Workin outside in Day to day life from a woman that turned 60 in Oct 2014 and who lives on a farm and Retired on January 2, 2016. I plan to do more sewing, work outside in the yard and just enjoy my retirement.

Since 7 this morning. Maybe it was 7:30. Whichever it was I may have extended myself or over extended myself. Hope not. First started burning. There was no wind or even breeze and with the rain we received previously it isn’t forest fire ready. Covered up all over since there is a lot of poison ivy and oak in the areas I was working around and in and tried to stay out of the direct smoke coming from the fires.

Yesterday I did get out and about and prior to leaving the house I searched for tillers. I found the perfect tiller for me. Believe it or not it is ELECTRIC. Yep, you read it correctly. Here is a picture of it:

It was in my price range and the reviews online were positive. Lowe’s had it and I bought it and a new rock rake. Then went to Taco Bell for something to drink and a burrito supreme. Yum. Hadn’t had Taco Bell for several weeks. So when I got home, I slid the big box to the edge of the back of the Tahoe and carefully put it on the concrete drive. The assembly wasn’t hard, EXCEPT the instructions to put on the four tines were wrong. AFTER I figured it out by the picture (on another page) I remembered someone writing about the instructions being wrong in a review. Wish I would have remembered earlier, but didn’t. I plugged in the cord I use for the electric weed eater and I was very surprised the power this tiller has to not only till but it was able to remove some pretty large rocks. I was terrified I would break ones of the tines but it seemed to take my rocky place in stride. I use my head, in that I don’t force it to continue trying to churn up rocks. It is pretty easy to handle and doesn’t jump all over the place like the weedeater tiller attachment did.

So I tilled 3 spots up last night. This morning after I got the fires going and I didn’t have to stand on top of them, I raked the tilled spots getting the rock and chick weed out of the planting area. Well most of it anyway. Some of it maybe is better. I HATE chickweed more than rocks and only because I can use rocks to build or make an edge or a rock garden. Chickweed is useless and a pest.

Oh I did buy one more thing at Lowe’s. I bought a small bag of fescue grass seed. Not fond of fescue but it grows here. So much for Kentucky grass or any of the others I’ve tried. Not sure that I’ll sow any of the grass seed until Fall and it is a small bag so will decide soon before it gets too hot.

So the amendments I added to the bagged top soil, potting soil, potting soil I emptied out of planters are: Lime, sphagnum moss, and epsom salt and vermiculite and tilled 2 of the areas again. I will wait to plant the beef tomatoes that I purchased until tomorrow but did plant the sweet corn starts in the new tilled area and then put empty tubs around the area to discourage any critters from getting to before I put up a little fence. I hope the corn makes it, but not positive comments about them surviving when you “start” the seed like I did. I’ll still try though. Cucumber plants, at the moment will go in containers and so will the green pepper plants. IF I pick out another spot to till up, I’ll plant a couple of the pepper plants in that area and since I have so many baby cherry and grape tomato plants, one or two of each of them too. The others will go in containers. So the fire is still smoking and I can see it from inside the house and rain showers are predicted for this afternoon. My next “to do” will be to spray the poison vines until I run out of spray and I’m sure I will before I finish as there is a LOT of poison oak. It is everywhere along the fence, along the shop building and it must die.

I did start up the self propelled mower and mowed a little bit. I was so tired by that time, that I couldn’t do it for long as the trimming was mainly on the hill.

Polka Dot has followed me where ever I went today, until he finally got tired. He’s funny as he lays flat with his head on his paws and instead of walking to keep up, he just moved his eyes. When I got out of his sight he would come to where I was working and then with a big sigh, flop back down on the ground. He did doze off and on and would come running around a corner if I had moved while he was dozing. Gotta love him as he is a wonderful companion to not just me, but to J and O. He loves those boys.

I’ve more to do like start putting things away and then cook some supper. Spaghetti for tonight. Since I ate breakfast/lunch at 11 this morning, I’m starting to get hungry but will grab a banana or an apple to ease the growling in my stomach.

I need to remember to put the clothes I wore today in the washing machine when I take a shower later so the lingering smoke smell doesn’t hang around in the house.

It’s clouding up outside, so will end this and get stuff put away.
Take care and God Bless

Last updated May 03, 2016