Of Critters and Creepies

They're baaaack...........the voles, that is. The little buggers are popping up everywhere now. Under my water feature, out in the front beds, you name it, you'll see them there. And apparently, some of them are newbies from litters - I saw one out the kitchen window the other afternoon scutttling out from under said water feature and parking itself on the lawn. I ran out stomping vigorously, hurling imprecations, and it just looked at me and said, "What...?". So that means I'll have to dismantle the fountain and evict the squatters, in addition to clearing up weeds and debris in all the beds, and then start sprinkling Shake Away madly around the landscape. Sigh.

And if that wasn't bad enough, we're now entering spider season. I grew up in a drafty, leaky old house and have suffered from severe arachnaphobia my whole life. As I've grown older, I've grown bolder and I can deal with small to moderate sized ones on my own (for the most part). But the thing I hate about spiders is that they're quiet and they're sneaky and they startle the bejesus out of me when they appear. One day last week, I opened the door to the shed to get a tool out. Two fortunate things occurred - I had my big old work boots on, and I looked before I entered. The sun was shining directly into the doorway, and I looked down and saw a funnel-type web on the floor beside the wheelbarrow. I shivered involuntarily, because I particularly detest those types of spiders, and as I did, one suddenly leaped out, planted all 8 legs down firmly and pretty much said, "You want a piece a dis? Hah?? Bring it on!" Well, I brought it on - right down on top of him and he went SPLAT. I was quite proud of myself, and so was my husband when I told him at dinner.

Spiders and I are sworn enemies, and I still do need occasional spousal help in besting them. One Christmas a few years ago, I was decorating my small tree in the conservatory when I saw one of those fat, furry black spiders that you see outdoors here, but that sometimes find their way into the house. I let out a shriek, my husband came running and we tried to find it. I thought that I had smacked it and smushed it, and we couldn't see it anywhere, so my husband went back to work and so did I. I reached into the ornament box, turned to face the tree - and there the little bugger was, sitting on top of the tree like an ornament. And if spiders had middle fingers, that one would have been upraised. Leaving nothing to chance, I called for my husband again, he came in and disposed of the monster. Speaking of ornaments, I have actually seen some spider Christmas ornaments for sale. Those people are sick........

Big Dig Accomplished

Well, as of about 1:00 p.m. today, the Big Dig project is finished. At least the construction phase is. We now have a stylish front porch with new stone steps and a herringbone-patterned front walkway - nice! The builders didn't disappoint in terms of execution, and they were immaculate; every bit of debris and mess has vanished. Other than the fine veil of concrete dust on the adjacent grass, you'd never even know they were there at all! It all looks amazing, and I'm already visualizing my containers back in place, and seasonal decorations in the months to come. Best part - they did it all in 3 days. I owe my neighbor 2 doors down a big shout-out for recommending these guys - many thanks, Phil! Your plate of cookies will be arriving shortly........

Just When You Thought It Was Safe

I know that in a previous post I said that I was now beyond surprise when it comes to the strange gardening year that this has so far been. Belay that - it just got stranger today. I came back from the grocery store this morning and parked next to my magnolia. When I opened the door, I came face to face with not one, but two magnolia flowers. In July. At the end of a week that saw record high temperatures. I am NOW beyond surprise.

Hot Stuff

This week has been brutal. The 4th of July dawned hot, and has grown steadily hotter ever since. Every day this week was at least 90 - yesterday was actually 95; the heat index was nearly 100! And the amazing thing about it is that, while the humidity naturally increases at night, daytime humidity levels (with the exception of a couple days, today included) have been almost desert-level. Yesterday was like a blast furnace - clear, sharp blue sky without a hint of haze, and relative humidity of 36%. Amazing.

As you might expect, the poor plants are suffering mightily. I've been watering morning and evening, but only the things in pots; the perennial beds have to fend for themselves, unless I see someone in undue distress. I just don't have the time, as I have about 3 dozen pots penned up in my veggie/cut flower garden in back, plus all the mail order plants that I haven't had the space or the opportunity to plant yet. Just watering those alone takes nearly an hour, much less everything else in this yard. Dear God in Heaven, I am tired of watering....... On the plus side, the front porch/sidewalk rebuild is (allegedly) to begin Monday morning. Once that's done, I'll be able to start replanting a lot of the aforementioned pots. Now, if we can just have some rain to soften up the ground so I can weed so I can plant!