Before and After

He who travels took a trip last week to visit his mom. He left on Monday morning and came home Thursday evening. I missed him, of course, but had plenty to do in his absence. I planned many projects to complete before his return, thinking that he could be pleasantly surprised........

Things seldom do as planned. Life gets in the way. Wall-E is definitely Papa's little dog. He was okay with his Papa leaving out early Monday, but when the sky darkened he began his vigil. The little guy jumped at every sound and watched for the door to open. When it was bedtime he dutifully went out with the other dogs and performed his nightly ritual and followed me as I turned out the lights and headed to bed. He looked at me as I climbed into bed after lifting the doxies up. I patted the bed next to me and invited him up, but he went to couch instead and began barking at the door. It was so cute. He missed he who sleeps next to him.

The barking continued about every 30 minutes or so until around 3 am when I spanked the dog and threatened to kennel him if he didn't stop. He quit barking, but did not get under the covers, as is his habit, but spent the night at the foot of the bed watching all night. He would periodically stand up abruptly, rousing the other two dogs................... and me. If I thought the second night would be better, I was wrong.

In spite of my sleep deprivation, I had work to do. See this apple tree. The limbs were touching the ground, in spite of the 2X4 trying to prop the lowest limb.

This is the view from the other side. The little garden was impossible to tend with those limbs. The fruit that had fallen was alive with honey bees. Not to mention that the tree looks downright spooky!

This is the same view after I finished a little pruning job. It took seven loads with the wheel barrow to haul all the fallen squished apples and the limbs away. The apples went in to the compost pile and the limbs are shedding the leaves. We will chip the wood for smoking meats.

I mowed and raked and weeded the little garden and groomed the tall grasses I am trying to cultivate. Looks better, don't you think?

This is the tree on the other side of the front drive. At dusk, I always think this tree should reveal a face and stalk unsuspecting campers. This is actually my favorite tree. It is a golden delicious and has the sweetest fruit.

It looks a little scrawny now, this tree of mine, but I am sure it will be much happier next year and will bear larger apples.

Since I was there, I paid some attention to the tiny garden around my exit sign. It occurs to me that I need to make a bigger more eye catching sign.

I worked on the third tree and it still needs one limb sawed off. I also pulled up all my corn stalks and weeded my vegetable garden to get it ready to plant collards and turnips and maybe spinach. The corn stalks will be used to decorate for the fall, then go to the compost bin. Reduce, reuse, recycle. Waste not ............ want not.