Rainy all week! Talk about stressful - Josh and Amy's wedding was on April 18th at our place. It rained every day and threatened to rain the day of the wedding. We were all glued to the weather channel praying for good weather. It was a miracle that it did not rain until about 10 pm. By then people were dancing under the tent or gathered on the porches. We were so lucky. Beautiful ceremony. It all worked out.
- Stopped on my way to Burton to buy some spray for my roses. It has been so rainy that my roses are getting - what? I'm not sure, powdery mildew I guess. I noticed it beginning last weekend, and I did some spraying before I left. I have found a problem with rain - I would have never believed there was one after the drought we suffered several years ago, but excessive rain and cool nights wreak havoc on roses. Nothing to be done about the shrubs that are affected. The leaves cannot be "cured". I can only try to prevent it from spreading which is no easy task. It always seems to be the La Marne hedge that starts it. This year Mlle Franziska Kreuger has it, a rose that has never given me a bit of trouble in all the years I've had her. She only blooms her heart out, one of the most prolific bloomers I have - and this year she has the mildew.
- Sunday mostly I just weeded in the Star Garden and laid down mulch after I weeded.
- Drove into town for ant poison to spread with my roto spreader. Bert told me that he saw ant piles where the wedding ceremony is going to be held. Spread it as soon as I got back.
- Sat on the porch and read my book. Watched two hummingbirds fighting ferociously over the feeder.
- Spread Nicotiana seeds in a few of the shady beds in the Star Garden.
- Monday woke up with difficulty because I took a sleeping pill the night before. It worked because I only woke up once to pick up my terrified Rocky dog and put him on the bed. He hates rain, and it was pouring with thunder and lightening.
- Weeded in the Star Garden and the Rose Garden.
- Bert and I moved my potted plants back to the deck so they can get some sun. A couple of weeks ago we moved them into the Medicine Garden where they would be watered regularly because we were going to be gone for a while.
- Weeded in the Orchard.
- Sat on the porch and read a book.
- Weeded in the Rose Garden and ran the weed eater in the wild border next to the Rose Garden. Didn't cut back as much as Bert would want me to cut.
- Weeded some more in the Star Garden and put down leaf mulch where I weeded.
- Sowed some Cardinal Climber vine in the Star Garden that I soaked over night. Planted it in the same places as before because it never sprouted. Still too cold the first time around? Not sure.
- Monday turned sunny and pretty. The birds were singing like crazy. But it was pouring rain by the afternoon.
- Tuesday I got out early and staked some daisies in the Rose Garden and trimmed some Moss Verbena that was stretched out in a path.
- Went down to the Orchard and trimmed back some blackberry vines that were extended into the pathways, pulled lots of weeds, tied back the Ehrlicheers that were sprawling everywhere, and pulled up blackberry vines that had sprung up in the wrong places.
- Weeded in the Star Garden some more, doesn't really need it. Looks pretty good in there.
- Weeded in the Vegetable Garden. The Tabasco pepper plants I let go to seed last summer have created countless seedlings, so I pulled up almost all of them, let about 4 remain in the bed to have more plants this summer.
- Sprayed herbicide in a few spots that I seem to have missed last week.
- Spread some more leaf mulch in the Star Garden and in the back flowerbed.
- Cut some dead debris away from my St. John's Wort.
- My Sadie dog and I watched a vole digging out a new hole for a long time. I kept pushing dirt over the hole and mushing it down so the little creature would have to keep popping up out of the ground and pushing more dirt out of the hole. They are so blind. If you don't move, they don't even know you are standing over them. Sadie stared and stared for about 45 minutes. After I left, Sadie dug two huge holes trying to get to the vole. She was so restrained while I was with her, just staring, but after I left she tore everything up. I had to get the blower out and blow back all the dirt she had strewn across my clean gravel path.
- Wednesday morning I woke up early and sat on the porch with coffee listening to the birds wake up. Didn't hear any roosters or turkeys. Bert saw turkeys yesterday when he was driving around the property, so I thought I had a good chance of hearing them this morning. But no such luck.
- Rubbed lemon oil on the wooden furniture by the pool.
- Maid service came today, so I spent most of the day outside waiting for them to finish. $200
- Repair man came to the house and replaced the broiler part in the oven. It wasn't creating flame. That was $600.
- Bert picked up the cub cadet from the shop, new axle. $400.
- Not a good little Wednesday!
- Thursday. Couldn't sleep. Got up about 4 a.m. Sat on the porch and read my Kindle in the dark until the mosquitoes drove me back inside. The birds hadn't even started singing yet.
- Sprayed herbicide here and there.
- Fertilized the potted plants on the deck and the newest gingers along the boardwalk.
- Cut some branches in the Orchard that were blocking paths.
- Trimmed the Kolkwitzia branches that were rubbing against the dining room window.
- Used the blower to blow debris out of the Orchard. I think I mostly just managed to stir it up.
- Looks like my other peach tree is dying. My Red Baron died two years ago. And now my Sam Houston is dropping leaves like crazy. Well, I won't miss them. Peaches are too damn hard to grow, they need too much pesticide, and after all your troubles, the raccoons think they are ripe about two weeks before you do, and they eat every one. They leave the pits scattered on the ground under the tree so you know they were there, just leisurely eating your peaches while they sat in the tree. I'm interested in growing a fig tree anyway. And I'd like to try some of the exotic and unusual fruit trees that they sell at the fruit tree sales every January.
- The rest of the week is a blur of intense activity - caterers, furniture rental delivery, tent set-up, flowers, rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, and finally a Sunday brunch. Whew.
