Our First Peony of the Year!
Monday was our first day back from the beach trip and it was spent running to town to refill medicines. So, yesterday was our first full day at home. I’d like to say we slept in, but we were both awake at 7:30. I fixed our favorite breakfast of grits and eggs while we waited for the dew to dry off the grass. The former Mrs. FixIt was here with our daughter checking on the cat while we were gone and she said the grass really wasn’t out of control. However…in the days since, there were high temps and plenty of rain so you can imagine what the fields looked like.
The sun broke through the clouds around 10:30 and I ran out to hop on the tractor. I usually mow on Level 3 but I chose 4 yesterday to keep from overtaxing the mower deck. I’ve been toying with the idea of leaving both fields to grow wild. It would be good for the pollinators and it would save us time and money. I suggested the idea to Mr. FixIt and he warned me we’d have to get someone in to run a brush hog in the fall and probably again in the spring. Getting good help is hard anymore. In an effort at compromise, I let my artistic self “sculpt” the far field. (The near field grows mostly field grasses and very little in the way of wildflowers.)
The far field was covered with blooming Dead Nettle, Buttercups, and there are an abundance of bud getting ready to bloom. It looks like Daisies will be next. I selected the areas the most concentrated with blooms and carved out more gardens with paths crisscrossing the entire field. I think I have tripled my pollinator area with this new plan, cutting down on time spent mowing and less money spent on gas. The garden I started last year is looking really healthy. I’ve seen turtles in there twice this year and it’s a microcosm of activity. Lots of bees and butterflies.
The grass was so thick and damp that I had to run the tractor really slowly to keep from overloading the mower and popping the belt off. I soon discovered, running the mower slowly means running the mower longer and eats up the gas. I can usually do the whole place with one tank plus part of a refill. I ran out of gas twice yesterday and had to take a break in the middle to go to the service station over the hill. Still, I was left with a lot of grass laying on the top because I don’t use the bagger. We have so much moisture here that the clippings break down really fast and it mulches the fields.
Mr. FixIt ran the push mower in the fenced yard and along about 4:00, he caught my attention. There was a bad storm coming in ten minutes and fortunately, I only had about five minutes left to mow. I no soon got the mower put away and the sky opened up with a crash of thunder and hard rain. The inside yard only has a few more runs to get finished but it will have to wait between rainstorms.
As I was heading out to the camper last night to write, a weather alert came across the TV with a tornado watch for our area. Now, y’all know I’m a bit of a risk taker, but even I will heed that warning. I’ve seen way to many campers tossed and turned like the tin cans they are and I don’t want to be inside one of them when it happens. I stayed inside for the night. We have to run to town today for a medical appointment and a trip to Sam’s then we have nothing scheduled till next week! Who knows what I’ll get into next?
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“The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.”
2 Timothy 2:6 NIV