Perseverance
It’s been a good day. We have a family member that is back home from a short stint in the hospital. Many tests were run and shortly the rest of the story will be known. Always better to be safe than sorry. Our prayers have been answered when check-out time comes from a hospital and there are no limitations for the present time. Perseverance with prayers . . . it’s a good thing.
Dennis and I had a plan for today. All perennials needed to be cut back, raked off and mulched. I can tell you that we met our objective. Dennis went on to mow the rest of the acre. He tells me it is the last time. When I sat on the patio for a break and tipped my head ever so slightly . . . there are a lot of leaves yet to sail downward. Dennis was right. With the Hosta cut back it will be easier to blow out the leaves of the Oak and Maple under the Lilacs in time to come. We have not had a killing frost as yet. The dancing leave that are doing their thing are the impatient ones. Just like farmers in the spring of the year wanting to be first.
We did pay an itchy price for getting the yard work done. The no see-um were relentless. I checked online. It is their saliva that brings their blood supply, aka: us, to the surface for them to feed off of. Accidently I found out they love a wet surface. After the Hosta on the east side of the house were cut back via the weed whip, I wanted to wash off the foundation of the wet greenery splatter. Why not veer a bit to the south and wash off the backdoor and knock off a few spider webs. By the time I had the water turned off and the hose wrapped, the white backdoor was literally covered with the no see-ums. I think they are going to hang around for a bit, as the internet article offered. If I want to work on a project outside I will water down something several feet away and let them play in the water to their hearts content . . . away from me. It will be worth a try. Once the water had dried off of the back door, there were still no see-ums about, but not to any degree. I did try Kersten’s bug spray that works well on gnats. It didn’t phase the little bastards.
It did get very warm this afternoon with low humidity and dew point. I need to check in with Dennis, but I do believe we have emptied the job jar in regard to the yard work. Whew!
Have a great . . . whatever it is that makes you happy. You deserve it!