Gonna rain

5/17/07 Thursday
It is raining and predicted to do so for several days ahead. The mosquitoes that you rarely see here in the desert are out in force. Yesterday I had placed sand carefully around Skittles old food dish to see what sort of creatures had cleaned it out the night before. Was hoping to find cat tracks but alas it is rats. They are back quickly after Skittles disappeared. I suppose the rat telegraph put the news out. Found rat tracks in the bus also. As much as I hate poison because it will kill a hawk or anything that feeds on the rat carcass I cant allow what we found when we first came here.

Here is a question I would like some input on. One of the things thrown up because of my speaking out in favor of getting “mom and dad” into a nice safe place where they could enjoy the last years of their lives in relative peace was that I am not family and had no right to meddle. For some reason I have the concept that when you marry you marry into the family. If there is a child you raise her as your own and the child usually will call you mom or dad, whichever the case may be. There were two boys that came with my second wife and I raised them as my own, proud to participate in the events of their lives and proud to say “This is my son”. Now there are many things I have and still am learning because so much was lost with the brain damage but I don’t think I am wrong here. Aren’t you supposed to care about your new family? Fact is, even if mom and dad were total strangers I would still work to insure their best interest was looked after. So leave a comment if you would.







Here are some pictures of the garden. This first one is the melon patch, which is doing so so.











This second picture is the pumpkins and squash.












The third picture is one of the spaghetti squash hills. It has three or four plants on it. Doing real good.












And the final one is the corn patch. That has been a fight to keep going between the early freeze and the storm last week or two that flattened most of the corn. I gently pushed them upright and they all survived. Everyone I talk to tell me you can't grow corn out here because of the worms. Come to find out these are the same worms that trash cotton so, being surrounded by cotton fields you can bet there's allot of worms. They can be combated but it requires applying dust directly on the silks right when they appear. There is other stuff you can do. One of the most interesting I read was to put some mineral oil on the corn silks as that suffocates the larvae when they hatch. There are parasitic nematodes and a wasp that preys on them you can order through some of the organic garden supply places, but that costs money and money is tight.

I have worn out the boots I had but fortunately Cherie, always the wise shopper, had purchased some maybe a year ago when she saw them on sale so I am set. Time to get back to working on the living room.
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9:15 – It’s the end of the day for me. Didn’t get much done in the living room but did a lot outside. I weeded a driveway. Suppose that requires an explanation. My sentences may be simple because just had a serious slowdown start at nine or so. Comes with that dizziness and loss of coordination you have after a few drinks. Don’t mind slowdowns too much when they come at the end of a day cause that way they don’t prevent me from getting stuff done.

Back to weeding a driveway. I pulled weeds to make a path where I’ve been driving the truck. Then I started weeding to make a path from there to the corn patch. The weeds are getting pretty high now. Not much I can do except pull them. The new Craftsman lawnmower my grandmother had bought is one of the things that was stolen from here. Would love to know which relative got that. Still have the grass catching bag that went with it. Whoever stole the mower must not have wanted it. So I do the best I can with what I’ve got. Two hands and a hoe. Not up to writing any more. Night all.