Catching up....again!

It is that time of year when we get really busy and then end up really tired and just collapse at the end of the day!  Today, though, was a fun day for me as I went to a friends birthday-salad-potluck-party, got to see and admire my other friends new chicken coop and chickens, and then went by the mall to pick up a couple of things and found a sale on my favorite lotions (Bath and Body Works) that I hardly ever buy for myself as they are so expensive, but they were on sale 75% off!  I got a regular $28 worth for $6.50!  Feeling pretty good about that one and it is the light summery smelling stuff!  So I have enough energy tonight to sit down and go through photos and do a post! 

I believe it is a Mophead or Macrophylla...I think.

So we were at Sue's house and she had helped someone and they gave her a bunch of plants and she was giving some away so I now have a Hydrangea, I have never grown one so this will be fun and it needs to go in the ground tomorrow. 

The vinegar weed killer experiment is done and the results were mixed.  Here is my settled on mixture, after much reading and researching of vinegar weed killer.  I used a 5% regular kitchen solution of vinegar (some recipes call for 20% but then you get into some pretty harsh acid)  I added 2 Tablespoons Dawn dish liquid. (the soap is supposed to help it stick to the leaves) and it is ready to go.

                                                                      

 

This was the successful application.  Small individual weeds in the sun most of the day, sprayed in the morning and by next day they were so dead you couldn't hardly see them.  Apparently the vinegar desiccates the leaves, it does not kill the root as a rule.

This was the not so successful application.  Heavy weeds, full grown and sun in the morning only.  To the right is the beginning










This picture is the end after 2 applications.  The leaves are turning brown and dry but the stems are not affected.









 My conclusion on the vinegar is this - it works for small weeds in direct sunlight. It is possible that the 20% solution would work on the larger older weeds but I am not sure I want to deal with that level of acid exposure.  The other thing is - this kills the bugs in the ground at the time but it does not kill the ground like a salt solution will.

This was Hubby's tomato bed on the first of June

This is the tomato bed tonight 15 days later!  Amazing what a little sunshine will do.  He has quite a few green tomatoes already, we are salivating and planning for fresh tomatoes already!

I took a broccoli salad to the pot luck today and it turned out pretty well (broccoli and onions from the garden) so we will definitely be having it again.

Think I will have 8 or 9 strawberries tomorrow - not really enough to do anything with I will probably be forced to just eat them!  (did I sound too greedy, did the loud sigh sound feigned?)  The chicken wire pup tent Hubby made is working a charm, the birds can look but not touch!




I think that catches us up, I will have a post on a gift I made for the oldest Daughter-in-Law's birthday but she hasn't got it in the mail yet (she should be the first to see it) so it will be in a few days.  Let's see, what will I do tomorrow - I know I'll pull weeds!  Truly hate the little buggers and yet am psychologically  incapable of doing the no-till thing and letting them grow.  I guess it keeps me out of the bars, yes?  Hope your week is splendid!