I spent the evening out in the yard, doing and fixing, mostly in rather half-assed ways.
The first thing on my list to do and fix was the sprinkler for the llamas. The water valve is currently being left open and on a timer to cycle the sprinkler, but that water valve leaks. So I moved the entire timer/hose/sprinkler assembly to a different water outlet and turned off the one that leaks. The problem was solved the easy way (by turning it off, not by fixing the leak).
The second thing on my list was to weed the ex-snap-pea bed and prepare it for tomato, pepper, and squash plants. I dove in with both hands and pulled everything green out that I could manage to yank. Anything refusing that treatment got either the hoe or the shovel. I didn't get everything pulled out of the bed, just whatever I grabbed in one pass across and around the bed. There's still a fine layer of weeds everywhere. I planted the plants anyway, and absolutely soaked them wet for their first new watering.
While I was in a weeding frenzy, I weeded the rather unhappy bean bed. The bush beans obviously did have a shelf life, since only about 1/4 to 1/5th of the seed beans actually germinated and made it to 6 inches high. There is only one pumpkin plant, and after weeding, it fell over. I'm guessing that it has a rather shallow root system. Oh, well, I watered it too, and crammed in two holes ("hills") of pumpkin seeds that I just bought this spring as some kind of late-late insurance attempt. And I managed not to pull out the three volunteer marigolds. Yay for marigolds!
So, two half-assed jobs makes for a whole ass, or something like that. Which is what I worked off while in the garden. My hands and arms are sore. But I'm neither sunburnt nor bug-bitten, and everything is planted, so I win.
P.S. Not that I am complaining, mind you, but I have seen so few ticks so far this season...
I finked out on the hockey game tonight. I want to go, but I'm too tired to make the drive.
Thats because they are all up at my place. I've gotten more ticks in 2 weekends than I think in the rest of my life combined.
And ticks really skeeve me out *bleh*
My general rule is inside about 20' from the house I'll treat, beyond that, its the yard, and they can play out there.
Talstar is what I've been using at my place for ground insect control.
As for ticks, do you have your cats on a flea/tick formula? I ask because it isn't something we deal with here, but I know we'll have to in Ohio. Phin, being an indoor cat might be ok, but I still worry.
I have used ground cinnamon on our ant hills, ant trails, etc. every place we've lived because it is safe for the kids and the animals as well as the veggies. The ants hate it, and won't cross it. Too much cinnamon and they relocate off your property. Plus it smells like Christmas to me, which is always happy.