HallmarcDotNet

Fri, 06 Nov 2009

It has been a beautiful week. The rain of October is gone and has been replaced by sunshine. And ladybugs! The warmth brings them out to sit on the back side of the house. A few weeks ago we had them for a couple of warm days, but the rain and cold drove them away. This year seems to be one when all the conditions are right for them because they are back. (A couple of years ago we had the same problem with box elder bugs… Anyway, they occasionally find their way in through the crack in the back door, so I've been collecting them and throwing them back outside. There were so many a few days ago that I decided to try a new technique. I just vacuumed them all up! Icky, huh? We're learning to catch them in mid-air with the hose too.

The other nature we're battling this week is the tree in the front yard. It grows so fast and makes it hard for the kids to mow the front lawn. Last year I pruned it way back and it was still overgrown by summer. So this year I got the kids to help me and we pruned it even more. It was a big job and if it isn't enough I'll have to get a professional next year.

The kids could help me because they had two days off school this week for state teacher's meetings. It's been a nice break even if we did have to prune the tree. There are also more leaves to rake in the backyard…