Friday evening
Posts from the ‘Yard and Garden’ category
At home
Home in the woods.
Things are different.
Bear and I miss the Bob-a-lu cat something fierce.
I took the “just get it over with quickly” approach to Bob’s stuff and closeted it all away. I don’t think there is a right answer to this…I could look at it and miss him or look at where all the stuff should be and miss him. None of it is him so I put it away.
And while I was about it, I put the A/C units away also.
It was gorgeous, yesterday (Saturday) and barely hit 70F.
This morning, it was a wonderfully brisk 46F.
But. We are to have a warm week with a forecast change to Fall next weekend. Still, it is September 1 and we are down to 11 hours of daylight and a lower on the horizon sun path so it gets harder for it to get miserably hot. I hope – I’ve had it with hot.
While we were away, there were 2 big storms. They included a LOT of wind. A photo of the yard really doesn’t show how much of a mess it was and some of it still is.
I’ve been working at the cleanup between 5:45 and 6:15 a.m. – to avoid the yellow jackets. I’ve had it with them, also.
I need to go up on the roof and at least get those big branches. I’d like to take the blower and clear the needles. We’ll see. I might wait until we get a hard frost for the blowing part. More needles will come down anyway. I can procrastinate. I can avoid looking at the roof. Maybe it will snow on the roof and then I won’t be able to see all of the needles…that is a happy thought!!
The herbies…more happy thoughts! My dear neighbors picked them up and kept them on their front porch and watered them. And delivered them back to me. The herbs look wonderful. They look like they did not miss me at all. Thank you, neighbors!
At home.
Yellow Jackets
I should probably have titled this post: How to drown Yellow Jackets.
No, I am not sorry!!!
Yellow Jackets reportedly have a role to play in gardens…
Unfortunately, they tend to turn aggressive mid-Summer through early Fall, i.e. until the first killing frost.
This year, a hot summer following a mild winter, the yellow jackets have been plentiful.
Stepping outside and/or walking in the woods…constant buzzing!
Bob, Bear and I are on the defensive…
BBQ chicken suspended over soapy water = drowned yellow jackets.
4-6 mason jars…in the yard and in the fringes of the woods…
And then…AND THEN!!! – blog reader Steph emailed me about Bounce fabric softener sheets being a yellow jacket repelling force!
Bear and I made a quick trip to town to get the most fragrant Bounce sheets we could find. They had us sneezing all the way home.
And they cleared the front porch of yellow jackets.
Go Bounce!
Thank you Steph from OR!!!
More light and shadow
This afternoon.
Bob.
Light and shadow.
*** 8 days, maybe more…90-93F. The nights cool to upper 50/low 60’s. BUT, we are having a Yellow Jacket year… I have traps made of meat hanging from skewers over soapy water in mason jars and have been drowning over 100 yellow jackets daily. I fear for the boys being stung – especially Bob, so we’ve all been inside except for a couple of hours in the morning. Bear and I go out – carefully – at noon and dinner and then at 9-10 ish p.m. And I take Bear for some Jeep excursion when I can break during the day. Hurry up, Fall!!
Friday snippets
We’ve been enjoying some not too hot, beautiful days with cool nights so good for sleeping and crisp mornings that take us outside for several hours before my work day starts.
This morning, it was 42F to start out the morning.
I had a gorgeous Copper River Red Salmon filet thawed.
Braised salmon with fresh herbs. A bit of this was breakfast for Bear, Bob and I and the rest into the frig for salmon tacos and stir fry over the weekend.
The herbs!!
They continue to flourish gangbusters…
My baby cilantro grew up.
Two weeks ago, I gardened. Really!! I braved the hot sun for an entire 10 minutes to clear a patch of soil on Beardog hill.
And then…and THEN!!! – I PLANTED SEEDS. Yes!! Cilantro seeds.
And now there is baby cilantro on Beardog Hill.
If the resident Beardog stays off this little patch, I may have a summer’s worth of cilantro and more.
This is an experiment.
Meanwhile, the aforementioned Beardog chose a softer place for naptime than yesteray’s concrete.
And so did Bob. And Bob’s ears are already improving again.
It was an excellent and productive work week which culminated in meeting a project deadline at high noon today. Hoo-rah!
A Friday pizza was in order.
Pizza on the grill.
Friday snippets.
Sunday, day of rest
I didn’t plan on a busy Sunday, but one thing led to another…
Saturday evening I filled the motorhome fresh water tank with water and a chlorine mix. The mix sits overnight and then a rinse tank…
I also assembled a meat-herb mix for a kind of pseudo American style gyros meat recipe.
Bright and early on Sunday after bringing the meat to room temp, I fired up the grill and roasted the meat.
Bear was extremely interested…
This worked out very well and although it is not like spit-roasted gyros, it is flavorful and tender and I am extremely pleased with the result!
Back to the motorhome.
Killing two birds with one stone…I hope!
As I got ready to drain the chlorinated water, I got to wondering how the weeds would like a bit of chlorine in their water…
I’ve been procrastinating with the vinegar attack. (see Thistle Saga 2012)
I moved the motorhome over a nice patch of weeds and let ‘er drain.
We’ll see.
Meanwhile between the draining and rinsing and 2nd draining, I quit my procrastinating and wheeled my vinegar cart here and there until I was out of vinegar.
And I mowed the grass.
I trimmed.
I cleaned up with the blower.
I went inside, cooled off and took a shower.
1:20 p.m.
Time to take it easy.
And have a blackberry-goat cheese-lemon thyme tart.
Sunday, day of rest.