This week had me so tickled! Grandma Rose mentions seeing baby barn swallows learning how to fly, and if you follow me on Facebook you might know, I had rescued a baby/fledgling yellow-bellied sapsucker (woodpecker) this past week that was attacked in my back yard by several grackles. She was so exhausted, she just couldn’t fly away or fend them off (nor parents come to her calls). It was an exciting few days learning how to care for this tiny (and LOUD) house guest we dubbed “Peep Peep” until we could get her to a rehabber who specialized in small bird care. We think her leg was injured either in her fall to the ground or by the grackles because she couldn’t hold onto the tree branches after that, poor thing.
Speaking of window bird crashes, we just installed 1/2 inch white circular removable vinyl stickers to the outside of our sunroom windows so the birds will quite smacking into them. You really don’t notice them too much, and so far, I haven’t heard any of those terrible “doinks” of birds meeting glass. It just helps disrupt the glare on the glass so they realize there is something THERE and not a place to fly through. So if you’re having trouble, a few stickers can help.
Also, I saw her mention pink carnations for the first time and I grinned! I have had pinks planted since I moved here since it’s my birth flower and they’re starting to open finally. I love finding these little things where we cross over. I mentioned briefly that I might make a list of all the things Grandma has planted if someone was interested. Lori said she’d like to do a memorial garden possibly and it would be neat to have a list of all the plants.
NOTE: As always, I left her spelling, capitalization, and punctuation as much as possible.
_____ WEEK 25 _____
June 17, 1978 – Got up at 7:00 Put on coffee water. Picked handful of strawberries – watered a few flowers. Checked on beans and tomato plants – okey! Took tour and admired the flowers – Picked off old blooms from Pansies and petunias.
Had breakfast – Len went out to clip grass – I made beds, put away table cloths, pillow slips & skirts. Cleaned kitchen – went out and transplanted few flowers – Dug and planted some Dill and coriander seed in flower bed. Len worked on garden cart after lunch while I cleaned living room and swept hall –
Went to garage about 2:00 and swept garage with wet saw dust – Sure was filthy. Pancakes, eggs, and cottage cheese for supper. Len did dishes while I watered all the hanging baskets, and the pansies.
June 18, 1978 – Got up 8:00 Got beef out of freezer for supper. Cooked for Kim and Dean, so thought I’d have beef and noodles for supper – Had breakfast at 9:00 and Len went to garage to do some things and I cleaned bedroom, bathroom and sewing room. Couldn’t seem to get interested in cleaning house yesterday. Wanted to be out of doors.
After we didn’t get company by 3:00 I couldn’t get to sleep for my afternoon nap, so put all Lens winter undershirts, dish towels and my panties to soak for tomorrows washing. Watered all the hanging baskets. Sorted rest of clothes for washing tomorrow.
Cooked beef and noodles for supper, watched T.V. most of evening. Water covered the floor of closet in garage.
(Note at top: “Got Lens Box cutter for Fathers Day”)
June 19, 1978 – Got up at 7:00 Put on water for coffee and opened outside. Picked strawberries. (made enough for one short cake.) After breakfast, Len did the washing and I worked on the dress Rosie and kids gave me for Mothers Day. Ripped it apart so I can make it larger.
Hung out most of wash before my “soaps” came on about 1:20, finished hanging after 3:00 while Len put away washer and cleaned up kitchen.
Worked in bank flower beds from 4:20 to 5:00 Cutting off old dead flowers and pulling weeds, fixing fences around tallest flowers. Treated lilies for cutworms.
After supper Len went to the garage and I transplanted the rest of the small carnation pinks from the starter pan – Transplanted a few tiny plants of stock I’d planted in flower bed – Mrs. Horn and another lady came for donations for Tarlton Fish Fry – Gave her $2.00 instead of Baking something. They admired all the flowers in the breezeway, so we took a tour around the years.
Worked re-setting plants – came in at 8:30, Len had dishes done. Took a tub bath, got done in time for 9:00 T.V. Wrote Darryls Birthday Card. Put in $3.00
June 20, 1978 – Got up 8:00 After breakfast, opened up outside buildings and worked up small plot for more beans. Fed cats. Put some hand wash to soak and went to help Len put screen in garage door. Washed out hand wash before lunch.
Watched “soaps” then rinsed wash and hung out to dry. It’s HOT out there.
Don’t feel up to par today. Been feeling kinda icky for a day or so – guess it must be the heat. Len worker on wall in the garage where water comes in; getting ready to put up moulding & caulking.
Potted up a hardy geranium for Arch. Pulled some weeds from bed of asparagus.
(Note at top: “Cut last of asparagus today.”)
June 21, 1978 – Didn’t get up until nearly 9:00. Len had coffee made for me by time I dressed. My back was killing me when I worked up this morning. Must have lain crooked for too long toward morning.
Mailed Darryls birthday card before breakfast. After we ate, Len made bed, dressed and went to work in garage on wall again. I started in on last pair of slacks for Evelyn. Hard material to work on. Very slippery. Put away winter undershirts and brought throws and some clothes in from garage. Took Evelyns slacks over to her. Made arrangements to go to Tarlton to grocery at 6:30.
Raked all Mondays flowers and weeds off the grass into a spot in the flower bed until I can get it hauled to trash heap.
Low 68° High 85°
June 22, 1978 – Got up at 7:45 opened up and transplanted some marigolds around back maple tree. Boxed up some seedlings of stock. Put a few wax beans to soak – (Len planted them before lunch.) After breakfast, I ironed for a couple of hours.
After lunch, brought in the ironed clothes and watched my soaps. Took rocks from under oil tank and pulled old grass and weeks. Groin bothered me today. Leg aches all the way down to the ankle. Have a time moving right foot to walk all day today and yesterday.
Hauled away wagon load of cut iris and lemon lily stalks I cut Monday. Filled 5 gallon bucket of water from oval tub. Len worked on shed door getting it ready to paint. Len mowed yard today.
Low 51° High 73°
66° 11:15 P.M.
(Note at top: “Little barn swallows are learning to fly. They almost hit the windows some times.”)
June 23, 1978 – Got up 9:00 Len had coffee ready for me – I was pretty tired this morning. Groin and leg ached quite a bit during the night. After breakfast – Len got ready to finish mowing the yard. Finished mowing the field. He said if he saw me out working he’d quit – But while he mowed, I ran sweeper – (so he couldn’t hear me). I put rest of leaves behind the tomato plants. After “soaps” sewed on yellow dress for Ethel making over button holes and tightening buttons.
Low 53° High 79°
