I'm home today, waiting for the A/C repairmen. They've got to tear the A/C vent/ducts/guts/thing-a-ma-bob out of the attic and replace the outside unit. It's supposed to be 90+ degrees today. They'll have to turn off the working unit (we have two), so it will get hotter than the dickens in the whole house. It'll be hotter than the dickens on the porch, too, but there's a fan right next to my worktable, so I'll survive.
So, what to do today while I'm waiting? Paint? Work in the yard?
The vegetable garden could use some maintenance. Yesterday, I checked on everything and was pleasantly surprised to find squash and purple hull peas that will be ready in a few days. The pepper plants have peppers on them. We're a long way from a ripe tomato, but they are growing. The purple hull peas we planted last week have sprouted. Looks like every one of them came up!
And the cabbages are putting out again! You may remember that worms ate our cabbage and broccoli plants down to their skeletons. I stripped the plants of their leaves and left them where they stood, wondering if they would re-grow. Yesterday, there were little tufts of greenery coming out of the center. I can't tell, yet, if they intend to make leaves down the stalk.
The community garden is coming along, too - getting green tomatoes on the vines. I think I will start some winter squash seeds and get them in the ground pretty soon.
That would be a good thing to do while I'm waiting on the A/C guys, wouldn't it?
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I did plant some pumpkin seeds and tried to do a little weeding around the back yard. The mosquitoes nearly ate me alive, and when they started swarming my face, I headed for the porch. Combined with the bites I got last night in the garden, there's not an exposed spot on me that isn't itching.
The A/C guys are in the attic. They are not the same guys that came to do the estimate. They seem a bit surprised by what they must do to replace the old unit. It's probably best to just stay on the porch until summoned!
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About mid-morning, I put some EM-1 on the tomatoes and pulled up some grass in our garden. This is prime time for grass-pulling, as the ground is wet, but I didn't get far before I couldn't see for the sweat in my eyes. It was HOT! Back to the porch again.
Fire ants have built another nest at the edge of the garden. I put some bait on it yesterday and watered it. The water disturbed the nest, and ants came pouring out. Today, they were in heaps on top of the mound. Some of them were moving. I squirted them just a little bit with some Sevin before I considered that maybe the live ones were still transporting the bait into the mound, and maybe I should let them.
The A/C guys have gone, and there's cool air pouring out of the bedroom vents. Hallelujah. Maybe we'll sleep better tonight.
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