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

[Callender Girl]

Let us know when you have your black walnut "orchard" up and running, Jim

 

[Callender Girl]

Before the gale-force winds began at 10 a.m. yesterday, I transplanted the likely-dead apple tree (just in case it wants to pull through), planted the Honeycrisp and Macintosh apple trees, the highbush Elliot blueberry and trenched in a row of Yukon Gold potatoes.

After today's warm weather, they're predicting a possibility of snow Monday. Yikes!

 

[jvls1942]

Let us know when you have your black walnut "orchard" up and running, Jim

OK, just keep watching this thread for the next
twelve to fifteen years..
I have a grove of about eighty black walnuts
that are mature already..
we are taking advantage of the warm weather
to clean in the shop. Annie is a trooper. I don't
know why she volentered ,
it looked overwhelming when we first started.
but we do a project each time. it is a lot easier to
go back at it after a job was accomplished.
I got the wheels on the table saw. now I am planning
to put wheels on the two jointers and build a
mobile off feed table. I will end up with all
work surfaces at 38".

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I see the weather guy is saying 4-8 inches of snow coming Sunday night into Monday. Should be interesting.

 

[jvls1942]

Yaaay , more snow !!!
I don't care, I am not going anywhere..
AND , I am not plowing, either.
it should make the rivers rise when it melts fast.
so far our little river has not overflowed..
Annie and I are giving 'er Yakabuski in the shop.
getting it looking almost habitable.
Yesterday I started making a work table for the
miter saw. Almost got it done. today , I hope..
my next pressing project is to get the mail box put
back up.. couldn't do it because of the frost in the ground.
Now I will have to find a different excuse.
We can hear the frogs, now,too. I wonder if they will
sound so happy when the snow comes ?
thankfully we can't hear them from inside the house..

 

[jvls1942]

made a mistake,, went to bed early.
woke up at 3AM.
so here I am having a cuppa and reading
emails..at 3AM...
it started snowing about 8PM. very lightly.
there is about 3 inches of the "wintery mix" now.
on the upside,,,NO mosquitoes,,yet..

 

[Callender Girl]

Gee, Jim, that's great about the lack of mosquitos! I'm proud of you for finding SOMETHING to appreciate about this weird weather.

I felt like I've seen a whole year of weather in the past week -- temps got up to almost 80 degrees, then snow yesterday. This morning, when I took out the dogs, the snow is all gone from the lovely green grass. And my forsythia's gorgeous little yellow blooms are still intact.

My sister is coming up today from southern Iowa and, weather permitting, we are going to take down a dead mulberry tree in the goat pen fence line. Few things scarier than the two of us "lumber-jills" with chain saws!! Here's to keeping all our fingers and toes!

 

[jvls1942]

You be careful.. notches, wedges and rope.
and keep a clear escape route. run perpendicular to the tree.
do not stand directly opposite of the way the tree
is falling. It could kick back ..
the handle on the chain saw points to the direction
the tree should fall when cutting the notch..
make the cutoff a little higher than the bottom
of the notch. don't cut all the way through. you need the
hinge to guide the tree.
now go cut your tree..

 

[Callender Girl]

Good news, Jim! The tree is down and no people or animals were harmed -- although the curious goat girls wanted to "help," they really disliked the sound of the chainsaw.

Carolyn and her husband own a couple of businesses and are landlords with multiple properties, so she has a good deal of experience with taking down (not too large) trees. She did the cuts, and I hauled away the stuff she dropped.

While at Bomgaars yesterday morning with a 15-percent coupon in hand, I bought a lovely Concord grape to add to my little vineyard.

How's the Wisconsin weather? We had ONE nice day; today is thunder, lightning and yet more rain. At least my ducks and geese are happy!

 

[jvls1942]

Yesterday Annie took me shopping. I bought 14 wheels, two dowel
sets, a pack of pilot drills, 50 lag bolts, and a combination square set.
She got her hairs cut real short.
I think it will be warm enough to work in the shop without lighting
a fire, today.
that six inches of snow we got is completely melted away.
that is the way to get snow.. here today, gone tomorrow.
the rhubarb, chives and garlic are up.
I don't want any apple blossoms too early.
too many times they get frozen with a late frost.