Mowing in May

So we decided to mow the pasture today. Lately I have not been having good luck with the mowers. Hubby wanted me to use our old tractor. I was a little rusty since middle son has been doing the mowing since he got here. Hubby helped me get the tractor started, I was heading out and noticed the left rear tire needed air. Then I had to look around to find the tire pump end of the air compressor. Couldn't find that, but youngest boy remembered where the portable air pump was.

Got that done and about a third of the 5 acre pasture mowed (with hubby's help on his tractor), when my tractor just quit. Shut the PTO off, let it sit a minute, tried again, nothing. Did this several times. Hubby came over. We tried a few more times. Nothing. We'll look at it tomorrow.
He told me I could use the riding mower. Got started on that, and the front right tire needed air. Then after some more mowing it needed gas. Got it filled, and it wouldn't start. Tried several things, then realized it was operator error, haha. Forgot to shut off the mower deck when I shut it off to fill the tank. Ugh!

The best part about mowing today, was we had as many as 15 helpers eager to fill their tummies. These egrets are not afraid of mowers. They will walk and run in front of tractors ten times the size of ours, if it means a meal. And it usually does!

And we had a little lady who just had to get in the way.

But as you can see it was a gorgeous, if windy, day.

In 2011, I ordered two hazelnut trees from Stark Bros. Nursery. Only one survived and decided it was going to be a bush instead of a tree. I did some reading, and this is normal for hazelnuts. Hubby kept thinking about pulling it out, but procrastination won over and I may finally get some hazelnuts this year!

We did get the pasture mowed, which was nice as we may get some rain tomorrow. Just in time for it to grow a few more inches. :)

You all be safe and God bless.

Lake Charles Flea Fest

Is HUGE. They hold it at A show barn of the Burton Complex in Lake Charles, Louisiana. This post is VERY PICTURE HEAVY. Sorry for that.

This was about half? Probably less. I hope no one's computer blew up.
You all be safe and God bless!

Nothing particular to post

I don't have a life, so I don't often post, haha. So I thought I should make one while I was out picking blackberries, or dewberries if you are from Louisiana. I believe if you click the pictures they will enlarge.

This is how we usually see our figs. Green, haha. Something always happens to them before they ripen. With all the squirrels, birds, and who knows what else, there is no telling. Eventually the bush will be big enough that we will get some, if only because there will be more than the culprit can take.

Random pictures. I like the pasture before it gets mowed. :)

I like how this picture turned out. It is a different shot of the oak tree hubby would like to cut down, until I remind him old growth is good for owls and woodpeckers..

I was going to post more, but hubby has already gone to bed, and I am sleepy. Looking forward to going to Lake Charles this weekend for Flea Fest. More on that later, hopefully.

You all be safe and God bless!

Good Saturday?

I have figured out that my phone does not like taking pictures of purple flowers. I don't know why, but it likes to turn them grey. I hope these turned out okay.

I think if you click on the pictures they will enlarge...

Why is it that poison ivy always grows where blackberries grow?

The plant inside the blue circle is a wild blackberry or dewberry, as they are called here. If you can see the orange circle to the upper left of the blue circle, that is poison ivy. Upper right of the blackberry and the poison ivy is a vine that, near as I can tell, is Virginia Creeper. It, like poison ivy and blackberries, is everywhere. And never blooms.

The apples are blooming, too.

I am losing hope of getting any apples though. Another blog I follow said they have trouble with apples in South Carolina because of humidity. It's too bad because I was really looking forward to growing my own apples. This tree is called Cinnamon Spice, by Stark Brothers.

The back yard before we mowed. I love the wild flowers, but hubby likes a neat mowed yard. I do understand though because we would be taken over if we didn't mow.

The vine with spines is not alone. I found another one in the pasture by a native pecan tree while I was picking blackberries. (A native pecan tree is basically a 'wild' pecan tree. Their pecans are smaller and used to be sought after for pecan oil, but no more.)

The spines (thorns) are clear in this shot.

A Very Blessed Easter to you all! Jesus has risen!

You know it's spring

when you have to watch out for bumps in the yard.

Every year they come over from the bayou across the street.

I've never really seen any hatch. They don't bury them deep enough and everything likes turtle eggs. There are still a few fox around, though we mostly see them crossing from or to the bayou. Blackbirds, starlings and grackles love to dig the eggs up, too. I expect the armadillos dig them up while doing their nightly searches, too.

And we the catalpa trees blooming, too.

We're hoping for some worms this year; but we aren't holding our breath. We've never seen them on any of the catalpa trees in 30 miles or more of our house.

Looking at rain for Easter. We'll see. If you click the pictures, I think they expand...

You all be safe and God bless.