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

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Goats are a lot of work Barb. I'm down to 4. I'm done after these because of my back. Sorry you lost one. Be nice to not have to deal with hay here. We also have 2 old donkeys, so might have another decade.

Jim, glad Annie is doing well. Also glad she's feisty.

You must not have many chickens Barb? Adding only 3 would make the choices hard. I'm downsizing a bit but still have somewhere around 60-70 chickens running around, and will probably let some hatch this year. It all depends on that fox.

I currently have 6 dogs so no hurry adding another. I will look this year, but haven't decided if I want to add another just yet. It's a lot of work raising a pup, but I will probably get taken in by some adorable little charlatan at some point this year. I can't help it. Love my dogs.

 

[jvls1942]

I prefer to get a puppy and raise it rather than
getting a full grown dog with bad habits.
as of right now, the boss doesn't want any dogs.
maybe some day. if we get one, it will have to be
an inside dog that I won't have to tie up or pen up.
size doesn't matter. our 100 lb maremma was no
problem in or outside..

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I only get puppies as all my dogs are inside and all are females. Bringing in an adult female here wouldn't go well as all my dogs share their mom's attitude about meeting new people.

I'm probably gonna get another Boston bulldog mix, or another boxer. I currently want something similar to what I lost but know another Chihuahua mix will be too small, and I'm not sure I want another rat terrier. So still thinking on it.

 

[Callender Girl]

Thanks for kind words about Bandit. I was happily surprised yesterday when the garage door guys, one of whom had previously been here on a call, offered to move Bandit's body out of the goat house.

I don't think I have the energy for a puppy -- or more than two dogs at all. I've had as many as five in the house. But these days, my two "adult" rescue dogs make me crazy enough.

I only have 23 chickens But, because of the ridiculous way I've chosen to house them, it seems like more! In addition to the duck shelter and the goose house, I have seven coops. The smallest houses 2 Bantam hens all the way up to coops that could house 6 to 8, and are not at capacity right now. Technically, I have room for 6 more, so 3 seems like a good number. Until I get to the feed store. Then, who knows how many I will end up with? Trying to resist until April.

Although it rarely happens that southern Iowa gets a snow storm that bypasses the north, my hometown got more than 7 inches of snow yesterday, while I got so little that I can sweep it off the deck with a push broom. That is my kind of "storm"!!

Hope Annie's continuing to recover well --even if she's not following all of the doctor's rules!

 

[jvls1942]

I had to google to get to this site today.
can sure tell it is a weekend. the internet is
dead,,, all over..
we went for a fff with DD Brenda yesterday. we met
at the restaurant at five PM . when we got home, it was
still light outside.. I like these longer days..

 

[jvls1942]

it has to warm up. I have to get outside
I notice that my temper is getting shorter.
Poor Annie.
looks like snow on the way. Mark Holley can't
decide if we are going to get a dusting or 5"..
I still have to fix the mounting strap on Ollie
before I can plow with him..

 

[Callender Girl]

Today it is supposed to be above freezing for the second day in a row. I have been delighted that the last couple of predicted snowfalls here turned out to be greatly overblown. Hope you don't need to plow!

Of course, I will celebrate the warm weather by poop-scooping coops!

I finally caught Eleanor, who kept pretending she couldn't get off her roost to her water dish. I quietly went upstairs, and there she was on the crate floor, drinking away. If chickens could register shock, I think that would have been my sneaky girl's facial expression. Today, she has returned to the ruse, perched on her little seat and acting as if I HAVE to pick up her waterer.

Yeah, I humored her.

 

[jvls1942]

Today it is supposed to be above freezing for the second day in a row. I have been delighted that the last couple of predicted snowfalls here turned out to be greatly overblown. Hope you don't need to plow!

Of course, I will celebrate the warm weather by poop-scooping coops!

I finally caught Eleanor, who kept pretending she couldn't get off her roost to her water dish. I quietly went upstairs, and there she was on the crate floor, drinking away. If chickens could register shock, I think that would have been my sneaky girl's facial expression. Today, she has returned to the ruse, perched on her little seat and acting as if I HAVE to pick up her waterer.

Yeah, I humored her.

it is funny how easily we can be trained.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

We got the dog poop picked up yesterday and today we will pick up sticks before that snow comes. Hopefully they are wrong.

 

[jvls1942]

I don't have any poop to pick up, but I have sticks
from this year and last year to pick up.
We didn't mow between the trees at all because
of all the fallen branches.
This year we found a young man who will help us
clean up the yard.
We can ride the mowers, but bending and picking
up sticks was out of the question with both of us
having hip replacements. I don't know if I will
be able to this year. will have to wait and see..
Annie got it into her head to roast a couple of
cornish hens. I dug a package of six of them
out of the freezer. somehow I don't see them
thawing out in time to cook today..
I'm very hungry right now. I don't think I can
wait that long..