George is at it again

Yesterday, while it was wet, trying to burn a brush pile that did not seem to want to burn.



So, he put an old tire on it and got it started. You are not supposed to burn tires, but, people who live way out in the boonies sometimes do these things, and things like mine gravel from the creek.



It still did not please him the way it was burning, so bring on more tires.



Finally, it is burning but he wants to use the tractor to push the brush in to the fire. I did not think this was a good idea. He thought I was being silly.



Eventually, he was satisfied and left it alone. I was nearly all gone tonight, and he restarted it and now has burned up everything except a few sticks. I told him he was going to burn up his tractor and he said it was insured.

Then, I told Patsy that George was saying I did something wrong. Patsy took my side. She said she knew I had not done anything wrong because I never actually do anything. I am glad she is on my side.

What's Hap Nen

Doesn't my pond look pretty!



With the beautiful yellow blooms all over?




And the other pond with the pretty green sheen all over?

NOT!!! or at least not to a farmer. I was wanting to do something about the pond weeds and scum, so Monday we spent $55 for 6 grass carp, 3 in each pond. I don't know if that will help, but I wanted to try it.

Two of the sisters have been talking about their shopping trips with their grandkids to by school clothes. I have bought my grandchildren school clothes on occasion, but it is not my favorite activity. Lane always wants something that I hate, and Emmy wants everything. I just let their parents worry about school clothes and supplies. And, I buy most of my clothes at the thrift store or yard sales. My favorite pair of jeans cost 50 cents and my favorite pair of capris for work cost 25 cents. I need to buy new tee shirts because I have bleach spots on most of my good ones from failing to take them off when I get home from work, but so far all I have bought is one boys tee shirt on clearance for $2.50. I hate to spend money on clothes because they are not very important to me. If my grandkids did not have good clothes to wear to school, I would buy them good clothes, but as long as their parents will buy them plenty of school clothes, I will save my money for important things like grass eating fish.




Oh, yes, and we got an inch and a half of rain. You can see it in my rain gage. I like having a rain gage, but the last two I bought got broken. I found this one under the sink in my kitchen. I don't think it will break, but if it does, I know where I can find a replacement for the same amount of money. Husband and son made fun of my rain gage, but until today, I can guarantee it was absolutely accurate because until today it always said we got no rain. That was completely accurate. Today it may not be absolutely accurate, but it was worth the price and I have a pretty good idea of how much it rained. If husband or son want to buy a better rain gage or buy me new clothes at the mall I will let them. I am saving my money to buy a minnow trap so I can trap minnows in the creek to put in the ponds. Then, next spring, I am going to buy blue gill and bass. That will cost more than $55. No money for clothes. Saving it all for the important things in life...

The Hoe Story

This is the grubbing hoe I used to dig holes for the plants yesterday. If you click on the photo and enlarge it, you might be able to see the $7.00 price marked on the handle. I bought it at a junk sale somewhere, I think at Fraleys at Harrison last year. It is one of many grubbing hoes I have owned. It might be more accurate to say one of the many that has passed through my hands. The men in my family like to use my hoes, shoveles and pick axes for prying bars resulting in a broken handle, making the tool useless unless you just want to throw it at someone who has done something to annoy you, like maybe broken the handle of your hoe or shovel. I have tried, with absolutely no success, to educate these men to the fact that we have several iron pry bars in various lenghts that make much better pry bars than my hoes. Right now I have this used hoe, a new shovel (a new exact mate to the one son broke a couple of months ago), and an old pick axe with a broken handle. I am a bit old to be welding a pick axe anyway, so I have left it broken for the last few years.

My first grubbing hoe was a gift from my father of the one he had owned for years and years. My second grubbing hoe was the one I bought so that I would not have to use the family heirloom hoe in my garden. Both hoes were at one time hanging in the old shop next to my house. Both hoes at sometime unknown to me came up missing. One of these hoes is at my brother Richard's house and the other is at my sister Helen's house. No one has any idea which is actually the hoe Daddy owned and which was the one I bought as they looked identical. I would not have known where the hoes got off too if they had not confessed to taking the hoe that Daddy owned. I disremember now which one confessed first, but I think they both got what they deserved, a hoe that might be Daddy's hoe, or might be one I bought at the hardware store.

Son's project

Son came down and worked on the railing around the deck in this heat. He has it about half completed. We have to get more lumber. It looks great. He is going to make some kind of gate for the steps so the babies can play out here without me worrying about them falling off an cracking their heads.

Today's project

Removing this ugly clump of hunnysuckle. I decided yesterday that I was going to do this. I started about 7:30 this am while George was sleeping, I thought, but as I started, he came out and said he could get it out with the tractor. I thought that was a good idea, but after 30 minutes or so with no movement in sight, I started in again. It was easier than I thought because everything underneath was dead. I cut it loose and pulled it away from the ground.



Then George got the tractor and pulled it the rest of the way out. That is the clump of hunnysuckle down in front of my tomato plants. We found a snake in it. A harmless green and yellow snake, but he killed it anyway. I do not want even a harmless snake in my yard.



This is how it looked afterwards.


Then I thought I had to buy some plants to put in there. I have a snowball plant, 2 roses and a bayberry plant on each end. Then I got 2 zinnia plants so I would have some blooms. I am going to try Patsy's trick of rooting rose of sharon cuttings and plant a rose of sharon under the hummybird feeder. I have to make up to them for taking away their hunnysuckle.

What we had done until today was mostly tractor work and even though it was hot, it was not to bad. I worked about an hour to 90 minutes putting in these plants and the heat was terrible. I begin to think I was going to have to wait till sunset to finish. But, I got them in the ground and they look nice. I know August is not the time to plant anything, but I think if I water them every day they will be ok. Anyway that is what I am hoping for.