My new tree

Here you see how I positioned my Crepe Myrtle tree in the front yard. I understand you can also allow these to become a bush, but I like it better this way. In the background, on the left, is the Chanticleer Pear tree I planted last year; on the right is one of the two Autumn Blaze maples, also planted last year. Those are supposed to be really spectacular in the autumn.

The new tree had some blooms on it already when we brought it home, and now it seems more are opening up.

Here's a closeup. I think I'm going to love this tree; I'll bet the hummingbirds love it, too. It can bloom up to six months straight!

My goodness, a whole day and I haven't posted yet?

Yesterday Cliff mowed hay, since the chances of rain for today were 30% and no rain was forecast for Sunday.

As soon as the hay was cut, the forecast changed; there's rain in the forecast for every day now, and the chances went up. It's raining hard enough right now to probably ruin the hay, but thank the Lord, we have enough hay for the winter. We're about due to lose a cutting; we've had great success for the past three years getting our hay safely in the barn.

This morning Cliff and I had breakfast at Denny's, and I asked him to take me to Colonial Nursery because there's a certain tree I'd love to have in my yard, the leaves of which stay a deep, dark reddish color all summer long; the man we talked to thought it was probably a Crimson King Maple. The ones they had looked pretty ratty, and they were way out of our price range.

About two miles from our house, there's a tree we've been admiring in somebody's yard, and we had no idea what it was. As luck would have it, there was a man working in that yard today; we stopped and asked him what it was: it's a Golden Rain Tree; that will likely be the next one I'll be searching for... if I can find a spot in my yard for it.

So we went to Home Depot, and I found some Crepe Myrtle trees marked down to $65. Usually Crepe Myrtle trees are not cold-hardy enough for this zone, but supposedly these are a new variety that can survive right up the the southern Iowa line. The good news was the the trees were about ten feet tall; that is also the bad news, since we were in the car. You can't get a tree that size into a Mercury Grand Marquis.

We came home, switched to the old gas-guzzling pickup, and went back to Blue Springs. Brought the Crepe Myrtle home, and after an iced-tea break, Cliff dug the hole and we planted and staked our tree.

Then I took a lawn chair and positioned it in such a way that I was in the shade of my new tree; yes, I had to move my chair after about five minutes in order to stay in the shade. But by george, I had some shade!

Bonnie, my Jersey cow, notified me this morning that she was ready to be bred. The AI technician came this evening. Hopefully, everything works out better with this cow than it did with my last one.

So that's how my day went; how was yours?