This long holiday weekend began on an almost cool Wednesday afternoon, May 24, 2017. Thursday and Friday was also cool but warming up. By Friday afternoon:
- Mary weeded the front beds while Tom installed the new mower deck belt and ignition switch on the JD Lawn Tractor, greased the blade arbor shafts and adjusted the mower deck level;
- Mary cut the grass in the front and east side around the house when Ted arrived. He cut the west side, barnyard and pecan orchard while she finished around the house. Hauled a truckload of limbs to the burn pile and then a truckload of green limbs from an 8″ limb that broke off.
- Used the edger to trim the driveway and front walk.
- Thought the weedeater needed carb cleaned but when removed it the little round screen was clean. Later learned about the spark arrestor screen in the muffler and it was clogged.
Late Wednesday, Steve Cain of Cain’s Tree and Landscape gave us an estimate to top the pecans in the crowded row along the east side of the house back to the grain bin, trim the limbs over the barn, remove the sweet gun at the NW corner of the barn and cut limbs from the pecans along the driveway.
About 7 pm Keith Horness with Apex Roofing and Restoration (920-287-2836) came by and looked at the roof and found hail damage. He helped us report it to Liberty Mutual and they will come to inspect next week with him here.
Friday we were achy and sore and therefore piddled around. Turned out despite the cool weather and little sweating one salt tablet relieved the stiffness. Went to Blair’s Nursery on Dawes Lane and bought:
- 3 Drift roses,
- 4 daylilies. See below for the ID.
- 3 gal. Quick Fire Hydrangea and a 3 gal. Pinkie Winkie Hydrangea. Both “panicle hydrangeas”. Both were from Flowerwood Nursery, Inc. of Mobile AL.
Ted said he now has 11 mules, the black & white Draft Horse and two white horses plus the longhorns. He said the guy in the back no longer has his horses in our field.
Saturday – Planted roses and hydrangeas bought yesterday. Moved roses that were where hydrangeas are now to the SW corner of the yard, one to the bird feeder and the poorest one to under the kitchen window. Found winged tiny ants in the rose nearest the walk that was not doing well. Moved it to the SW corner and treated the dirt there to kill the ants. Also, spread those granules in the original hole and around all other plants nearby. Watered it in.
Planted two “Pardon Me” daylilies (red flowers with yellow throats) at the point next to the walk on the east side of the front door) and two Stella de Oro (yellow long blooming) at the back door.
Also: sprayed 24D on dollar feed in front yard and large-purple-leaf-flat weeds along north side of Azalea row around to fig trees; filled cracks in driveway; limbed up the sweet gum and little oak at the NW corner of the barn; Mary finished spraying the fence on the west side and the weeds in the and around the barn.
Went to north fields with Peg and Frank in her new Kawasaki Mule. Surprised to see so little kudzu when it is growing along the road in other locations. Mary’s Springs were flowing well due to all the rain.
Sunday – Sprayed the roses with fungicide and the brown spots in the front yard with Bayers. South humid breeze after the rain blew through can out of the north and provide a few hours of nice weather.
Inspected all pecan trees and found carpenter ants at 7 trees plus the one at the carport that Steve with Cain’s Tree Service found. Mary dug into the nests and I poured in Hi-Yield’s Bug Blaster Bifenthrin 2.4; mixed 1T/gallon of water. Photos below are the infested trees. [inspection at July 4 did not find any evidence of nests are the trees. It worked.]
Fergie would not crank as battery terminals are corroded. When trying to clean them the positive broke and the negative’s threads was rusted but I worked it off. Need to replace and charge.
