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| Bess sniffs a gopher hole beyond the rhubarb plant |
We’re clearing out the little modular home now with the expectation that the furniture will be moved to the garage on Wednesday (the 19th) and the painter will begin on the 20th. So, we’re cleaning out hutches, bookcases, and cabinets; transferring this here so that we can put that there; carrying what we can to the garage or the storage shed, a process we don’t especially enjoy. We’re brought face-to-face with decisions we have put off for years – years, I say – and sometimes there’s just nothing you can do but toss the item back into the sea of indecision.
“What should I do with these useless CDs?” I ask.
“Do you know what this cord belongs to?” asks Mike.
The whole thing is just one big disruption to life as I enjoy it, and yes, it matters to me, but Mike says the house will be nicer and more comfortable once it’s refreshed. I wonder.
Anyway, we decided we needed to make a quick trip to the farm, so on Thursday (May 13), we packed the Jeep with stuff, loaded Bess, and set off. It was a lovely day in the mid-70s. It felt good to be there even though the stay was brief. Mike mowed the yard where the grass was high. I puttered along both inside and out. It was a 10,000-step day.
The
strawberries appreciated the pruning, fertilizer, and water I gave them last
week. The plants are blooming profusely. I rewarded them with more water and
even filled the plant nannies.
I didn’t plant any veggies. I’m afraid it’s too late for the spinach.
I pulled rhubarb and put three cups in the freezer.
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| Small lilac bushes; pear tree |
The serviceberry bushes and the apple trees are in bloom. The Lapins cherry tree has finished blooming and I’m anxious to see what fruit will develop. Interestingly, the little “Honey Crisp” tree has some blooms. I’ve never seen it bloom before, but perhaps I just didn’t notice. It won’t develop fruit unless we plant another apple variety closer to it. (Why did I let that nurseryman talk me into this tree?)
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| Lilac in bloom |
The lilacs, now past in the Valley, are beginning to bloom on the farm. The struggling little bushes on the hillside are doing their best. The big bushes in the compound have fewer blooms than in the past. Perhaps it was too cold at the wrong time.
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| New toilet ready for installation |
After lunch, we dashed back to town. To complicate our house project, Mike decided – and rightly so – that NOW is the time to replace the toilet in the master bath. Naturally, he will do this himself with son Clint’s help. So, once we were back in town, we went to Home Depot and bought the toilet of choice, and then he pulled the old toilet out so that he could earn the right to ride his motorcycle to Elk City on Friday.
Today? More carrying stuff out of the house – AND toilet installation. KW
2 comments:
What did you use to fertilize your strawberries? Nick planted strawberries in a pot last year, but I seem to have taken over tending this year. I cut away all the dead and have been making sure they're watered.
I used 10-10-10 as advised by the nursery. They say that fertilizer with higher numbers, such as 16-16-16, will soften your fruit. Strawberries like to be watered, but they don't like to sit with their feet in water.
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