Monthly Archives: May 2010

We don’t need rain right now…

 

     We sure did get a load of rain the night before last.  From what I heard, it totaled over 3 inches worth.  I’m glad I thought to tie up some of my plants that would’ve flattened under a heavy downpour.  I didn’t tie up the crane’s bill and it was pretty well flattened by the time the sun came out today.  It’s a good thing that once it dries out it tends to rise again.

     I have some candleholders that stick in the ground.  I hadn’t put any candles in the cups and they were full of water when I went outside today.  The ground in the back garden was downright saturated by the runoff we get from the apartment building behind us.

     When I came down in the morning, the sky still threatened more rain.  However, some time around four the sun came out and drove the clouds away.

     Unfortunately, with all that heavy rain Goliath and two other frogs went walkabout and none of them have returned.  We are now down to one bullfrog.  Maybe that’s a good thing since those bullfrogs were starting go for any bird that happened to land close to them.

10 days to the Pennwriters conference

 

     I’m starting the countdown now.  Even though the Pennwriters conference isn’t until the 14th I leave in ten days for Lancaster.  (We like to get there a day early.)  This means I have nine days to make sure everything at home is ready for my four-day absence. 

     I also have a few things I need to purchase before I leave.  Things I want to take along with me.  Bottled water sold there is expensive my roommate and I will bring our own.  I take a small cooler along.  Extra coffee, sweetener, and creamer are other must haves.  Snacks—have to have them too. 

     My roommate and I need to pick up a few small items for our Chinese auction baskets.  We donate several each year.  One of ours this year is a real doozy.  I can’t wait to see the reaction it gets.

     Hey Dave, I’m looking forward to seeing you again.  Are you ready to get rowdy?

The frogs let me down

 

     We had a lovely day here yesterday.  We hit a new high temperature record for the date.  DH didn’t do so well by afternoon when it hit 87 degrees, but we expect it to be so, and make adjustments.  He dresses cooler, tries not to over do it, and stays inside where, with a brick home, it’s cooler until late at night.

     DH takes a daily afternoon nap.  It helps him function better.  This unfortunately is where he was when I was outside and almost fell off my chair with excitement.  I watched a great blue heron fly over, and although glad that he didn’t stop by for a snack of Koi, I was bursting at having no one around to share my exhilaration.  Even G was away and she would’ve been as thrilled as I was. 

     Around 7 p.m., it had cooled down to a nice 76 and DH came outside to sit by the pond for a little while.  We watched robins bathe in the waterfall, goldfinches serenaded us, and a gentle breeze kept us comfortable.

     However, the frogs let me down.  They made a liar out of me.  No one sang.

The pups are after the compost bin again

 

     I have a compost bin.  We do the coffee grounds, tea bags, any kitchen waste that’s not meat—all of it goes in the compost heap.  There’s one teensy problem though.  We put banana peels in there because they are great for the garden.  The problem is with the banana peels I have to keep the bin blocked off so the dogs can’t get near it. 

     You see my dogs adore bananas.  You could say they are bananas for bananas.  We can’t open a peel without having the two dogs plaster themselves to our side until they each get some.  Therefore, they would scavenge the peels from the compost pile if they could.

     Last year Gavin tried his darnedest to climb into the bin because he smelled his favorite treat in there.  In an instant he was stuck.  I then had to climb over obstacles to pry him out of there.  I need a better way to block the bin.

     Yesterday Patty attempted a raid on the bin.  With her long legs, she might have made it.  It’s a good thing she was on the retractable leash at the time.