Staycation June 28 - July 8, 2018

Disappointment!  We had all our reservations set to go to Cabo for a week between my old and new jobs.  And I noticed at the last minute that my passport was expired.  Crushing blow.  So, to the farm for a week.

• Thursday.  I pulled up all my Brown Eyed Susans in the Wild Border near the Rose Garden, several wheelbarrows full.  I dumped them in the Meadow so they would seed that area.
• Spent some time in the Meadow breaking the stems of a plant that I don't want to set seed - not sure of the name, maybe Bears Tail?  Anyway, the plant is a single, tall stem and a weedy bushy whitish flower head throws seed everywhere.  When it is young it is easy to pull up, but once it gets mature it's a booger to pull up.  So I snap off the head of it. 
• I sprayed herbicide on the entire driveway all the way to the road.  I have a new sprayer that my dad gave me when he was cleaning out his garage, and it works like a dream.  Every little bit of help...helps.
• I weeded for quite a while in the Rose Garden and pulled up that obnoxious vine that is on my neighbors' property and spreads by underground suckers all over my Rose Garden.  Curses.
• Watered in the Rose Garden.  I lost my Heritage rose.  I will definitely replace that one in the fall, I love it, gorgeous flowers and the best smell of all my roses.
• Worked in the Vegetable Garden for quite a while.  I cut back and staked some of my Mexican Sunflowers.  I trimmed my Birdhouse Gourd and Cantaloupe vines.  Pulled lots of weeds.  Staked and deadheaded zinnias. Sprayed herbicide in the paths.
• Worked in the front bed for a while pulling up day flower weed, cutting back Tickseed and Spiderwort.  Also smoothing out the soil - the front beds are particular favorites of the armadillos.  Last week I re-planted my new Strawberry Candy day lilies for the fourth time and staked the entire area with chicken wire.  Armadillos won't be able to get through that.
• Napped, read and watched Netflix for the rest of the day.
• Friday.  I finished weeding and straightening up the front beds.
• Down to the Orchard to clean it up.  I was in there  until about 12:30.  I hauled off three wheelbarrows piled high.  Weeded tons of crab grass, cut the verbena back, pulled up wildflowers, cut back my Henry Duehlberg salvia and Monarda.  And scraped and shoveled all the dirt back into the beds that the armadillos had strewn all over the paths.  Evil, nasty things.  There is still a couple of hours worth of work to do, and I need to mulch as well.
• I napped totally filthy and sweaty on top of a sheet I draped across the couch.  Went back outside about 3:30 and worked until about 6:00 in the Star Garden.
• I cut back Blue Bedder salvia, staked the seed heads of my Giant Rudbeckia, weeded, pulled up spent wildflowers, staked some ageratum, cut back my red Bee Balm, pulled up wedelia growing amongst the Ehamanii cannas and generally cleaned out the beds.  Also trimmed the Lindlyana hummingbird bush away from the La Marne rose that's getting crowded out.
• Bert and I drove around the property and scared up a doe with her fawn.  So cute.
• Saturday.  I drank coffee and watched the Painted Buntings at the feeder.
• I spent a good part of the morning in the Rose Garden.  I cut back the Horsemint next to the Fortunes Double rose.  I've read in some books it's a perennial and some where it's an annual, so I cut it back rather than pull it up.  Pulled up Brown Eyed Susans in that same bed.  Threw the Horsemint and Susans in the Meadow hoping they will seed the meadow.  I pulled up lots of Day weed, my enemy.  Watered and generally cleaned up.  Still not finished, but every effort makes big improvements.
• I worked in the Star Garden for a while.  I severely pruned the pink Vitex back away from the path.  I pruned the Almond Verbena away from the path.  I weeded in the Almond Verbena bed.  Watered in the Star Garden.
• Trimmed the grape vines in the Orchard again.  Trying to give the grapes as much sun as I can.
• I walked the Meadow and snapped stems of the plant that I'm trying to discourage.  I'm very happy to see ageratum blooming at the bottom of the hill.  I threw down bunches of spent ageratum right in that area last fall.  So it is very rewarding to see them blooming there.  There are lots of cow pen daisies about to bloom.  And, unfortunately, a lot of crab grass is growing throughout the meadow.  I will have to spray soon or I'll miss my opportunity before it sets seed.
• Napped during the hottest part of the day.
• Spent an hour or so pulling weeds in the shady part of the Star Garden.
• Dinner at Volare's in town.
• Sunday.  Bert and I drove around the property picking Mustang grapes.  I picked most of a bowl off of the grape vine trained on the neighbors' fence.  They don't use the grapes, and it's low-growing and easy pickings.  The rest we climbed up a ladder and picked along the back of the property.
• I cleaned out the Mock Orange bed in the Star Garden.  It's a little nerve racking weeding during high summer.  Snakes.  I practically stepped on one yesterday.  It was some sort of rat-type snake.  Not poisonous but always fear-inspiring.
• Moved on to the Rose Garden.  I got about half way done pulling up Coreopsis and cutting back Moss Verbena in the Carefree Beauty rose bed then the sun drove me into the shade.  I pulled weeds and cut back Lindlyana in the shady part of the Long Border.  I also cut back my Indigo Spires to the ground.  
• Made grape jelly with the grapes Bert and I picked.
• Napped.
• Went outside and started cutting back my Black and Blue Sage to the ground.  Threw all the debris in the compost pile.  Didn't get the job completed unfortunately.
• Sprayed herbicide in the Meadow here and there in the thickest stands of crab grass.  Sprayed herbicide in the Orchard and the Greenhouse Gardens paths.
• Monday.  I worked on the bed next to the dining room.  I pulled up armloads of Ageratum.  It was growing amongst my iris and every other place.  I weeded and dug out Four O'clock bulbs.  That is one tough plant to eradicate!  I ended up pulling up all the Cosmos that I seeded in the area so that I could dig out Four O'clock bulbs that I missed the other times I dug out the  bulbs.  I staked the small plugs of Ageratum that I kept so they aren't floppy.  I cut back all the iris flags - they were dried and ragged.  Weeded here and there near the dining room bed.
• Napped in the hottest part of the day.  Drove in to town to grocery shop for 4th of July.
• Tuesday.  I finished cutting back the Black and Blue salvia and Peter's Purple bee balm in the back bed.  I also dug out 4 O'clock bulbs.  I'm so done with those plants.  Did a little weeding in there, not many weeds in that bed.
• A couple of days ago Bert and I were driving around and I saw a spiderlily blooming.  It was one of the bulbs that Debra gave me.  I wasn't sure where to plant them, and I was concerned it was one of the invasive types that I already have, so I threw them in the lower moist area along a trail.  But I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was not a crinum, but a hymenocallis variety.  So Tuesday morning I went back there and grabbed five of them.  I planted them in the Shade Garden.  If they are anything like the ones I already have growing in the Star Garden, they will soon form a beautiful clump.  
• Cleaned house. on Tuesday and we spent Wednesday together for July 4th.  It rained all day on July 4th.  We played Yahtzee and sat on the porch and watched the rain.
• Thursday.  My last full vacation day before I go get Sammy for the weekend.
• I spent about 3 hours in the Rose Garden.  The weather was slightly cool due to the rain the previous day. I weeded in the Long Border, cut back Indigo Spires, and then weeded in the Rose Garden.  I spent a lot of time pulling up day weed.  The ground is slightly damp, it won't get any easier to pull up that noxious weed with the 6 inch roots.
• Bert and I went to Roundtop and had a glass of wine at Prost then went to LuLu's for dinner.  
• Friday.   I loaded the cadet with mulch.  Sowed zinnia seeds and spread mulch in the Orchard, the Rose Garden, and the Star Garden.  
• I drove to Houston and picked up Sammy. He stayed the weekend with me and Bert.  Blake went to Austin with girl friends, and Mr. H spent special time alone with Baby Charlie.  We had such fun.  Nathan, Jess and the boys came on Saturday and spent the night, so I had all three boys with me on Saturday and Sunday.  
• I dropped off Sam on Sunday and staycation was over.