Iris' Again . . .

The weather broke for warmer times so I took it upon myself to weed around a couple of Iris patches we have.  I did other Iris patches last year and these two patches got the treatment this year.  Both were literally over run by the St. Augustine grass and need to be weeded.

I had my eye on the first patch for awhile now, the remnants of St. Augustine grass had totally over run the patch.  I was a ball of dried grass and of course old Iris stems.  New Iris shots had popped up in the last week so I new I had to do something about it. 

I dug in sitting on an old chair pad and starting pulling out the grass.  I am here to tell you St. Augustine can be tough as nails.  At least my finger nails were packed with dirt when I finished.  Some of the basic backbone of the St. Augustine runners were an inch under the soil and tough to pull out.  But I got it all out in a hour or two.  Filled a bucket full of grass and some old oak leaves and Iris stems.  All of that went into the compost pile out back.

Yesterday I attacked another patch of the Iris.  This was a bigger patch, longer in length and took longer to weed.  But this time I used a couple of tools, one being a pair of pruning shears and the other a screw driver like device.  I cut around the edge and used the pry bar to get under the runners and pull up.  This sped up the process and was easier on the finger nails but they got plenty of dirt under them anyway.

After I finish each patch I grabbed a hand full of 13-13-13 fertilize and scattered it about the patch.  The Iris seem to like that fertilizer.  I bought a sack of it long years ago and have steadily used it here and there in the yard.  The gardening experts say I do not need that combination, just spread some Nitrogen fertilizer around.  I have some of that too but I am trying to get rid of the other stuff first.

Did a bit of grass cutting.  The weedy side of the yard next to the vacant lot was a bit high.  The remainder of the yard did not at this need a trim.  But I had to go get gas and I put in some treatment to make it last longer and fueled up the lawn tractor.  It fired right up and I went about doing the side yard.  Actually most of  the grass cut is really in the vacant lot territory but makes our yard look better, so I cut it.

Next I need to spread some manure compost or just manure in the front flower beds.  The house builder scrapped off all the top soil when he built the house and everything on the South side needs a soil boost.  So I spread some out every spring, some day I will have good soil there but not now.  The North side of the yard has no problems like that as that top soil remains.

Early Spring so some early work done.

A Time To Reflect . . .

Today is a time to reflect, it is my 77th birthday.  I am getting old.  But that is not the issue.  Passing of time is the issue of the moment.

I never thought I would get this old.  I just did not consider that factor at all.  But I am and now I have to consider it all the time.  Did prepare, not really.  I just lived this long although I do have health issues.  Heart disease is prevalent in my family, my brother died years ago due to heart attacks.  Today's medicine probably would have prevented that altogether but modernization of Cardiology had yet to arrive in his day.  He did live well.  I have minor heart issues.

My mother probably died of heart failure.  Her sisters died of it.  My grandfather literally dropped dead on the street.  His physician simply said his heart was worn out.  He died in 1942 on a side walk in New Roads on his way to the local movie.  He loved moving pictures.  He was in his late sixties.

My father, on the other hand, died of cancer.  He had survived three previous cancers, but the fourth one got him.  He died of breast cancer as did his mother before him.  He was in his mid eighties when he past on having lived a full life so to speak.

I have no cancer and I believe that is because I spent my adult life away from Louisiana.  I do not know if it is bad water, bad air or some kind of combination of the two.  I certainly lived in bad air in California smog.  Air pollution was horrible out there. But so far no cancer.

I quit smoking on January 1, 1980.  I had made a deal with myself to quit and stay quit of tobacco smoke by my 40th birthday.  Now that is 37 years ago plus a few months.  I took a year to break all the habits surrounding smoking tobacco.  They are all gone now.  No regrets, don't miss it at all but I am not bothered by other smokers at all.  So I am not a rabid anti smoker kind of person.

Agent Orange exposure in Viet Nam led to my current health issues.  I am Type II Diabetic because of the exposure.  The chemical of detriment is Dioxin, it gets into your liver and stays there.  It took almost 40 years for it to catch up to me and it has play havoc with other parts of the body.  That is what diabetes does to you.  I get nice compensation from the Department of Veteran Affairs for my afflictions but would rather not collect and be healthy.  Not gonna happen.

I have slowed down.  I have lost weight. I am more moderate in alcohol consumption.  I adhere to the old adage of "all things in moderation" now days.  And I view everyday as a new day in my life to enjoy.  So a positive attitude helps me through the day.  Yes, I do have some small aches and pains but you learn to live with that.

So upon reflection I have been a lucky person. I had a great career in the USAF, I enjoyed working most of the time in Aerospace Industry as a System Safety Engineer.  I have the right personality for all of this after life and enjoy it.  So thank you, Lord, for all that you have done for me and my family.