Kay and I had a full week.  After church and Sunday school, we worked on the property for a few hours doing odds and ends such as cleaning up ditches, raking leaves, and cleaning out our “dry” creek in back.  A couple of local high school boys helped us by doing all of the heavy lifting and hard labor—character building.
The poison ivy consequence of our fern foray is taking its toll—my left arm is practically covered in a
rash, the right arm is broken out in several places, and the upper part of my left leg and stomach have some rash as well.  We use an OTC product called Tec Nu Extreme, and it helps tremendously in relieving itching and drying up the rash.
One of only two surviving Dunn aunts (an in-law) died early this week.  Aunt Banty, known more properly as Evangeline, was Uncle Tommy’s wife and they lived next door and down the hill from us.  Having a car, she drove her kids to school each day, and always provided me a ride.  The last of a generation, she will be greatly missed, but leaves a magnificent legacy.
Anyway, back to yard work, we hung an oriole feeder I built last week; it has wooden dowels to hold orange halves, and two cup holders for grape jelly.  So far, there have been no takers even though we’ve played Baltimore Oriole calls each morning and afternoon to attract them.  In addition, we installed a moving water feature to assist in attracting birds, comprised of a garbage can lid and a solar pump.  It works great, and the birds and other animals practically drain it each day.  It’s located next to a pile of brush to provide some cover.

And our work last weekend revealed that the “dry” creek is too low in one section, allowing soil and mulch to cover it.  We dug a trench along side it, and installed upright cedar logs, effectively making a short retaining wall.
We also planted red salvia and lantana to provide nectar for the birds and butterflies and to add some color to the yard.  American Goldfinches and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have practically been swarming; we feed about 50 pounds of sunflower seeds each week, filling the tube feeders daily, about 5 blocks of suet, and are now having to refill 7 hummingbird feeders daily.  That’s in addition to 50 pounds of corn per week for the deer and turkeys.  But it’s all worth it, at least to us, for the inner peace and solitude provided.
Ron and Kaden came up Friday evening to spend the weekend with us, celebrating Mother’s Day.  We fished Saturday afternoon, but it was crowded where we like to fish as one of the local guides has begun trespassing on private property, bringing in clients to fish, violating not only “No Trespassing” laws, but also subdivision restrictions preventing commercial and business activities within the subdivision.  Oh well, someone else’s battle to fight!  Fishing was difficult, though Kaden caught a couple, out fishing his dad who only had one.
We all enjoyed a quiet time on the patio watching the hummingbirds swarm a couple of feeders.  Ron bravely held each of the feeders via his outreached arm and saw them feed up close and personal.  He grilled lamb for our dinner meal, and it was delicious, making for a great weekend.