Birthdays, milestones, and crawdads

This past week, on the sixteenth, was Smudge's birthday. My fuzzy, sweet, scared little feral rescue kitten is a full-grown, pudgy, loveable butthead neuter who has reached the ripe old age of two years old. It doesn't seem possible that this whole venture started well before his first birthday, and here it is a year later and then some, and he's all "growed up." Milestones for the week are I finished four weeks at Tysons (and I'm still trying to get them to take me off the cone line where the breasts and such are removed and into a slightly easier job that I can keep up with better and not hurt so much ... no luck so far, but I keep on trying. The extra money is nice but not really worth all the pain. OUCH!), and while it's a cheapy electric model, we got a weekwhacker and Quentin got busy Saturday putting it to use around the house. Photos down the page of early results, as well as pre-whacking before shots. Another thing that got done is that I finally had enough oomph left one day after work, and the weather wasn't so hot and muggy, that I got out with the garden rake and moved a bunch of loose trash away from the deck so we have a pure dirt walking path from the deck stairs to the back "yard," such as it is.

And crawdads. This Friday and Saturday were Crawdad Days in Harrison. Call 'em crawfish, crayfish, crawdads, or what-have-you, Harrison has an annual festival for 'em. Music of several types at different venues, fair food, a small carnival, various vendors for arts and crafts, and other goodies, including a front decor plate for the van for Quentin for an early anniversary present (end of next month) that I picked up and some incense sticks for me. Forget perfume, I prefer incense! Sadly, I forgot my camera till we were already there and parked and looking around. Bummer.

And there was a car show. LOTS and LOTS of nice cars of all kinds, mostly antiques. Also several bikes, including a nice bunch of trike bikes. Found out that there's a trike bike club in the area, which is perfect for us, because I have good balance, but not perfect. A friend of ours is in the trike bike club (Brothers of the Third Wheel, hello!), knows my balance issues, and thoroughly agrees that for me especially, a trike bike is ideal. For him, it was ideal because he's a big guy (a two-wheeler bike has to be 1500-lb range for his size) and his wife is not. If he had to lay the bike down in the road, and he was hurt, his wife wouldn't be able to lift the thing. Now a trike bike is less likely to have that issue, so if needed, his wife can handle it. We have a similar issue, only it's Quentin's a foot taller than I am. A two-wheel motorcycle his size is going to be too heavy for little ole 5'4" tall me. And I have the kind of balance that means I have trouble with even a bicycle. So if/when we can ever get a motorcycle, it's a trike bike for me.

And it's Saturday afternoon, hot and muggy and I'm pooped but still with a lot of work to do. Groceries to finish putting away and laundry to put away and a light dinner to eat later. That's not to mention that once it gets a bit cooler, I have raking galore to do, like out by the midden heap as well as what got weedwhacked today. So till next time!!!

From the bottom of the stairs looking toward the parking area/easement, prior to doing anything. It's gotten rather a bit tall, and definitely in need of some work. With all the boulders and who knows what trash in there, it's a lot easier to weed whack rather than worry about busting a mower blade all the time. Not as fast, but it will work.

The little walking path I raked next to the deck. I still have to go behind the deck where there's no crossmembers and rake all the stuff from under it to the back so it can be picked up and hauled to the burn pit. I'm waiting on more hauling and burning till I get a garden cart of some kind for hauling the stuff. It's too time-consuming to do little armloads when I can throw a whole mess of stuff in a cart and just push it out to the burn pit and dump it in. But at the very least, we no longer have to walk on trash that can cave under our feet to get to the back of the property. There's actual dirt there now. And joy of joys, the land isn't completely dead, just nearly so. I found two whole BIG earthworms in the path as I raked it out, so there's some soil life and microorganisms there, just not a whole lot.

Remember all the dead-ish blackberry brambles I cut out from behind the deck, alongside the kitchen and front bedroom end of the house? They are springing back with a vengeance. Weed whacking will do a huge number on them, that is NOT where I want my bramble patches!

After Quentin had started to weed whack near the deck. The barrel on the right is our metal can barrel. We crush stuff and throw in there for taking to the scrap yard.

About 45 minutes worth of whacking with the little electric weed whacker. Quentin didn't think it would do all that great, but look at the difference!!!!! I am going to be raking for a while, but worth it. This looks 1000% better than it did. Plus it will help cut down on things like snakes, spiders, mosquitos, and the opossum that likes to come sit on the stair rail by the one living room window and annoy Bouncer.

And finally, this is the birthday boy being a nitwit. He's rolling around on the hardi backer where the woodstove will go. Smudge is not a cuddler but he does love ear scratches and tummy rubs IF he comes to  you and asks for them. He also loves to curl up on me for naps if I'm laying down taking one. Silly kitty!

Next week, who knows what'll happen? Looking forward to another solid week of fun on the homestead! Till then, Gentle Readers, have fun!