I'm Baaaack!

Sorry. Didja miss me?

I survived my vacation. My back has peeled, and my pinched nerve is finally chillin' out. I'm such a mess sometimes. But I sure know how to get stuff done.

My Fort is built, so I've spent the last few evenings outside. I took apart my old broken down glider chair, I need some Elmer's wood glue and sandpaper. I'll have it fixed better-'n-new in a few days. My Fort is a canvas screened tent that I erect on the back patio. I have to secure it very well to the back of the house. This is after all, Oklahoma: Tornado territory. The dogs appreciate the Fort too, it knocks the temperature down about 10 degrees. We have planted plenty of trees in our yard, but it gets over 100 degrees out here sometimes. The dogs have a sheltered kennel with a concrete floor and hay that they use when it's too hot. I would hate to be a dog in Oklahoma. They suffer from the heat so badly in some places, I want to knock on peoples' doors and give them a piece of my mind sometimes when I see a dog tied out in the sun. Sorry, I digress....

I got all my gardening done. Before Mother's day, even. I am hosting the second annual sunflower contest again this year. I busted up all the dirt along the fence row and mixed in some topsoil and compost, then I planted 250 mammoth sunflower seeds, then I fertilized it. Hope I didn't overdo it. Leave it to me to fertilize a weed!

I'm trying a new type of insecticide. I know, I know. I hate poisons too. This is by Bayer, and it's a systemic poison that my rosebushes absorb to kill blackspot and aphids, also other diseases and pests. Blackspot and aphids just happen to be my particular malady. My rosebushes are covered with buds, and last year I let the infestation go too long and I had a very short blooming season. Hopefully this year they will do better. I've also started using my coffee grounds and eggshells around them.

Now that I feel better, I still have the kennel to clean out and 6 cu. feet of mulch to spread. Rob and I are going over to a friends' home later to wire up a soundsystem on their pontoon boat. Good times.

An out-of-town visitor dropped by the other day and delivered two six-packs of Ziegenbock Amber. It's Rob and Mine's favorite beer. In Oklahoma we only have 3.2 beer, so you have to drive to Texas to get 6. beer. It's not worth the drive, but it's considered a mighty fine gift if someone should happen to be travelling through and brings you a 12 pack. Also Ziegenbock Amber is only available in Texas and we just fell in love with it a couple of years ago, it's a rare gem among beer. (Shameless plug or Love divine? You decide.)

Gotta go - Mulch ain't gonna spread itself, you know.

Peace,
MsAmber