Country Tree & Weed Update - Plus a Lady Fidget Quilt

Went to the Country last weekend. Summer is mowing season for us. Greg works until 1:00p on Saturday. We leave the city & arrive around 4:00p. Jump on the mowers & mow until dark.

This is only the 2nd time mowing this year. We are about 5 weeks behind due to the rain earlier in the season. Greg went the weekend I was at the quilt retreat only to find the larger 72" mower had a mechanical problem so he had to mow with my our 60". First mowing took almost 6 hours & a lot was still too wet to mow.

There was also string trimming to be done around all the trees & crepe myrtles. We usually only have to trim once or twice a year .... thank goodness.

But we got it done. Here are a few pics from around the place:

Oranges!

Peaches about the size of a 50 cent piece

Pretty blue weeds along fence line

Honeysuckle

Lots of it!

Pretty white weed bush. Lots & lots of these along the fence

Blackberry growing under In-Laws porch.

One of the Cherry Bark Oaks planted in 10/15. Birds seem to love it.

And last but not least, I made a Lady Fidget Quilt I mentioned in my last post.

Gator Feeding

Had some more painting to do at the Country House. Does it ever get finished?

I had crown mold, door frames, baseboards & quarter rounds to paint before they started installing. I also had to get the last coat on in the bedroom. I painted all day on Friday & finished most of it by Sunday.

The carpenters showed up Monday & got to work on the trim in the kitchen & the window sills.

One of the carpenters noticed a 'nice sized' gator in the pond. My Dad just happened to be at his place so I called him to see if he could shoot it. Of course, by the time he got into position the gator went under. My Dad stayed out for about an hour & shot a couple of times but missed. He said that his gun needed to be sighted in or that his aim was really bad. He said that after the 3rd shot, the gator stuck his tongue out at him, & he knew it was time for him to quit.

The carpenter who spotted the gator asked if it would be alright if he tried to trap it. He said & I quote "It's kind of like a hobby of mine". OK. He said he would skin it, save the skin & eat the meat. I said sure, why not? He set out 2 hooks. One off the dock & the other at the shallow end. I left on Wednesday & the gator had gotten the bait a couple of times but didn't 'hook' itself. The guy said he would keep trying.

I talked to my Dad this morning & he said that as far as he knew, the guy hadn't had any luck. I told my Dad that it sounds like he's just feeding the gator & that the gator has probably told his cousins & they are just coming by for a quick meal. If he hasn't caught it by this weekend I will ask him not to set any more traps.

Shallow end after bait was taken. Broke the rod.

2nd baiting. Hook, line & rod were taken the 1st time.

Here are a couple pics of my pathetic garden, Nelly having fun & other weeds:

1 Peach tree blooming. The other only had a couple blooms.

Weeds have once again taken over. The branch looks so close but it's actually about 60 or 70 yards away!

Not sure what this is?

Bitter Weed everywhere!

Nelly running & playing

Sigh

Nelly hiding in the weeds

More weeds but these are kind of pretty.

We're headed back up there this weekend & I'll get some pics of the inside of the barn apartment to post next week.

Pick Up Sticks

Remember that game we played as kids & loved it? Not so much as an adult. Guess I should have had kids so I could get them to do it now. Too late! Actually the picking up doesn't bother me. It's the unloading onto "the pile" that I don't like.

While Greg mowed the weeds (it's green from the road so it's all good) I picked up sticks along the driveway. I know, if you just leave them they rot away, but we like things nice & tidy when we can get it that way. So, picking up those sticks along the driveway was my weekend responsibility.

3 loads just like this.

Here's what he was mowing down:

Bitter weed is what we call this in our neck of the woods. It stays away after a couple of mowings. It's really very pretty but 8 acres of the stuff needs to be cut. Done in about 3 hours.

After I finished that task I took a look at the garden.

Boy, those weeds have grown in a month! Starting that particular task at 2:00p in 80 degree heat probably wasn't the smartest idea but I did get to use the shed roof off the garden shed with a nice breeze & it made a huge difference. I weeded each bed & then took a 5 min. break in the shade & breeze. It took just under 2 hours. No after pics, sorry. Greg string trimmed around the edges & I pulled from the bed itself. Had a whole Mule load full. Put them on "the pile" as well. We'll eventually burn that pile but for now it's just growing.

Anyway, spring has sprung at the Farm. Of the trees installed last year ... 1 maple, 1 willows & 2 peach trees made it. 1 maple & 2 apples didn't. Here's one of the peach trees in full bloom.

Need to prune.

Spring has sprung!

New weeds & a Shoulder Saver

Went to the Country as usual on Friday night with a trailer & truck load full of stuff. Greg wanted some of his garage back.

We got up Saturday morning & unloaded it all. First up was the shelving units. There was a World Market near our city house that was closing. After the merchandise was sold they started breaking down the shelves to sell. I was able to get 10. The shelves themselves are made with 3/4 solid wood & are 36" wide & 19 inches deep. Perfect for my future pantry. ($15 each) I also had one of the wire shelves I got from work that we took as well. It will definitely get some use. (free)

Greg had bought two used lateral filing cabinets from a discount/used office supply store. Will be used for storage of some type. ($20 each)

I had purchased a big rug & long hall runner at an estate sale a while back. (I think the rug was $35 & the runner $15)

We had a ceiling to put up in the garden shed so we headed to Lowe's to buy sheets of strand board. Greg had bought this device a few weeks ago beccause we knew we had ceilings of dry wall & this strand board to hang as well as eventually doing the walls. He used his ever present Northern Tool coupons to buy at a discount.($100)

If anyone has hung sheet rock or plywood on a ceiling you know how hard it can be. I used to hold the dead man but Greg would just about tear his shoulders holding his end up & the screwing it to the studs. With this tool, you just lay the board of top & roll it into place then raise the to meet the roof & screw into place. Truly a shoulder saver. It breaks down & stores nicely too. It can be used on vertical walls as well.

I took this pic of the storage shed a couple of weeks ago. I like the sun shining on it. That stick  in the whole you see in front, was where one of our oak trees used to be before it (& the other 2) up & died on us.

We put a shed roof & a mini deck on the back of the shed. I didn't match the roofing material so it looks a little red neck but it will be a cool space to get in the shade during the heat of the summer, while working in the raised beds.

Putting insulation on the spigots - yes we have water!

Speaking of the raised beds I noticed the weeds have already started coming in (they don't kow it's winter). There are some new ones that I haven't noticed before & are actually quite pretty. If anyone knows what they are, please leave me a comment as I have no idea about weeds except for the dreaded Bermuda Grass that hasn't shown it's ugly head yet.

This one is almost like a succulent & seems to only be in the blocks.

We've had this before but I don't know what it is.

Only 1 of these on outside of one bed, it has purple flowers.

This one is inside 2 or 3  of the beds.

Many have asked about my Mom & she's doing great. She is getting her sugar under control & the Endocrinologist was pleased. Our long term goals & to get her of injected insulins & back to 1 pill a day. We have the follow-up cardiologist next week & hope we can evenually lesson some of those meds as well. Thank you for all your thoughts & prayers. Her new house should be delivered next week so expect next weekend to be very busy. My sister & I have been buying all new stuff for her since almost everything she had was completely worn out. Of course, many of the items I have purchased have been from Estate Sales. 

Oh well, going to heat up leftovers for dinner & have the stupid game on but we never sit down to watch. Like many, we listen for the commercials then go back to doing something else. Hope everyone has a great week.

Labor Day Nemisis(s)

It really is just one nemesis but in two different forms ...... WEEDS!!!

We knew the garden was going to be bad since it had been 3 weeks since it had been weeded. And, we weren't disappointed. (Double click on each pic to 'biggefy'.)

But, we also encountered them in our pond. Our pond is spring fed so it has a good supply of fresh water. But when it rains it obviously raises the level. To compensate & keep it from overflowing the pond dam, we have a drain pipe with a galvanized wire cage above & around it, to keep out weeds. The pipe drains into the branch area & eventually away from the property altogether.

When we got up in the morning, we noticed that the pond level was very high & it didn't seem to be receding. Plus, we can normally see the upper portion of the cage sticking out above the water, but we couldn't see it at all. Greg got in the fiberglass john-boat & paddled to the drain pipe. It was BARELY draining a trickle & the water level was about 2 inches from overflowing the dam! We would really be in trouble if that happens, as the dam would erode & eventually break & drain ALL the water out of the pond.

It had rained so much lately that the suction of the water into the drain pipe was originally very strong & on top of that the pond weeds wrapped themselves around the weakened cage & caused it to collapse on itself thereby stopping the pipe from draining. Greg started pulling weeds away from the cage. I was standing on the dam at the time & could hear the exit pipe start to gurgle very loudly. I wasn't sure what the sound was at first as it was a guttural sound like an animal stuck in the mud trying to get out. Finally a huge blast of water pushed through, (I couldn't see it, only hear it) & eventually the water started draining steadily again.

These are part of the weeds pulled away from the cage.

About 1/2 5 gallon buckets worth.

After about 3 hours, you could see about 2 inches of the, now bent, cage.

And, the water was receding from the dock as well.

Greg pulled a few more weeds the next day & before we left you could see about 4 inches of the cage.

My Dad will be up this week & will check it to make sure it isn't stopped up again. We'll need to replace the cage apparatus. We are looking to replace it with stainless cage so it doesn't erode.

After working on the drain pipe we decided to tackle the garden. This is what it looks like. There are hedgerows growing! This is War!

I have newspaper in the some of the block holes & initially thought that the weeds were growing up through the paper. However, after either pulling or string trimming, it appears that the newspaper is helping keep the weeds in the holes, at bay. There are a few coming through but nothing like in the beds.

Almost all the beds have newspaper or cardboard, leaves, hay & a layer of compost but as you can see the weeds don't care. They are definitely worse & harder to pull in the beds w/less 'matter' in them. The 2 higher beds in the front (eventually the asparagus beds) have a thicker layer of compost on them & the weeds seem to be mostly surface weeds most likely brought in by birds. I pulled the weeds out of those 2 beds by hand.

We decided to try an experiment with black 6 mil plastic. We had a few leftover old warped boards so we measured and put a frame of board along the length of each bed & stapled the black plastic to the boards & then put block on the ends. We only had enough boards to do 4 beds but we'll see how it goes & cover the others if it seems to work.

I still want to put down cardboard or landscape cloth & wood chips in the pathways. But need to find a source for wood chips.

Oh well, at least I don't plan on planting anything in most of the beds until the spring of 2015 we will keep fighting until we have conquered the blasted weeds!

Oh, and a note on the grapes. Yes, the other vine is definitely the white variety.

I got about 2 quarts from it & about another pint from the last of the red ones!

The Remainder of Memorial Day Weekend

After the first full very busy 10 hour day, we woke up early the next morning to go at it again. We got the 2nd post in that the gate will lock to, then decided to tackle the rest of the garden. Here are a couple of before pics:

Click to biggify

Click to biggify

MIL & FIL came out to help as well. MIL & I pulled weeds from inside the beds. Not too bad except the stupid Bermuda grass that was growing any tiny place it could catch 1/2 a ray of sunshine, especially in the block holes which haven't yet been stuffed w/newspaper & filled with hay & mulch. My MIL is 78 but will get outside & work until she can't go anymore. FIL is 82 & the does same except that he has some health issues, mainly his bones. But, he will still get out there & work til dark. While MIL & I were pulling weeds, Greg had brought a push mower & mowed down all the really hateful weeds & grass & then string trimmed up close to the blocks. Once all that was done we topped off each of the 9 beds with most of the leaf mulch they had brought from the city. Here's a pic that I took while up on a ladder in the back of the truck. Not centered but it gives you an idea of the whole garden.

Click to biggify

I plan on putting down newspaper & tree bark in between the beds with a couple of containers throughout. Plus a small square pole shelter in the middle. We'll also have to put in a good fence to keep the critters out.

This bunny is just one of many. They were so tiny when we first started seeing them just a few short months ago. They aren't pleased to not have the grass to hide in but they draw hawks & snakes to the area. They have plenty of fence line to hide in.

That straw covered area is our attempt at controlling the grass until we can put in more beds. We have many weeds that have popped up, most are from the horse poo since it wasn't composted before we used it.

While looking around that area we discovered a couple of tomato plants??? After thinking about it a while I remembered the tomato plants that I gave my cousin last year (the one that gave us the poo). He had them right by the horse pasture. They have one horse, Jay, that loves tomatoes & they would toss him the split ones. The seeds were obviously in the poo we spread. Now that's what I call recycling! And, they are heirloom to boot!

Tomato plant + oats. Both directly from the horse poo.

The rest of the weekend was spent piddling. Here are a few pics from around the property. As you can see from the field pics, there are NO trees around, except the 3 oaks, 3 citrus & 3 (now 2) willows that we planted last year.

View from house looking towards branch.

View of field from pond dam, on Dad's side.

House

View of pond from branch area.

View of house from branch area.

Purple Martins are back.

While Greg was mowing, he noticed a Mama Killdeer bird flapping her wings wildly. This happened last year & he knew there was a nest nearby.

Stock Photo, Mama moved to fast for me to get a pic.

Sure enough, after about 5 min. of searching, here's what he found. They make their nests right.on.the.ground.

I am still loving the driveway & our new 'forested' area. Here are a couple of pics of the scenery:

Doesn't this look like a great place to grow mushrooms?

I think this is a passion flower!

Greg went back this weekend to mow the grass. We have a very large project to accomplish next weekend & didn't want the grass mowing to take up the whole 23 hours that we are there on summer weekends.

That is 27 crepe myrtle trees that FIL brought from their other Country place they are moving from. He grafted all these from their trees in the City a few years ago & didn't want to leave them where they were. We also have around 30 others, in pots that will also have to go in.

Next weekend is going to be brutal!