Baby Pineapples on the plants

Big Ag news – the first two pineapples I started have little baby pineapples going. I didn’t log the event but think I planted them about 18 months ago. What I don’t know (yet) is whether the main plant remains to produce more fruit after I pick the pineapple or whether it’s a one time event. Interestingly there was a sale on pineapples at a local market last week and I bought 10 at $1 each. I didn’t save the tops to plant because the returns are minimal for so long a time in the garden. I cut the pineapples up and put them in the freezer to make smoothies for about 6 months.

I noticed wet ground on top of the drain field which is not a good sign. The lake is particularly high which I’m sure contributes. Also it’s shaded by a couple of large oak trees so it never gets direct sunlight. So my first course of action is to clear the trees and see if that permits enough sunlight to dry it out and help grass grow. George has all the appropriate gear and skill set so we took a few hours off working on Garret’s place to cut some trees and boost the stock of firewood. My real thought is that we’ll provide have to have the septic tank pumped out and maybe some work done on the drain field. They’ve been in for 15 years so I guess it’s to be expected.
Great progress this week on Garret’s house rebuild culminating in a concrete pouring day. George has a large cement mixer – a load uses an 80 pound bag of cement, 2 x 5 gallon buckets of sand and 3 x 5 gallon buckets of gravel. We ended up pouring at least 20 loads to fill a foundation 30’ x 2’ x 2’. We had help from a couple of young, strong backs but still was still an exhausting day. So the ground floor is basically done from a structural basis – all new support posts and the concrete stem wall. That should be the worst of it from a physical labor standpoint. I think putting the walls up downstairs is the next phase of the project.

Our South Carolina nieces and their families took a Disney cruise this past week. We got to spend an afternoon with them at the beach on the way down to the ship and then they stopped by at the lake for a brunch on their way home to South Carolina. So we had one niece, two great nieces, and three great, great nieces all at the same time. I managed to offload copious quantities of garden greens so we know they’ll be eating healthily for at least the next week. Most just stayed a few hours but Lindsay, Charles, Grace and Elizabeth stayed overnight so we got in some dock fishing as well.
Chris report – left Chicago Saturday AM and made it to Omaha that evening. Plans to make Denver or Cheyenne Saturday night and then to Salt Lake on Sunday. Not sure how much time he’ll spend there but think the moving truck is scheduled to arrive in Walnut Creek on Tuesday so I’m sure they’ll be there to greet it.