Take it away!

If you haven't heard me grumbling and gnashing my teeth for the past couple of years, your ears have been plugged and your eyes covered. This heat crap has got to go! *grumble, grumble* It was too darned hot/humid for me to take a walk, today, as it never got below 80 degrees. I thought about going swimming; but, it's been so long since I've put in my laps that I'm out of that habit. The thought of driving 10 miles (one way) in order to use the pool wearies me. Yesterday morning and this morning I've spent considerable time watering things. In addition, my volunteer endeavors have kept me plenty busy this year, and my blog friends have kept up their posting (yes, that means you!) or I would probably be in a deep funk by now.

Hunky Husband takes care of the lawn. We have an irrigation system that is set to water the grass every two days in this heat/drought - about 30 minutes per station which probably equates to 1/3 - 1/2 inch of water. The plantings, I care for - weeding, mulching, watering.

Most of the plantings are bushes (coniferous and deciduous) or ground cover (mostly sedums and, thanks to Bogie, creeping phlox); but, there are food-bearing plants, too (strawberries, dill, fennel, coriander, tomatoes, peppers, onions, Rosemary, thyme - no parsley). The food-bearing plants get coddled. I try to water them at least 1/2" per week (I'm picking the blossoms off of the strawberries to conserve their energies, having lost about 1/4 of our plants to the drought last fall.) Other plants don't get that much water.

Established plants get about 1" of water every third or fourth week, while the things planted within the past year (I try to remember so that they) get two or three gallons, each, every week or 10 days. As you might guess - the amount of water that anything under my care gets is dependent upon my thinking about it. My plants must have a will to live!

Here are a couple of the trees that I transplanted a couple of months ago. I think they are both black walnuts; but, the one on the left (which I planted in the partial shade of chard plants that have gone to seed) looks really peculiar - and - most of it has died back. We shall see. The other tree, on the right, I transplanted into a nice spot in the woods.

 

There are also three other black walnut and oak trees that I've transplanted into the woods, of which there are no photos.

Next are the only two bushes that are less than a year old. On the left is a little euonymous that I planted last fall. On the right is a purple leaf sand plum that I set out in March 2012. The bright green, thriving little plant to the left of the sand plum is a sprout (one among millions - well - tens) from the neighbor's bugle vine that has been attempting to take over the world for the past 10 years. You can tell by the darkness of the mulch around the bushes (and around the above trees) that they were watered this morning.

 

Lastly, below are a couple of shots of ice plant - the one on the right showing the beautiful California Poppies growing nearby. The ice plants were planted in March or April while the poppies sprouted from seeds that I don't recall planting. I must have spread the seeds last fall. Actually, I don't water the one on the left since the neighbor's (different neighbor) newly installed irrigation system oversprays it.

 

Ice plant blossoms close, at night. For a view of one that is blooming (it was planted a year ago, so doesn't get watered as "frequently"), please see Obligatory Fall Photos from late last October. Forty or fifty years ago, no one would have thought of planting ice plant in this part of the world; but, as they are succulents, they are well suited to the hot, dry weather we've been having for the past couple of decades.

While I'm at it, I'll tell you that our bluebird nesting box (which I had not checked for at least two weeks) has a nest with five bluebird eggs in it. We had earlier been disappointed that the bluebirds did not choose to use the bluebird nesting box this spring. I will keep watch, but I don't believe the eggs are being tended. I did not even hear a bluebird this morning. Not a good sign. The Carolina wrens have not (wisely, I believe) chosen to establish another clutch of eggs in the nest on our front porch.

I don't know where our family of Carolina wrens went, but I don't catch sight of them - although - I do hear adults scolding at times. We do enjoy watching the families of Carolina chickadees, tufted titmice, and turkeys that fledged this spring. The turkey family started out with nine chicks; but, it has been stable at seven for two or three weeks, now. The "chicks" are nearly adult size.

 

 

Comments

[Joy]

I share your heat woes CC. Honestly, enough is enough. You won't see me out and about much in this ridiculous heat either. I barely can stand it long enough to water my two potted plants; which are doing much better than my poor grass. It has suffered a great deal in this constant heat. I look around and see that most everyone's grass is looking pretty sorry. We're in need of a really good rain...even though we've had a little here and there. You're very good about tending to your yard in this heat...probably better than a lot of people. What a blessing to have that irrigation system...that helps a great deal. Hope your week is going well dear friend... ~Joy

[Hattie]

I'm so worried about the fate of our planet. How much more stress can poor old mother nature endure from us? We are good stewards of our home in Hawaii, but we do travel, so I always feel conflicted. Let's hope we are a clever enough species to undo some of the damage.
Those black walnuts are an important gift to the future. They used to be found all over California but probably not any more.

[Cop Car]

Joy--How good to "hear" your voice, again. It has been a while. We wouldn't need the irrigation system for the grass if we followed my wish and planted buffalo grass; but, HH loves the look of bluegrass/fescue grasses. I've no idea why he has those druthers; but, we try to humor one another's strong desires. The only parts of the lawn where the cool-season grasses thrive are those that are shaded from the western sun - either by overhanging trees of the woods or by the house.

Hattie--I don't worry about the planet. To date, we humans are not powerful enough to destroy it. However, the fate of life on this planet (as we know it, at least) is in doubt. Terra may well approach ever more closely to its twin, Mars.

HH chides me that I won't live long enough to see the trees that I transplant grow to maturity; but, hopefully, someone will be around to appreciate them. The black walnut trees in our woods are like me: old and breaking down. They look (to me) to be about 100 years old. For some reason, although there are hundreds or thousands of seedlings of hackberry trees in the woods, the walnuts don't reproduce. My transplanted walnuts may not thrive in that environment, either. The squirrels are much better at determining where to plant the walnuts. Only a cranky old human would think that her planting beds and lawn are not the places for new walnut (or oak) trees!