This was our 2013 Jayco Flight Swift 198 RD

THIS WAS OUR 2013 JAYCO FLIGHT SWIFT 198RD, PARKED AT THE TOMBSTONE TERRITORIES RV PARK IN ARIZONA



Thursday 11 June 2020

We’ve been busy

June is my favorite time of the year. The days are long, everything in the garden looks gorgeous and most days are warm enough for t-shirts and shorts for me to wear outside. Even if it gets hot some days I am not complaining because I like it. Given though that we do have central air-conditioning in the house so that is where we can retreat to cool down.

View from the street



This past month was a flurry of outdoor activities. The deck, which is my annual painting and sanding project, got done as well as planting of annual and some perennial flowers for the flowerbeds.  I had been a bit disappointed by the poor offerings and selections of the flowers at the local garden centers so I planted less this spring. However, this year I added several vegetables to my garden. I had planted zucchini seeds back in March and of all the seeds in the package only three grew into plants, but they are in pots outside and doing well. Also different peppers and tomatoes are in pots as are the herbs.  I’ll see how this turns out and if I want to repeat this vegetable endeavor next year. And of course the grass is growing so fast at this time of year that I have to hop onto the John Deere lawnmower every week to keep up with the grass and weeds. 

View of the vegetable pots

Vegetable pots along the back of the garage

A garter snake hangs out in our pompom tree most mornings

When I showed Benno the snake he was relieved that the snake was not as big as the anaconda we saw on the South American jungle river while motoring up the current on the Orinoco river.

Benno was busy at the new shed and finished paneling it from the inside. That was after he wired it up for 120V, added 2x4th for holding the insulation in place and I got busy stuffing the insulation in-between the 2x4 frames. He also fabricated the casing and a framing for the windows and door, which I all painted. The shed even has indoor/outdoor carpet installed in it and LED lighting from the ceiling.  So all that took some time as well as shopping for the materials. The double door needs some kind of paneling and that is the only item left to do. Otherwise this turned out to be one really neat looking shed. My neighbor Teresa, and I had our coffees in there one morning enjoying the ambiance.














Yesterday evening we had a little storm blowing through the area. I knew it was coming so I had gathered all flowers, veggies etc. that were in pots and stored everything in my garden shed. When the rain started and quickly escalated into a full fury of horizontal torrent we just could not believe the force of wind with its howling noise and blinding rain. There were items flying by that turned out to be roof shingles, recycling bins full of recyclables, tree branches and other debris being airborne. I watched in horror the small Clematis shrub that is climbing up next to my garden shed being thrashed back and forth in the wind and driving rain to almost being uprooted. There is a small nest of a Chipping Sparrow in it with very little protection from the elements. Just yesterday I held my camera up above the nest to take a picture to see if any chicks had emerged. Today I am glad to find out that momma bird and chicks survived.  In the aftermath of the storm, as it turned out, we had to cut down a big tree branch that landed on our new shed from the tree standing next to it.  No damage to our shed but there is damage all over the neighborhood from downed tree branches and some houses lost roof shingles as well as damage to a gazebo in our neighborhood. Luckily we only had the one tree branch to deal with.

Hydro trucks on the street cutting down broken tree branches

It was a big mess but now a neat pile of branches and wood

The clematis on my garden shed

The Chipping Sparrow

The nest yesterday

The nest today

I leave you with some pictures of the Oriole birds that feast on the grape jelly I put out for them. The jelly was out of stock in all of our local stores for a while so I guess the word got around at the bird community that ours was the place to get some and they ALL came to pick it. I had to refill the plates several times a day!



Thanks for following the blog and please keep looking in ;-)

10 comments:

  1. Great work on the new shed, it looks really nice.

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  2. As usual you both are keeping busy with projects making certain to do them right the first time.
    Some vegetables don't grow very well in Flower Pots but by planting them in the ground attracts Rabbits who will feast on them. Consider making a Raise Garden Boxes for next season. The Rabbits can't get to them and they are easier for working as they put less strain on your back.
    Glad you didn't have much storm damage.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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    1. Thanks for the tip. Just another job for Benno to make me happy. I'll see how this season turns out but it also depends on the weather.

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  3. Wow! You guys just don't slow down, do you? I love how you work so well together. :)
    Beautiful flowers around the house. Glad the clematis surived as well as those sweet little sparrows. Eek, the snake looks big!
    Sounds like much worse weather than our storm although the winds did gust to 31 mph here and things not attached did blow around. We have the exact same bird bath but our birdie is broken off.
    I still haven't bought grape jelly, just the little oranges for the orioles. They drink a lot of hummer food too.

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    1. Yep, we do work a lot together. I usually do all the things Benno hates doing ;-) The little storm was quite severe and some people claim it was a tornado. The garter snake has been with us for several years. I would love it if it would move on but if not at least I hope it is a male! If you can find some grape jelly in the stores it might be cheaper to feed than oranges and the Orioles fight over it.

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  4. Cleanest tidiest shed I've ever seen!

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    1. Thanks, yes, so far it might be ;-) However, Benno's shed/shop is very neat too.

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  5. Crazy weather everywhere. We just now put some of our fragile potted veggies into our shed to protect them from rain, wind and hail. I know that Colin would love a second side for him just for his music, instruments and a secluded place to play. Sadly we are allowed just the one shed here and it has to be a regulated size. Your home and gardens look lovely, of course due to your hard work. We have only fed our orioles down in Mexico oranges. Down there that is much cheaper than jelly. Hopefully you can both now put your feet up and enjoy the rest of your summer.

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    1. That is too bad that you are not allowed another shed. The only solution I can think of is a tent for the contents of the shed for the summer time so you can use the shed for another purpose in the interim. You are right the weather is crazy this year. Very cold this morning and not good for the veggies.

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