The weekly storm has arrived
LoneJack Zn 6a, KC
2 years ago
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LoneJack Zn 6a, KC
2 years agoRelated Discussions
Spring has arrived
Comments (10)Good morning Dawn, Doesn't the cooler weather feel nice this morning. I know what you mean about it being hard to hold back on planting warm season items this early in the year. These days, most of the lower temps seem mild like they would be perfect for such plantings, and the higher end temps that are happening every now and then, seem to remind of the potential for the 95 degree F. and above temps to easily return too early. It was only almost four spring times ago, when I planted 13 Loblolly trees and 12 Foster #4 Holly along the back farmer's fenceline of a vacant residential lot we had recently purchased back then. I did this planting in 85 degree temps. But for the first two days of the very next week the daily high temps rose to 102 degrees F. Even though I transported water to the then newly planted trees almost daily at that time, many of them still died. Events like that heightens my awareness of the need for getting the spring plantings in the ground soon enough for them to establish a good root system. With temps like we have been seeing this week, planting bare root and warm season items seem perfect right now. Still, it is all too easy to remember last spring's second week in April, days of overnight freezes when during one of those days the temps dropping to 27 degrees F. In the last few years it seems the Northeast OK weather patterns have generally set up in a manner, which makes Spring time planting much less preferable than early Fall planting times. Fall is also most likely a much safer planting time for trees and shrubs in southern OK, Especially if the spring season has advanced so fast, and is giving indications that the Summer heat up is not too far away. At least that is what I think of when reading the reports on the items your area is already seeing leafed out and blooming. Of course you indicated your area is in a lower microclimate, so your fast heat up extreme potentials might be a lot less problematic compared to the frosts, which can so easily settle into such low elevated mircroclimate areas. My Arborvitae 'Emerald' which is suffering was planted late last spring, at the same time another one was planted on the opposite end of my front yard. That other one has grown twice as fast and currently is very green. The soil in the northwest corner of our lot, where the A E is suffering, has less deep soil moisture; so when the tree stresses from too dry of soil, it has a tougher time handling wind stressers. Both these evergreen trees receive full midday and afternoon Sun. but I think the one growing on the Southwest corner might also get some morning shade, whereas the one on the other end of our lot does not. Shrub roses and some Tea roses I planted, at the same time, just South of the suffering A E died very quickly. Where as the same kind of roses I planted just south of the other A E, which is doing well, have survived and are establishing nicely. I started a slow sprinkler for my suffering A E and Paperbark Maple, and when looking at the ground was surprised to see that the soil appeared to still have some moisture. So I am not really certain why in that corner of the yard every thing I have planted there seems to have such a hard time surviving. Maybe it is a simple matter of my needing to be more timely when I water that area, or maybe there are other subsurface factors, which I am not aware of, at play in this area of the yard,...See MoreThe pineapple express has arrived
Comments (14)We got 4.7 inches of rain in 36 hours during this last storm. We are now at 150% of "normal" for this date. Amazing. The news media carried on as if everyone was going to die, but actually there was way less wind and destruction than predicted. I did get out the tide table prior to driving in to San Francisco, as that freeway traditionally floods in a few places at high tide during strong storms. That worked. I think people just have to get back into "rainy winter mode" - has not been any need for 4 years, and folks forget, or just moved here and are astonished at what a normal winter is really like here. 4 of our 6 local reservoirs are spilling, and the total water storage is at 85% of capacity (was only 61% prior to this storm). Yay! Jackie...See MoreOpinions on Weekly or Bi Weekly Maid Services
Comments (33)We have not needed scheduled cleanings so far -- DH and I can still keep up with kitchen and baths, vacuuming, dusting. We wet mop the floors a few rooms at a time -- mostly kitchen, breakfast room, back hall and bathrooms. We have a window cleaner annually for the high archtops and small-pane windows on the north side of the house. Alternate years -- or 'as needed', he also does inside and 'between the glass' -- four sides of glass to clean. DH and I can do the low exteriors on east, west and south as needed. I clean one end of the house at a time. It's newer, easy-maintenance. The central vac and the air cleaners on the furnaces are a big help. Two adult non-smokers don't create a lot of dirt. Cleaning services must be more costly on the north shore of Chicago than they (evidently) are in the southwest. (Suzi -- Really? You are paying $16/hour per maid? How much does a maid get out of that? Guess it's better than working at McD's.) We pay a couple $100 per cleanout (includes "Housekeeping" chores) at our Maui condo -- 1000 sq ft including lanai, full kitchen, two baths. I don't expect "Housekeeping" chores from Molly Maids. I expect them to do the same actual "House *Cleaning*" I do, plus: Wipe baseboards, door casings and window sills; wipe all case goods (tops, sides, fronts, backs); wipe chair legs: take upholstered pieces apart and vacuum all surfaces; scrub shower walls and other bathroom tile; wipe kitchen cabinet fronts. I wish they would clean ceiling fixtures, but they aren't permitted to 'climb', so DH or the window cleaner do those. Two hard-working women were here for seven/eight hours when I spent the $600 (including $20 tips to each woman). They didn't break or ruin anything. They used my Bon-Ami and not abrasives, as I asked. They didn't leave dirty corners. They just *cleaned* what I wanted cleaned. I knew they were bonded and insured, and that the agency was responsible for their Soc. Sec. withholding/legal status. One other thing will probably keep me doing my own cleaning as long as I can. Neither DH nor I like having someone underfoot, and I'm not comfortable leaving the house while a worker is in it....See MoreCold front has arrived!!
Comments (10)Sigh...........downpour just got over. Broken riding mower. Grass this high. Volunteer dill and flowers in the garden, more than I can pull but it won't do any good to hoe because next rain will just replant them. Possibly a handful of strawberries out there. The mosquitoes aren't so bad. I did use bug repellent the other day when I was working in the long grass in the shade. The chickweed is awful these past two years. Storm warnings for tonight. I don't know about tomorrow. It doesn't seem like their timing is hitting it even close. I turned the a/c off Sunday and it's been ok. Hot but not unbearable inside. Edited to say: Well, I guess it isn't over after all. Got drenched doing chores....See MoreHU-787167202
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