The Suburban Version of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox

It was a sad day in our backyard last night when I finally got around to taking down the Red Bud tree. This was the tree that never developed its beautiful pink Spring blooms and did not sprout a single leaf this year. A landscape friend of Matt's said that the best thing to do was to cut it down since there was no hope of it coming back to life. This tree had been a source of delight and complete frustration since it was installed over 4 years ago. We loved to look at it, but the branches had a mind of their own and would grow in just the right direction so you could not easily walk under the tree. We always had to walk around it by stepping into the flower beds, or going under it by lifting branches and hoping whoever was behind you did not get slapped in the face, and finally just avoiding it altogether and walking under the deck to get to the yard. But we really did not want to let it go. There was some discussion early in the growing season that I was the source of death because I pruned the limbs back so that I could walk under it, but as I found out, an insect infestation was the real culprit.

I still cannot believe how easy it was to tear apart this tree. It took me about one hour and I used my hands for most of the demo. The poor tree just crumbled in my hands like soup crackers. It was also interesting to note that something that had a span of at least 10 feet could be reduced to the contents of a blue tub and a few limbs. I tried to break the largest limbs down further, but by this time my arms and shoulders were getting sore and I had taken a branch in the knee when it snapped a little too easily. I have everything lined up and ready to be taken over to my parent's house this afternoon. The tree will get a new brief life as firewood for their outdoor pit.

So my dedicated companion and myself were able to call it a day. We need to get our rest for a few more projects this weekend before Matt gets home. I spoke with him last night and he is just as exhausted from his labors. He won't be home until Sunday night, so that gives us a lot of time to wait. In the meantime there is a lot of weeding to be done, grass to be cut and deck boards to be lightly sanded. Plus, I need to go pick out the deck stain at the store after I take my measurements. Thanks to my instructions from the Paint Quality Institute, I should be able to tackle this project over the next few weeks. But, we'll see what really happens.

Hail

Last night I went outside to rid my lettuce patch of the thistle and had just finished the job when the rain started. They were big large drops that were hitting me as I made my way in closely followed by a less than happy dog. A few hours later, the sounds of the rain changed and I realized that something stronger was hitting the house. We received a brief hail storm and I started having flashbacks from a few years ago when we had a horrible hail storm that caused power outages and holes in our siding. Fortunately as you can see, the hail was quite small and caused no damage at all. We were even able to go back outside for a little bit before heading to bed. The best part is that the various rain showers that we have been receiving this month has provided enough water to keep the gardens going strong. I think that I only watered when I put in the veg plants, and I have not done anything since. Our lawn is starting to look a little dry in places, so I should start some early morning watering before the heat of July kicks in. The forecast calls for several moderate days for the rest of the week until we hit the 90s on Saturday, so I better get a move on and mow while I am at it.

Goliath and I went out to get some more lettuce this morning, and picked three varieties for the next few days. I am almost halfway through my crop, so I need to get some seeds and figure out what I am going to do with the bed until Fall. Maybe some herbs would be a good idea. That way I can load up on them for the Winter. Or better yet, some additional tomato plants so that I can make some sauce to set aside. There is already one volunteer tomato plant growing in the middle of the lettuce. Where it came from, I have no idea, so if it is thriving, than maybe that is the best choice to make. I will leave you with our view as we headed back into the house. The plants look great and the color is really starting to come out. When the deck is gray, it will really let the flowers shine. It just dawned on me that as we paint the deck, it will be nearly scarlet and gray. That should make the Ohio State fans in the neighborhood happy. We better get it finished before football season starts.

Hacking through the wilderness

It is supposed to rain tonight so I figured that I better work on weeding the veg area before the thistle takes over. Plus, I have eaten through my first harvest of lettuce (3 small heads) and need to see how much is left. I think that I am going to have to purchase some additional seed for a Fall planting. The lettuce tastes great and I have been making a simple balsamic vinaigrette to go with it, so having a salad with every meal has not been too bad. If only Matt were here to enjoy it.

Speaking of my poor beleaguered husband, I am including a picture of him from Florida. The few times that I have talked to him, he has told me a little about how the work is going. Tearing out drywall and insulation, finding mold, and battling the heat. I am so glad that I did not go. I would not have lasted very long in the heat. To learn more about his trip, check out the HPC web site. July 1 seems so far away. I have a feeling that I better not ask him to do any projects around the house for a few months.

First Harvest

Goliath and I went out this morning to see if we could grab any lettuce for lunch. Wow, what a change the rain makes. I am going to have to start eating salad all the time, or give this stuff away before it bolts. Mom, are you interested? While I was delighted to see all the various lettuces waiting for me, I realized that only about one third of the plants made it from seed. There could be many reasons for this lack of a crop but my guess is that the competing vegetation took over: the dreaded thistle.

Now being part Scottish, I enjoy the thistle symbol, but I don't want to see it all over my yard. And as you can see, they are everywhere. This particular breed is nasty because they see to spread from an underground runner, so even when I pull them out in one location, they are happy to flee to another part of the yard and cause more headaches. We did not mulch this year, and this could be a major source of their success. Just something to remember for next year.

Our other veg plants look great. The broccoli is huge and the squash and cucumbers are already starting to produce immature fruit. I spent some time on Sunday getting the cucumbers to climb the support I made for them. Unfortunately, I forgot about the spiny vines and finished the job with some sore fingers. Oh well, all for the culinary cause. I do not seem to have any eggplants growing and will have to put in transplants next year and not seeds. I also noticed that barely any sunflowers made it. I think they were eaten before they had much of a chance. One thing is for certain, no matter how well Matt cleared and turned the soil to prepare the beds, a lot of the previous plant life has come back. There must have been a great deal of seed activity when we were ripping out plants. Yet another case for mulch.

Our trip back into the house at the wee hours of the morning gave us a nice view of the flowers along the deck before the bumble bees came out to get to work. The purple coneflower seems to have spread itself around quite a bit, but it does add some color in July when I need it most. Well I will leave you for today, be well.

What happened to June?!?

Things got away from me in June. I have no excuse for my lack of posts, but I now have a chance to write a few paragraphs to catch you up on all the drama.

The week of Memorial Day, Matt had to work at the ProLogis house for the golf tournament. And just like every other year, it rained, so no progress made on the deck or the yard. A few weeks later he fired up the new power washer and we discovered that it is not the final solution for taking the paint off the deck. Our plan of complete paint removal and then staining has gone out the window. Time for plan D -- painting again. This has not begun since neither of us wants to actually start the project of painting the deck. We do not tend to agree on how the process should work so our solution is to ignore it until I can't take it anymore and buy the paint. Instead of screaming brick red, we are going to go for an understated gray. This should put the emphasis on the surrounding gardens and not the two story beast in the backyard. We also moved shade cover from the bottom level on the deck to the top. Hopefully in three weeks we will be getting a canopy system installed that will make the summertime more bearable. The canopy will be a nice bright yellow that you can probably see from space. If anything, when you fly into Columbus, you should be able to spot our house from a few thousand feet.

Finally, this week Matt is in Florida with a group from the church. They are helping to repair homes damaged by last year's hurricanes. This community is primarily older residents that cannot perform the repairs, so they have had their FEMA supplies for quite a while and need help with roofing and drywall installation. Matt left on Saturday morning for the long drive down and called from Georgia Saturday night to say so far everything was fine. Unfortunately, things are no so golden at the house. I have a depressed dog that keeps looking for his "poppy" and does not sleep well through the night. So I don't sleep well through the night. I am hoping that he will settle down tonight and get some rest. Either that, or I will have to take him on my run tonight and just wear him out.

On the bright side, I have a crop of lettuce to harvest when I am ready. On the dark side, I seem to be growing more thistle than anything else. Once I find the digital camera, I will be able to provide some art.