As Our Life Goes On

This green katydid type of grasshopper has not eaten too much. Finding non-toxic products that work is not an easy task. Russ bought a so called "green" product to spray on the above ground yellow jacket nest that we found under the eaves of the garden shed. It did nothing but enrage the aggressive bees making the situation more dangerous. It was money wasted because none of the yellow jackets died from the spray. He did buy the green product by mistake so the next time out to the store he read the label very carefully to make sure it was toxic. It was instant death for the stinging insects. We feel safer in garden now. The weather has been wet and though yellow jackets are more likely to be found in a nest under the ground they will build the nests above ground during wet years. 

Friend Jim asked Russ to accompany him as he went to an antique tractor show at the Century Village in Burton, Ohio. The weather was perfect for riding in the open side antique military Jeep. It was set-up day at the show so other than people setting up their displays there were few people on the grounds. This is just the way Russ likes it.  An Interesting antique tractor Jim rummages around in the restored military trailer. Notice there are no seat belts in this Jeep. There is free admission to those who drive vintage vehicles to this show but there was no charge since it was set up day. 

The air conditioner in my vintage 1977 Chevy Caprice has had problems for a few years. It had leaks that were not fixable by adding any kind of sealers. Russ bought all the needed parts to install a new system that uses the new type of coolant.  Our 89 year old neighbor had done many of these conversions and repairs in his life. He once had a service station in Kent, Ohio. The old service stations did repairs and sold gas. Often the owners of  these old time stations had close relationship with  their customers. They treated them as they would a good friend. These owners were there to help their customers not fleece them.  The air conditioner now works better than it ever has since we have owned this car. This vintage automobile is on the road most days so we are thankful for this.  Our neighbor prefers to barter so some yard work will be done at his home which is just a few houses away from ours. 

Swamp Milkweed Button Bush It was such a pleasant cooler day today that walking down the big hill to the swampy area and back up did not seem to be a chore. As I descended the steep hill I could see honeybees on the clover. Then I could see them working on the rose colored wild flowers. The wetland areas at the bottom are surrounded by many button bush plants. They also grow in shallow parts of the swampy area. These pretty white and yellow ball shaped compound blooms seem to be doing so well this year after freezing back last year.  We found a few honeybees working in the large clover areas in the yard around the house. Also discovered was a large above ground hornet or yellow jacket nest. We did not get close enough to see what was going in and out of the nest which is very near to the garden gate. It is too dangerous to travel through that area in the yard so even though we shy away from using sprays in the yard we will spray this large nest after dark. Our safety an

He picks his bouquet carefully. At times it is  before the buds bloom and other times just as they start to open. Many are left to open into beautiful flowers. These blooms are added as needed to enrich his bouquet. Flowers that are past their prime may be left to make the seeds of a new generation. Dried flowers enhance the Fall landscape. 

It seems to be mating time for the iridescent Japanese beetles. They are gathering in pairs on the Bee Balm, daisies and other blooms in the garden. Look closely and you can see another beetle under the petals just above the other beetle in the picture. At times the amorous beetles are seen in clusters and it is difficult to see which insect is with another. I am hoping that the day will come where there will be natural control for these invasive pests.  We don't spray our yard or garden. We're counting on birds and other animals to control insects. We have a bumper crop of clover in our yard this year and the absence of honey bees concerns us. The perfect yards in the new neighborhood across the street do not impress us. The sprays that they are using are killing beneficial insects. The lawn sprays are toxic to people and pets though lawn care companies seem to suppress this fact. 

It is clear that it is about time to scrape and paint our old 1953 trailer. The paint is starting to chip and reveal bare metal in some places. Muddy footprints around the back and sides under the windows revealed that our neighbor was not just kidding when he said that he had seen a black bear checking out our camp.  We saw only three deer run through from a field towards the woods across the street. Their fur coats have a reddish hue at this time of year. Later in the afternoon a spotted fawn jumped up from a resting place in the high weeds and ran off.  The field behind our camp sits unused this year because of the unusually wet weather that has plagued the Western Pennsylvania area where the camp is located. Areas of daisies are growing between the corn stubble. It is very relaxing to look out over the field of flowers. I just hope not to see the face of that black bear looking back at me.