So much going on...

Early summer is a particularly interesting time around Kentucky. In late May, Brood 19 or "The Great Southern Brood" of 13 year Cicadas surfaced. Millions of black and orange bugs bored hole out of the ground and climbed or flew up every tree, pole, building, even my car. These Cicadas shouldn't be confused with the annual ones (They'll be out in July.) Aside from painting my car with bug guts and being deafeningly noisy, they don't cause much harm. They can damage small tree and shrubs. This is because the females lay their eggs into the trees. As the larva hatches it drops and bores into the ground to emerge 13 years later. Cicadas are very edible. Apparently they taste like canned asparagus. I am not willing to try.

Fish however, I love. Bass are now in their post-spawn patterns, generally holding in deaper points and cover. Bluegill are on bed now and ripe for the catchin'! This is the time of year that you can fill your livewell (bucket or stinger) with ease. (Not that bluegill are particularly hard to catch ever...) The bluegill are especially close to shore and usually in the algae bloom. Crickets or worms should bring them in with ease. Channel cats are in their pre-spawn and will likely be spawning within the next couple weeks. They will become very aggresive. Right now is a great time to catch a fat cat as well!

Today I grouted the countertops in our kitchen remodel. I am trying a new product. It is an epoxy grout. It is much like regualar sanded grout, but supposedly completely stain proof and does not require sealing. Perfect for the kitchen. Make sure you have a hard epoxy grout float and several pair of nitrile gloves. The standard rubber floats will not work. I did notice it is a bit thicker than normal. You can leave out up to 10% of the color additive (which I did) to make it thinner, but it was still very thick. I would recommend investing in a mixing attachment for a drill if you are going to use this. I used an old paddle bit. Once you get it mixed, it is grouting as usual. One thing to note: get the haze off before it is haze. It is not like normal tile and will stay like that if you do not do a wash down of the tile shortly after installing.

I was never able to get my garden in the ground this year, but if you are interested in some farm info head over to cattlebaroness' blog and check it out: http://cattlebaroness.wordpress.com/

I suppose that is all for today. We'll see you again soon!