Summer is Here! July 28, 2017

Summer is finally here ~ I do believe.   We have had some pretty hot, humid days lately.  Plus, we have had more than one day in a row without rain and gloom.   Wow!  Things are sure growing tho, like the excellent crop of radishes in the garden with the rain we've had.   The wild flowers are some of the best I have ever seen them.   I'm getting out on Lake Superior kayaking since it hasn't had big waves every day now ~ or fog ~ or both!   Wow.  

Then, I have had another issue lately.  See that plant.  It is a water hemlock.  Google it or look it up in a plant book.  The description starts out about it being one of the most violently poisonous plants in North America.   I got 'em.  Am I happy ~ no, I am not.  I am also not happy with Cook County's take on it.  It is considered a native plant, not an invasive.  So, they are all but totally ignoring my issue.  After I got about a 100 samples in to them to look at instead of just photos, they decided I had a good eye and was correct.  They are water hemlock.  This one was 8' high.  It was in the ditch in the county right of way near my driveway.  Because it is a native plant, they absolutely seem unconcerned.  I had filled out the noxious weed report.  Of course, our weed man had just resigned.   I was told to try Diane Booth.   First email got no attention.  I got a bit more "bitchy" about it and she did answer and wanted the  real samples, not just a photo.  I obliged her.  It's a batch I didn't have to burn or dispose of.  I had disposed of quite a lot already.   I was told I can eradicate the ones on my land but she wasn't so sure about the ones on public land.   She was going to confer with someone and get back to me.   I couldn't frikken believe it!   They pay people in this county good money to keep a handle on nasty plants.  I get one of the nastiest there is and they don't even want to come and look!   I am mighty unhappy with some of these paid hotshots right now.  The deer are thinking it's just fine to nip the tops off of them.   They keep popping up by the ditch.   What the heck ~ do I now have a full time job trying to keep on top of them?   So ~ anyone else know of any of these around.  I've always been in to plants and critters.  I will be 65 in November.  I have never seen these before and was having a hard time to ID it when it came up.   Once the flower head appeared, I had more to go with and had no problem.   So ~ people ~ do we really want these things getting hold in this area just because they are "native" plants!!

Ok, back to happy thoughts!  Rant finished, temporarily anyway.   Here is from yet another beautiful day on Lake Superior this week.  We were fishing on this trip.   And, we got trout.  It couldn't have been a more beautiful day.  Period.  What's more, a more perfect day on Lake Superior.   We had also finally gotten in a camping/fishing trip over by Isabella, which was fun.  Bugs were a bit friendly ~ but, outside of that, we had a good time and got fish.  I got my first crappie ever.  They are pretty tasty too.  We live in a mighty beautiful area.   But, it still is fun to go explore a little elsewhere now and then.
I'm sure it won't be too long and garden projects and vegetables will keep us busy.   Meanwhile, I'm going to enjoy what summer we're getting!