!!!! SEPP to Boot: Stephen's Experience (BEL)

BEL #647

It's been a long week. Perfect opportunity to look at some photos I captured this morning up at the Lab, in the garden.

Here's the first ear of corn this season. I like that floss...!



A locust that hasn't been eaten by a praying mantis yet:



A ladybug, on the prowl for aphids:



A wild-looking beetle. Reminds me of cats-eye marbles.



That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you at the Western Montana Fair tomorrow.

BEL #648

Western Montana Fair...!



...was rained on.



...but not before my loan was approved and I could afford a fair funnel cake!



We loaded up the log picnic table and I used our Boss Hawg hand truck to unload it from the truck. That little hauler is a beast.



Picnic table is staged and ready to be re-assembled on Monday (or maybe Sunday... We'll see).



That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day...!

BEL #649

Gearing up for another Monday after hauling things around for this past weekend's Western Montana Fair. Boots harvested walking onions last week, and I'm debating on whether or not we ought to attempt to plant them this coming week. What do we have to lose, really? There are so many of them yet to harvest, and it's been a mild August and they just might take.



Meanwhile: the round door from this past Summer's PTJ has been stored. The amount of engineering required for a suitable wall is fairly beyond my understanding. I'm curious to see how things develop with this project in the year(s) ahead.



Finally: I forgot this photo from yesterday's travels through Missoula. When I was between hauling tasks for Paul's stuff at the Fair, I rode my bicycle round town, as per usual. Since I didn't have an automobile during the Veera Donuts happy hour, I had to find a creative solution to carrying them back to the fairgrounds (and in the rain). Fortunately, it wasn't too difficult to solve, it just took a little extra time. And hell yeah, of course it was worth it.



That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day...!

BEL #650

There has been a full-spectrum kitty cuteness assault over at Allerton Abbey. For instance:





D'awwwww...!

Meanwhile, now that a merciless July is done and a decidedly milder August is here, all the plants are bursting out with their fruits prior to harvest season. Fellow Boot Chris and I did an early harvest of our late-summer rhubarb. Hopefully with the mild weather we've had, we'll have another, larger rhubarb harvest before the end of the year and then we can make more jam. This smaller batch will be dried in the rocket-boosted dehydrator, then it's destined for my morning oatmeal.



Finally: Chris and I also wanted to give the e-bikes their final tune-ups of the calendar year. The maintenance we're doing now will carry us through until Spring next year, provided all the tires and inner tubes stay intact. I lubed up the chains for our e-bikes today, and Chris changed out brake pads. We'll continue this work tomorrow, including several test rides.



That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day...!

BEL #651

Happy Taco Tuesday to you...!

The kitty cuteness assault continues, unabated. I am scrambling our defenses, to no avail...



Meanwhile, also up at the Lab... The Corn Scoop seems to have weathered the brutal July heat, and is flowering and producing. You can flick these fronds and watch pollen waft off of them.



I hadn't heard any suggestions or guidance regarding my questions about potato "berries," so I decided to leave one alone and another will have all its blossoms plucked. When harvest time comes round, we'll see if there's any significant difference between these two plants and their yield.



Finally: fellow Boot Chris wrapped the brake pad replacement on one of the e-bikes, and here he is testing them out. Thanks, man! Apologies for the photo quality. I don't know what was causing problems with this one.



That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day...!