Saturday, June 26, 2010

Slapdash Saturday

Weather means more when you have a garden. There's nothing like listening to a shower and thinking how it is soaking in around your green beans. ~Marcelene Cox

I saw a pileated woodpecker this morning when I took the dog out. Those are the coolest critters (The Pileated Woodpecker is the third largest woodpecker in North America. The Imperial Woodpecker and the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker are larger although -- sadly -- they are generally considered extinct). I suspect that's what has been tearing apart DD's rotting stump in her flower garden -- she keeps planting in it -- because they prefer to eat bugs from those types of things.

Our neighbors down the road a bit have the nest and I'm terribly jealous when I see several of them perched on the trees.

I had a quiet day yesterday, as DD and DH went boating. It was gorgeous out and the humidity finally let up, so after taking Dakota for a REALLY long walk, I did a lot of work outdoors that needed doing... mostly weeding. It's just been too hot to work out there, so things have suffered. I got two huge buckets from my flower gardens (and barely made a dent), and then hoed and weeded the veggie garden. Thankfully, the newspaper/straw weedblock is working fabulously, and I only have to weed where that didn't get put down (I ran out of straw about 2/3 of the way through -- but I'm definitely getting more straw next year because this is awesome).

I have a few little baby green tomatoes on a couple of plants. The deer really did a number on them and ate most of my blossoms, but they're slowly coming back. DD has lots of pea pods and the squash and eggplant have a few babies. Hopefully I'll be harvesting something soon! I'm thinking of planting more green bean seeds, but it might be too late... I sure wish we had a longer growing season.

Today the plans are for more of the same as long as it doesn't rain. We have conflicting reports from the weather channels -- so it's anyone's guess what the day will be like.

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In Pillar Place: Kappa's chrysalis is really dark, so I'm betting he'll be hatching very soon. Hercules and Beta look like they'll be following closely. My luck? They'll all three hatch about the time it rains! LOL...

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Your Name Comes From Venus



You truly appreciate beauty in all its forms. You easily see the beauty in everything.

You are an admirer of art, nature, and even people. Grace and style appeal to you.

You are naturally attractive and alluring. You often have a strong mutual attraction going on with people.

And while you prize beauty, you are not a snob. You see what is unique and special about each person.



Mostly right...

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7 comments:

Maria Zannini said...

I wonder if the pileated woodpecker is what they modeled Woody Woodpecker from. hmm...

I am so sorry about the deer situation. We had some deer in the garden when I lived in SE Texas, but I used to toss the combed out hair of the dogs on the plants. (we had white furry samoyeds back then)

I also let the dogs wander around the outside of the garden too. The deer pretty much left it alone after that.

Marianne Arkins said...

Maria, actually the Pileated Woodpecker IS what they modeled Woody Woodpecker after, lol... good guess.

RE: deer -- while I haven't tried the fur thing (Dakota hardly sheds), our dogs have prowled the area for years AND I toss their poop into the woods behind the garden. Doesn't seem to bother the deer at all. We have very gutsy deer.

Dru said...

Sorry about your deer problems.

Hey are you having any vole problems? I remember they caused you troubles last year.

Your Name Comes from Mars

You have a lot of fire in your heart, and you are highly competitive as a result.

You need to stay active and productive to be happy. You like to depend on yourself and yourself alone.

You can be jealous at times, and you don't trust others easily. You've been burned in the past, and you still feel it.

You tend to overwhelm people at first. You put it all out there, and your personality is a bit intimidating.

The above is 25% accurate.

MomJane said...

Your Name Comes From the Sun
You are fiery, intense, and passionate. You never do anything halfway.
You are a natural leader, and you often find yourself ruling over others.

Ever since you were very young, you've always had a clear idea of your life's purpose.
You know that you will leave a strong mark on the world and greatly influence the lives of others

Not really me. Well maybe 25%

Brandy said...

Aw, the woodpecker is quite cute! I've seen a few of those around here, but the majority of birds I've seen lately are cardinals.
I'm sorry to hear the deer really did a number on your garden. Is there not a type of natural repellent you could use?

Your Name Comes From the Sun
You are fiery, intense, and passionate. You never do anything halfway.
You are a natural leader, and you often find yourself ruling over others.
Ever since you were very young, you've always had a clear idea of your life's purpose.
You know that you will leave a strong mark on the world and greatly influence the lives of others.

Heh, no.

I hope you have a terrific day!

Tori Lennox said...

People around here still swear the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker is hiding out in the swamps, but nobody's actually managed to get a really good picture of them. So it may well be wishful thinking.

Marianne Arkins said...

Dru, no vole problems this year (:::knocks wood:::) apparently they've turned that torch over to the deer, lol.

Brandy, I use some natural repellents (I use milorganite, but there are wolf urine options and others), but they need to be reapplied after rain or watering, so ... sometimes I miss or the deer come in the middle of the rain storm.

Tori, I've heard the reports that there are some of the Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers down there. I keep hoping they'll find them. Extinction really makes me terribly sad.