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

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Jim I'm sorry Annie isn't feeling well after her vaccine. Hopefully it keeps her from getting sick.

Lisa, remember weeks ago when I said my "Black" Cochin seemed to have a lot of white feathers coming in? Turns out, she is a full-blown, incredibly lovely Silver Laced Cochin.

I'm so jealous. That's my favorite color of large fowl cochins. They are always so scarce.

 

[Callender Girl]

When we were doing the pick-your-own-chicks at the hatchery, I didn't even see a bin with SLC's, just solid colors. I am thrilled that Lavinia is such a beauty!

 

[jvls1942]

wide awake at 4AM. 42F.
got the cement mixer moved to under the overhang.
tried to lift the plastic garbage can by the handle, using the tractor loader. as I suspected, the handle came off.
so plan B. I rolled the soggy bag inside of the garbage can onto the bucket. hauled the whole works to the burn pile. waiting for a snowy , windy day. then I will set it on fire.
took the post hole digger and went to plant Annie's "ten" raspberry plants. at number 12, I had her count what was left. thirteen more. I called it quits. might plant a few more. I suggested giving the rest to the neighbors. I don't think she thought that was a good idea. these came from DD Barby. they are good producers. in the spring, and then agaiin in the fall.
have you seen the comet? look above the west horizon at around sunset. I have not tried, yet.

 

[Callender Girl]

Good morning! I was also up at 5, but before I can enjoy my coffee (which is in a steaming mug beside me), I have to attend to the needs of dogs, cats and a house chicken.

It's a balmy 56 degrees here.

Congrats on getting the garbage moved and in planting some of the berries. Is Annie planning to go into commercial production with all of those plants?

Apparently, she's feeling better now. The last couple of times I've gotten a booster, but not the first times, I've had severe nausea for a day. Still better than long-term sickness, even if it doesn't feel like it at the time.

I keep forgetting to look for the comet. I'm too busy watching playoff baseball, which I often miss parts of because I doze off. I woke up --briefly at 2 a.m. -- turned on the small TV and was awake just long enough to make sure the Yankees won. I like three of the four teams still playing; Cleveland is not one of them.

If it's less windy today, I want to chop down some errant walnut saplings and pile mulch around some intentional trees. Yesterday, I pulled down all the frantically noisy wind chimes and moved lightweight stuff into the garage.

The chickens did not appreciate the high winds; when I couldn't find the seven youngsters, I starting searching everywhere they usually hang out. All seven decided to move into my red avatar coop for shelter, which is great because as soon as the adults are done molting, they will move out and the kids will move into that one.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I looked for the comet, and saw nothing. Either it's too low on the horizon and is blocked by trees, or it's another imaginary thing like the northern lights everyone claims to "see".

 

[jvls1942]

we saw a few cars parked along a road with people with cameras. it was too cloudy at that time to see anything. I also thought that 4PM was a bit early.
the weather guy said to look close to Venus. that's a "great tip" for most people who have no idea where Venus is.
Annie is back to her good health again. Much more ambitious than I am.
for the remaining raspberry plants, I think I will cut a small trench with the tractor bucket.
where can I borrow a house cat for a week. the mice have found a way into the house.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

We have been trapping mice in the basement for a few weeks. Wondering if it means a hard winter since it was worth getting past 8 outdoor cats to find a hole to crawl through.

Very glad Annie is feeling better Jim.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Too hot out. We got the canna bulbs out of the containers to cure. Ladybug swarm is here. Why do they have to bite? I hope they move on before it turns cold. Had to turn the air conditioner back on today. Glad we haven't sealed it up for the winter yet.

 

[jvls1942]

Lady bugs do not bite. those are Japanese beetles.
they are everywhere. I don't think there is a bird or anything else that eats them.

I took the tractor and tried my idea for digging a trench for the raspberries. it worked like a charm.
I made a second row with plenty of space between.
we can easily mow between the rows and keep the berries in check.

the Packers really squeaked that win in at the last second. Love has to get over his habit of turning around

have to go to the VA today and renew my card.
I have some questions to ask them, too.

bro Dave is coming on Tues or Wed to help me put that pear tree into the hole.

the farmer harvested the soy beans which were on three sides of us. I was sitting outside when he started. when he went along the west side, the dust and chafe got to be too much for me. had to retreat into the house. made sure all doors and windows were closed. Annie turned the air filter up to High.

I have to rig up a long table to cut the insulation roll into pieces. another half hour job that I can cram into a whole day.

the wine is merrily fermenting along. over half of the sugar is used up already., the projected alcohol was 20 percent. it usually doesn't get that high realistically .

DD Barby gave me a juicer to try on the next batch of blackberries. I hope it works on a large scale. actually I hope it works at all.

57F at 5AM already. it will cool down some at sunrise.

our one red squirrel has increased to 4. they refuse to go into the live trap. might have to give each one a dose of vitamin .22

a friend of mine got an 8 pointer deer that dressed out at 201 pounds.

he had plenty to choose from. one day there were 8 in his back yard.

 

[Callender Girl]

My sister likes to correct me when I call those annoying little critters "ladybugs." Whatever they are, I am tired of having to sweep their gazillions of corpses off the floors and knock them off surfaces multiple times a day.

Notice, I didn't say "dust" them off. The neighboring soybean fields are harvested, but the corn is not. So, parades of farm equipment are keeping coats of dust on everything. Using a dust cloth is an exercise in futility. My car is a charcoal gray, but these days, so are the windshield and windows. Running the washers makes mud.

Hus? There's football on TV? Who knew? I have struggled (unsuccessfully) to stay awake long enough to watch baseball playoff games from beginning to end. I am now looking forward to seeing the two teams I wanted to watch battle each other in the World Series.

I love that you are going to "cram a half hour job into a whole day." That's pretty much my approach to tasks, too. One of the goats provided me with that opportunity when she repeatedly headbutted one of the small goat houses until she knocked it off its foundation Saturday. Turns out, the foundation frame was rotting, and I had to dismantle the whole thing. Yup, there went a whole morning, and I was so worn out that I didn't get anything done in the afternoon either.

When I lived in town, my house was right above a ravine and creek. An entire herd of whitetails loved to come up and eat anything and everything they could devour. One day, my Jim looked out the office window and a buck with a huge rack (I don't remember how many points) was calmly staring in at him. They also liked to wait at the property's edge for me to fill the hanging bird feeders. The tallest deer would dance on their back legs to nibble at bird seed.

Sounds like you have the raspberry and pear situation under control. And, that your wine is doing some serious working.

I need to do some serious work -- before the Work Crew arrives. The first couple of folks will be here Friday. I guess I will HAVE to dust Friday afternoon. I don't know if my guests like baseball; if not, I hope they at least don't yammer through the games that I will be watching