I Love To Go A Gardening
Growing Our Life in Northern Michigan
The North Post
Yesterday as soon as EJ left for work, I quickly took my shower and ate breakfast because EJ had told me that the septic guys were expected to arrive before 8:30 a.m. I waited as the hours passed and they still hadn’t arrived so I began to think that maybe I had the day wrong. Then it occurred to me that perhaps they meant that they would be here before 8:30 in the evening. (EJ said later that, no, they had said morning, not evening.) I finally gave up expecting them, but they appeared shortly after 1 p.m. Well, a little late, but at least they came. Hannah Joy suspiciously watched them through the window and barked ferociously at them.
It didn’t take long for the truck to suck up the waste from the septic tank. This is the first time we’ve had the septic tank pumped out since we moved here, and we don’t know when the previous owners last had it done so we had no idea how full the tank was. This is one concern I can cross off my list. EJ said that when he was growing up in a family of eleven, they had to get the septic tank pumped out every couple of years. With just EJ and me here, we won’t have to do it again for a while. I sneaked a few quick photos of the truck and hose, hoping I wouldn’t be seen, because it feels sort of silly to take photos of such things–but I wanted them for my blog.
After the guys left, I filled in the hole and put a short wooden post where the septic lid is so we don’t have to dig lots of holes in the future trying to find it. I am tempted to write “North Pole” on the post just for fun. We do live in the snowy north and the pole is on the north side of the house so we have two reasons to legitimately call it the north pole. Although technically it’s a post, not a pole. Maybe we can find a real pole in the future….? And maybe we can put a North Pole flag on the pole? Or maybe we can just continue calling it “The North Post.” It’s worth considering.
EJ and I always text each other while he’s on his lunch break at work. Yesterday he said he was having a little trouble breathing, which worried me. I always worry about him because I know he lives with terrible back pain every day. Often I pray that God will help us pay off our house quickly so EJ won’t have to work so hard. We keep trying to think of things to make and sell at my Etsy store to help bring in more income. We have some ideas, we just need to finish organizing the garage so we can get things set up.
After reading EJ’s text that his allergies were troubling him, I texted him, “What if we did a bit of ‘what if-ing?’ What if we went ahead and got the floors redone anyway?” We had decided to postpone getting new floors when we found out that we needed to repair our geo-thermal heating/cooling system. However, carpets really aren’t all that sanitary especially if you have lots of pets like we do. We think they aggravate EJ’s allergies which is why we wanted new flooring. Our bedrooms have carpet too, but the living room carpet is especially bad with stains from the previous owner’s dog and hair and stuff from our pets. We have really worked hard to pay off our credit card, but EJ’s health is important. So even though it’s going the wrong way in paying off the credit card, we decided to go ahead with the flooring so EJ can have some relief. We chose the “no interest for two years” option on our Lowes card and we will work hard to pay it off within that time.
So now we have new flooring to look forward to.
Early evening yesterday EJ and I were sitting in our comfy recliners when EJ suddenly exclaimed, “Josette has caught something!” I looked out and our black outside cat was trotting toward the house with a little bird in her mouth. I saw the bird move, so I ran outside and yelled at Josette. She must have relaxed her grip because the bird–it was a cute little chickadee–escaped and flew up into the tree. Whew! I was glad I could save the little chickadee. I think they are so adorable and cheerful. Now there are two critters (a chipmunk and a chickadee) who owe me a life-debt and must save my life in the future. That is, if the fairy tales are accurate. I do live in an Enchanted Forest where anything could happen.
Saving the chickadee reminded me of a toe-tappingly cheerful song by Michael Kelly Blanchard called “Chickadee Cherub.” MKB is a musical storyteller; I love his songs. You can listen to some of his songs on Youtube–or go to his website for samples of his music and to order his CDs. I found the following song “Chickadee Cherub” on Youtube. I don’t think MKB is actually singing in the video, and I don’t like it quite as much as on his CDs, but it’s the only one I could find of “Chickadee Cherub.” Another favorite MKB song of mine is “Top of the Morning.” Click on this link to listen to Top of the Morning from his website and enjoy the picture he paints for you in your mind. You won’t regret it! The song is very joyful and makes me think of beautiful mornings in my Enchanted Forest. MKB’s songs make me feel like joyfully dancing or touch me deeply.
The natural world is beautiful, but it can also be harsh as every critter tries to survive by eating or avoid being eaten. I recognize this, but I’m also glad when I can rescue a critter from my cats, who do not need to hunt to eat, although to hunt is still in their predator nature.
There was only a 20% chance of rain last night, which is very low so I didn’t expect it to rain at all. However, the world was wet when I woke up this morning so it obviously did rain overnight. Yay! I didn’t need to water the garden or trees today. The temperatures have been dipping into the low 50s overnight, which is wonderful for sleeping. The morning coolness also feels refreshing. But then the temps climb into the 80s in the afternoon and that is much too uncomfortably hot!
Sunday we emptied the large crate in the garage, moved it to the garden, and filled it with dirt. EJ and I discussed what to plant in it–or whether we should plant anything until next year. I remembered that we had beet seeds, and it’s not too late for those–probably–so this afternoon I planted some. Our garden is doing very well. The tomatoes are ripening. When it’s not so blasted hot, I will begin drying my herbs. I can’t wait! The ducks enjoy patrolling among the raised beds, gobbling up any insects they find.
I found an interesting insect on the door yesterday. It looked like a bit of dead leaf. I assume it was some sort of moth? It was difficult getting a good photo of it because it was backlit by the light outside. There sure are some interesting creatures in the world.
This afternoon I saw a Monarch caterpillar crawling about. I’ve been seeing Monarch butterflies soaring around our property. They are always a delight to see. They are very remarkable butterflies, taking several generations to fly south and then north again.
I really love our Enchanted Forest!
I Love To Go A Gardening 
That chickadee doesn’t know how lucky it was!
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I know! I’m glad I could rescue him! 🙂
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You made his day – now he’ll pose nicely for a picture the next time he sees you with your camera or phone in hand. 🙂
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