Yard and Garden - Mid-June 2017

WEATHER
Humidity yesterday at the airport - 3%. THREE!! We slumped to that level again today. Maria said, so what is the moisture level in plywood? (No doubt the air this week is drier than kiln-dried wood!) It is awful, because when I get home at 5:30, everything in the yard is at its worst droop. I come home hot and sweaty and irritable, and strolling down the walk everything looks like it is nearly dead. Highs - today 98. Tomorrow 101. Saturday 103. :( Brutal. However, the swamp cooler is working like it was a refrigerated air unit!

DITCH WATER SCHEDULE
Trying to be aware of the schedule for ditch water. Just sludge last night (Wednesday). The Sandovals have arranged for maximum flow Tuesday afternoons. There probably would have been water to use into the early hours, but we had made arrangements to help Nelly walk her dog. Used it Saturday. **Say more about: Board of Directors for the Middle Rio Grande Water Conservancy District (Fascinating!)

ECHINACEA
All the Echinacea under the dead-but-not-dead Red Bud bloomed at once Sunday! The plants in the Iris bed (which actually look bushier and happier) are still in process. Wonder how this timing compares to other seasons?

SILKY THREAD GRASS
First week of June, seeds maturing. Thrashed now into dreadlocks. Bleach-blonde mats. God love those indestructible plants... they are one of the few things that has seemed to keep thriving no matter how many times the dogs wrestle in them or dash through them.

HOLLYHOCKS
Past drought. Now we only have 3 plants or so, spread all over (they ran for it!) It made me sad when I really looked. At one point, we had stolen seeds from everywhere and had made cute little envelopes for them, and had a resplendent stand of them along the house (just at the spot where the swamp cooler drains if it develops a leak). Could probably look thru old photos and find the year that was the high point. Flying Star had pale waxy yellow ones we replanted. And I bought a pack of seeds for the very deep maroon ones. In realizing and naming them gone missing, then taking stock of the few that had remained, there were a couple of weeks before any of them bloomed. Our surviving color palette was a mystery I considered. I have not taken the follow-up photos, but within the last 10 days, the question has been answered: two slightly different shades of medium red, a lovely even-hued medium pink, and a very happy white. I want to say I came across a woman writing flower poems--gorgeous, complicated, dark poems. And that she had a Hollyhock poem?

A 6-PACK of SNOW IN SUMMER
*sigh* Still haven't found a place for it. And/ but read about it online yesterday--the only thing it really can't handle is poorly drained soil: it gets root-rot.

SUNCHOKES
Wish I knew where there was a handy yard stick. Would have been fun to chart their growth over the past 6 weeks. And/ or even now. How tall are they? Roughly 3' at the front end where they are tallest? Will probably open that up for the girls this weekend.

SNIGLET and the GRAPE VINES
Very sad: one hen spoils it for the rest of them. Butterknife (aka Sniglet) heaved herself up onto the grape vines and hopped into the garden not once but three different times yesterday. With a heavy heart I went out and figured out how to close off the entire alleyway. The last few seasons we have ended up locking them all out of that space because we couldn't figure out how to keep Sniglet down on the ground/ out of the tomatoes and potatoes.

AND MANY MORE
So much to yammer about - Our Onion Competition. Strawberries. Empty spots in the raised beds. Changing patterns of sun and shade. Piles of new pavers. Huge new ceramic planter (glossy dark blue). Canna lilies. Green 28" rabbit fencing - my new favorite thing.  Holes, holes, holes.  The end of the pansies - the pot by the front door has all but died.  It's very sad.  It was splendid. Wheelbarrows - the new one and the old ones that desperately need attention.  Gosh-there is so much that needs doing, it makes me twitchy.

ALMOST PULLETS! Lola going on the war path and getting way beat up.

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