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

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Congratulations Jim. A purchased box blade is way better than a borrowed one. No worries about breaking it because you already bought it.

We took down part of my garden boxes yesterday. Everything looks sad anyways. We moved my blueberry shrubs to some of the boxes. I plan to plant my tomatoes in the big containers next year to mix things up. I'm really enjoying this cooler temps. Finally shut of the AC.

Getting my boxer pup next Saturday whether I'm ready or not.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

 

[jvls1942]

View attachment 4204285

how true, how true

 

[jvls1942]

I was mentally planning how i would fix the driveway without a box blade. then i got a message that her son in law was going to load the box blade this afternoon. what a r o l a i d s.
then i got a message from someone who is interested in buying my chicken plucker.
had the heat on for a little while this morning/.

 

[Callender Girl]

Lisa, loved your 12 seasons post -- it's so true. I'm liking the 70-degree days better than the 40-something nights. But, still better than the scorchers we had earlier.

What's your secret for growing blueberries? Every bush I've planted has died. Same with raspberries. Only the aronias and the blackberries thrive. I made a chicken wire and bird netting cage around the new everbearing strawberries and I MAY get to eat some of those before pests ruin them.

How excited are you about Saturday's pup?

Jim, what's the latest on your driveway upgrade? And, what's Annie's newest project? Her work ethic always impresses me.

Grasshoppers are thick this year and I catch them every day chomping on my tomatoes, just before they're ripe enough (not even completely ripe) to pick. Monday night, I was able to pick one large, perfect red heirloom tomato. I was set for BLT's (with plant-based bacon) until I realized I was out of bacon. Bought some yesterday and went out last night to harvest lettuce. Between bolting and whatever's eating that, today I now need to buy some lettuce. Perhaps, I will have a BLT tonight?

Since she reverted to sleeping in the nest box, not the roost, Bronwyn and I returned to the far-away-but-excellent avian vets. Her feet are still tender and healing is taking a bit longer than expected. But the vet trimmed away some of the scab to show that there's no underlying bumble infection. Of course, now Bronwyn's feet have open "wounds", which means another week or so of meds.

Bronwyn's exam also revealed mites near her vent. Yikes!! Today I will treat chickens and scrub coops. AFTER I try to capture the wild cats in the basement for their in-town vet visit to update shots. Which I still think is crazy, since the only time they leave the house is to go to the vet.

I didn't see my little squirrel friend for a couple of days. Last night, I spotted Walker frantically trying to get off the garage roof. How the heck did he get up there? Since he can't see, he kept running to the edge as if trying to find a branch to climb on. I coaxed him the best I could (while precariously and most stupidly balanced on a ladder) and finally, he figured out where there was a not-too-tall mulberry tree. Once he landed there, I pulled down the branches to help him safely reach the ground. I'm relieved and happy that he's alive.

IF I can ever get all my critter stuff under control, there's a bunch of too-tall grass and more buffalo burrs calling my name. Actually, they're probably laughing at me.

 

[jvls1942]

good 43F early fall morning.
good news first.
the box blade is sitting in my driveway. at close inspection, it looks like it has never been used. the paint isn't even worn. it is 5 ft wide.
have to get gas when i go to the VA today. gettin new glasses. trying bifocals . weary of carrying two pairs of glasses with me.
Annie is like a hamster . never sits quietly if she is not running around. she is so proud of her lawn mowing. it is rough on her body. the bouncing on the rider.
i greased the steering to make that easier for her
another death to add to last week,/. my sister's 17yr old cat died. i suppose all those people we knew needed something to pet up there in heaven.
only one person we knew died this week.
she had the same last name as the woman who i am borrowing the box blade from. don't know if they were related, it is not a very common name,
Barb, your squirrel must have a little eye sight.
we must be too far north to have grasshoppers, at least not swarms of them. we do have Jap beetles. the not too lady like asian beetles are not so bad this year.
i miss my guineas,
lots of apples on the ground. the deer are not showing up . when i had chickens , there was no such thing as an apple on the ground, they would hear it fall and run to it. if i wanted pie, i had to pick the apples from the tree.
something that i am going to do, maybe today
i can't believe that August is almost over already
Lisa, your calendar missed the 2 days of summer.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

What's your secret for growing blueberries? Every bush I've planted has died. Same with raspberries. Only the aronias and the blackberries thrive. I made a chicken wire and bird netting cage around the new everbearing strawberries and I MAY get to eat some of those before pests ruin them.

How excited are you about Saturday's pup?

I don't have a secret beyond I don't care if they make it or not. Seems the more you care the quicker plants die. I do fertilize yearly, and put down an acidifier. We also put some peat moss in each hole when planting them. They might be more productive if I stop moving them every few years.

I'm at the point where I'm wondering what I did. Still dealing with some mobility issues with my hip and back. Hopefully I don't need to do much picking up of the pup, and she's smart, and likes sleeping late. I am good at raising pups, so it should go well once we find the rhythm. My other dogs always help, so that's good.

 

[jvls1942]

good morning.
when I had blueberries, i would mulch them with pine needles each fall. had nice berries until the black walnut trees wi ped them out.
I can't tell if it is going to rain or not. still looks awfully dark outside.
i will drop the drag and hook up the box blade and see how it goes from there.
it did rain a little last night. i might still have to water.

 

[Callender Girl]

I agree, Lisa: the most prized, beloved plants are usually the first to die here. And, while every new animal brings challenges, what can compare to the joy of a new pup?

It's too bad the walnut trees killed off your blueberries, Jim. I am still amazed that rhubarb and peonies planted by the previous homeowner here have managed to thrive under a pair of walnut trees. If I had planted them there, you know they would have been goners.

Is there an update on how the box blade is working?

Completely cleaning the big coop took me a long time yesterday. I swept away as much bedding and stuff as I could by hand. Then, I dug through all the extension cords -- some of which look like ready-made fire hazards -- and found one safe enough and long enough to reach the coop. The Shop Vac goggled up the spider webs and reached into places I couldn't.

I mixed up a spray bottle of permethrin and doused every roost, nook and cranny. Then, I individually dusted each girl with permethrin powder. A second pair of hands would been really helpful. Unlike the hens on YouTube videos, mine do not appreciate being turned upside down in my lap.

Today, I need to get to more coops and more hens. And I will have to launder more coop-cleaning clothes. I sure don't remember this much labor -- or expense -- involved when we had chickens back home.

 

[jvls1942]

good morning.
yesterday it cleared up. i got the drag off of Ollie and went to put the box blade on. as usual , nothing goes smoothly. the pins for the 3 point were turned inward. my 3pt arms do not go that narrow. so i went and found 8 of the largest 1/2" drive sockets i could find. the largest one was 1/8'' too small. i dug out my only two 3/4'' drive sockets
one of them fit. i found a 6' length of 1 1/2" pvc pipe. even with the extra long handle, the nut resisted. but i eventually won the battle. got both pins turned outward,. then,,,,,,,,company showed up. then another company showed up. three hours later, i am trying to hook up the BB.
Annie came along and jumped right in to help. saved me a ton of time. btw, did you ever try to move a tractor back or forward 1/2 inch ? it was getting late. but i could not just put Ollie to bed.
i made a pass all the way to the road and back. Ollie enjoyed the exercise. just the two passes look great already.
I hope to be able to work at it today without any interruptions.
tomorrow is a new meaning to dog day. eh, Lisa?