Dreaming of Spring Gardening in the Middle of a Wisconsin winter part 2

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I am almost tempted to let one, two or all three "new" cats return to the great outdoors. Of course, I have spent a fortune vetting them and would have to go back to worrying about their safety every day

All of mine are outside. I've spent a small fortune on mine too. They are doing okay and are happier outside. They say their lives are shorter outside, but I think most are more fulfilled. I feed mine, they get heated houses in the winter, and vet visits as needed. I understand the worry. It is a hard choice to make.

 

[jvls1942]

the only cats we have are the ferel toms that show up and stay just for a little while.
when it gets cold they find a cow barn to stay in.
we shared a tom with a neighbor for about five years.
I am so close to being finished in the shed, but I cannot work in this 82F heat for very long at a time.
I have had a few responses about cutting the squash vines back. all agree that it is the thing to do.
they are starting to blossom. four large open blossoms today. is it true that the male blossom come first and then a little later the female blossoms appear ?
I have a friend who was discouraged because all she had were male blossoms.
she picked them off and fed them to her tortoise.
I got a delta 10" miter saw from dd Barby. she picked it up at a yard sale.
paid less than $2o.oo for it. looks like brand new. it is exactly like the one I have that I paid around $2oo.oo for it.
I guess the guy didn't know how to adjust the blade height. can't even fit a 2x4 under the blade. there is a screw with a lock nut on the hinge of the saw. just loosen the lock nut , turn the screw
about 3 turns and you can fit a 4x4 under the blade.
Lisa, I hope you got all of your hay into the barn. I bet that was a hot job. but 1oo bales isn't too many. If you have enough wagons and enough room you don't even have to unload them.
Yes, wire tied bales are tight. and heavy. we used bale hooks to drag them around. we were just little guys back then. probably ten or twelve years old.
and skinny little squirts.
i remember when they got a string baler. they didn't stack the bales in the loft in layers. they built one wall after another all the way to the rafters.
when we needed to start a new tier, we grabbed some strings as high as we could reach. then we would get the stack rocking until it would start to tip over.
at that point we ran like hell for the door.
that wall of bales would fall like a tree.
OSHA would have had a field day about that. LOL at thirteen years old, we thought it was fun. LOL







































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[oldhenlikesdogs]

Lisa, I hope you got all of your hay into the barn. I bet that was a hot job. but 1oo bales isn't too many. If you have enough wagons and enough room you don't even have to unload them.

They will remain on the wagon for now. Once we feed some up we will move them into the shed where the critters are.

I didn't know about the squash blossoms Jim. So it's all new to me as well.

 

[jvls1942]

up at 3. Annie was in and out of bed. she has a sore muscle in her back. I am up, she went back to bed.
thinking about planting corn, squash and beans in my raised planters next year. the three sisters method.
think I can pull it off ?
wish I had chicken manure again.

 

[Callender Girl]

Wish I could send you some of my chicken manure because I have Way More than Enough!! My Jim and I planted a Three Sisters Garden many years ago at the Fort Museum, long before he was its executive director.

Farm kids sure know how to have (dangerous) fun, don't they?

Good deal on the miter saw, Jim! Nice bargaining hunting by Barby (and what a nice name, too!).

Sounds like you might have to use some heavy duty equipment to tame those squash plants

I know there are male and female blossoms. I've just never paid enough attention to the differences between them. One more rogue pumpkin is on the verge of being ripe.

The cats seemed to have settled down a bit in the basement. There were always stray cats showing up at our rural home when I was a kid; none of them last very long. Same thing here; cats will show up for a while and then disappear.

The first stray when I bought this place was a beautiful black-and-white tuxedo that I called Hunter. I started putting out food for him. Hunter was fine with watching me as he laid in the driveway and letting me get within a few feet, but then he drew the line: "Stay back, woman! Don't even think of putting a hand on me!".

The first time I touched him was when I picked up his body off the road that goes past my property. I could not stand the thought of him lying there and being run over again and again. Hunter is buried under a tree that he liked to nap underneath.

I still feel terrible that one of Calypso's kittens disappeared. The other five are in good homes, and I hope that she and at least one of the other adults will get rehomed, too. I worry too much -- and lose too much sleep -- when I think about the dangers of coyotes and speeding cars.

It's another heat advisory day. I hope this is the last one. I am having visitors at the end of next week and would like to do some outdoor clean up, which is hard when I feel as if I'm melting.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Miserably hot and humid out. That's all I got to say. Looks like a good day for housework.

 

[jvls1942]

after 8PM and it is still 80F.
Yes, Barb, we didn't have TV back then. we did some things that we never told our mothers.
I got up early and went out to work on the shed while it was still cool. yeah, right. 70F at 6AM. that didn't last long. I quit at 8:30.
It is supposed to rain tonight so I didn't water anything. if it doesn't rain I will water in the morning.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Hi

 

[Callender Girl]

Jim, it's good to know that you enjoy long, early morning posts, because this one certainly qualifies!

Yesterday morning, I did chores in the dark so I could drive with my Speckled Sussex hen, Bronwyn, to a veterinary practice an hour an a half away, in suburban Des Moines. This place -- which actually has "avian" in its name -- costs a lot more than what I paid when my avian vet was still practicing.

But, wow! I am still astounded by, well, just about everything! I can't begin to describe the amazing interactions with everyone there; every staff member I met was wonderful and acted as if I was the most important person they had ever met.

A text instructed me to call when I arrived in the parking lot. I wasn't sure why that was necessary. But, it paved the way for the first positive interaction with the staff. I was told to wait until someone made sure a couple with some unruly dogs were well away from the door, which was held open for me by another staffer. When I was shown to an exam room, I was asked if I would like a beverage. Just to be clear, none of them were alcoholic, and I opted for water

At exactly the time of the appointment, another staffer popped in to assure me that the vet tech, who was working with another client, would be there in minutes. And, she was!

Bronwyn got to see two doctors -- the one who treated her and a second vet who has been with the clinic for a while but is being trained to care for birds. Dr. No. 2 observed and was given the opportunity to listen through the stethoscope and, later, placed her hands on Bronwyn to mimic the physical exam by the experienced doctor. There are THREE vets there who currently treat birds, and TWO more who are being trained.

I asked why so few vets here treat chickens. I was told that Iowa State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, where I spent thousands of dollars years ago when they treated my first Keeshond and is THE Iowa vet school, doesn't spend much time teaching about avian care and currently doesn't even treat birds.

While the price was really high, I am confident that Bronwyn got excellent care from a vet who has spent 15 years treating chickens and other birds. And who says that chickens are her favorite bird!

Bronwyn's feet had bumblefoot scabs (well-soaked in Epsom baths), but no cores. So she didn't need surgery, just a different medicine; the farm vet gave us an off-label antibiotic. This time, Bronwyn's also getting an anti-inflammatory/pain med, thank goodness. I would never tell the other chickens, but Bronwyn is my favorite
She has personality and beauty!

So, half a day later and many dollars poorer, I was exhausted by noon yesterday.

Now, with some sleep behind me, I can concentrate on how to deal with the cat situation. Ziva, the 15-year-old, last-of-her-family basement cat, is not happy about the new ones. She expresses her displeasure by growling and, often, hiding. I could not find her at all yesterday until dinner last night.

I have a friend who is trying to help me rehome at least some of the cats. I do not need five cats. Now, if I could just convince myself that I do not need ANY more pets of any kind!!

The list of outdoor projects I want to do before next week's company arrives is no shorter than it was days ago. Maybe with less heat, I can get started, although there's some rain predicted later in the day.

Hope everyone else's weather is good for whatever you have planned!

 

[ShrekDawg]

Guess where I was last night!?!??!??!