Fencing, Weeding, and Purgatory

After weeks, even months, of intermittent work, the fence encompassing the front 20 acres of Purgatory Ranch is complete, gates and all.  The barbed wire on the easy end will remind me of the location of the  dreaded poison ivy.  (Speaking of which, how have I stumbled into it three times this summer with tiny patches?  No major outbreaks, but itchy nonetheless!)

 Weeding this year is a battle.  JoJo is a most delightful baby, much more cooperative than Jimmy ever was at this age, but I still can't seem to get ahead of the weeds.  James set out to help me today... But before that story, bask in the sight of my not-quite-so-empty north potato bed.  At one point, I thought I had lost 95% of this bed.  Now I'd estimate my losses at 40%, which is much more reasonable and will undoubtedly yield more potatoes than we can possibly consume.  I enjoy extras when it comes to food.

(The exuberance of tree onions always fascinates me.)

And the purgatory of the title can be summed up as... A once-friendly neighbor may have irreparably damaged our friendship by calling James some terrible names and attempting to bully James to solve his own problems.  Thus, James spend 6 hours burning brush piles.  I even have sunburned forearms to prove my participation in the excitement.

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.

Man vs. Poison Ivy

Round 3

Tree onions
Their tops remind me of aliens.

Boy-who-likes-to-crawl-through-potatoes

Break time

Baby blankets make awesome face guards

when you're scalping the grass to keep down
poison resistant poison ivy

Apparently, little girls' dresses are equally effective

Thanks, gentlemen.

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.

It's Purgatory Ranch.

Just another (windy, tornado-prone) day at the Ranch

War began for the season on poison ivy.  I think one of the girls picked it up, as both have small spots of rash that are poison-ivy-ish, but they shared it with me, as I have multiple welts on my legs.  Oh, the agony!  James sprayed poison.  Normally, I'm not a poison girl, but I need this invasive plant gone, or, at the very least for this year, corralled.

The enemy I love to hate.

 Weeding, weeding, weeding.  The land is definitely significantly drier than the last attempt, although the puddles still exist on the path back to Six Penny Pond.  Our new Rogue hoes remain our new favorite tools, although they are heavy!

Resting in the lush grass that grew at the site of last years' compost heap.  The Screamer rolled in the grass repeatedly, so tick check revealed a tick in her hair.  Always check for ticks!

All-blue potatoes!  Their first tiny buds are purple, although the larger plants revert to the usual green.  You can also see a small red bug in the lower center of the picture.  I'm not sure what it is, but since we saw insect holes already, we'll bring diatomaceous earth on our next work day.

Gathering grass to feed Uncle Bruce's chickens, with the "kids' patch" in the foreground.  They didn't feel particularly motivated to hoe it alone, so we are still mastering the idea of how to encourage them to work with us!  The potatoes we planted that were leftovers of last year's harvest and already sprouted are growing by leaps and bounds.  I saw at least four that had flowered, so I don't know what they're doing in the ground, but it's a good experiment for the year.

Uncle Bruce is also tackling his red cedars, but he quipped that he doesn't have enough axes for James to help him with the stumps.  You might not remember the last stump removal operation, but in the process, an ax head came loose.

Uncle Bruce also had two new litters of kittens.  It's a good thing they're meant to stay wild, or some members of my family (cough... James) would have brought one home with us.

Tonight, we have a 9 in 10 chance of a tornado (or multiples) sweeping through the area, so here in two, we are battening down the hatches, inviting the neighbors to join us in the storm shelter as necessary, and stocking up the basement for a potentially exciting night!

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.