The Protection of Cedars in Everyday Ramblings

I am having a needed quiet day. I took this yesterday. Mrs. Sherlock and I went for an easy 4 mile walk over in another residential neighborhood across the river. Charity and I went over there in the early fall when there were dahlias. Today it was peonies, irises, early delphiniums and even some beautiful Hollyhocks.

It is quite crowded on the flower clock right now.

Today Kes and Most Honorable came up for a visit. I was so glad to have them as Diego had a bad IBS day yesterday and was clingy and wanted the comfort of a warm lap. They were happy to provide them and Kes played for a long time with Mr. Pink, Carlo himself.

Most Honorable and I went down to the garden. We were able to fit the tomato cages on the two plants I got in a few weeks ago. A week ago, I noticed something not good happening to about a third of the beet and chard leaves. I took photos and cut the worst affected leaves off. They were these translucent trails through the leaves. I was depressed as they had all looked so happy and healthy a few days before.

I looked up what it could be, but it didn’t look like a mildew. I thought maybe I was under watering them. Kes suggested I take a look at the State University system ask an expert program. I sent them an email explaining what I had observed, with the photo and they responded in about 3 hours!

It is leaf miners. They are larva from a particular kind of fly and the only real non problematic way to deal is to cut out the afflicted leaves and net the plants with a fine mesh. I have ordered that.

In the meantime, I bought some Safer Soap, which I can use on my other plants and these for whoever is eating holes as well. I will also look into Spinosad. I have a row of carrots next to them that I will harvest soon so I am looking into what to plant there so I can have a bait crop or one that they don’t like.

No one else in the garden has beets, but there is chard with signs of the miners in two other beds, so my guess is they came with the garden.

Other than a few tomatoes and the blueberry bush, (which is making fruit) I don’t know what was in that bed before. Most Honorable enjoyed watering by hand.

Back home we spent quite a bit of time on trying to figure out if my two-year-old iPad had a technical problem or a software problem. We are pretty sure now after reinstalling the operating system it is a problem with the device. I do have Apple Care on it and three more weeks on that. I am glad I bought the new one.

It was a lovely visit. Such a treat to have other humans in one’s place. Humans who bring sandwiches and cookies. Oh yeah.

There is much needed rain in the forecast for most of this week. Charity and I will walk Wednesday. I got caught in an unexpected squall on my own last week.

Cedar trees are great companions during a spring downpour. :) Maples…helpful, but not ideal.

Handstand Club is getting to a level of skill I am not up to, but I am going to keep up with it because I am getting stronger. On Wednesday we were doing this one shoulder mobility exercise and my whole mid back adjusted (like when you have a chiropractor do it) so that was cool.

This day last year we had 45 new cases of Covid and 4 deaths. Yesterday we had 334 new cases and 4 deaths. The deaths are happening more in rural areas. Boy, do I hope the vaccines work against the variants and we figure out soon about the boosters.

Don’t think I take for granted one minute the ability to have been vaccinated already… It just feels weird to restart normal activities with this thing still out there.

That said I am still wearing masks to the stores and will continue to do so. Two different sets of my students went to see a movie in a theater last week. They saw the same movie… about truffle hunters, but at different times. They all enjoyed it but said the experience was surreal…

Last updated May 23, 2021