Thursday, June 5, 2014

FUN AT THE POND



Here we are at Thursday – again – with another weekend right around the corner. Seems like we just had a weekend. Seems like the weeks just melt away.

The lovely blooms of spring have mostly faded and now we watch as the fruits of summer set on – and then the fields will gradually turn from green to gold. It happens every year – a promise fulfilled.

Mike and I are back at Gilbert after a few days in town. He completed a 73-mile bike ride; I met with my study partner. He cleaned the garage and I helped – a difficult job but someone has to do it, and I mended by hand the holes that Bess chewed in the new dog rug. Tuesday Mike and Ken went to get a load of wood; I walked the dogs and sewed.

Wednesday (yesterday, June 4), we came back to the farm. We watered and I planted squash in the raised beds. I've puttered around the yard doing this and that. And I’m busy in the vintage sewing room.

Yesterday Mike sprayed the algae in our pond -- a never-ending chore. Mike says if he had known then what he knows now, he wouldn’t have opted to resurrect and enlarge the old pond. We received grant funds through USDA to construct the pond and add vegetation, and in the beginning we were excited, but it’s constant work to keep it free of algae which is encouraged by the run-off of fertilizer from the fields. There’s just nothing much one can do but to try to stay on top of it with chemicals. 
 
So, yesterday Mike took his sprayer and pushed his old rowboat into the pond. I offered to help, but he said he preferred to do it himself because I’m not much of a mariner. That’s true – and I was relieved.

Bess and Nellie love to play at the pond and they love to have company, so having Mike working there was a treat and they were happy. Bess has been a bit timid around the water, so when I went down to take pictures, I was surprised to find her in the boat with Mike. Apparently she swam out to join him. Nellie doesn’t mind the water and I found her on the island, looking for whatever it is that dogs look for. KW

4 comments:

Chris said...

I'm no mariner, either. With a lot of nudging, John can get me out on his jet boat, but it's pretty big and I sit in the very middle. :-)

A 73-mile bike ride? Oh my goodness!!

Kathy said...

It's getting in and out of the little rowboat that's difficult all right. The two chores are rowing and spraying the algae. I don't know how to row and I can't spray to suit Mike (or he would just rather do that) -- so fine, he can do it all himself. (LOL)

Mike likes the occasional long bike ride. Seems like most rides are 20 to 35 miles.

Hallie said...

That Bess is such a hoot! It's funny how she's looking over at you while you take the photo.

Kathy said...

She is "little miss personality." Eventually she leapt from the boat to the bank. Right now she's trying to get one of us to play with ball with her.