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

[jvls1942]

Yes , there are many tiny tomatoes on all of the plants.
I wouldn't mind canning a few quarts.
the black raspberries are ripening. Annie made a pint of jam with her first picking.
the grapes are turning purple.
there are a few japenese beetles showing up. so far, not as many as some other people are reporting.
Annie gave me a couple of gooseberries that she picked.
I am so grateful for Annie's help putting the back blade onto Ollie.. I misplaced the pin for the third arm after the fixit guy picked Ollie up for repairs. A trip to Fleet Farm will remedy that.
after I buy a new one, the old one will show up
I filled three rain barrels with the hose. Yes,
it did rain right after. but so very little and for only a minute. God was just teasing me.
I set two traps before going to bed. I have a mouse in each one. mice, beetles, flies, mosquitoes. I hope it isn't the seven plagues.

 

[Callender Girl]

That's the problem with setting traps -- you sometimes aren't prepared for learning what else you're sharing your space with!

I took my last kitten census this morning. My friend whose adult daughters and friends are adopting 4 of the 5 kittens spent last night here and will be taking the babies with her back to Minnesota today.

I'm grateful they will be indoor cats and have safe homes. But I am going to miss them like crazy. Not getting up in the middle of the night and running outside to make sure they're safe, though, might mean I get a bit more sleep.

So this will be a happy-sad day.

They are the first kittens I've had in 15 years, and I had forgotten how much fun baby cats are. After I lock up the poultry every night, I take a few minutes to just watch the kittens' silly antics as they run around, jumping and stalking each other, scampering up trees and considering how to get back down. And, I always enjoy hearing their tiny motors running; little purrs from little cats is the best.

The remaining kitten, the little orange girl, will move indoors here; she won't have any siblings to snuggle or play with. The mama cat and the intact tom will get neutered next week.

Guess I'll have more time to spend with my 2-week-old chicks.

 

[jvls1942]

I just watered the tomatoes with the really old water barrel. the faucet seems to be clogged a bit. I get only about half flow from it. things will get better once I get the hole in the other barrel.
I have room to raise the barrels when I put them back. I am thinking of how to do that.
I have been awake since 3AM. thinking I need a nap but don't want to. if I do, then I will not sleep again tonight.
Barb , you must be deep into kitty withdrawel by now. I have an idea, don't get the mama neutered .lol

 

[jvls1942]

this morning there was one squash seed sprouted.
now at 5PM out of the 44 seeds I planted, at least half of them are sprouted. and I don't think they are done, yet.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Sounds like a productive day Jim. Go squash.

I didn't do much today. Haven't done much all week. I threw my back out last Sunday, so I've been nursing it back to better since. I can finally walk without swearing today.

 

[Callender Girl]

Hope your recovery continues, Lisa!

Jim, I hope you have a LOT of recipes for squash!

I really miss the kittens' energy, silliness and pure joy. But, I've already seen a photo of the black one perched on his new owner's shoulder. I know they are safe and will be happy.

Like many of my plans, the one to bring the last kitten indoors failed. I was all set to scoop her up, but once the rest of the litter was gone, she and her mom spent the day inseparable. Mama would sometimes call out like she was looking for her babies, and the last baby would curl up with the mom. Nope. I couldn't separate them.

Plus, the tomcat -- who never misses a meal -- disappeared Thursday morning. I waited all day for him to return, and by yesterday, I was looking in the ditches by the road and wandering through the barn in case he had gotten hurt and was hiding out there. Nothing. I was sure he would turn up for breakfast yesterday, but he didn't.

I was doing chores last evening, looked up and guess who was strolling across the goat pen? He has a few little scratches on his face and a few burrs in his tail. And, boy, was he hungry! This morning, when I opened the kitchen door, all three cats were waiting for breakfast. And, my world seems better already

BTW, one of the pumpkins that I threw into the sheep pen last fall has produced a plant that must be about 20 feet long and has almost-football-sized pumpkins on it. I am surprised Rachel has not eaten any of it; if it was in the goat pen, those two would have devoured it long before it produced pumpkins.

 

[jvls1942]

Lisa, hope your back feels better today.
Barb, those tom cats will take off for long periods of time. we had a black and white one born here who took off. he would come back in the winter and hang out in the garage. one day we were talking to a neighbor a mile up the road. she said her tom cat would show up each spring.. yup, same cat. lol
rain in the forecast. I have to get the barrels patched and set in place.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Hi

 

[jvls1942]

we had a nice rain at about 8PM
didn't get much done yesterday. GGson was here
why is energy wasted on the young ?
I would be happy with just half of what he has.
the squashes are growing like weeds.

 

[Callender Girl]

Jim, your story about the tomcat reminds me of a dog that we had when I was a kid. We lived about a half mile outside of town, and people frequently dropped off unwanted pets along the dusty gravel road.

One of those was a basset hound mix that we called Lenore. We left food outside for her, and sweet Lenore always hung around to eat. One day, Dad was talking with one of the neighbors, and the dog showed up in the neighbors' yard -- where she also ate so often that her name there was "Dinners."

I know most tomcats wander off, but in the four months that I've been taking care of the cats, until Thursday, Jinx had never been gone more than a few hours. I suspect that he might be the adult offspring of the female cat and Ozzie. They arrived like a family.

I'd always been told that a tomcat would kill kittens, but from the time they were born, Jinx acted like a babysitter/playmate. Now that there's only one kitten, the mama cat will only leave when Jinx is there to take care of the kitten.

Did you get your barrels patched, Jim? And, how many ways have you discovered to prepare squash

Lisa, how is your back doing?

Yesterday, I moved the chicks out of their plastic tote brooder and into a large wire dog kennel. I already regret the move. Even with cardboard "mats" under the kennel, there are kicked-out pine shavings all over the floor.