(ANOTHER) NOXIOUS EFFLUVIUM

Taken "out south" Sunday evening (July 11) in smokey conditions

“It doesn’t smell good in here,” I complained to Mike, "and it seems to be coming from the mechanical room.”

“Okay,” he said, but then we got busy and did nothing about it until later in the afternoon when I could stand it no more. One of those box traps used by commercial facilities was there in that room, so I gingerly lifted it – as if it would suddenly come to life and scare me – and left it on the porch for Mike to check. No, I didn’t look in.

“I see you found the source of the smell,” said Mike later. He said there were three mice in it, one of them fresh. He said he never smelled it, but I say he just wasn’t paying attention. Problem solved – for now.

Mike and I vacillated over picking our Lapins sweet cherries. Twice we went out to pick and talked ourselves out of it, thinking they weren’t quite ripe. But Thursday (July 8), I said we should just get it done, and Mike agreed. I don’t think they were ripe, but I felt if we left them longer, we would risk losing more of the fruit. We picked two gallons, which is more than we can eat, so on Friday washed, pitted, and packaged cherries for the freezer. I used them in pies last year, and we thought they were good. In the end, I had three quart-sized bags and part of another.

The cherry tree was infested with ants. They didn’t bother Mike, but I was plagued as I picked. We finally sprinkled ant bait, and we must remember to do so next year. Some of the cherries had been nibbled, and I don’t know if it was the birds or just the ants.

We had swathed the cherry tree with netting, but it occurred to me that I could make netting sleeves for the branches that might provide more protection. I researched “netting sleeves for fruit trees,” and to my surprise, that’s a thing! I am validated! I have yards and yards of netting, so I’ll just make some.

We’ve eaten two of our “Siletz” tomatoes, and they were delicious. We’ll have the third this evening with our turkey burgers. There’s just nothing like a homegrown tomato, and these did not disappoint. I had never heard of “Siletz,” but it was the only variety available in the garden department of North 40. Turns out it was a good choice – disease resistant and drought tolerant. The tomatoes are meaty and don’t have many seeds. Supposedly, the plant puts on more fruit during the season, but ours is slow. I see three young fruits and few blossoms.

Sunday evening -- a beautiful golden glow through smoke

It's still smokey here, just as it is everywhere in the West, I hear. 

 

 

Watch tomorrow for more photo images, this time from 1950 taken by Earle Dobson. KW