to justify riding the tractor more than absolutely necessary. I had cut back quite a bit already, and will do so even more this summer. But the rain has kept things green and growing abundantly so far.
With the cost of rising gas prices vanity fades away as economic necessity rises to the forefront. The grass will still need cut in many areas at times lest the woody plants begin to take over. Woody brush and weeds are not so bad in themselves, but once they take root it’s extremely difficult to go back and remove them. Some ask why do we need the grass and open areas anyway? Well it provides many benefits to a larger property. The open areas provide places to walk and play obviously, and to enjoy the vistas that surround us. They also serve as navigable pathways in and around the forests, fields and orchards. And keeping the grass shorter reduces the number of insects or pests, especially ticks and chiggers. So it’s not all vanity or pride in having a groomed look along the driveway, but that is certainly part of it. I do enjoy the clean look of the cut grass, but only to a point. Some of our neighbors go even further, insisting on cutting the grass within inches around every obstacle that exists to obtain that suburban kept-lawn look.
But I’ve let that mindset go out of both practicality and economic prudence. If the grass is too short it opens the soil and slopes up to erosion more frequently, and then takes a huge effort to try and regain the soil structure. So leaving the grass longer or uncut in many areas helps protect the slopes and drainages. And now more than ever I simply don’t see the point of spending so much time and money for temporary aesthetics. And looking northward at the flooding is a humbling reminder that there are far more important things in life.
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Beau June 12th, 2008
It’s kind of nice seeing a different part of the country and enjoying some time off. Of course, I keep thinking how overgrown the grass and garden is becoming while we are away. The weeds are the little stinkers that really take advantage of the time. I swear there are weeds that grow a few inches overnight. I walk by doing a double take thinking “Didn’t I just pull those out yesterday?”
Today I watched a garden/landscape crew of five or six people come in and work on the front and back of a house sitting on a half acre. These guys were a whirl of activity for about 45 minutes trimming, cutting, blowing, sweeping and had that place looking amazing in a very short time. I mused over the idea of what it would be like to have such a crew for our property. Would I miss spending the time doing all of that? Nah!!! But I couldn’t imagine how much that would cost… and it would bother me not to do it myself. At least for now. :)
And it seems I forgot that when visiting relatives, everybody tends to eat a lot. Especially me. Food is somehow a universal language, and in the presense (or absence!) of smiles, memories and emotions, we share with each other over all kinds of food. I don’t mind… I’ve never met a food I didn’t like. Well, except for sea urchin eggs. But none of that this week fortunately, except that I think I’m actually gaining weight by the hour. Not to worry I suppose, in a week or so I’ll be out working it off. So it’s off to another BBQ! Somebody’s got to do it and it might as well be me.
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Beau June 10th, 2008
We’re exploring new environs and seeing family across the miles. It’s fun but free wifi is hard to find so far. When we left I had cut and trimmed the grass as much as possible so that it won’t be four feet high when we return. The mornings have been very beautiful this spring, especially after the rain. But so much rain this year! Everything just grows and grows… and the garden was doing beautifully. Maybe we’ll have some home-grown tomatoes, peas and beans when we return next week. We are fortunate to have a dear someone check on things while we’re traveling about.
This was a picture from a few days ago of the fields and grass in the morning. The taller grass will be cut for hay in a few days and the meadowlarks will wonder where their homes went. Probably the bunnies too, but they’ve finished most of their nesting for the year. Some folks try to cut hay twice during the season, and can do so when it’s wet like this year. But we prefer only one cutting of hay in late June. That allows the nesting animals to have a good season, and then for the prarie grasses to come in through fall and winter.
And of course the taller grass is fun for those who love to run and play in them. The boy plays hide and seek with the dogs, and likes to get lost in the tall grass. He plays imaginary games and dreams of castles and secret places. They are in many ways, fields of dreams for all of us.
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Beau June 7th, 2008
Well the humidity has arrived! Temperatures well into the 90’s and it feels like summer. Which is about time I guess. I loved the cool weather, but the rain and storms have been a bit much this spring. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the grass grow so fast, which will be interesting since we’re taking a trip for a week or so. There will be plenty to cut and trim when we return, and maybe the garden will have a few presents for us. I have a few pictures waiting to share, so I’ll post them when I can. But what’s a summer if not filled with fun and activity for the kids? Even if that’s simply running around like crazy outside… which we seem to do a lot of . Mostly me :) See you soon.
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Beau June 5th, 2008
The dew has just been hanging on to the grass and leaves in the morning because the ground has been so moist. I love how the sun glows brightly over the landscape as the day begins. But our days are heating up quickly, and the humidity is much higher now. Isn’t it amazing how the seasons change? It can be such a gradual process, but sometimes I look around and wonder how everything changed so quickly.
Maybe life is like that sometimes too. Just when we start to get comfortable with something, it changes! But isn’t change important too? I think that it promotes growth, depending upon how we handle it. Many of the more beautiful moments in our lives are simply that- moments to savor and enjoy. And then things change. But like a beautiful sunrise, they can be moments to remember.
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