True to form, August in N.C. has been a bit of a hot, muggy sauna.
Kieran continued working at the vet's, training/walking a neighbor's puppy, and pig & chicken sitting for our neighbor. Keenan stayed busy helping me and the dogs around the house. Kevin has been back at the office.
The first weekend of the month Kieran and one of his good buddies flew to Michigan to visit another bud that moved last year.
I may or may not have checked the flight status & phone apps a few times while he was flying. Thankfully the mom sent plenty of pic's & updates on how they were doing. Glad they had the chance to go visit.
One afternoon while he was at work, I got a call from a neighbor who wanted to know if another neighbors goats and llamas were in the field behind our house.
They were not, but I could hear them a couple houses over from us, so I headed over to see what was going on, then called Keenan to come help:
A gate had blown open and all their goats, babies, and three alpacas had roamed around our neighborhood.
Thankfully our neighbor noticed, and a sweet Good Samaritan couple saw them wandering and stayed near them to keep them off the road. Our neighbor loaded goats in their car to transport them home, while we kept eyes on the rest and waited for the owner to arrive.
We were left with the three alpacas and two goats. The owner arrived, so apologetic and thankful, went to get a harness, then said these were the most obstinate of the pack.
It took a while, but he finally got a harness on the lead alpaca
and we were able to help walk the rest across the yards, and back home.
Kieran's figs ripened quickly. So many at once that he decided to dry them.
It was a good thing since overnight, the hornets and wasps moved in and took over the bush.
From what we figure, the gate had blown open, and the whole posse wandered along the side of our neighbors house, into the field behind us, and then into our other neighbors back yard, before getting comfy in our other neighbors front yard.
How could they have moved behind our yard and none of us heard?
Because this guy was inside sleeping off another yellow jacket sting.
The second in two weeks.
My sweet Loch got a super short summertime haircut and is so much more comfortable (and handsome).
He's doing ok. Don't judge us if you come by and there's dog piddle in the house. I clean my floors multiple times a day but bladder cancer just stinks.
A tropical storm and stalled cold front contributed to crazy humidity which affects the figs-they were popping open on the bush (unripened), attracting ALL the stinging insects.
Kieran got tagged on the eyebrow by a bald face hornet and had swelling and redness for quite a while.
Later that evening when Kevin and I were picking up apples again, I spotted him moving across the yard. Kevin decided to move him back toward the field to keep him out of dogs (or the neighbors chickens) reach.
In addition to the mess at the fig tree, our apples began to ripen and the critters came to help themselves. They just leave behind shreds of apples, pieces, or whole apples with peck/bite marks. Then the yellow jackets swoop in to join the party.
So the backyard became off limits for the dogs (Hobbes in particular), and multiple traps have been set. Kevin and I have looked but so far haven't found a nest. We're just waiting them out. Hobbes has been stung two more times, and Kevin as well.
While I was out picking up apples one morning, I noticed this little guy by the patio. When I came back out with Keenan, he was gone.
A few days later (during another apple sweep), I spotted this fella:
Can you see? He was a good 5 or 6 inches tall. Or maybe it's a she?
Hobbes has only been out in the yard if someone is with him, although after getting tagged so many times he doesn't really venture too far off the patio.
Unless there's something interesting to watch in the neighbors yard.
The week before school started, the seniors had a two day college boot camp with the college counselor followed by a senior/parent meeting.
After the meeting the seniors had time to paint their parking spaces for the year.
The morning had started out with rain, so Kieran and I rode together and he left his supplies home.
By the time the meeting finished, the rain had stopped, the lot was dry, and most of the seniors wanted to go ahead and paint. I left him at school, came home, loaded his supplies, went back to drop them off, then came back later in the morning to pick him up.
I was kind of glad it worked out that way.
It meant I got some pictures.
And the reality of Kieran starting his senior year was sinking in.
The finished product.
It's a symbol from one of his favorite book series.
He loves it so much he got me to read it last year and now we're both waiting another year (or two) for the final book to come out.
Ask him about it. It was as great choice for his spot.
He finished his spot, gave extra paint to a friend, then went to help another friend paint his space.
Someone may have procrastinated a bit in finishing his calculus pack, and common ap essay but thanks to Loch, he got it done before school began.
And what has Keenan been up to? Apart from wrangling escaped livestock, he's been a huge help keeping tabs on our dogs. Lots of trips out with Loch, and wiping floors. He's cooked dinner once a week, and been up early in the morning to go run before his cross country season begins.
Last Wednesday, it began.
8th and 12th here they come.
Way back in May Kevin and I pulled the trigger and finally ordered new seating for the den.
Seniors had to be at school and hour early for faculty/staff to pray over them.
Then they put on some Hawaiian wear, and spread out to wave at the students arriving for the first day.
Our existing seating had served us well for twenty years but was showing it's age.
And last week we finally got word it was on it's way to us.
We spent Thursday evening moving it out of the way.
The dogs were not happy, and quite confused by our new minimalist look.
They were even less pleased when the new furniture arrived and they were booted to the breezeway (and just the breezeway) while it was unloaded.
Then I spent the next hour cleaning up & waiting for the dogs to calm down.
Every time Flopsy barked, Loch would pee from nerves.
Finally they settled, and I was able to move the new pieces into place so all Keenan had to do once he got home was help move the coffee table and test it out.
The two ottoman are on wheels & we can move them around for more seating, or as footstools.
Our garden has been ignored for a couple of weeks because of all the hornets on the figs.
Last weekend I was finally able to get out there, look at all the weeding that needs to be done, pick some peppers, and see this guy.
It's a tomato hookworm covered in parasitic eggs.
This coming week we should wrap up our apple season then hopefully our stinging insect situation will improve.
The boys and I went out the other evening and harvested our pears. They look great and will ripen (hopefully not all at once!) on the table over the next couple weeks.
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