It rained! It rained! At last, it finally rained! It was only about an inch, but still . . . I'll take it.
We could use three days of steady, heavy, soaking downpours. I wish a hurricane would plow slowly up the Gulf of Mexico, about 50-100 miles offshore, and drench the peninsula without causing any wind damage. (As long as I'm wishing for things, I'd like world peace and a million dollars, tax-free.)
I have so many young trees in the ground out there, and I've been trying to keep them alive and healthy with one sprinkler and a watering can. Once they get established they'll be able to handle a few dry weeks, but with half a dozen tiny saplings currently scattered around my property this is a very inconveniently timed drought. Also, the deer keep munching on my red maples. It seems to be their favorite snack.
The weather is warm enough for the gopher tortoises to start emerging from their holes again, but they remain shy and elusive. I can see clear evidence of recent activity, but I've only actually spotted one out and about once so far this season.
Tomorrow afternoon my brother, his wife, my mom and my girlfriend are all going to come out to help me tear down some old fencing and remove some old rusty metal poles. I've hired a guy with a flatbed trailer to come over on Monday to haul it all away to the dump.
Having a big piece of wooded property is a mixed blessing. On one hand, it's beautiful and peaceful. It's also a treat if you're into watching wildlife. On the other hand, however, it's a lot of work. Sometimes I feel more like a forest ranger than a homeowner.
I hope to have this place fixed up the way I like it in 5 to 10 years. I hope to have the mortgage paid off by then, too. It feels strange to even think that far into the future. I'm usually so focused on what's going on right now or tomorrow morning that even next week seems distant and hazy. Next month seems like another world. There is so much uncertainty in life. Maybe that's what gives it meaning -- the fact that you just never know what lies ahead. Right now you could be moments away from the greatest or worst event of your life. Then again, nothing out of the ordinary might happen for weeks. Tension and suspense keeps it interesting. It's like a movie with no script and a lunatic director who tells his actors to just make it up as they go along.
We could use three days of steady, heavy, soaking downpours. I wish a hurricane would plow slowly up the Gulf of Mexico, about 50-100 miles offshore, and drench the peninsula without causing any wind damage. (As long as I'm wishing for things, I'd like world peace and a million dollars, tax-free.)
I have so many young trees in the ground out there, and I've been trying to keep them alive and healthy with one sprinkler and a watering can. Once they get established they'll be able to handle a few dry weeks, but with half a dozen tiny saplings currently scattered around my property this is a very inconveniently timed drought. Also, the deer keep munching on my red maples. It seems to be their favorite snack.
The weather is warm enough for the gopher tortoises to start emerging from their holes again, but they remain shy and elusive. I can see clear evidence of recent activity, but I've only actually spotted one out and about once so far this season.
Tomorrow afternoon my brother, his wife, my mom and my girlfriend are all going to come out to help me tear down some old fencing and remove some old rusty metal poles. I've hired a guy with a flatbed trailer to come over on Monday to haul it all away to the dump.
Having a big piece of wooded property is a mixed blessing. On one hand, it's beautiful and peaceful. It's also a treat if you're into watching wildlife. On the other hand, however, it's a lot of work. Sometimes I feel more like a forest ranger than a homeowner.
I hope to have this place fixed up the way I like it in 5 to 10 years. I hope to have the mortgage paid off by then, too. It feels strange to even think that far into the future. I'm usually so focused on what's going on right now or tomorrow morning that even next week seems distant and hazy. Next month seems like another world. There is so much uncertainty in life. Maybe that's what gives it meaning -- the fact that you just never know what lies ahead. Right now you could be moments away from the greatest or worst event of your life. Then again, nothing out of the ordinary might happen for weeks. Tension and suspense keeps it interesting. It's like a movie with no script and a lunatic director who tells his actors to just make it up as they go along.