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

[jvls1942]

Barb, I hope the deck project came out OK ?
I started the mower. the carburetor floods. I was going to clean it, but it looked like more than I want to tackle.
I can buy a new one for about twenty dollars. Now I might try to clean this one. if I mess it up, I can get a new one
had a good therapy session today.
even had six acupuncture needles poked into me. I can't say if they did anything. but I don't hurt tonight.
the deer were out and about today
we had on and off rain. didn't amount to much.

 

[Callender Girl]

The deck project is almost finished. It's a huge, three-level deck and long ramp with more than 120 straight spindles. Tom left the section in front of the door and the ramp for last -- the 70-pound blind dog doesn't do steps, only uses the ramp, which was built for me to use after my accident -- and it should be finished by noon today.

I'm not crazy about the color; it's hard to gauge from a tiny sample. BUT, I am thrilled with how much better it looks. The deck was pretty beat up, and it's a semi-solid stain that covers many of the "blemishes." Overall, I will learn to like the color, and I am really glad I finally got someone to do the work. I would never have had the patience to stain all those upright pieces.

I would rather have had a nice, covered porch, whoever added the deck appeared to be trying to modernize the look of a classic, old farmhouse. But, it is functional.

Hope you get the carburetor problem solved. I also go for the less-expensive solution first.

Hurray on the therapy session. My Jim used to get acupuncture treatments, and they seemed to help him. Come to think of it, maybe he just liked spending time with the really pretty young thing who stuck him with the needles? Just kidding.

There is the possibility of rain tomorrow, so I want to get outside and run the push mower today around all the places I didn't mow with the rider last week. The areas I did mow don't appear to have grown a bit -- the yard is crunchy and dry, and I'm really tired of watering plants.

 

[jvls1942]

Barb, sounds like the deck staining is going well. I am lucky, I am color blind. So most colors don't bother me
I was going to call around to mower fixit shops for a carburetor today. but I figure they won't have one in stock.
I can get one on the web by Monday.
That's what I ended up doing with the carb for the rototiller.
We don't have many flies now since we don't have livestock. but we do have one, it found me at six this morning. that's why I am up. I shut the door so he can bother Annie now.
This cuppa coffee I made doesn't taste so great. I hope it isn't an indication of how my day is going to go. lolol

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Got some more cucumbers, a couple of cherry tomatoes, and a handful of green beans today. Might be actually getting somewhere finally. Potato are starting to dry down too.

Slowly getting somewhere integrating the 3 goslings. They have been out in the goat area since this morning without too much screaming and running. I guess I had to threaten the older ones with going in the freezer. Slow progress, but finally progress.

 

[jvls1942]

aaaahh, tranquillity in the goose pen.
are we all ready for the storms coming tomorrow ? I hope Mark H has it wrong.. So far most of the forecasted storms were duds. that's fine with me.
I did not have therapy today. Ryan, my therapist was sick.
that's OK because I am feeling well most of the time. If the pain occurs, I
just do stretches and most of the time they subside .
Barb, did the deck get finished ?
Lisa, you are getting enough veggies for a meal, at least. soon you will be freezing and canning.

 

[WIchickMama]

hello, crazy busy week with work and kids! My oldest turned 16 today, so it was a big day-she got her license!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Not enough of any vegetables for it's own meal yet Jim. I generally freeze stuff if I have extras. I got rid of all my canning stuff as I cannot lift stuff nor raise my arm a lot.

We need rain, but not storms. I hope they are being dramatic. At least it should be light out when stuff comes through.

I'm still struggling with allergies. Tried switching my blood pressure meds to see if they are making me cough. Got dizzy on the new ones, so back to the other ones. Between the heat and coughing being outside is no fun anymore. I can't wait until a good frost. Of course we have to get some sort of garden harvest first. Still hoping our corn matures before that frost.

Down to 24 free range chickens. Caught the Fox on the camera sneaking about. Donkeys run him off, he came back and cat ran him off. He doesn't go far. He's well fed this year.

Glad the therapy helped Jim.

Congratulations for your daughter @WIchickMama , and Happy Birthday to her.

 

[Callender Girl]

Yes, Jim, the deck is done. I think the name Terra Cotta would be more accurate than Cedar Bark, which is what it's called. I don't dislike it anymore; I dragged all the furniture -- except a heavy wrought iron bench and the grill -- back onto it and redecorated with all the plants. It was just an overwhelming amount of color when there was nothing to break it up. Plus, I had gotten used to the blandness of gray, weathered wood.

I am now aware of two things. The first is that birds flying overhead poop on my deck with amazing regularity, especially after eating those wretched purple mulberries. The second is just how bad my deck had gotten. Yesterday it rained for about two minutes, and water actually beaded up on the new finish; before, it just soaked into the naked wood.

So, are you folks in Wisconsin getting rain? Yesterday, I had just finished shoring up the "temporary" run for the Taj Ma-Coop (okay, it's been in place for more than a year, but someday it will be replaced), when there were great rumbles of thunder and the first rain drops. I hurried and put away all the parts and tools I had gotten out to tackle the ducks' bath tub ramp. Two minutes later, the rain was over. Not enough to help with anything, and I didn't feel like dragging everything outside again.

Mice normally aren't a problem until fall, but this week has been a doozy. Basement cats left me half a mouse on their floor, a rapidly decomposing mouse managed to die inside a trap in Jim's old room and I found a drowned one in the goats' water yesterday. At least I haven't come across live ones.

Flies, on the other hand, are everywhere. I swear I've swatted at least a couple of dozen indoors in the last 24 hours and am heading to town today because Bomgaars is having a sale on the ones I like for the goats/sheep pens.

Sounds like a big week for everybody -- Jim's feeling better, Anjanet's daughter is marking milestones, and Lisa -- although you seem to be having some garden issues, you are still doing better than I am. I FINALLY saw a couple of small squashes on my vines; then, I saw that something had already taken a bite out of them! Might just pull up the vines to reduce my daily disappointment.

 

[WIchickMama]

Barb, Lisa and Jim! Happy Sat! It was 64 when I got up, felt great. We are going to be hot and humid today and we are in the path of "severe" storms says the news. We will see.

Chicken is still broody, so 7 more days and we hopefully will have chicks I built her a little pen for in the coop for the first 3-5 days just do they dont get trampled on. Built it all out of scraps we had, felt good.

Need to do a grocery pick up for my in-laws this morning, so will stop at the feed store while I am in town, hopefully prices are decent.

Hope you all have a good day!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Flies are terrible her too Barbara. They bite hard. Lots of mice already? Maybe that means an early winter. I can hope.

Much too hot out there today. I bet those storms are going to be bad. Not looking forward to that. I won't mine the 3 inches of rain predicted for our area.