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

[jvls1942]

we had a nice thunderstorm yesterday afternoon. once again, I didn't have to water the tomatoes.
the first rain barrel is full. the second one is too heavy to move. It has a solid top so I can't see into it.
Annie came up with a good idea of how to patch holes in the rain barrels. If it works I will pass it on..
also if it works, I will have a bag of pvc fittings to take back to Menards.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

We missed out on all that rain yesterday. Wish we could miss out on the heat and humidity.

 

[Callender Girl]

Amen! The air is So Thick and Wet right now. Rain is forecast to begin about noon.

Got my second ripe full-sized tomato. It's another Silvery Fir Tree, and there's an almost-ready-to-pick tomato on my second Silvery Fir plant. I'm loving this early-fruiting variety.

Coyotes woke up George, who barked and woke up me, who went outside to yell like a lunatic (they were much, much closer than usual), count kitties and spend the next three hours sacked out on the kitchen floor with the inside door wide open. All the kittens eventually went to sleep in the deck chairs. I figured if any coyotes dared to breach the deck, I would spring up from my too-hard "bed" and chase them off.

Thank goodness it didn't come to that. I am so going to take a nap once it's light out and the wild things are more likely to stay away.

 

[jvls1942]

Barb, I bet your neighbors enjoy your early morning antics. lol
I lucked oout with one of the barrel holes.
It turned out that the spigot was screwed into the bung. put a 3/4" plug into it and it is done.
sold my old tool truck and my 12' fishing boat.
haven't used them since about 2005.
had some heavy items stored in the truck
I helped Annie haul them to the lean to behind the garage.
It sure looks nicer with those two items gone.

 

[Callender Girl]

Sounds like you're making good progress with your clean-up efforts. Mine have largely gone by the wayside while I take care of baby critters. All the kittens are present and accounted for this morning.

The fun is about to begin with the chicks. One of the Ameraucanas has decided she wants to be free -- and hops onto the rim of the brooder tote every chance she gets when I take off the screen to feed them.

Yet more Silvery Fir Tree tomatoes are ripe; none of the other varieties are showing any color at all.

Looks like another sweltering weekend here. I need to try to mow ASAP, ideally without getting heat stroke.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

We got the smaller field cut on Wednesday, and plan to bale it up today. It was such a relief to see the field down. Now I can see the road again.

I see one cherry tomato finally about to ripen here.

The heat, and humidity is oppressive out there. Seems it should go away a little bit after this weekend.

One if my polish went missing sometime in the past week. No idea what took it. It's just gone. It happened in the day. We did catch a coyote on the game camera and I think I see a fox sneaking about again. That batch doesn't even want to come out of the run in the morning. I'm leaving them locked in and opening the pen inside the shed. I feel terrible. I was hoping the predators were done here.

 

[jvls1942]

I have so many things I want to do, but they all require me to go out into the hot sun.
sorry, but no thank you.
I will go out early in the morning and work until it gets too hot.
I have the squash seeds now. just have to make a raised bed for them. do you think 50 seeds is enough for a 2'x3' container ? lol

 

[jvls1942]

I am glad I didn't have to make hay today.
I stayed inside until it got shady . then I went out and scooped up a tub's worth of really rotted wood chips. it is almost like sawdust .
I added a bag of composted cow manure and carefully spaced 44 buttercup squash seeds .
then I gave it a good soaking.
Annie laughed at me. She said that if each on produces just one squash, what are you going to do with them ? I said I would set up a table out by the road and sell them . lol
the skeeters were swarming, but none bit me.
two hot air balloons floated over us.
there is a huge gathering of balloons just a couple of miles away. it is an annual thing. thousands of people attend it to watch the ballons take off.
I guess there are lots of food vendors too.
BBQ ribs etc.

 

[Callender Girl]

Lisa, I'm so sorry about your Polish! Did your wayward kitty ever return? This is the first night in many that George didn't signal coyotes.

Congrats on the baling and the almost-ripe tomato!

Jim, it sounds like you're on your way to becoming the Squash King! I planted two scrawny little clearance yellow squash plants a few weeks ago, and they are thriving in the heat and humidity. Me, not so much.

I also have a giant pumpkin plant overtaking part of the sheep pen. Every year, my friend at ISU Extension brings out all the leftover pumpkins from the 4-H kids, and I toss them in with the sheep and goats. Most years, the goats leave the plants alone for weeks, then devour them in one day. So far, Rachel, the lone sheep, is letting this one blossom. Maybe she's smarter than the goats and is waiting for actual pumpkins to appear?

I mowed yesterday until the mower's batteries ran down. I considered charging them and doing more, but that's as far as that idea got. Instead, I took a nice cooling shower.

A heat advisory is set to run from 1-8 p.m. today; tomorrow's and Monday's weather don't look any better. I have the windows open, collecting cool air for as long as possible.

 

[jvls1942]

Annie and I could not sleep. we were having a glass of wine when I heard my cell phone buzz. I told Annie, that must be Barb. so I turned on the computer and sure enough, it was.
I noticed that my brother posted something on face book at 3:39 AM. I guess everyone is awake tonight.
If it was light outside I would go out and do some work.
still 63F. nice.