Weekend at the Farm July 29 - 31, 2016

It's zinnia time, one of the only flowers that is happy in this heat.

Arrived Fiday about 4:00.  There has been some rain, thankfully.  Bert and Albert arrived shortly after me on their way back from Pecos.  They were watching Pumpco get their operation set up for Occtcet.  Angela drove out to pick up Albert, and the four of us went out and ate Mexican food.

Everywhere I look in the Star Garden there is armadillo damage.  I found three different burrows - they are just living inside the Star Garden!  Well, tonight me and the dogs will go outside and wreak some havoc of our own.  Lots of beds to smooth out and lots of soil to scoop up and shovel back into the beds.

While I was walking around I decided I am going to cut back and pull up a good portion of the creeping purple lantana, it looks really shabby.  That will be one of my projects this weekend.

Watched the butterflies on my Harlequin Glorybower, it is still in full bloom and smells really good.

Saturday morning woke up very early and had coffee waiting for the sun.  I was in the Orchard by 7 pulling weeds, trimming blackberry canes, and pulling up zinnias that had fallen across paths.  I deadheaded zinnias and spread seed. Sprayed herbicide along the fence line and in paths that I missed last week.   I made some good headway although I am still not finished.  I spent about 3 hours out there.  It's almost back in shape.

I cut my purple trailing lantana along the path and on the other side.  I want a small hedge, I don't want it to cover the bed like a ground cover, so I pulled a lot of it up, it has spread like crazy from the two four inch pots I bought a couple years ago.  I had 3 zinnia seed packets, and I spread them as I cleared beds. I worked until about 1:00 in the Star Garden pulling weeds.  What an improvement!  

Took a dip in the pool.  With all the rain we got the water was cool, it felt great!  

I worked in the Medicine Garden for about 30 minutes pulling weeds, cutting away Hojo Santo that is spreading everywhere.  Pulled up Sweet Aztec herb that was growing into the path.  I see my Clary Sage and my Comfrey are coming up from the roots.  I figured they were goners due to lack of water.  Excellent!

Sat on the porch and ate a sandwich and watched the birds at the feeder.  I was rewarded with a Painted Bunting!  This is the first one I have seen all year.  He came to the feeder many times.  I got out the binoculars so I could see him more clearly.  So beautiful.

Retreated inside about 2:00, too hot to do more.

Our neighbor, Jeff, came by to borrow our honey extractor, but when he got here he told us he had already gone into his hives and there was no honey.  That jives with what I had already heard - the bees aren't making honey because it has been too dry.  This is the second year in a row that we haven't been able to collect honey.

Sunday morning up early and started working in the Orchard.  I spent a lot of time pulling out dead blackberry canes.  I deadheaded zinnias and pulled weeds, lots and lots of weeds.  I made another huge debris pile.  The blackberry beds look great, I wasn't planning on spending so much time  pulling out the dead canes, but they are all gone now except for one bed.  And that bed needs some work, canes are leaning out into the cannas and iris, next week I will get that handled.  Sprayed herbicide in the paths.

Swam in the pool, very refreshing.

I worked in the Star Garden for several hours.  I cleaned up the Shady part of the garden.  Pulled up Hojo Santo that was springing up everywhere.  Cut away indigo spires salvia that was leaning into paths, pulled up Turks cap that was spreading into parts of the bed that I want to keep clear, weeded.  The armadillos had unearthed many of my Erhlicheer daffodils.  I think I will take the opportunity, since so many of them are laying on top of the soil, to move them to various places in the garden.  It takes so long for the greenery to die back that the bed looks pretty forlorn most of the year.  

Cleaned the bathroom, vacuumed, bathed Buddy, changed the sheets, did some laundry, then showered and rested.

Headed back to Houston about 3:30.