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| The corn as it tasseled in late July |
We are finally getting summer season weather- at the final ending days of August . Not that I’m complaining, because I thought all those pseudo June days were simply glorious. But I’m not getting much weeding done with those new tools I bought, now that heat and humidity have returned.
After so many years, and doing without my faithful weeders all this season, I went to my local garden center and bought two Dewit tools, one a cape cod weeder and the other a hand sized Dutch hoe. In my old age I have gotten the best quality tools of my life- and they are a joy to use. Once, I would have scoured tag and yard sales for good used tools, but I don’t go places where I am tempted to get “more stuff”, and the Yard sales would likely see me haul away everything but the tool I need. See, that is one of the values of getting older, along with the stiffness and aches come a sense of self.
Weeding
Weeding has been my main occupation in the garden, with some weed tree removal and pruning thrown in here and there. I have a strongly growing stand of goldenrod in my prairie patch and the Coneflowers were very pretty this year. I will have to go out and attend to it since I saw some Canadian thistles around the edge. I’m happy with that experiment, although I would like to include some Monardas, now. Just to make the hummingbirds happy.
Oh, that reminds me of a sad story. We were getting ready to go on a trip to visit my mom, when one of the cats was seen “playing” with some poor creature. At first I thought it was a mouse, then turned to my kids and said- “I think its a baby bird”… I felt badly that I hadn’t jumped out to its rescue earlier, but went over and distracted the cat enough to allow for its victim to escape. What did it turn out to be? You probably had guessed. A tiny hummingbird swooped up into the sky and to the Northeast.
That is not a particularly happy ending since I’m sure it had some injury, not the least of which is to be scared almost to death. Even though hummingbirds are feisty little creatures, and brave, their little hearts can’t always sustain such a shock as it likely had from a particularly predatory cat.
A Truly Happy Hummingbird Story
They say “curiousity kills the cat”, but in this case the danger was to the over-curious nature of the hummingbird. I was glad I enabled his escape, but the realities of nature are often sad ones, and I wished my cats were more inclined to catch the terrestrial prey. ( I don’t have feelings of sympathy for the rodent population around here).
If you are interested in the state of crops, this year is the best corn and soybean crop I’ve seen for many a year. It’s been a marvel all summer. Although corn will grow to different heights, much of the field corn looked to be 8+ feet high. Fields and fields of strong green stalks, and bushy soybean rows, so massive that the rows are not even discernible; just a stretch of healthy deep green.
I keep thinking I would like to take a photography jaunt around my neighbors farms, but just don’t seem to link the time and opportunity.
My tomatoes are producing well, with even the volunteers coming on. I love flat leafed Italian parsley and got a good crop of it this year. One of my favorite additions to chicken soup! So as far I was concerned this year’s veggie garden was a success.
I am getting the hang of newsletters, now on the third one which is going out tomorrow. Still a novice, and experimenting with the look, but I am growing into the process. Sign up!
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© 2013 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal by Ilona E. An excellent blog.