1″ (2.5cm) of rain over the past 5 months. Daily highs in the mid 30s but lows in the teens. Extremely dry. Many days of smoke from fires burning in BC and Washington State. So, little getting done outside these days. Taisho had an encounter with a skunk on the other side of the fence and got sprayed on the muzzle. We were able to get it cleaned off with a mixture of H2O2, dish soap, warm water and lots of scrubbing.
Garden is growing very well with lots of peas, carrots, lettuce, shiso and large zucchini; tomatoes and tomatillos now emerging. High altitude spruce seedlings planted last year have mostly turned brown or died with the heat but the ponderosa pine seedlings are doing well. Grateful for our extensive drip irrigation system and a well-performing well.Found a use for some corks I had been saving for some time – these are all from 1989 to 2006 – and also made some birdhouses, a sign for a neighbor and some art for the gate.To discourage any marmots from burrowing into these rocks beside the back lawn, I filled the crevices with gravel and covered with dirt and mulch. Will put some ground cover in next year. The other gate has thin wood strips painted red and forming a face.A hydro dam near Cherryvale that Coop and I stopped off at on one of our 2 rides this month. Mizuho, Taisho and I also had a 5 day trip to Vancouver visiting my sister and mother, buying cigars, and M got her hair cut for the first time in a year. Next month, I hope to finish the stairs in the backyard, get the driveway surfaced with recycled asphalt, and to try out some epoxy on a small job before using it on a large job.
