New direction, smelly neighbors, old plants

I have delayed a project to install a gas stove in the kitchen for some time now. One reason for the delay was the attic work involved in running the gas line from the west end of the house to the kitchen. I have the pipe and connectors required to install the service. We even have a propane tank sitting ready, but I have not done the installation because I am hesitant to take out the cabinet that would have to be removed for the stove to be installed. We have a small kitchen as it is and eliminating that storage space does not seem prudent to me. With that in mind, Mama and I stopped at Lowe’s after church last night. Our main purpose for stopping was to look at electric cooktops that could replace the one we have. It is in sad shape and should be upgraded. That is one of the reasons we had seriously thought about putting in the drop-in stove. There were several cooktops to choose from and Mama settled on two to consider for purchase. However, to make that purchase we will need to sell the gas stove we currently have sitting in the garage. That purchase has become a matter of prayer. We have several other items that we need to sell since Victoria’s house is no longer on our project list. We also have a bumper we bought for the truck but later decided not to put on because I feared it would make the truck too difficult for Mama or Victoria to handle without incident. It is a Ranch hand bumper that extends the front of the truck several inches. Making it more difficult to maneuver into parking spaces and through narrow openings. I trust we will be crossing those sale items off our prayer list very soon.

As Mama and I pulled up to the garage last night after church, the big dogs were barking at something in the flowerbed at that end of the house. That something turned out to be a skunk they had cornered in the shrubbery. I normally open the garage door as we are pulling in the drive but last night the door did not open after I thought I pushed the button on the remote in the Sequoia. For that, I was thankful. I pulled out of the drive and parked in front of the house. Mama coaxed the dogs away from the skunk by getting them some treats as I went and get the pistol in case I needed to shoot the skunk. When I got back out to investigate, the skunk had not moved and was busy spraying the house with his stinky mess. To ensure that he did not get into the garage or into the back yard and spray the puppies or the inside dogs, I shot him and left him lay where he fell while I went to change and get a shovel to scoop him up and move the carcass away from the house. To my great surprise, the flowerbed was empty when I returned. The skunk was gone. Sam was gone. The smell, however, was overpowering. Mama lit candles throughout the house but skunk smell is difficult to abate. To say the house smells awful is a generous understatement. Mama is sometimes reluctant to go to work, wanting rather to stay home. This morning will not be one of those reluctant mornings.

We arranged to meet with Daniel Wycoff this weekend to get some asparagus crowns and a plum tree he needs removed from his garden area. The crowns are multiple years old and are producing stalks that are ¾ inch or more in diameter. They will make a great addition to our garden and since we really like asparagus they will make a great addition to our diet. I have a spot picked out to place them in the garden as we begin to set it up for this season. The asparagus crowns I currently have are from my mother’s little raised bed garden and are possibly three or four years old. They produced well last year but some of the stalks were pitifully thin. They tasted good in spite of the fact that they were scrawny.

I am looking forward to getting the mature plants and, for once, starting off years ahead.