As Our Life Goes On

As we finished the installation of the heavy iron fence we noticed something that could cause a problem. The round finials on the top of the fence posts have small gaps around the edges. We suspect that there may have been square caps over the posts into which the round base posts may have fit. The hollow posts are set into cement so we can't allow them to fill with rain water. We will use a brown colored sealant around the finials to keep the water from entering the posts. Plastic bags and rubber bands will keep the rain out until then. We have had so little rain and any rain at this time will be welcome. The green grass in the background may not be as green as it appears in the pictures. Most of our lawn looks like the grass in the foreground. The base for the streetlamp that will be placed in the garden area is chained to the shed. The top is still inside of the shed. We are thinking of ways to install this large heavy light as it will have to be very sturdy and...

This spider has a great color to camouflage it when it is on a yellow daisy. The bee has not seemed to notice the spider in the strike position just over the edge of the center of the bloom. 

The Japanese Beetles, inchworms and bees may all take something from the flowers but we will certainly lose more if we kill each and every insect that visits our yards.  Pollination of crops by bees and other insects is so important so think about it carefully before you make your yard and our whole environment a toxic place to live.  Some neighborhood organizations require you to kill weeds and plant diseases  on your grass so that your yards will be perfect. The poisons that are being sprayed also cause the death of many beneficial insects. My husband is a golf course turf  grass specialist and certified golf course superintendent and he has always felt that the poisons that he had to spray on the golf course were much too dangerous to spray on our yard where  we walk and our pets and children have played. The kids are no longer living here but we don't want to have contact with these chemicals for any reason.  Lawn care companies may ...

Though the thunder showers have been few in our back yard they have not caused any wind damage. Many more of the flowers are opening up to reveal their beauty. The grass is still quite brown and somewhat matted down by the rain. In times of drought trees will shed leaves to preserve themselves. This is the case in our back yard. We have more days of very hot weather ahead but at least there will be moisture for the farmer's fields and my little flower garden. 

May the big fireworks Inspire love of your country Patriotism -Caroline

Some rain fell at last! It needs to be more rain but We're thankful for this. -Caroline

It is no secret that I don't function well in the high heat. I become lethargic and forgetful and just downright cranky at times. It looks as if there will be a number of days ahead that will make me all those things and perhaps more. It is good there are no important decisions to make at this time. I will just try to keep as cool as possible and even do as little as possible. I think that it makes a really good sounding excuse to be very lazy. 

The hot sun has caused many of my flowers to bloom earlier than usual. Watering has to be done daily as the sun causes the leaves to transpire moisture at a fast rate and the plants are drooping without extra moisture.  It is not cooler in the woods. The trees shut off any breezes that might be blowing and it feels hot. The ground is cracked and dried. Some leaves have a crispy dry feel from lack of rain. This spider web seems to have a lot of little insects entrapped. Maybe some are mosquitoes.   Rabbits have increased in number around our yard.   We did not see many for the last few years. This year there are plenty and they don't seem too concerned about our approaching them.  They love to eat my flower plants and then drink from the low set bird bath that is in the front garden.  The Queen Anne's lace plant in my garden has over a dozen blooms. It is over 5 feet tall.  The blueberries and black raspber...

I discovered that my regular camera was still at home when I decided to get some pictures of Russ mowing at our camp in Pennsylvania. I used my cell phone camera instead.  He had taken a new tire over for the riding mower but it did not fit so he decided to get the old Gravely walking mower started and mow just around the trailer and immediate area. The balance of the mowing will have to wait. It was over 90 degrees as he followed the machine around. This machine is as dangerous as it looks so I stayed inside the air conditioned trailer and snapped a few pictures on my cell phone. He was drenched with sweat when he finished. He had also stirred up something that either bit or stung him near his elbow.   Though the camp had been used by as many as 3 guys at once last Winter and Spring it seemed clean enough so I did not do much to the inside of the trailer. 

Unstoppable is a good word to describe my hard working husband. He has been around the house a lot more since he stopped working so much at his regular job. He goes to that job only as needed and they don't seem to need him too much anymore. That is a good thing. It was 94 degrees out there but not too humid while Russ was setting up the last two sections of iron fence. Next week cement will be poured into the last two holes and some welding will be done to secure the next to the last section into place. The shirt hanging on the fence was shed early in the day. The grass has turned brown and the weeds are withering. We need rain! Brown grass in our yard with withering plantain weeds. 

Cleaning the basement can be unsettling at times. I have written about our giant basement spiders before but this spider certainly was one of the very largest that I have ever seen down there. The wood piece that this wolf spider has two of its legs resting on is 2" wide. I think this could definitely be called a large spider for Ohio. I was startled when I spied this one resting above the well housing in the basement within a couple of feet from my head. It is always a surprise to see them even though I know that they are hiding everywhere in our house. There are plenty of places in our older house for them to live. In the last 40 plus years that we have lived here we have always had sightings of these big spiders. These non-paying residents do keep other insects from overtaking the house so I guess that is somewhat of a payback. I thought that this one had escaped the broom but my husband saw it limping across the floor the next day and put an end to the suffering. Though we...

You may have guessed from the blog title what we intend to do or not to do. We are not going to paint the iron fence. The more we looked at it the more we liked the rusty patina that it has acquired over many years. Some wire brushing may be done to remove heavy encrustations but for now the fence will retain the rusty look. Work will continue when the weather cools but for now other work needs to be attended to. Russ is checking the level on a post in the picture. The next section has to be welded onto the post that he is checking. The gate works well and will remain open most of the time.  The base for the post lamp that will be placed somewhere near the fence can be seen just behind Russ. The large top to the lamp is in that building. The lamp will be scraped and painted as it retains a great deal of paint. 

Will you still hold on When I am faded and old Let's stick together -Caroline

The inner posts for the fence are actually welded up inside. See first picture. This will give great stability to the fence. It won't fall over or lean when the sections are leveled and cemented into the ground. This project leads me to think of another which may not take as much work. I have an old street light that has been gathering rust and I would like to see it put somewhere in the yard near the fence. It need not be electrified as it it has a large font area where a lantern could be placed. It will need a sturdy stabilization system also. 

Russ gazes into one of the 30 inch deep holes that have been drilled for fence post bases for the iron fence. The cement is added and then spread around a bit and tamped with a post. I think he is actually using a wooden post to adjust the cement in the top picture. Next some iron posts will be set into the holes. The heavy iron fence will be placed over the posts and the levels will be adjusted. The placement of the fence sections will be a very difficult job. One of the sections will require some welding as it was cut from the others. The sections that support the gate will have to be placed perfectly in order for it to latch properly.  The final job of wire brushing and painting will seem easy after the fence is in place. A section of the fence can  be seen leaning against the tree in the background,

As soon as I heard my husband say that the blimp was flying over our yard I rushed to grab my camera but before I could run into the back yard the craft had flown to the other side of the tall trees and I could no longer get a good shot. I missed seeing a flashing advertisement that was on the side so now I will never know what somebody was selling or wanted me to know. Oh well! I probably don't need what they were advertising anyway. I would have liked to get a good picture though. 

Oddness intrigues me Daisies take so  many shapes  Just like people do -Caroline

Walking through the yard trails to pick black raspberries involves walking on dry crunchy grass. The recent rains were good but not good enough to green up the lower cut grasses. There are walking trails cut all through the area of meadow grasses and tall decorative grasses that grow in front of the barn. The raspberry bushes are at the far end of the property so this is a more interesting way to get to the picking spot than just walking on the mowed area behind the barn. I found a few stray berry bushes under a pine tree so my berry cup started getting filled as I started through the trail. Perhaps there will be enough for topping our breakfast cereal or some yogurt. 

Just give me daisies A bouquet from the garden It shows all your love -Caroline

There are two of these large Siberian Elm trees near the West side of our house. The one in the picture is probably 70 feet tall. It has been declining every year because of disease. We have had it trimmed by an arborist a few times but this year it would seem futile. The foliage is so sparse that it probably won't support the tree much longer. The buzzards and crows love to sit on the leafless limbs so that they can see what is going on around them. When it was healthy and full of leaves the tree gave a lot of shade to that side of the house. The other Siberian Elm tree can't be seen in the picture. It may get a reprieve this year but maybe not as it is in serious decline also. 

Mr. Fixit is so full of compassion. He checked the rain water that had accumulated at the bottom of the partially dug post holes in the back yard before starting to drill again. There were a number of frogs and toads who had made their way into the holes either for the water that we had poured in them during the dry weather or by mistake. The trapped animals were carefully dipped out and released. We were extremely happy that there was some rain yesterday as our area is down by at least 5 inches of rain for the year. Everything looks refreshed today. It is going to be very hot this week so our plants and trees may still need extra attention and water.  The post holes are done now and about 30" deep. Gooey clay mud lays around the top of each of the holes. The drilling of these holes is an important step toward erecting the old iron fence. 

Crown vetch is a legume which has been widely used on roadsides for erosion control. It is a very invasive plant however and can take over large areas. Climbing fences is not a problem for this pretty plant.  The plant can be toxic to horses and other farm animals, mammals and birds who might ingest it. The use as roadside cover has ceased in many areas. It has very pretty clover-like flowers but it is now classified as a noxious weed. 

The deer and rabbits have eaten most of the flower buds off of the perennials in the front flower garden. They have eaten some of the stems clear to the ground in fact. I think we will have to give up on seeing any blooms in that area this year.  The flowers behind the house have not suffered this kind of assault.  The washing machine has been fixed so that it runs well enough to wash our clothes again. We hope that it lasts for a while longer even though the old Maytag is 24 years old.  The hot dry weather goes on with not much real relief in sight. We will have to be watering the trees and plants around the yard in the days ahead. Our life goes on in the usual manner. That is a good thing!

Hang on there daddy Long legs are good for gripping Queen Anne's Lace dried tops -Caroline

As I sat at my computer I could see reddish flashes of motion out in the back yard. I looked and saw that the crippled doe had brought her offspring to a place she considered to be safe. They tore over the hill in the back at a fast speed strengthening their legs with every running step and leap. They disappeared until later in the afternoon when these pictures were taken from my window. The spots on the fawns are still evident. The doe holds her ailing leg in the air. If startled she runs but most of the time she limps. Hopefully her leg is on the mend.