Smoke Signals

Yesterday we went out to tackle some of the yard work.  We'd been building up a brush pile that needed to be burned.  Besides that pile, we also had the wood from the Bradford Pear we took down last spring.  We'd tossed all that wood to dry in the back part of the yard and it was a mess back there with all the bermuda grass growing through it.

We'd had heavy rains Friday, so I wasn't sure everything would be dry enough to burn.

After some initial heavy smoke, we settled down to business.  SM's job was being bent over pulling all the bermuda that had grown insanely in the back section and there was a TON of it.  He said it was actually pretty easy as the rain from the other day helped loosen the dirt so he could get at the roots too.

I'd hoped to spend my afternoon attacking the garden but, with SM otherwise occupied, I went ahead and attacked the wood pile.  We'd cut some of the branches up but still had a pile of 10 to 20 foot lengths.  SM asked if I wanted him to cut them in half.  "Nah, let the fire do it." 

I was concerned about snakes and spiders in the wood pile.  Interestingly we didn't run across any (that we could see) but I did find a Black Widow in one of the spare plastic trash cans we keep around for hauling yard debris.  


I took the can out to the driveway, flipped it over and pounded on the can to get her out.  Splat with the shoe.  Black Widows are pretty common down here.  I've never seen one in the house, (Thank God) but I have seen them in the garage and out in the shed.  (shuddering)

So with that creepy, crawly thought, I'll wish ya'll a happy and safe Halloween.