Thurs. May 27, 2021: Carpenter Ants

image courtesy of cp17 via pixabay.com

Thursday, May 27, 2021

Last Day of the Full Moon in Sagittarius

Pluto Retrograde

Saturn Retrograde

Cloudy and pleasant

The lilacs are absolutely magnificent this year. It will be sad when they fade. I’m so grateful we were still here to enjoy them.

The grass is coming in well. I’m conscientious about the watering. It’s fun to watch the difference from day to day. If anyone makes a derogatory comment about “watching grass grow” as something boring, they are sadly mistaken! It’s quite fun.

Monday morning, I discovered a swarm of carpenter ants coming out of the seam between the deck roof and the kitchen door. I had a fit. Hosed them off, used ant killer. Called the landlord, so we could form a plan of action. I can’t stand ants. I didn’t even really know what carpenter ants were, except that they were big and scary. When I looked it up online, it was even scarier.

But it’s being dealt with.

The landlord mowed the front, so we’re not suffering from vacant lot syndrome. Per his request, I removed the cedar barrel with the chrysanthemums from the front.

I have to talk to our neighbors down the street, who are avid gardeners, to see if they want our potted lilacs, roses of Sharon, and some of the other big plants we most likely can’t take with us. Otherwise, they need to go up on Craigslist this week or next.

No takers for the electric shovel yet.

Garage is getting there; I still have to sort out some of the broken saucers that can be tossed, and get more recycling to the dump.

We’re getting there slowly, but have to accelerate over the next few weeks, even though we don’t yet know where we are going.

The tourists are already swarming, even worse than the carpenter ants. They are nastier than ever. It will be good to be out of here before the summer gets even more intense.

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend! Hopefully, you can spend time outside.

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Thurs. May 20, 2021: Brilliant Lilacs!

photo by Devon Ellington

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Second Quarter Moon Waxing in Scorpio

Pluto Retrograde

Celtic Tree Month of Hawthorn

Sunny and pleasant

The lilacs are absolutely magnificent this year. I’ve never seen the heritage lilac so laden with blooms. The scent is amazing. I have my windows open, and every time there’s a breeze, it’s heaven.

I’m grateful we were here to see and smell them one last time, and that they’re so magnificent.

The grass is growing, and it’s exciting. No, I’m not being sarcastic. It’s actually exciting to watch the grass grow. There’s a difference, not just every day, but between morning and evening.

The pollen, however. . .my goodness. I sat outside for an hour the other day; when I came in, I had to shower to scrub off all the pollen. Then I had to scrub out the tub, because it was all in a lump at the bottom of the tub. Tessa, my black cat, sat in the window for a stretch; the pollen came through the screen, and she had gold highlights. I cleaned her off so she wouldn’t groom herself and ingest the pollen.

I need to run the little push mower over the front grass, which is starting to suffer from Vacant Lot Syndrome. I didn’t hire the lawn guy this year, since we’re leaving; besides, that little patch isn’t worth anyone’s time. Let’s hope the push mower can get it done.

I’m cleaning, sorting, and stacking the pots we’ve accumulated over the years. Boy, do we have a lot of pots. They’ll have to go in storage, if we move somewhere without a garage or a basement (which seems likely at this point).

Trying to get rid of the big lawn mower and the electric shovel, but no takers so far. I’ll just keep trying.

How are things blooming in your area?

photo by Devon Ellington

Thurs. May 13, 2021: Lilacs!

image courtesy of RitaE via pixabay.com

Thursday, May 13, 2021

First Quarter Moon Waxing in Gemini

Celtic Tree Month of Hawthorn begins

Sunny and pleasant

The lilacs are blooming! My lovely white Edith Cavill lilac in the pot blooms, and the heritage lilac tree that came with the house. I’m so grateful to be here for the blooms one last time. I will miss them when we leave. When I’m out on the deck, every breeze is filled with heavenly scent!

So what does Celtic Tree Month of Hawthorn mean? Instead of regurgitating information, I’m linking to a delightful article on Eco Enchantments here. I can use some of the protection, relaxation, and happiness!

I’m tending the irrigation on the newly sodded patches. The landlord set it up after the septic guys sowed last week, and I make sure to turn it on in the early evenings, when it looks dry.

I’ve been so sick since the last vaccine dose that I haven’t done much anywhere. The landlord has landscapers looking at the space, so once the sod comes in, I assume they’ll get to work. I’m going to ask him to let me know when, so I can get the big potted lilacs and azalea out of the way. I hope we have green space where we’re going so we can take our big pots, but if we don’t, neighbors down the street will give them a home.

This weekend, I plan to clean out the garage, while still packing and trying to purge more from the basement. I especially want to get the garden things sorted out and packed.

It’s supposed to be lovely and finally getting warmer (we still have flannel sheets on the beds and are using hot water bottles). But I bet the pine pollen drops soon and then, it’s one big Achoo! For a few weeks.

How’s your May shaping up?

Thurs. May 6, 2021: Room For New Growth

photo by Devon Ellington

Thursday, May 6, 2021

Fourth Quarter Waning Moon in Pisces

Celtic Tree Month of Willow

Pluto Retrograde

Still dark outside

It’s been quite a tumultuous week, on the yard front.

The landlord had a new septic system put in, so the entire back yard (terraced area and meadow) was dug up in order to install it. The guys were terrific – it was like watching precision dance. The guy manning the digger was so skilled. The guy working the pit was amazing, too. I’d be terrified to have several tons of machinery moving that close to me. The level of trust involved is enormous.

They were fast, they were tidy, they were nice. They made the whole experience as stress-free as possible.

As you know, I have a medical condition where repetitive machine noise can cause a lot of pain. While the vibration of the heavy machinery was a bit wearing at times, it was high-quality equipment, and the actual noise was much less than the neighbors who are always puttering around running their tools just for the noise. I think the neighbor across the street who rides his bulldozer around just for fun had Heavy Equipment Envy.

They raked, added topsoil and grass seed before they left, flattening out the meadow, which has always been lumpy and a problem to mow. They managed to work around the retaining wall. It’s going to look beautiful once it all grows back.

Che Guevara Chipmunk was upset, though. His actual home, under the bush at the retaining wall, wasn’t hurt. But, the first day, after they started digging, he sat on the step on the deck and stared and stared, with the most devastated expression on his little chipmunk face. I felt terrible for upsetting him so much.

image by Devon Ellington

The lilacs on the big old lilac tree are starting to bud. I’ll be able to cut some this weekend and enjoy them when I get back from my second vaccine dose.

There’s been a lot of rain this week – the poor guys worked right through it. Today is supposed to be nice, but I think the weekend will be kind of damp.

We need it, though.