Gypsy on One of Our Perimeter Checks - June 2008

Word of the Day

Illiteration - Any scattering of similar sounds in sentences which are nonsensical, hence making them seem illiterate.

After the hustle and bustle of New York, things are pretty quiet here at The Lake. Gypsy and I had our morning walk and perimeter check this morning. I noted that I'm going to have to knock down a few wasp nests that the wasps are starting to build under the deck and under the eaves. HTP commented that he'd seen a lot of wasp activity out on the deck while I was gone. He didn't realize that I check for nests every day and keep them knocked down. Since he hadn't been doing that while I was in New York...I'll have to get out the RAID spray to zap these nests with before I can knock them down. Wasps can really build nests FAST and before you know it they can become a major nuisance, an nuisance that I don't want hanging around that close to the house. They have the whole woods to build their nests, they don't need to build them on my house.

While out on a perimeter check yesterday morning, I noted that something had gotten into one of my flower beds by the garage. Wow! Huge holes dug out into the bed! A bear? I can't think of anything else big enough that could do that. Rocks from the retainer wall were thrown out onto the lawn and those rocks are BIG. At breakfast, I asked HTP what had happened. He hadn't even known about the damage. I'm beginning to figure out that HTP didn't go outside much while I was in New York. Anyhow, I'll have to fix the damage sometime today. Thankfully, it doesn't look like whatever made those holes (a bear?) did too much damage...at least nothing that won't take an hour to fix.

Other than whatever (a bear?) made a mess of my one garden, how does my garden grow? My iris are in full bloom and my peonies are just starting to pop. I think even my new red peony that I planted last fall might produce one bloom. My faux indigo is blooming and my dwarf daylilies are starting to bloom as well. My vegetable gardens are looking good too. It looks like I can start picking some lettuce...after breakfast? I need to wait until the dew dries off but not too late that the afternoon heat starts wilting the lettuce leaves. The peas are starting to climb on my strings. I had to remove suckers from my tomato plants. I don't want them to sprawl so much...at least not until they reach over the top of the tomato rings. My cucumbers are blossoming. The eggplant in my Earthboxes are doing better than those in the dog kennel garden. Actually, everything that I planted in the Earthboxes is doing better than the things in the dog kennel garden. It's nice to know that if I ever get the point where I can't handle working in my regular garden, I can still grow things in my Earthbox gardens out on the deck.

I'm going to have to start using my new lemon soap that I bought in New York. The mosquitoes are nasty outside...inside too if you're not quick enough closing the doors. I'll have to dig out my lemon oil lotion too. Despite the fact that I don't react to their bites anymore, I don't care for the thought of something noshing on my blood. Ewwww. Besides, I hate listening to their constant whining.

Murphyism of the Day

Cameron's Law

An honest politician is one who, when he is bought, will stay bought.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Art, like morality, consists of drawing the line somewhere.

- G. K. Chesterton (1874 - 1936)