Palm Warblers Return

The delightful palm warblers have returned. Groups of 10 or so flit through the yard, eating bugs from the shrubs and trees. The phoebes have also come, sitting on the telephone wires and singing their names, so they are easy to identify. With them came wind, cooler weather, and lots of rain. Our south side yard was flooded. When we have the roof redone and new gutters hung, I’m investigating adding a rain barrel. I also want a rain gauge.

With two days of rain, I abandoned weeding and yard work. We went to Lowe’s and bought a closet system to install in the guest bedroom. We put double rods on the right with a tower of shelves and drawers in the middle. On the left, we have a narrow slot, with a single high rod. I hung my long dresses and coat on that rod and realized its left end was about an inch lower than the right. Too bad; it’s not being reinstalled. As Grant said, were we to go into the closet biz, we’d have to bid by time not by the job. We are both slow, yet incompetent. Still, it’s better than before, so one more item off the list.

Once the sun reappeared, we installed the second of our GeoBin composters. For $35, it’s a quick and easy way to set up a bin. Naturally there was a slight complication. To place the second bin next to the first, we had to move the Jamaican caper, which was not a problem, since I’d root-pruned it a month ago. But, when I dug the hole for its new home, I found an odd pipe, buried concrete block, and a broken cable. Perhaps an old drain field? I dug a new hole a few feet away, marked the pipe with a flag, and plan to call a septic system person to come explain what might be lurking in our front yard. 

I have also unearthed a 2” PVC pipe coming out of the porch concrete slab and heading towards the yard. One wonders what that could be. I plan to dig for a while and see if I can figure it out. To be continued.