Friday, June 1, 2012

The Heat Is Back

The mercury is high here once again.   The pool will undoubtedly be our favorite place this summer. In addition to the heat being back.........so is the gopher!!   Greg set two traps, and before he had to leave for Arizona this week, he pulled them up, and no gopher!!!  He is a wiley one, this guy. 
Look at what that darn rodent has done to our yard!!  Truth be told, most of the grass in the back yard is patchy and more weeds than grass.  But in this area where that rat with big teeth is tunneling, it is lush and soft and pretty.  Correction...WAS lush and soft and pretty.  Now it looks like we have been digging to find our septic tank!!!
Yesterday morning when I went outside, after having leveled off all of the previous mounds of dirt and rock, I noticed a freshly dug hole.  I ran for the hose, and stuffed it down the hole as far as it would go, and then raced to the wall to turn it on full throttle to drown that bleepity bleep thing.   I filled the holes with water for a good 20 minutes, feeling certain I got him.   
Then, only a few minutes later while walking past, I saw that furry head pop up, show his rabid little fangs, and I am almost certain I saw him give me the finger!!!!!   He is a wiley one alright!  I feel like Bill Murray in Caddy Shack.....hiding behind the mock orange tree, in full camo, waiting for him to show his ugly rodent self so I can get him.  But we haven't gotten him yet!!!!!
In other news.....Noah is out of school til August.  We have been staying in our jammies late into the morning, enjoying more leisurely days.
Yesterday I began the repainting of the wicker furniture.  I spread a canvas painters cloth out in the grove underneath the orange trees, and Noah came out with me to play while I worked.  I purchased 5 cans of white paint, and one can of yellow to give my resin wicker settee a retouch for summer.   The yellow was a breeze, and now looks fresh for the summer by the pool.
But the wicker.....oh my!!  I should know by now, that whenever you are doing a job with spray paint, to buy more than you think you will need....because ultimately, you wind up needing it.  So I put the pieces on the cloth, and got busy.
I began to spray, starting with the chairs first.  I proceeded to go through the first two cans, and stood back realizing just how much I was going to need to adequately cover the three pieces.  I used all 5 cans, and hadn't even touched the legs and only sprayed a light coat on the seat, knowing this area would not be seen once I have the cushions on them.
Oh dear...this was not going to be nearly enough paint!!!
I found two more cans of white in the garage, so I used those too, and I am getting closer to being done.  But I have to get at least three more cans to finish it up.  It is looking good, and I can't wait to put the cushions on them see it on my covered patio!!!!!
Other than doing battle with wiley gophers, and painting furniture, there hasn't been a whole lot shaking lately.  Geeps was in Arizona all week.  He came home last night, and said that when he stopped in Palm Desert for gas, it was 121 degrees!!!  E gads!!!  In Arizona yesterday, 110.  I don't know how you folks do it, living in the desert.  I guess you get acclimated.  But it is hot enough here in our area for me!!   I am glad to have Geeps back home.  And I am happy it is Friday!!!!!    We have a TAPS gift card burning a hole in our pocket, and a couple of movies we want to see.  Happy Weekend everyone!!!
XO  Kris

24 comments:

From the Kitchen said...

It's cold here! In fact, I had to don a jacket to go grocery shopping this morning. We are back and I'm catching up on what's been going on. Years ago, I sprayed some wicker and had to make two trips back to the paint store!! Looks good.

Best,
Bonnie

Libby said...

I'm sure that gopher gave you the finger, too. No one ever believed me when I reported that the tomato pilfering squirrels cursed at me. Good luck in your battle - I'm cheering for you to WIN!

Bethany said...

Hahaha--the gopher gave you the finger :) i remember painting wicker furniture with my mom a few years ago. it took forever! and tons of paint! but it did look good when we were done.

Holly said...

That yellow is going to be amazing! Good luck with that gopher. What a mess. Can I borrow your pool? It is just too ding dang hot here for me!

Unknown said...

Great color choice... love the yellow. It's so bright and cheerful. Hey, have you tried the juicey fruit gum trick. Have each of the kids chew up a piece for a few seconds and then pitch it by the hole. They love it but their stomach don't....I'm just saying ours was dead in less than a week. I didn't tell you this trick. Mums the word.

Mereknits said...

Love the yellow and the white, the furniture is going to be gorgeous. Don't you just love a lazy morning in pj's? I had one this morning until I decided to de-mildew my outside furniture in the rain. It is hot and humid here, really gross!
Happy Weekend,
Meredith

Gloria Baker said...

ahhh! What nice photos!!I love how all look, you know I love Fridays too:))have a nice week end dear:)

priscilla said...

oh my gosh on the gopher ! I still say you need a jack russell to get him out ! Mine got a mouse today..pretty disgusting ! Your furniture looks fabulous !

Heather - The Good Life said...

Happy Friday! I got a kick out of reading about your gopher. We've had trouble in the past with moles, but our dog (may she rest in rainbow heaven) got rid of most of them and they haven't come back (yet). Today is our last day of school (Yeah!). Enjoy your weekend and your pool. Heather

Petunia Pill said...

You just need to invite all your nice friends over, tell everyone to bring a baseball bat, stand out in your yard and play "Whack a Mole"! Seriously though...what a PAIN in the arse! I love wicker furniture! I'm jealous of yours. We could never have anything like that here! At least, not outdoors...the humidity would have a piece of white wicker growing a fine coat of green moss in no time! I have white wrought iron outside and it's a BATTLE to keep it clean! Thanks for all your sweet comments on my numerous posts this week! Enjoy your weekend!

Maya Kuzman said...

Dear Kris,
Thank you for visiting me again! I appreciate it!
We've been having a rainy season for quite a while now and we are hoping to get warm soon! Lucky you for having a pool! I am sure it'll be generously used!

kim said...

Kris,
I hear you so well with a gopher..We had one in our Community about 6 months ago and it was tunneling by the street going in several of our yards.. He was a pain.... They are sneaky little boogers.......... I live in Desert Hot Springs which is 15 Min from Plam Desert.. I have lived in the Desert all my life and it Stinks .. We do get used to it but Summer Days are rough but the Nights are amazing.... The first week the heat kicks in I usually don't feel well for that week anyway.. We go through Alot of water... The kids really don't get to enjoy being outside much during the day .. We have to let them play in the evening... That's just a taste of what it's like to live in the Desert..
Have a great Weekend...
Kim

DaCraftyLady said...

ohhh love the yellow. :) I have a dark chocolate and that would go lovely with it... lol...the weather is not that hot here, but getting much warmer... ~ Have a great weekend...~~Debb

Teresa Kasner said...

Hi Kris, we have gophers and moles too.. they just ruin the weed patch we call a yard. Our Cairn terrier digs in their holes all the time and even caught and killed one or two of them.. Dayle was never so proud of the dog at that moment! One thing we don't have often up here in Oregon is too much heat. :-) I absolutely ADORE your choice of yellow for your wicker furniture!! And it's so comfy and strong! I want to get a set of it for our front porch. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

NanaNor's said...

Hi Kris, I wish I had an answer for you in how to get rid of a gopher quickly. The wicker all looks wonderful; what a lovely setting too.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Hugs, Noreen

Dawn said...

Wow, we were in the 90's last week, but in the 60's this week. Perfect weather for me is 75 with a breeze, Im not a tropical kind of girl. The yellow wicker piece is stunning, what color yellow is it?? For gophers around here we put castor bean seeds in the whole and when the gopher eats them it kills him. They love the taste, but it's like poison to them. Good luck getting rid of the critter.

Debbie said...

I can imagine your frustration with that gopher! How annoying...The wicker looks wonderful. Love the yellow, and I am really looking forward to seeing the pillows with it. Enjoy your week-end. It's hot enough for me too... ; )

Jill said...

We have those little rascals in our yard too! smart they stay out front, guess they know we have 4 dogs out back! LOL Love the wicker furniture, looking really good :-)
Stay cool and enjoy these summer days!

blessings
,Jill

Kristen said...

We had a woodchuck a few years ago, and captured him handily with a trap and some peanut butter. 'Course we also caught several birds, which were not thrilled and let us know it. Good luck with your gopher hunt. :)

Anonymous said...

Good luck with getting that gopher. We had the same issue years ago with moles and they made a mess of our beautiful yard.
The wicker is looking great. That IS a lot of paint!
Still cool here this morning but I think we are on our way to warming up. I can't believe it's June and we have the heat turned on. In March we had the AC on. Crazy weather!

my4lilgirls said...

Your gopher battle really made me laugh & I remember that movie....hilarious!!!
Love the wicker looking very good :)
Lol Karen x

Kelli said...

Those gophers we had one in our pool last weekend.
Is is SOOOO hot here in Norther Ca as well...hit 100 yesterday and it was only June 1st...I see a long hot summer coming my way.
Enjoy your weekend!

Debbiedoos said...

Yeppers...always buy more spray paint than you think. I always fall short of that.

Gracie Saylor said...

Kris, we have moles and gophers too and our yard looks like a war zone, but we just mow over the mountains and walk carefully so we don't fall in any tunnels.
I am glad that you have the pool to help you live more comfortably
in your hot climate!
Hope you were able to see your movies in an air-conditioned theatre(:
Gracie <3