Grasshopper Weeds (Click image for larger view.)

When I went to collect the post from the postbox, I noticed the front garden of the house across the street was covered in grasshopper weeds. I have no idea the correct name for these plants. When I was a child, we called them grasshopper weeds and we would collect the scapes to make grasshopper houses. It was one of the things we use to do for fun in the summer as we played outdoors. We would play outside in the evenings collecting fireflies and building grasshopper houses and Mum would have to call us in several times before we obeyed. Sometimes it would be almost pitch black outside before we reluctantly went back inside.

Grasshopper Houses (Click image for larger view.)

It was easy to make the grasshopper houses. We would gather a handful of the scapes and when we decided we had enough, we would bend up either side of the bundle. We would then take a scape and wrap it around the top of the folded bundle tying it with a simple knot. Once the top was secured, we would spread out the base of the grasshopper house. I did not take as much care building my grasshopper house as I did as a child. Once we had the grasshopper house built, we would place it back in the grasshopper weeds for some lucky grasshopper to find and move in. As a child I had fun doing some of the simplest of things; I wonder if any children today build grasshopper houses?

I love being a country girl; I could not imagine living in the city surrounded by buildings or living in some subdivision where my neighbour is only an arm's distance away from me. My gardens are surrounded by trees and in the morning the air is full of the sounds of the birds as they announce their territories. It is quiet enough that I can hear the hummingbirds long before I see them.

The Back Garden Blueberries

In the back garden are several blueberry bushes. We planted two different varieties; however, it has been some time now and I can not remember the names. One reason for planting two different varieties is they bear at different times. One of the varieties has not done as well and I have lost one of them to the droughts we have experienced the past several years. A couple seem to refuse to grow; however, I am hoping with a little love and care I can get them to flourish. I relocated the bushes several years ago and they have done much better in their new location.

While I was working in the veggie garden I noticed there were enough ripe blueberries for picking. There is no shortage of birds around the gardens so if I don't keep on top of the ripening berries, the birds will have their feast. One year I looked out the window and noticed a strange animal appeared to be sitting in my blueberry bush. When it moved I noticed it was the head of a deer that was eating the berries. I ran outside shouting at it and it dash off through the trees. It was hot in the sun today so I waited until the shade finally moved to the blueberry bushes, I retrieved a pot from the kitchen and went to picking blueberries. I place the pot on the ground and pick with both hands, using my fingers to roll the berries into the palm of my hand. When my hands are full, I transfer the berries to the pot. I am quite fast at picking blueberries and I soon had the ripe berries picked. There are still plenty of green ones so tomorrow I will put down some fertiliser and give the bushes a good soaking

As you may recall, I wrote about flood, drought, and agony. The drought ended by three days of very severe thunderstorms that ended up dropping somewhere between 15 and 18 cm (6 to 7 in) of rain. The storms knocked down trees and Saturday night a storm caused a power outage that lasted for nine hours. I drove around until I found one tree blocking the roadway with flashing equipment and power lines on the ground. At that point I knew the power would be off for some time. The last storm blew through Sunday. The forecast is calling for more thunderstorms. I spent the day mulching the back veggie garden to get the weeds and grasses under control.