Spraying, Elderberry, puppies

When I got home yesterday evening Danny Benson was at the farm with his tractor and sprayer getting ready to spray the meadow in order to kill out the sticky burrs. I am glad to see him so adamant about getting rid of the nuisance plants. Mama has been pulling them out of the driveway for the past several years and we seem to be no further ahead. Maybe a larger scale program will eventually beat the annoying weeds back.

As I watched him drive over the meadow with the sprayer I thought to myself that that is what I had expected Grandpa to do many months past but when it came time to get that done Grandpa did not want to use the well to fill the sprayer but rather to get the water from the tanks on the property. That required the purchase of an expensive pump and waterlines and I was out of money. So, rather than use the water we had available, the spraying never happened.

So the sprayer we had spent about $800 to build and the liquid lime in had spent $1000 to buy to be used in spraying the meadow sat idle for two years. That was one of the bigger disappointments I suffered in trying to improve the farm. I still have the barrel of lime sitting in a shed at the farm. I do not know what I will do with that when we move.

I did not get much more done yesterday evening than to water the fruit trees in my little orchard. That is one of the features of the farm that Danny finds very appealing. He has always wanted to have a little fruit orchard but has never been able. So far the three apples and the two peaches are hanging on in the heat. The apricot looks very good but the fig is struggling. I think it will make it but it looks pretty pitiful right now. I still have one lone grape vine that survived the crop dusting spray that killed out all the others. I do not even remember if it is a red or green seedless variety but we could know next summer. Time will tell.

The elderberry plants have produced heavily this year. I made my second batch of elderberry syrup last night. I am inclined to think that the heavy production is further indication of a brutal winter on the way. I am hoping that the winter does not hit us in force until Mama, Victoria and I are relocated; wherever that may be.

Mama made arrangements last night to meet with a woman that has a silver dapple male Dachshund so she can get Allie bred. Our little female has been in heat for about four days now so she should be ready to stand for a male by the end of this week. The only caveat is that Victoria will have to retrieve her from the breeder in Sherman sometime next week. Victoria is not happy about the arrangement but it is one of those things that you just make the best of when it is needed to be done.

I reminded her that Mama and I drove over two hours away to get her puppy. And when it comes time to breed that dog the male is over an hour away also. We are expecting Kira to go into heat sometime next month. When that happens we will take her to Mama’s friend Kim Cantrell. They have a male German Shepherd that they really want to get some puppies out of.

I could be overrun with puppies in a few months. Oh, joy!