August 25-31, 2019

Weather | 8/25, 0.27" rain, 60°, 83° | 8/26, 1.24" rain, 65°, 74° | 8/27, 61°, 79° | 8/28, 54°, 79° | 8/29, 0.13" rain, 62°, 83° | 8/30, 61°, 70° | 8/31, 56°, 67° |

• Sunday (8/25): A mist started settling down when I fed hens/chicks, so it's an indoor day. Bill called. He plans to visit us in 2 weeks. Mary sliced up a pork loin we bought at HyVee for $1.59/pound. It made for 6 meals that she froze. Churchill is back to having a bleeding nose. We were busy into the night cleaning up bloody messes. 
• Monday (8/26): I get my paid time off from Petco paid to me on a credit card that was first issued to me when I started employment. I quit using the card after my first pay, because I immediately went to direct deposit into my bank account, but I still have that card. Checked and there's no money in that card, so I texted Shane asking him if Matthew, the new manager at Petco in Quincy, needs to do something. Shane says he needs to inform corporate of my end of employment, then I see that PTO money in a few days. He said he will call Matthew and help him with what he needs to do. I thanked Shane. Plan on using part of that money for a trip to MT sometime in September (can't determine exact time until I get paid). Calculated trip cost with an overnight at a Watertown, SD hotel and using the Cadillac...little over $500 for 2-way trip. I burned the rest of boxes and bags that were in the machine shed that we didn't burn a couple months ago. Bill told us he will visit us Sept. 6-8. The pigtail for the Cadillac's mass airflow connection came in today's mail. Picked 1 large worm using the UV flashlight and saw a sphinx moth, what the worms turn into, fly out of the pepper plants. It was the size of a small bird with glowing red eyes.
• Tuesday (8/27): Knocked down some weeds in the chicken yard. Some of them are 8-foot high giant ragweed that have stalks over an inch in diameter. The saw blade on the weed whacker takes them down, but it's going to be awhile getting this mess completely cut and hauled away. Mary picked 2 grocery bags of green beans. She then chopped and processed those and all of the beans she already picked that were in the fridge...made 40 servings of beans that she froze.
• Wednesday (8/28): Checked online and my Petco credit card was paid yesterday afternoon, so I texted Mom to let her know I'm good to go on a visit to Montana. Decided to leave here on Sept. 10th, get into Circle, MT on the 11th, then leave Circle on Sept. 17th, and get back home on the 18th. Mom is happy with that. Made reservations at The Traveler Inn in Watertown, SD for Sept. 10th and 17th. Also, set in motion a transfer of money from that stupid card to our checking account. I mowed the trail around Frog Pond, and then moved a wheelbarrow-load of downed weeds from the chicken yard and piled them on top of a patch of sericea lespedeza (hover & click previous link), a bad weed as outlined by the Missouri Department of Conservation. It's taking over several of our fields. Mary mowed the lawn around where we build fires. I built a fire and we ate 2 pieces, each, of pork loin, grilled over the fire, along with large bowls of cucumber salad. It was amazingly delicious. We watched the stars appear and stayed next to the fire until 10:30.
• Thursday (8/29): Looked at the online Petco paystub location and realized that my final paycheck and my PTO payout was put on that credit card in 1 final payment. Checked online in our checking account and the money transfer took place. We had a thunderstorm storm midday. Mary made tortillas, and then we ate chimichangas for our main meal. Watched 2 movies, London has Fallen, and The Proposal.
• Friday (8/30): I wheelbarrowed 7 loads of weeds out of the chicken yard. After squeezing these loads of weeds through the gate of the chain-link gate, it came off its hinges. I discovered the top hinge was installed upside down, so I turned it around and slightly raised both hinges, lifting the gate above the grass and weeds. I'm trying to get weeds removed from the chicken yard, so I can let chicks out in the north section of the yard. They're getting big. Looks like we have buff orpingtons, silver laced Wyandottes, and austra whites as breeds in our chicks. We have 1 orpington and maybe a Wyandotte that's a hen. An austra white is a cross between an australorp and a white leghorn. They're white with gray spots. One I call Don Quixote, because he always runs alongside my boots and pecks at them, then raises a stink and tries to attack the bag as I pour chick grit into a small ceramic bowl. Mary made 4 loaves of bread. She picked 2 grocery bags of beans. Didn't find any worms in the tomatoes tonight.
• Saturday (8/31): Went to Quincy to buy apples at Edgewood Orchard, which opened for the season, today. Stopped at Menard's for lettering for our mailbox and Repel bug spray, 1 of our favorite summertime scents. Got a peck of Gala apples. Bought chicken and cat food at Farm & Home, and groceries at Aldi, then went home. I removed the mailbox from the post at the end of our lane. Ate nachos and watched a BBC Sherlock show. No worms tonight in the garden.