I'm back from my mission trip in Belize, and fall seems to be in full swing. Last year we cut down some corn stalks to use for an autumn display. We thought we were really smart to get to the field and cut the corn before the combine got out there. We put the corn in our granary and had planned to make a fall display a few weeks later. When we finally got around to gathering the corn stalks together, we discovered that the squirrels had already dealt with the corn. There were hardly any stalks that weren't shredded, and ALL of the corn was gone. So....this year, we cut down the corn stalks, removed the corn from the stalks placing them in a sealed tin garbage can, and we will use the stalks later next week to make our decoration...and we will forgive those squirrels for ruining last year's corn stalks and feed them at OUR convenience. Those darn squirrels!
You may have noticed these pesky weeds that seem to grow out of nowhere....in the crack of the sidewalk/driveway or in a heavily bark-mulched area. They are fairly easy to pull out because they have one central taproot. This weed is called Spurge and may be either Spotted Spurge or Prostrate Spurge (not to be confused with prostate spurge - ha!) Spurge is an annual weed which exudes a milky sap when broken, has hairy stems, and possesses a purplish spot on the leaves. This white sap can cause mild skin irritation and is known to be carcinogenic. In a crazy way, I sort of like pulling these weeds because you get so much satisfaction for one tug!
The 116 Year-Old Canna Plant
No you didn't read this wrong. I have a story to go with my 116-year old Canna. In June, we re-did the front porch to our house, tearing out the floor, replacing the concrete blocks with bricks and exposing the 116 year old clapboards on the front of our house. We also wanted a sidewalk leading from the porch to our driveway. The sidewalk guy was very busy this summer, so he is just now getting around to making our flagstone sidewalk. In the 4 month wait from June to October, a mystery evolved. Two Cannas began to grow where the new sidewalk is going to be. I asked our friend, Marty (the porch construction guy), where they got the fill dirt because I have NEVER grown Cannas myself and was wondering where they came from. He said, "We never brought in any fill dirt. We just moved dirt from under the porch, and pitched it out in front to raise the level." That dirt under the porch had been undisturbed, in the dark for 116 years....since the house was first built. I figure there were some Canna seeds in the dirt, and once they saw the light of day and received some rain, they started to grow! The two Cannas appear to be different from each other...one is all green and one has red in the leaves. I have since potted them up and will attempt to keep them alive over the winter inside. Chuck's great grandfather and grandmother who built the house would be proud! I can't wait to see what color they are, but I will wait. After all, the seeds have waited 116 years to show me what they've got in store!
We got figs! Much to my surprise and delight, as I was pulling weeds around the pool,
I checked out my fig tree and lo and behold, there are 2 figs on them. I've been told to judge
a fig for ripeness by its color, appearance and size. The fig will turn
from green to a purplish/brown color and will be softer and droopier as it
ripens. It will also get a little bigger than it is now. I can't
wait....but I will because I'm also told that most people eat an unripe fig
only ONCE!
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