Heat

Oh my gosh.  It's hot.

I'm still cleaning up the garden beds since I missed yard work since April 2009 due to the 'Great Scooter Events of 2009'  LOL  I still think there are weeds coming in with the dirt and mulch though.  I've been working in the mornings until about 9:30 or 10.  

and then job searching the rest of the day.

I'm excavating some overgrown monkey grass.  It's the varigated kind and I love it but it has just gotten too big and isn't allowing enough water and air to circulate around the other plants it wants to smother!  Each one is about 2" wide and deep.  That is going to be a lot of filler dirt.  Since this is clay, using water makes it workable.  But I got so muddy this morning that it wasn't funny - I was worried that even after washing off outside that I'd clog the drains.  I got several of the pieces to the side of the house and started on the remaining 2 before I gave up this morning around 8ish.  It was just too hot.  May have to start gardening in the dark.  The titanium elbow has been a big help???

Also trying to pare down the house clutter.  And yeah! the handyman is coming back to install closet doors that have to be cut to size, change faucets in the master bathroom and caulk the master shower (I still have problems getting up off the floor with the left arm).

Also started walking 3x a week.  Between 1-2 miles.  early in the morning at 6:30am.  The Nike+ isn't tracking the mileage very well but the new iPhone app that I got is great!  It even maps the route walked!  But I can't stop and take picture with it while walking.  I think it tracks walks like the Nike+.   I'm so happy that at least I feel like doing something.

still hot....

Weather

Of course it was starting to get hot as in the 80's already which requires use of the a/c in the late afternoon and evening.  Now we get a cold spell.   And the rain that's been forecasted every day for weeks has finally decided to descend from the clouds.  I heard it during the night and assumed it was a dream.

All the yard ornaments have been moved pending decent weather that will allow the fence company to return to stain and seal the fence.  I took advantage of the time and moved all the yard ornaments that go into the ground, let them dry, cleaned the dirt and some of the rust off then used a rust inhibitor.  I'm using a bronze hammered rust prevention paint spray on the parts that will be above ground.  They are looking good!

Of course, now that everything is in a jumble in the yard, I've decided to move a few things once the fence is stained/sealed.  Assuming of course, that it does eventually occur.

The St Augustine sod pieces are still alive.  While I do like  Burmuda, I've found that you just can't walk on it barefooted.  St Augustine, on the other hand, is delightful to walk on.  And I'm hoping it will cover some of the concrete edges that show around the garden bed borders - Burmuda let it show!  

Some of the metal edging behind the garden border is  gone.  Especially areas where I had them expand the bed when installing the border.  I kept tripping over the edging.  I got most of what I wanted out and then my brother and sister-in-law came over to help with the rest.  Most of it will be left as it helps keep the mulch from coming out of the beds.  But there are a few places where it wasn't low enough or the beds were increased.  I forgot about the edging around the brick patio in the back (it's just a 10x10) so need to get that out.  I'm going to try to put the same edgers in front of the patio but not around the whole thing.

I'm getting rid of some of the daylilies as they keep growing and getting more crowded but aren't blooming.  Some haven't bloomed in years in spite of dividing so they are being booted out of the garden.

I pulled 4 bags of iris' out over the last week.  They must love clay as they can cover a city block in 2 years!  well, at least a good part of the garden and where I don't need them!  As for the   cannas, those will be pulled and dug out and put in a few pots.  They love the clay too!

Ants con't

Yes the ants are still around.  When I called the pest company, they said I had to wait longer than the technican said.... so I can't get anyone out again until Friday.  But I still have ants and now some larger ants.  I intensely dislike ants.  The tub in the master bathroom has lots of dead ones in it.  Yuck.

The fence stain & seal company can't come out due to the high winds.  So no telling when they will be here.  In the mean time, I have plants that need to be put in the ground near the fence - I'm thinking that I'll have to put those in pots since they've already been waiting 2 weeks and are getting that 'I'm ready to be planted NOW or I'll die' look.

The weather has been great but is about to get really hot.  I put down some St Augustine sod in the back - another dislike is not being able to walk on the grass barefoot.  I also just realized that I'm going to have to adjust the sprinkler on the side where my neighbor waters every day. I only had it run a short amount of time to get the area close to the foundation but now that the fence has the extra pickets and her water doesn't water my back yard anymore and drown everything, I'll need to run the sprinkler a little longer.  No  problem - just have to remember to do it!

I must say, it's been nice to sit in the covered swing now that the fence is solid.  I still like the looks of the shadowbox from inside the yard.  The cats do miss seeing out the fence although they are getting used to it.  They tend to run back to the house when they hear some noises since they can't tell that the noise is not so close that they need to run and hide.

Ants con't
So the pest guy comes out yesterday and sprays inside with something that they will eat and take back to the nest.  But you can't kill ants for 5 days to allow time for the nest to die.  He sprayed outside too.

In the mean time, last night I notice that the ants are traveling through the hollow metal parts of the shower.  I'm watching and trying not to kill but ants... ugh.  

He does mention that he may have to cut a hole in the closet next to the shower if the ants are living under the shower.  fat chance.   I don't have the money to repair that kind of closet damage properly.  

Speaking of the closet next to the shower, why woudn't a builder go ahead and spend 5 extra bucks to put in an opening behind the shower for plumbing problems?  It's in the closet for heaven's sake.   I hope they make builders live in houses they've built for at least a year.  An the silly architects too.

Hi ho hi ho it's not off to the surgeon I go....

Yahoo.   No more orthopedic surgeon visits.  No more physical therapy.  I'm done.  I just have to ease back into doing things like I used to (well, all except the falling of the motorscooter part).   They even gave me a t-shirt.  so funny.  I'm sure both offices are having parties to celebrate getting rid of me - I've been going to both since Sept 2009!.

Just knowing I don't have to go anymore is a big morale booster.  yea.  sis boom ba!

However, none of this would be possible without many thanks to Dr Robert Berry at Team Orthopedics and Matt and staff at the Peak Physical Therapy in McKinney for being so nice, helpful and supportive.

And a great big thank you to Alan, Marijan, Craig, Layne, Wende and Bill for helping me do things and getting me around.  I know Alan is thrilled to stop doing kitty litter duty but Sam really does miss Alan. Of course, I miss Sam going in to mess up (but not use) the litter box within 5 minutes of Alan's careful leveling it out after having cleaned it out.  And thanks to facebook for keeping me sane and able to stay in touch with everyone during my recoveries.  All the offers of help were greatly appreciated.  I'm a very lucky gal.

Duh!

So the most intelligent man in the world says that aliens may hurt us.  Well, duh.  It didn't take the most intelligent man to figure that one out.  If there are other cultures and life beyond this earth, then there's bound to be more than one species of aliens.  And who can say what the state of their culture is?  Some may be more advanced -  especially if they manage to get here - and some may not be as advanced.  I'll save the discussion on civilized or not for another blog.

Even as a child, it seemed strange that in the movies, when aliens came, our military thinks we can outpower them.  If they got here, then they can probably destroy us.  so what?

Another thing about outer space movies that I saw as a child,  why were the aliens always portrayed as peaceful, or lived in pure white clean antiseptic worlds?  Why would we think or assume that just because the aliens made a trip to the earth, that they were better than us?  or they could provide a better life for us?   We all come from the same God.

And don't forget the Twilight Zone movie where everyone made the same stupid assumptions and got on the spaceships to go to a better place only to discover that the 'golden book of life' was really a cookbook with humans as an ingredient.  No wonder they were fed so well on the trip.  ha

Sometimes I wonder about humanity and the ability to think on one's own versus sheep group think where you follow without knowing anything.