Random thoughts

February 12, 2020 – Random thoughts

         Rain, rain, go away, come again another day! 

         We have terraces on our lawn due to this acreage being cultivated in cotton decades ago.  The terraces were one of the reasons we picked this open meadow property.  I liked the curved terrace swales every 50 feet or so cascading from northeast to southeast.  I had a dickens of a time keeping the home building contractor from coming onto the land with his bull dozer wanting to flatten my property like a pancake [with the intention of taking off the top soil to sell, which is known to happen in the area]. 

         Back then, gosh – 1998 – like yesterday – I acquiesced to flattening just for the house and carving into the banking for the drive and then demanded – don’t touch anything else.  He rolled his eyes and shook his head, but actually did as was told.  When I walk my property I have a swale on the upper section that encapsulates my willow trees, the next swale has the line of Bradford Pears in an alee and then the open half-moon ridge containing the river birches that bring you to the back property line.  The next swale, the one that was mostly destroyed by the bull dozer is the ridge off the back lawn above the raised organic vegetable gardens.

         This last ridge you can view out the kitchen slider and off the patio.  That little swale does catch the water, as the purpose of swales do on agriculture land – to safeguard against erosion.  From the heavy rains, we have a half moon orange clay colored mud lake about 60 feet long and widest part is about 8 feet.  After a day or two the water seeps into the ground and the lawn is coated with orange mud.

         Just a day or two ago, the sun came out and I strolled the property to see the water and wind damage, assessing the downed limbs along the back property line.  Yes, the soil was soggy.  I imagined I could hear the worms coming up to the surface for a gasp of oxygen.  I had on old shoes, but when I returned to my easy-chair I immediately kicked off my wet shoes and crossed my ankles only to discover – the cuffs of my pink jeans – yes pink – were crusted with red clay.

         HMMMMM, I will have to slather “Shout” on those pink jeans.  Why did I order pink jeans?  Heck jeans never fit, and I figured, why not order something I don’t really want to prance around it and they will fit.  And, just as I thought, the pink jeans fit perfect, the blue colored jeans don’t fit the same.  “Go figure” is the phrase I use on that.

         So, preserving my “pink” jeans is a matter of upmost concern.  Thankfully, “Shout” works.

         While wondering around the acreage, my Daffodils are up and there is nothing more exciting than the bright cheery faces waving in the breeze.  There is Maidenhair grass to cut to the ground, and then Liriope to cut back, and branches to pick up and haul off. 

         One cannot plant enough daffodils in one’s lifetime. - TYS

         I best find my mud boots and park them by the door. As soon as I get a glimpse of a sunny day I need to start on Spring cleanup as Spring will be here quicker than anyone can imagine.  I call it my mud-work – some of my finest gardening days.

         Overcast again today – Rain, Rain, please go away, come again another day!