Removing the spring/summer debris--prepping for the fall....

arcy, is there a reason you burn rather than just let it rot?

The five female turkeys that visit me regularly have been joined by a suitor.

My DH is a hard worker too, but here is another guy that is a had worker in my yard

The Ambush Bug

And another

The Great Golden Digger Wasp

Sheer amount I suppose. We live on three acres of dense oaks 80+ years old. The dead fall alone would prevent us from mowing the grass if we just left it. We also have an on going war with invasive buck thorn. If we don't keep the saplings from growing we get no air flow and the mosquitoes could carry us off then. Burn piles are common and necessary in our area. It's the neighbors who burn their house garbage i.e. plastics that cause strife around here!!

arcy, I see. Even when we lived on one acre, we kept a brush pile in the back and let ours rot, and were amazed at how quickly the pile sank each year...and many small creatures like bunnies were glad to have the safety of the brush pile at their disposal. Around our area, you need to get a permit to burn anything.

We enlisted DS to help remove those pesky pine needles.

Happy Labor Day...

Forward, mate!

On a trip to Alaska, here was our cook catching a 25 lb. halibut so we could eat! That counts as working, doesn't it?

Hauling firewood. In this case, I was returning wood we didn't use over the winter back to the shed. We don't leave it on the deck during the summer as it's a fire hazard and it attracts insects including carpenter ants and termites.

Headin' out to whack star thistle which is a noxious weed not native to California. From what I've read, it arrived here back in the 1800's in bales of hay that were brought over from Europe (some say Eurasia). The hay was on the ships for the purpose of feeding livestock during the long journey over the sea. I've also read that it came via contaminated seed. Star thistle thrives in our climate, has no native enemies (four types of insects that are natural enemies have been imported from Europe to battle it's infestation) and competes/kills native grasses. It's can be fatal to horses that graze on it. About the only good thing about it is that it makes nice tasting honey. My goodness, I went off on a tangent, didn't I!?

For those curious about what star thistle looks like, here is a pic:

And, here is a field that has been taken over by star thistle:

Hubby in the final stages of removing the stump of a large tree that fell across our road and took out the power line this past winter. The stump was the size of my car!

DH working

And not working (but catching supper).

My schedule is pretty hectic the next couple of weeks, so my participation may be light to absent. Please carry on without me. If someone can start this thread that'd be great.

DH working on the roof of our summer home. The ladder is tied off and he is wearing a safety harness!

Yesterday, at 5pm, New Smyrna Beach was closed to water activities due to Hurricane Dorian. :-(

Hope everything is okay, Annie Deighnaugh.