Chipper Up and Chipping Plus Some Wind Damage Later

July 20, 2025

Bruce got up this morning and decided to get the chipper running. He had to remove the belts driving the drum and let the engine run for a while. Once the engine was hot, Bruce turned off the engine and replaced the belts. He was able to start the chipper up and have it run. Bruce towed the chipper to the back pasture with the lawn mower.

I looked around the garden checking for squash bug eggs and squash bugs. I found some eggs and squash bugs.

While Bruce chipped wood, I watered the bucket garden and the trough herb garden. I spotted several insects.

After I finished watering, I walked over to the chipping operation.

Bruce got my attention and I took a series of pictures for 30 seconds as the chipper chipped a branch.

Bruce is wearing his hard hat with a shield and earplugs.

I took a look at the fruit trees. Several of the apple trees had aphids on the underside of the tender new leaves.

By the persimmon tree seedlings, I notice a Red Velvet Ant, aka Cow Killer Ant making a burrow. Despite the name, this isn’t an ant, but a wingless wasp.

When she came out, she started running away. I chased after her, hoping to get a better picture. I couldn’t leave such a dangerous wasp near a fruit tree. I was also worried about the Nox getting stung. Nox likes to come with us into the back field sometimes. I decided to step on her and kill her. She was a lot harder to kill than I expected.

Bruce let me know he was going inside to cool off and get rehydrated. I tried to get some butterfly and dragonfly pictures, but didn’t have any luck.

I went inside to cool off. Bruce talked about leaving the chipper outside, since there was no chance of rain. I laughed and said that last thunderstorm came when there was no chance of rain. I thought the chipper should be put away in the barn. After we cooled off, Bruce took the electric pole saw and some other tools in the mower cart to a branch pile. He used the pole saw to trim a lot of the branches to fit into the chipper.

While Bruce was busy with that, I harvested the garden: tomatoes, okra, cucumbers, and pole beans.

I went inside. Bruce chipped a lot more. While Bruce was chipping away, I made a big bowl of Pico De Gallo salsa from the tomatoes, garlic, peppers, onions, and cilantro from the garden. I also made a Polish cucumber, cherry tomato, and onion salad dressed with a sour cream dressing with fresh dill from the garden. I got the idea from a fellow blogger, Journey from a Polish Kitchen’s blog, from the post on smetana (sour cream) dressing for mizeria salad and her post on tomato salad 2 with a sour cream dressing http://journeyfromapolishkitchen.com/2015/09/07/smetana-soured-cream-a-classic-polish-salad-dressing/ and http://journeyfromapolishkitchen.com/2025/07/19/tomato-salad-2/

After Bruce was too tired to chip anymore, he put the tools and chipper away. He cooled down and hydrated a bit, then he headed out to mow. He mowed for a while, then came in and got a shower. He told me that while mowing, a light sprinkling of rain fell.

We ate leftovers for lunch. Not too long after lunch, we got a downpour. It was good that Bruce had put the chipper away. Bruce and Nox decided to take a nap. The rain let up and I thought the storm had passed. I was wrong. It started pouring rain again, plus lightning was striking very close. The thunder shook the house. Bruce woke up after the second strike’s thunder shook the house. We had several more close strikes.

After the rain stopped, Bruce decided it was time to make supper.

As we passed the sliding glass door, I noticed the trellis holding the beans, cucumbers, and pumpkins had fallen over.

I walked out to see what had happened.

The three poles had bent at 90 degrees, just where the rebar support ended.

While I was out looking at the damage, I saw a Cooper’s hawk flying up from the ground by the pines.

After supper, Bruce wanted to see the damage. Nox came with us.

We aren’t sure how we are going to deal with it yet.

Bruce wanted me to see what the pile of wood that he had been chipping looked like now.

He made a real dent in it.

As we walked back to the house, the sunset was beautiful.

I went around front to watch the sunset.

As I walked back to the house, I noticed this little frog on the side of the porch.

I told Bruce about the frog and he brought a flashlight to see the frog. It was a lot greener looking under the bright flashlight light.