Planning for Spring
There is a corner of the yard out by the creek that captures and holds water when we have a long stretch of gently rain then a few thunderstorms. It turns into a pond pretty quickly. We’ve fought with it for a few years and I’ve been doing some research on how to rectify the situation. A bio-swale and rain garden will work perfectly over there. Native plants like Joe Pye Weed, Buttonbush, Blue Flag Iris, and Cardinal flowers are great pollinator magnets and love semishade and drink up all that water that occasionally overwhelms that little corner of the yard. The area is just begging to turn into another haven for hummers, bees and butterflies.
This area is shaded by huge sycamore trees in the mornings and dappled to direct sun in the afternoons. Our hummingbird feeders are nearby and I could stick some birdhouses around the perimeter of the property to add places to nest. There are even bee houses you can put up to encourage bees to stay around. Some people make the mistake of creating places for birds and bees and butterflies to eat…but don’t provide places for them to stay for their spring through fall mating season.
Ahhh, yes…I’ll add this to my long list of things I wish to accomplish before I’m too old to accomplish much!
I bought a few more food grade 5-gallon buckets with lids yesterday so today I need to get the grains in from the truck. I’ll leave them in a room with the dehydrator running for a few days to make sure they are perfectly dry before I package them up for long term storage. Then I can get to work putting the gardens to bed for the winter.
The work is never done, is it? Well, as my grandma used to say… “There’ll be plenty of time to rest when we’re dead. We’re burning daylight!”
Till tomorrow, dear ones…
Ginny
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”
2 Corinthians 9:6 NIV
#garden #planning #autumn #raingarden #bioswale
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Busy Bees
We were thrilled when the sun came out yesterday! It’s still going to be coolish, but…it finally feels like fall.
We really had no choice but to start mowing right after breakfast. There are places in the yard that pools water so I couldn’t get into them. Although I did get into one wet spot and the water went flying! Mr. FixIt did some mowing before the rains kicked in while I was camping. The worst was the backyard. Mr. FixIt uses the lawnmower in the fenced area around the pool. So much has been going on, we haven’t had a chance to really finish that area and it is now over my knees in the back corner. (He calls it his “weed garden.”)
Although we’re getting to the end of the growing season, the bees are still at work. Here is a lady bumble bee with her sacs of pollen collected to help feed her colony. It won’t be long till they’re bedded down for the winter.
When I first moved to the mountains of Colorado, we lived in a log house on a couple of acres. I was exploring the property one cold and snowy day. I was stepping over the small creek at the bottom of the pasture when I lost my balance. I reached out to grab something to steady me and the only thing there were cattails. I had a whole handful of the fuzzy part when it started vibrating. I looked down and to see several sleepy bumblebees who were tucked in to a nicely insulated “bee & bee.” I did my best to put them somewhere safe, hoping they would crawl into someplace sheltered.
I have the camper hooked up behind the pole building now. It’s much quieter there than the usual camping spot closer to the road. I’m going to enjoy the last few days (weeks?) camping by the pollinator fields. The goldenrod are blooming like crazy and they’re so beautiful!
I hope you have the chance to get out into nature this weekend to hug a tree. Winter will be here before you know it. I was thinking of taking Mr. FixIt for a little camping trip to see the leaves change, but man…these gas prices are taking their toll. Between that and everything going up, we have to be selective with our trips. I know I just went camping, but I used the points I’ve accumulated. And…I needed to pick up the bulk stuff. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!
Till tomorrow, dear ones…
Ginny
“It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans. They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them down.”
Psalms 118:8, 12 NIV
#campinglife #camping #mowing #autumn #moonlight
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Oh, What a Beautiful Morning…
You know those nights when you just can’t seem to fall asleep…no matter what? Add in a terrifying nightmare where you’re trying to scream and nothing is coming out. Needless to say, I only slept about two hours then had to break camp and tow the camper home.
The new truck is nice, but that lower horsepower really makes a difference. Granted, I had about 425 pounds of grain, beans, rice, and oats in the cab with me so that truck’s engine was really working. When I realized that I was also carrying about 217 pounds of water in the fresh tank. I stopped and opened the drain valve and let that fresh water drain as I drove. I could feel the truck handle better as it emptied.
Gail and I took a walk at dawn yesterday and paid close attention to the myriad mushrooms poking up from the leaf litter in the woods. One caught my eye and I took this photo. I Googled the picture and asked for an identification and this is what I got!
“These appear to be white mushrooms from the genus Amanita, which includes species often commonly referred to as “Destroying Angels” (such as Amanita bisporigera, Amanita virosa, or Amanita phalloides var. alba).
Heading Home
It’s been such a lovely, relaxing trip. It’s always so much fun to visit with Gail. Get a little knitting done…eat some yummy food…take naps in the afternoon. Perfection!
It rained the entire time we were here, but hey…yesterday WAS the first day of fall, after all. It was chilly but I have a small electric heater that I run when I’m up doing stuff in the camper, and an electric blanket on the bed so I was comfy cozy. The only thing I noticed was the humidity in the camper. We had 100% humidity all three days. The floor was cold so there was condensation everywhere…even with the window open. I’ll have to run a dehumidifier in it when I get home.
Gail and I drove up to Columbiana to The Dutch Cupboard to pick up my bulk order. With the price of gas and diesel going up, it is only a matter of time when there will be shortages and the prices will go even higher. I bought bulk staples like rice, pinto and navy beans, oats and four kinds of wheat. We’ll have plenty to eat and make bread with for the next year, at least. Bethany was so helpful and accommodating and nice, to boot!
I’ll get stuff gathered up here, give Gail a hug, and head back home to my sweetheart today. I’m so much more a homebody these days…I’ll be tickled to get back to our routine.
Till tomorrow, dear ones…
Ginny
“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.”
Proverbs 6:6-8 NIV
#fall #camping #fallcamping #dutchcupboard #staples #bulk #bulkorders #fresh #mill #freshmilledflour #fmf #whole #grains #wholegrains
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Camp of the Flies
I was awakened yesterday by a loud thud that shook the camper. I removed my ear plugs and listened. There was big machinery nearby. Gail told me they were going to tear out the old pit toilets and install a new facility with showers and flush toilets. Wowza!
I walked to the trash bins last evening and there was yellow caution tape wrapped around the old pit toilet building. I thought I should take a picture but I didn’t have my camera then I forgot about it.
So, they tore out the pit toilet and now there are little phorid flies everywhere! And it smells kinda bad, too. Gail bought some fly spray for inside the cabin. I only have a couple because I’m farther away.
Gail made a lovely soup that really hit the spot. She used fresh green beans and crumbled breakfast sausage in a creamy base. It tasted wonderful!
It has been raining since I left home on Friday and it’s around 52°! I hope you’re staying warm and dry.
Till tomorrow, dear ones…
Ginny
“As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.”
Ecclesiastes 10:1 NIV
#phoridflies #camping #rain
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LONG Day
Note: I know many of you recognize where I am but please don’t reveal it here while I’m camping. Girls gotta be safe! Thanks!
I was up at 3:00 yesterday morning. I woke up and there was no more going to sleep. I gathered the last of my camping things and sat down with Mr. FixIt for a cup of coffee. We carried everything but the kitchen sink out there. Well actually, it wasn’t NEARLY what we normally take. I stopped at Walmart for my prescriptions then hit the road. I am still learning the sounds and feel of this newer truck. I am used to a more powerful engine. Freda had a 3.6L engine. Scooter only has a 2.7L and man, can you tell the difference on the hills.
After a couple of hours driving, I was feeling much more confident in her capabilities. She stops well and there are different settings on the transmission according to what you’re doing with the truck. It has a Tow/Haul setting that gives more torque and gears you down on hills. That way you aren’t riding your brake and overheating them.
It was not at all hot yesterday. As a matter of fact, it was on the chilly side. But by the time I got Scooter backed into her spot and unhooked, I was definitely feeling it. I stopped at Walmart when I arrived at my destination and bought some refrigerated items. They were also having a sale on t-shirts so I chose a selection in pretty colors. When I got overheated setting up camp, I went inside to change into something cooler and…wouldn’t you know it? Every single one of those shirts were LONG sleeved! They had them marked wrong and I was in a hurry. Ahhh, well…now I have some nice shirts to wear this fall and winter! I scrounged around in the storage cubes in the camper and found a black tank top so I guess I’ll wear that. Actually, it’s going to be downright chilly this week with rain so I may get to wear those shirts after all!
My bestie is coming this afternoon and staying in a cabin so it’s knit, nosh, and nap time!
Till tomorrow, dear ones…
Ginny
“Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
Luke 6:31 NIV
#campinglife #camping #bestiestime #camplikeagirl
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Changes
I never dreamed I’d become attached to a spider. “Charlotte” was beautiful! Yellow and black with a belly full of eggs. Every time I went in and out of the house for the last few weeks, I check on her progress. I watched her grow and I carefully protected her web. She continually preened and cleaned…both herself and her web. She kept building onto that web till it was truly a work of art.
When I went out yesterday morning, something caught my I eye. I looked over and Charlotte was gone! Her web was tired and had bits of grass and leaves from the wind. My eyes were drawn upwards because sometimes she went clear to the eves when she was startled.
And…there it was.
Charlotte wove a large silk sac in which to lay hundreds and hundreds of tiny little eggs. They will overwinter in the protection of the home their mother provided. They never know her. She’ll be long dead by the time the spiderlings emerge with the warmth of spring. They’ll scatter and through a process called ballooning, they will throw a strand of silk up into the air and drift away to parts unknown.
I’m really happy to have the egg sac nearby, but it may be a little bit too close to the door for my liking. I’ve studied and found you can carefully move it to another protected place in the yard. We have a grove of trees on the other side of the building. I may move the nest over there. I says that you can use a needle and thread and sew through the compact “stem” the nest hangs on. I’ll wait till I am absolutely sure that Charlotte isn’t coming back before I do that.
I’ll miss her presence in my life but what a privilege to watch her beautiful life with only one purpose…to make more spiders!
I have the camper just about packed the way I want it. I cleaned organized in the couple of hours before the storm. The air was so thick with humidity and so hot that I was wet from head to toe. If it wasn’t for the lightning and thunder from the oncoming storm, I would have stood out there in the rain to cool off!
I’m really looking forward to spending time with Gail…knitting, noshing, and napping in our little home on wheels. Heading out with Scooter and Grace…just like old times!
Till tomorrow, dear ones…
#Camping #campinglife #fall #fallcamping #autumn
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Zzzzzz…
We had an appointment in town yesterday then met my “convoluted cousin” and her husband for lunch. It was a lovely visit. They are moving to Florida permanently in November so we have very few opportunities to visit again and once they move, we may not see them again this side of heaven. It will be the end of an era.
After the busy night we had on Thursday, we were really whipped when we got home. I stretched out “for a minute” and woke up six hours later. We’re both running on empty, so we went to bed early last night. I’ll see you all tomorrow!
Till then, dear ones…
Ginny
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Running on Empty
Y’all…we had such an adventure last night. We hooked the camper up to the new truck and took it to town to empty the tanks. I’m towing Grace up to visit a friend for a few days. Scooter did pretty well towing the camper out our two-lane blacktop with all the hills and twisty turns.
The dump station wasn’t working at the two rest areas closest to us so we had to go north on the interstate to the big WV Welcome Center. I was really upset at first because I pulled the chain for the water and nothing came out. I asked the rest area attendant what was wrong and he said sometimes the water is delayed but keep holding the chain down.
I went back out and tried again and this time it worked. Mr. FixIt was pretty hungry so we ate at the iHop in the middle of all this. We didn’t get back home till midnight.
We both have an appointment this morning then we’re meeting some lifelong friends for lunch. I am bound and determined to rest tomorrow!
Till then, dear ones…
Ginny
“Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice. Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family…”
Proverbs 27:9-10 NIV
#camper #fordf150 #camping #girlstrip
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How Times Have Changed
We had another day of challenges, so we stopped for ice cream on the way home. There’s not much that ice cream can’t fix! We pulled up and parked next to this beauty…a 1965 Ford F-100 Flareside when they introduced the Twin I-Beam front suspension. She’s Scooter’s grandma!
We went to town yesterday to have the electric trailer brakes installed. It turned into a more complicated job than any of us anticipated. A forty-five minute job turned into nearly two hours because apparently, Ford cuts corners by only installing the tow package but they don’t hook it up. I sat watching the clock and their sign… “Labor Charge $165 per hour.” But when we settled up, we were surprised at the bill. He only charged thirty minutes labor because the issue was Ford’s fault, not ours. We’ll definitely use this guy again as well as give him a good recommendation. (The Hitchman in Belpre, Ohio.)
On the way through town, we stopped at Mr. FixIt’s buddy’s house to make sure everything was ok. As he walked around the edge of the front porch, he stepped in a hole and went down like a sack of potatoes. On the way down, he smashed his thigh on the pointed corner of the cement and within thirty minutes, he had a lump the size of a softball. We stopped at quick care and had them look at it. I was afraid there could be an intramuscular hemorrhage. They did an x-ray and didn’t think there was so they gave us some things to look for, keep it iced, and check for pulses regularly.
Bless his heart. The older we get, the more easily we fall…the easier we bruise. Every fall is a blow to your confidence and self-image.
So, that’s why we stopped for ice cream and met Scooter’s grandma! We love this truck. And I wouldn’t mind having that other one, either!
Till tomorrow, dear ones…
Ginny
“for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.”
Proverbs 24:16 NIV
#fordf150 #fordf100 #QuickCare #fall #down #falldown
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