Another spate of blistering temps headed our way, but this weekend sure has been nice. Cleaned out the raised beds and hope to seed fall kale in the next week. Finally got bags of topsoil and compost dumped where I will eventually move some ferns and the bloodroot. The bags had been laying beside the shed (too small to move them inside unless I want to move them everytime the lawn mower comes out) in a very unsightly heap since early February.

Due to a spate of car problems, (picked up at the mechanic's Monday night, and had to have it towed back to the mechanic's Thursday night - now waiting for parts to come in,) I have been home 3 weekends in a row. I really hate I haven't been able to get up to Charleston for Mom, but must say it is nice to feel half-way sane, even if only for a little while, and being able to do a bit of work in the yard and garden is the main contributor to that sanity.

I think the same tree fungus that killed the big oak is showing up on some other trees. Apparently there isn't a whole lot that can be done. During the 3 year severe drought they got really stressed, and in the past two years, while the drought has eased, yearly rainfall is still below normal with frequent periods of less extreme drought, and they really haven't been able to recover their full vigor.