@Joe Riley: Someone sitting in a chair drinking iced tea and watching might be OK, as long as he/she didn't try to rush me. My neighbor used to always watch. I knew because she would always make a comment about it later. Sometimes weeks later. She would always ask why I didn't hire someone. My excuse to her would be ... it's better than 20 trips to the gym. I can't get over the feeling of being watched now, even after she moved away.
Nancy, sounds like you are talking about a "Life-guard". Reminds me of an old saying: "I'm not afraid of work....I can lay right down, beside it"!
@Nancy Hart: I brought a hickory tree in from the farm and planted it in town years ago. It was a nice tree, then about 20 years later, it decided to produce nuts. We had a hickory nut tree in the back yard growing up. It produced very small hickory nuts. It was a job picking out the nuts. My mom would pick them out and make cakes with them.
Emma, my mother would spend days picking out the black walnuts from the trees here, and from my grandmother's property when I was a kid. They are very hard to crack, but so good in chocolate fudge, and she made the best fudge. I haven't had a hickory nut in years. Don't remember what they taste like.
Lifeguard would be good. After this job is over, the next is to trim the new hedge on one side. It is finally all tall enough to cut the same height. A much easier job, but I don't like it, because you have to do it over and over again. As soon as it cools off a bit I got those trees to clear off the fence on the back side out in the country. That will not be hard. Expected highs in the upper 90's for a week. Not a drop of rain expected from the hurricane. I'm surprised but not disappointed. To be honest, finding that huge oak tree across the fence, almost has me at the breaking point. Fence Man and I didn't part on very good terms after the dam repair, and I don't know anyone else who would want to bother with the job. Rusty is contained in a smaller area, and he rarely leaves the barn, so the perimeter fence is not necessary now. I try to put it out of my mind, but it is lingering back there, just like the dam repair nagged for years. If I decide to sell that place, I wonder if it will be that much of a liability. "Let me take you on a ride around the property line. Oh, btw, please ignore this huge tree across the fence, which we have to take a half mile detour to get around." Just thinking out loud ...
On a more upbeat note ... One thing almost fixed itself this summer. Recap: .The date was April 15th when another tree fell on the fence and pulled the posts apart from a small gate so it wouldn't latch. I used a chain and the wire stretcher to pull the posts back together, and just left it like that all summer. The chain is stainless steel, and the teeth on the wire stretcher are worn so a little rust couldn't hurt much. Took the chain off last week and it has held in perfect position for a week now. It may work itself out of position over the winter, but it might do that anyway. Alternating dry/wet and cold/hot weather make the posts move a little. There is really little pressure on the gate posts themselves. The fence brace is one step removed on the side the tree fell.
Birds... Just saw 2 bluebirds in the back yard a few minutes ago! I've never seen bluebirds in town before. I've also never seen a snake in town. Smart birds? As I mentioned before, the hummingbirds this year are extremely shy. I saw 5 at once, on only one occasion. According to last year's entry here, it's about the time for the males to leave. Time is flying too. (Not a bird, but flies) Checked out possible places for a bat house in the country a few weeks ago. There are none at least 10 feet off the ground, as they recommend, except the back side of the garage. I don't think so. They get messy. Still toying with the idea of hanging one off the deck in town though. Found some super fly paper for barns at Tractor Supply. It comes in a roll about 10 inches wide, and now hangs under that new outdoor porch light. I think it catches more bugs than any bat ever could.
The power went out around 11 am here, and there was nothing interesting to do inside, so the last red tip is now down, ... but certainly not out. .. I knew better than to start this today. There is a football game Saturday, and I'd like to get the mess on the other side cleared out before Friday afternoon. At least the job has been started. . And now I have motivation. It's too hot to work very long at one time outside.
On another break... Killing time..... We have these little gnats in the South that buzz around your ears. If they ever land they bite! Sometimes one will follow you all over the place, hoping for the chance to bite. Sometimes you have to stuff cotton in your ears, because they will dive bomb right into your ear. They are around a lot lately. Every time I start to work on these bushes, there is a strong smell of stink bugs. One day a small bug flew in my mouth. It tasted like stink bugs smell, and lasted for hours. It must be a breeding ground for them down there. Started clearing as much kudzu, and other vines, from around the tree on my side as I could. I could walk around to the other side of the fence and do that, without taking the truck and the saw.
When the sunlight went behind the trees, the mosquitoes showed up. . At this point that corner of the back yard looked like a war zone. Only a truck load of kudzu to haul off tomorrow. Next time I'll be ready with bug spray and cotton in the ears.
Just one more thing... I found out what they are. The common name... No-see-ums. .. "No-See-Ums can be a pest, ending up in a person’s mouth, nose, ears and eyes." Flying teeth: No-see-ums take a bite out of Lowcountry life