Hub Man mowed the lawn Sunday evening and removed my last excuse for getting things squared away in the back yard.
The patio was a total disaster. It was loaded with brown detritus from the fruitless pear tree that has been dropping stuff for weeks now. It is finally finished making a mess thank goodness.
I weeded the last flower bed under the apple tree and pulled up a healthy stand of flax that was shading the surprise of the spring.... an even healthier crop of Sweet Williams that were growing from last year's wildflower mix. They don't bloom the first year. But oh my, I have a bunch of them now!
Anyway I took everything off the patio except the swing and cleaned out the fountain... in which I found a most disgusting bloated dead snail. YUCK! The water was all brown and looked like stump water.
Here's what we have going on back there right now....
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I decided to take a lot of pictures of it because I doubt that it will look this good for the rest of the summer. It was like some kind of harmonic convergence.
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In the following picture, please notice that we put out our beehive. I read an article in Mother Earth News where someone said if you put out an empty hive, you just might attract a swarm of bees. I think they may be able to detect the bees wax smell inside the hive. I'm guessing.... Anyway we thought it was worth a shot. And truth to tell, I have seen a LOT of honey bees in the yard this spring. A good sign. I'm hoping they are recovering from whatever has lately diminished their numbers. No one seems to be sure what it is... but all I know is, somewhere nearby there is a healthy hive sending workers to us!
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They really like the Crimson Clover. It's doing its thing right now in full force.
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I put up my homemade gazebo cover. Made out of two king sized sheets and a tablecloth I found at Goodwill. I looked for a replacement cover and they cost as much as getting a whole new gazebo.
This is my little rebellion:
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Ben and Sunny on their first inspection tour of their newly cleaned up shady spot:
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And half of my tomato seedlings, which in a few short days last week decided they would live. I think they have grown two inches overnight.
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So there you have it. Farming in suburbia.
(Your penchant for hyperbole never ceases to amaze me.)
Yeah.
I know.