There’s nothing quite like the absence of sharp pain in your extremities to get you refocused on things such as regular blog posting.
While recuperating from my monumental act of stupidity two weeks ago, I’ve had ample time to watch the world fly by as I sat stupefied in a chair on my front porch.
From my hazy throne over the last two weeks I’ve seen:
Two gangster emerald throated humming birds, repeatedly attack juvenile Coopers hawk gulping water from the 7 gallon stock tank in my rose garden. I’ve always known humming birds are extremely aggressive but to watch them take on and drive away a hawk that’s at least 100 times their size is to gain new insight into Mother Nature’s mysterious box of fun.
Three common fence lizards (aka “blue bellies”) drag scorpion lunches onto my porch and spend up to one hour devouring them live—which involves considerable writhing and jaw readjusting on the lizards’ part. The presence and abundance of scorpions in my front yard is why I never ever go out at night barefoot, anymore. Trust me, “stupid can hurt” and stepping on a scorpion gets your attention, every time.
One of the local red tail hawks tire of being harassed by the local crows, fly way up, circle on a thermal than come plummeting down like God’s own kinetic energy weapon and explode a crow into a soft rain of black feathers. Hawks 1; Crows, 0. Sometimes Mother Nature is wickedly funny.
My peaches are nearly all mature now and I’ve given six boxes of fruit to neighbors, family and friends. I know it’s time to jump on my murderous ATV when MaForbes comes out and declares: “I feel like making a pie, are there any peaches left on the tree?” When the peaches are all gone, it will be apricot cobbler time and my two Royal ‘cot trees are just about ready to pick.
There really is nothing quite like movement induced leg and ankle pain to help you quickly revert to full contact gardening. My bush tomatoes have all been picked clean and as of this week there’s no sign of new flowers so unless they flower again, they’ll get pulled at the end of this week.
My heirloom tomatoes and giant beefsteaks have all begun producing and there are at least three, one pounders ripening in my cages. This is the last year, however. I’ll grow Bush Goliath tomatoes. They’re only goliath-sized when compared to a cherry tomato.
I think I over planted my potato containers. I have a nice sack of about 40 small to medium sized tasty Yukon gold spuds I believe I should have only planted four or five seed potatoes in each container, not seven or eight.
Penultimately, if you live near a boat launch ramp and are looking for inexpensive theater, I recommend taking a picnic basket and parking near that ramp on a summer holiday weekend. Lots of fun watching people zoom away from the ramp only to discover, one mile away, they forgot to install the drain plugs in their boat, or adequately charge their batteries. Vessel Assist down here in San Diego seemed particularly busy over the Fourth.
But even funnier twas a seal who last week stole a harbor police boat left idling unmanned dockside. The seal then went for its own little self-directed harbor tour. The police chased, overtook and lay alongside the stolen boat, sent its first wave of boarders over the side and regained control of their vessel The seal was not cited for grand theft boat and was released after a stern warning. The fun loving pinniped was last seen circling the Everingham brothers bait barge. A good time was had by all; the seal, the harbor police, the film crews and we fishermen who can laugh at the yellowtail thieving bastards.— I’m back. Jim Forbes, 07/07/09.
Eclectic blog!
Posted by: steveballmer | July 08, 2009 at 10:07 PM