Well, blogger was having issues Sunday so I couldn't get this posted then. Instead, I'll use this post for today as an update on the weekend.
It was a good weekend, but hot. We had a high of 94, almost broke a record. Ugh it's going to be a long hot summer for sure.
Who says we don't have color at the farm! OK so maybe it's only green and purple but hey, we'll take it, ha. This is the Texas Lilac (actual name Vitex) in full bloom. The bees and butterflies were LOVING it.
These do SO well for us, we just might plant a lot more of them. They thrive in our soil, are drought tolerant (we never water them) and they bloom from Spring to the first freeze. Kind of a win win.
The original plan was to skip mowing this weekend as it didn't really need it. It's the time of year when I can do every other week but weather changes are coming (more on that further down) so I decided to go ahead a mow. It went a bit faster since it was shorter and so I shaved about 15 minutes off my average time, ha.
When we drove in, we saw this sign. Wasn't sure what it meant until we got to our road...
It's been graded and coated with oil for the asphalt that we're assuming is coming next. It'll be nice to have a smooth "new" road in front of the property. Our tax dollars at work.
And now this is why I decided to go ahead and mow. There is a tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico and while it is NOT heading this direction, it will make landfall somewhere along Texas/Mexico border and pull a lot of moisture from the Gulf and spin it this direction. Forecast (as of now anyway) is for several inches of rain Wednesday and Thursday. If we do get that much it will mean the ground will probably be too wet Saturday.
Of course if it doesn't end up doing that, well then I can skip mowing THIS weekend, ha.
Check back tomorrow for a post on the other gardening thing that I did last weekend.
Your Texas Lilac is gorgeous! And with bee and butterfly populations struggling, anything we can do to help them is good. I'm sure they'll appreciate your idea of planting more.
ReplyDeleteGreat news about your new road progress.
Yes, it looks like we are in for several days of rain from that tropical system. Good thing that you mowed and got that taken care of.
The lilacs are so beautiful, I love that they attract the butterflies! Oily roads...I've never seen that type of sign before! Does it make the road slick to drive?
ReplyDeleteI love the lilacs.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen a fresh oil sign either, but freshly paved roads are the bomb!
My butterfly shrubs are in full bloom as well. Seems like we have many more butterflies this year than last. You know, those would look great planted on both sides of your driveway.
ReplyDeleteNew surfaced road will help A lot in keeping the dust down
Hmm. In my Vermont childhood, dirt/gravel roads used to be oiled like that every summer to keep down the dust, so they said, so maybe not necessarily a precursor to paving?
ReplyDeleteThe lilacs are lovely!
ReplyDelete