Early August

The ground beneath the largest oak is pretty dried-up and crusty.I “vacuumed” up about forty five sacks of weed-duff using the bagger attachment on the John Deere mower, with the deck-height set at just 1-1/2″ high. Also got a lot of dirt, but chopping the burrs and scooping it up seemed worthwhile as far as an attempt to eliminate some future growth… Yeh, I know it’s futile, but we have made some progress every year, especially in killing off the broadleaf dock.

I’m ready for the fall, and will order-up more pre-emergent – and also sacks of soil amendment to soften the hard-pan. Meanwhile, with the bagger removed the 25-gallon sprayer attachment is ready for work – but I don’t think these are the right conditions, it being so dry…

What is NOT dry is the doggie in her new pool. After we walk the old rail line in the morning, she loves to get in and splash-paddle and cool her paws under the awnings. The deck remains cool with the two 10’x10′ canopies, and underneath the deck is her new happy place. Today the temps are only expected to reach the low 80’s, so we are enjoying a brief bit of cooling-off until the weekend when the mid-90’s return.UPDATE: The doggie pool is made of truck bedliner material, and is heavy duty. The dog is white, but after an evening luxuriating under the deck she comes out brown and dusty, so after splashing in the pool frequent cleanings are necessary. Fortunately it has a drain valve at one end that I hooked up to a small pump, and once plugged-in that pump coveys the dirty water down a 50-foot hose and out onto the dried-up old prairie via a sprinkler – so we will see what effect occasional watering has on the dry dirt and weeds…