Weather | 6/25, 71°, 83° | 6/26, 64°, 80° | 6/27, 58°, 86° | 6/28, 0.03" rain, 63°, 90° | 6/29, 0.21" rain, 71°, 89° | 6/30, 65°, 91° | 7/1, 0.35" rain, 65°, 83° |
- Sunday, 6/25: At Long Last, Some Wind
- We experienced west wind gusts at 40 mph, the first big wind we've noticed in over a month. A dozen green apples blew out of the Empire tree. The wind felt good while watering gardens. On past hot days, there was no wind at all. Today, I felt like an ancient sailor in a brisk sea after suffering through the duldrums.
- Our growing 2-week old chicks are now flying up to the first rung of the roost.
- Bill left for his apartment in St. Charles after getting a barbecue pork loin meal made by Mary. He also got the last of freshly picked snow peas. He loaded up his fishing pole and tackle that he's had stored here and took it with him, in case he gets a chance to go fishing on his future days off.
- We performed our daily garden watering dance at noon and in the evening.
- We put bone meal on the sweet potato plants that look tough. Our clay soil binds up phosphorous and calcium. Hardwood ashes help, but we burned a bunch of willow, a softwood, last winter, so the ashes didn't help so much this year. Bone meal helps. By evening, sweet potato plants perked up.
- Mary picked four blueberries. We looked online at the blueberry farm near Kirksville, MO. They changed to charging by volume, instead of by weight. A gallon is $29. We need more blueberry plants and a good deer/bunny fence. To heck with those prices.
- I looked up and learned about various types of steel siding trim. I watched a set of YouTube videos by a builder in Ohio with a stiff southern drawl who called the bottom trim his "rat guard." I learned a lot by watching his videos.
- We have very hot water, which might indicate a dying hot water heater. I'll look into it tomorrow.
- We experienced west wind gusts at 40 mph, the first big wind we've noticed in over a month. A dozen green apples blew out of the Empire tree. The wind felt good while watering gardens. On past hot days, there was no wind at all. Today, I felt like an ancient sailor in a brisk sea after suffering through the duldrums.
- Monday, 6/26: Failing Hot Water Heater & Junking Buick Decision
- A doe deer ran off to the north as we walked to the chicken coop this morning to let the hens out.
- I called the Sam's Club pharmacy and got them going on meds I'm running out of, so we can pick them up tomorrow during our shopping trip.
- I called the Lewis County Electric Co-op and asked about their hot water heater rebate.
- I turned down the thermostat on our hot water heater. It was already set at about 120° and I turned it down to about 105°. Kicked it back on and it's staying on continuously. I suspect our hard water built calcium between the heat elements making them stay on permanently. The tag on the side of tank indicates it was made in February 2008. That was probably the same year Herman installed it, so it's 15 years old and warranted for six years. We decided to get a new hot water heater.
- An online check shows that Menards sells relatively the same model for $399. The brand is Richmond, which is made by Rheem. The electric co-op's $250 rebate is for energy star units and they're in the $1200-$2000 range. We'll stay cheap and bypass the co-op's rebate. The plan is to look at it tomorrow and buy it on Wednesday, hauling it home in the pickup.
- I tried to remove the tire that continues to go flat on the Buick. It's frozen on the axle. After several bouts of penetration oil and hitting the rim with a hammer buffered by a 2x4, it still wouldn't budge. The rubber on this tire has been flat so long, it's badly cracked, so the tire is shot. Mary and I discussed matters. The car needs new brake lines, a complete new wiring harness, new muffler and exhaust pipes. The AC leaks water inside the car. The engine leaks oil. The right rear lens is cracked and leaking water, corroding the light fixture and making the right signal blink fast. The entire driver's side is crunched, along with the hood, from when I hit a deer in Oct. of 2018. Plus, it's now a dance hall for mice. We decided to junk the car, because too many fixes are required.
- While Bill was here, hot temperatures burned up the last of the black raspberries. Mary checked all of the blackberry patches on our property. She got two blackberries. Several red berries are out there. We need to check blackberries daily.
- Tuesday, 6/27: Canadian Smoke
- Thick smoke from Quebec forest fires filled our skies and outside air with a heavy murkiness. We noticed bad air in and around Quincy, IL, on our shopping trip (see photo, below), but it was even worse on our Missouri property. The air quality index in Quincy was 78 and it reached 157 at home. Mary has a swollen throat from it.
- We shopped in Quincy. We got good stuff at the Salvation Army store. I picked up a nice basket that I'll use to hold leather tools. I also got three ugly long-sleeved shirts. One is dull green, another is putrid blue and yellow, and another is white, black and blue. I wear long sleeves outside to cover arms, since one of my medications makes my skin get burn easily in the sun. Mary found jeans and two shirts. We found three DVDs. Using Mary's coupons, we got bought a nice pair of Gingher embroidery scissors I plan to use for fly-tying. We looked at the Menards hot water heater. They have 14 on hand. We'll get one on Thursday. Of course, we also picked up food staples, pet and chicken food.
- While watering garden plants after arriving home, we watched a mama deer nursing her twin fawns while standing under the McIntosh apple tree. It didn't last long. Her teethy babies were too rough and she broke away after several seconds and told them to eat grass growing under the fruit tree. Our yard is her nursery.
Smoke in the air across the Mississippi River,
while looking at the Missouri shoreline.
- Wednesday, 6/28: More Smoke
- Smoke was in the air, again, today. In the morning, our air quality was 151. By nighttime, it was 99, so it's getting better. Doctors in Quincy are telling everyone to stay indoors. We can't do that, because there are plants to water, which we worked on in the evening. This outside air is bad, but nowhere near as bad as the summer of 2003, when Glacier National Park fires put dense smoke into Circle, MT, where we lived at the time. That was really thick stuff.
- A thunderstorm rolled through this morning, giving us a tiny bit of rain. Immediately after the rain, all paths were bone dry, again.
- Japanese beetles fill the Virginia creeper leaves that have grown up and around our main door. After the morning rain, tiny black beetle poo was all over the porch boards. I gave them all a good spray of Dawn soap and water solution to kill just a few. I read someone on Facebook telling others not to kill these beetles, but to relocate them to other plants. Sorry, but I'm killing them. They're not native to this continent, so I say kill them. Some people are just too bunny huggery (a new word).
- Mary heard the first of annual cicadas today.
- She put Epsom salts on sweet potato and pepper plants to add magnesium to their diet. All plants are looking good. We have some tiny peppers and a few green sun gold tomatoes. Three hills of potatoes are showing new growth.
- I pulled one lettuce plant from my tubs that Mary made into two huge salads. She added fresh snow peas and radish slices. It was a really big lettuce plant. We ate the salad with homemade chicken noodle soup.
- During evening chores, Mary almost stepped on a tiny bunny that was three inches long.
- Smoke was in the air, again, today. In the morning, our air quality was 151. By nighttime, it was 99, so it's getting better. Doctors in Quincy are telling everyone to stay indoors. We can't do that, because there are plants to water, which we worked on in the evening. This outside air is bad, but nowhere near as bad as the summer of 2003, when Glacier National Park fires put dense smoke into Circle, MT, where we lived at the time. That was really thick stuff.
- Thursday, 6/29: Much Needed Rain
- In the morning sun, we spotted native green sweet bees swarming around Virginia creeper blossoms (see video, below). We read online that these are major pollinators that are diminishing in numbers. That's not happening on our acreage.
- A thunderstorm blew through with rain and strong winds. We got a nice rain out of it. It also cleared smoke out of the outside air. The storm was even stronger north of us and 150 mph winds took out electrical power and toppled trees in Keokuk, Iowa. It developed into a huge bow front that progressed across Illinois and Indiana, eliminating power for many people. Bad storms seem to start here and grow bigger. This one was moving east at 50 mph. About 18 apples fell out of the Granny Smith and Empire trees. The top of a maple tree close to the northwest corner of the house got hung up in the roof eave. I crawled up there and freed the branch.
- We drove to Quincy.
- We saw a bald eagle being attacked by birds while we traveled on on Highway 61.
- We picked up a new hot water heater at Menards. It traveled well on old pads that we once used as seats in a former tent trailer. The foam in these seats is wimpy and old, so we decided to toss them, since this is the first time we've used them in years.
- Three long-sleeved white poly shirts came in today's mail that Bill ordered. They will work perfect for wearing outside and protecting my arms from the sun.
- Mary and I unloaded the new water heater into the basement using a dolly we use to move the big garbage can down to the end of our lane. It worked very well. I'll install it tomorrow.
- Mary checked plants and we didn't need to water...a first since we started the garden...YIPPEE!!! She added bone meal to tomato plants and discovered nibbles and rabbit poo. It's time to tighten up the chicken wire fence.
- We saw the doe and her twin babies under the McIntosh apple tree at dusk.
Green sweat (halictid) bees. - In the morning sun, we spotted native green sweet bees swarming around Virginia creeper blossoms (see video, below). We read online that these are major pollinators that are diminishing in numbers. That's not happening on our acreage.
- Friday, 6/30: New Hot Water Heater
- We have a new water heater. Draining water out of the old one took three hours. Since it was off for roughly 36 hours, the water was cool. I drained it out into watering cans that Mary used to water all garden plants. Mary and I moved the old one and lifted the new water heater into place. The old electrical connections were a rusty mess, a result of Mary's Uncle Herman always forgetting to turn off running water going into the kitchen sink during his dementia final days. It's amazing it even worked. I drove to Lewistown and bought appropriate fittings at Davis Hardware. Plumbing and electric work went fast. The new heater filled very quickly. Hot water faucets in the kitchen and bathroom hissed as air escaped during the fill up. Juliet, our ragdoll mix cat, looked at me as if to say, "What did you do?" We had hot water within 5-10 minutes after I turned the breaker switch on. I had to turn down the thermostat, because it started out at 130°. I got it down to 120°.
- Mary worked on solidifying the far garden chicken wire fencing to keep bunnies out.
- She also picked peas then pulled all of the pea plants. They filled the large wheelbarrow with a huge mound of greenery.
- We experienced a really hot and humid day. It was a great day to work in the cool of the basement. Mary calls me names for being in there while she was out in the intense heat.
- At night, we watched the 2016 movie, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It's a good movie.
- We went to sleep with a thunderstorm booming overhead. It rained into the early morning.
- We have a new water heater. Draining water out of the old one took three hours. Since it was off for roughly 36 hours, the water was cool. I drained it out into watering cans that Mary used to water all garden plants. Mary and I moved the old one and lifted the new water heater into place. The old electrical connections were a rusty mess, a result of Mary's Uncle Herman always forgetting to turn off running water going into the kitchen sink during his dementia final days. It's amazing it even worked. I drove to Lewistown and bought appropriate fittings at Davis Hardware. Plumbing and electric work went fast. The new heater filled very quickly. Hot water faucets in the kitchen and bathroom hissed as air escaped during the fill up. Juliet, our ragdoll mix cat, looked at me as if to say, "What did you do?" We had hot water within 5-10 minutes after I turned the breaker switch on. I had to turn down the thermostat, because it started out at 130°. I got it down to 120°.
- Saturday, 7/1: Quiet Day
- An overnight rain was enough to give us a break from watering the gardens.
- Other than updating the checkbook, we really didn't do much for the day.
- Mary did some cross stitching.
- We wrapped up evening chores early and rain started falling. Rain fell all through the evening and night. On our last dog walk, we noticed that over an inch was in the rain gauge. Mary looked it up and the last time we saw over an inch of rain was on Feb. 22nd.
- We watched the 2018 movie, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. It's a good one.
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