Decisions and Follow Up

This peach tree has held on sadly. What to do with it? Do I replace it with a healthy tree next season or give it a chance? Of three peach trees this is all the leaves they have collectively left. One.

Fall Sights

Grady and I wrapped up in some light fall wear and took the dogs on a much needed outing in the yard today.

The banana peppers actually turn a rich red when they are really ripe. I have no idea if they are hot or not, probably packing a little heat, but that is just a guess.

Collard grees I've been struggling to grow. The ones you see here had about two full weeks as seedling on my covered porch and they took much better in the summer heat than a seedling I tried to transfer just after germination.

The sumac trees - I can't tell you right now which kind of sumac, but I'll look it up - are turning a bright red color, it's wonderful.

If you look you will see a pretty neat looking mushroom. There were a bunch of these growing together in the back of the yard where the soil tends to stay wet longer after rains. They remind me of a mushroom called "Hen of the Forest".

Poor Mark

Worst case of poison ivy yet. These rashes have been plagueing Mark for over a week. We figure thatr he forgot to shower after mowing the lawn and then somehow the sheets have been spreading the rash (ie. poison ivy oils).
So in an effort to stop the madness we washed the bedding. Unfortunately we didn't get to it before it spred up and down one arm and onto the other. If that hasn't stopped it my next guess is to blame the dogs fur.

Backyard Feildtrips

I have missed getting out in the backyard with the dogs and doing a perimeter walk with them. Recently I have put a hat on the baby and gotten out a couple of times. I've turned it into a feild trip.
He is nine weeks old and he can hold up his weight with his legs if he's given a little help. So I crouch down and stand him up or hold him on my knee and say "this is a purple flower, can you touch it?", "this is a tree, do you feel it's leaves?", and "this is a tall grass, see how big it is?".
I truely see him trying to take it all in. He can not touch things yet, not on his own. His little hand stays stuck in a tight fist, but I see him want it. I help him extend his hand and gently rub his knuckes against the leaves and petals. Now I think to myself that I have expanded his dreams. His world is gaining texture and I hope as I keep on doing what I do, enjoy the outdoors, that he will gain appreciation for how absolutley real it is.

Spider Visitor

This beautiful spider was with us last fall. Of course probably not the same exact spider, but perhaps its mother. It likes to build huge webs, atleast five feet across in some spots, running from the deck railing to the eves. It has a plesant array of yellows and reds on its back along with the usual spider black.

http://www.termite.com/spider-identification.html is a link to venemous spider identification, but not my spider. (Watchout, they move)

Another Website http://kaston.transy.edu/ tells me the spider belongs to the family Loxoscelidae.

Toxic Cloud

In Apex, due west of here, there has been a big fire at a hazardous waste treatment facility that set off explosions at a petroleum facility adjacent to it. Apparently 15,000 people were evacuated. Not a comforting feeling. Today the weather has been dreary at best and all the news anchors say that this is helping to "scrub" the atmosphere. the fact remains that it is still burning, they are going to let it burn and they have no idea what is burning.

http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl&q=

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15150819/

Otherwise the yard is looking pretty good. The long grasses are turning purple with the fall weather. I took the wrap I had on the Shumard Oak off the trunk and found some evidence tha tit was consticting the trunk. Perhas that explains the trees ill health. Makes me feel kinda stupid. I thought I had put it on kinda loose. When I took it off the was a mesh imprint in the tree.

My baby is getting bigger now and has a fall cold. This is keeping me pretty busy.

T-Bone Steaks

We had a nice weekend here. Some friends of Marks, Bob and Ann, came to town as a "suprise" to celebrate his 50 birthday. I arranged for some hockey tickets, the neighbors came over for cake and then we grilled up some steaks. Purchased of course at a natural foods store, they were all we ate for dinner. The men folk were pleased - and the dogs extremely jelous.

We grilled them late in the evening and snapped a few nice pics of the sunset. I learned that I am not the only person who calls the greenish stage of the sunset the "green moment". I gave Bob a real genuine hug when I heard him use the phrase. That was really a cool moment.



All over the back yard the little yellow flowers that look alot like St Johns Wart are blooming and the tall grass looks kinda pretty. The fire ant have taken over and I have counted up to 12 mounds - seperate colonies I assume - in the part of the lawn we have been mowing.

Our Shumard Oak out front looks near death, something I would not have predicted this spring. I think I could actually count the leave left behind... maybe ten. the good news is there appear to be good strong leaf buds on all the stems which leads me to believe the tree has a comeback plan.

The little Pine that got "all ate up" by the pine saw larve has made a comeback as well sprouting enough new needles to limp its way to the finish line for the season and plan a comeback. Unfortunately the larve will be back as well. I saw plenty of holes at the trees base to know the larve bore down there to mature.

My tomatoe plant are being decimated by an - as yet to be photographed- caterpiller from hell. Big and green with a ferocious top down appetite.