Happy July 4th !!!

I decided it was going to be a quiet July 4th around here this year. We have been bombarded by storms since Friday and my rain gauge was sitting on 5 inches this morning when I dumped it out. It only drizzled a little today though but it was enough to put the old damper on the neighbor kids bottle rockets and firecrackers.

The field South of us is also planted in corn this year which will pretty much kill my 15+ mile line of sight firework watching tonight as well. When it is planted in beans I can sit outside and have one hell of a show but the corn gets too high.

In between storms yesterday the wife and I tackled the over grown raised bed area. I began cleaning it out earlier in the year as it was a total disaster from getting so over grown last year during Mrs. PP's brain surgery and all. Of course this year my work schedule meant it just got all over grown again so we really have our work cut out for us.

I also planted PawPaw tree number four yesterday. I have tried sprouting a Pawpaw tree from a seed. It worked but the tree died within the first year. I dug a small one up but it died. I bought a small one that lived for two years until the local rabbit-cong attacked it over Winter and killed it. So now I am trying plan D. I bought a bigger one this time. Supposedly this one is old enough that it can survive direct sunlight. If this one survives I will still need to get at least two more for proper pollination but I am not going to worry about the others until I can get one to stay alive.

Today my main focus was to get my shop straightened out and my tools put back up. I got started on it when my Mother came wandering in and asked me for a drill. She came back a few minutes later and got a hammer. After that I could hear her outside sighing and grunting with the drill running occasionally for about five seconds followed by some weak hammering sounds then more moaning and complaining. I knew what she was up to, attempting to guilt me into going out and doing what she wanted done for her. I ignored it all until Mrs.PP came in and gave me THAT look and started nagging at me about going out and helping her.

Sigh.

So once again I had to STOP what I was doing and work on one of their projects. This time it was 45 feet of landscaping timbers that had to be stacked, drilled and then two foot rebar pegs hammered through them into the ground.

There went my afternoon of course. Not to mention all the tools I had just managed to get put away came back out too. I also had to dig out my radial arm saw and run extension cords. All in all though this will make my life a little easier because now Mom and Mrs. PP can get all their various pots, plants, knick knacks and such off the places where weeds grow and on this mulched strip which will cut down my weed eating time. Of course what will probably happen is they will leave the stuff that's in the way and just go buy more useless stuff to put here. I am sure. At the very least though I won't have to weed eat around my mom's satellite pole any more.

Perhaps after dinner I will be able to get back to work on the shop once again. I did tell the Womenfolk they were on their own for spreading out the mulch. I also informed them that they needed at least another 10 bags to cover all they wanted to cover.

My guess is the chickens are going to love this new addition though!!!

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!!!!