August Uglies

August is always an ugly month in the garden.  The perennials start going brown, getting ready for the dormant season.  The annuals die.  My garden, which usually stays green the longest, took a hard hit.  We had some water pooling around the sprinkler valves and Kersey, being a lab and only 14 months old, couldn't help herself.  She played in the water and mud and, in the process, broke the wiring going from the valves to the automatic sprinkler controls.  And I didn't notice.  For quite a long time.  Maybe a week. 

This bay laurel was in a pot so it really suffered.  I transplanted it into the ground.  If it rebounds from my inflicted drought, the frost may kill it this winter.  Fingers crossed.

The strawberries look pretty sad too - and the few remaining beets.

 

I spent most of the morning cleaning it all up, pulling out the dead stuff, and making it neat and tidy.  Fortunately, my rhubarb came through just fine as did the tomatoes.  I haven't had any tomato hornworms this year -- I'm wondering if the little brown bats are eating them. 

I noticed a squirrel hole close to the tomato plants, hidden under some bricks and the pumpkin vines.  There was evidence of their thievery all around -- tomato remains.  I took a shovel full of dog poop and dumped it down the hole and then shoved dirt on top.  It hasn't reappeared. 

Brett is doing better today.  He has switched from Rx pain killers to ibuprofen.  I imagine he will be gimpy for awhile - he doesn't bounce too well at 62.  I don't think he'll be riding Flash bareback again.  He can sit a spinning spook in the saddle but he didn't grow up galloping the hills bareback like I did, so his seat just isn't as secure or confident.  

He did enjoy the lemon meringue pie.  I made the meringue by hand with a whisk.  My cookbook said you really should so you can whip it exactly right.  Yeah, sure thing.  My arm about fell off.  It was very pretty meringue but not worth the arm cramps.  Next time I'm using the mixer.