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

[jvls1942]

the wine making went well. had a bit of a problem straining the pulp. so many fine particles. the jelly bags were too doarse, and the fine mesh funnel strainer was too fine. it even blocked up my siphon pump, for the first time ever.
i am not satisfied with the first yeast i added. so right now i am proofing a new, different kind.
Annie pulled a radish this morning. it is a beautiful specimen . now i can roast some and see how i like them. they are not the round type, kind of tear drop shaped,

 

[Callender Girl]

I've never roasted radishes, but I've heard they're good. What's the verdict, Jim? And, do they pair well with homemade wine?

Lisa, I also think wolves are fascinating. Many years ago, I was at a wildlife park in South Dakota that has a pack of wolves. I was mesmerized when the alpha wolf commanded another wolf to lie down and submit to its dominance, just like the countless times I've seen it on TV shows. There was no violence at all; the second wolf knew its place in the pack and just dutifully laid down.

It was also cool visiting the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota a few years back.

I like all dog-like creatures, really. If I wasn't worried about the safety of my outdoor critters, I would appreciate coyotes much more. Aside from their hauntingly eerie singing voices, they are also extremely smart, athletic and adaptable. However ...

I was heading outside at 4 p.m. yesterday when I spotted the large beast I think is a coy-dog. Apparently, he has a sweet tooth for rotting pears because he was happily munching some until I yelled at him -- the second time I've found him under the pear tree.

Much bigger and bulkier than a regular coyote and lighter colored, I am grateful that he scares more easily. He jetted off ASAP and ran into Sullivan's tall corn. I didn't follow. It's been decades since that "Children of the Corn" movie came out, but I'm not taking any chances

The potting bench now has a board across the frame's other short end, complete with screwed-in hooks for hanging tools. With many more pressing tasks to complete during this wonderful spell of warm weather, I will -- no doubt -- fiddle around more with the potting bench that I don't really need again until spring.

 

[jvls1942]

I was too wrapped up in getting the wine started
maybe today I will try roasting some radishes in the air fryer. I want to boil some also for maybe future addition to soup.
the new yeast in the wine seems to be activating already . will be checking it in a few minutes.
i have had over a half dozen responses to my ads on FB and craigslist . one in particular had me going. nobody followed up. don't people have anything better to do ?
a couple of times I had wolves come up to me while I was deer hunting. i was thrilled to see both of them.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Barb a coy-dog? Those can be unpredictable. My biggest fear is a coyote or wolf getting a hold of one of my dogs. It's why I always go outside with them, especially at night.

Jim my husband tells me about all the wolves he sees out driving or when deer hunting. I haven't seen a single ones, but as I get older I think I'm okay with that.

 

[jvls1942]

i fried some radishes in a pan with salt and pepper,
they were actually not too bad. i will try boiling some.
yesterday i turned 83. went to eat with family and assorted friends at Lemon Grass, my fav Asian restaurant. had curry beef over rice.
have enough leftovers for dinner today
today the box blade goes home. still not thrilled with the rolling hills in the driveway. i will put the back blade on and see what damage i can do with it.
have a guy who says he is from Stevens Point asking for pictures of the lawn sweeper. now we will see if this one is serious or just going to play games.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Happy Belated Birthday day Jim.

 

[Cebarmlds]

Happy Belated Birthday!!!

 

[Callender Girl]

Add my belated well wishes to the others, please!!

 

[jvls1942]

thank you all for the birthday wishes.
they are not belated. at my age, anything within a couple of months is close enough.
Joe did not show up to haul the box blade back.
couldn't get hold of him, he did not call.
at 11PPM I called my sister. she is coming today with her trailer. she is two years older than I.
she can drive OK, but her sense of direction needs a little work. lol

 

[Callender Girl]

It's been a trying week. I quit giving Goo the antibiotic a couple of days ago. The lump is clearly a tumor that's growing quite fast, so there is no need to force medicine down his throat and upset both of us. The tumor breaks opens and bleeds, so Dinah keeps licking it. Goo doesn't seem to mind that, so it must not be too painful.

I will give him the best life I can for as long as I can -- including canned food and soft treats.

I was hoping my sister would come up to give me a hand with a few projects, but she's too busy until next week. At least the ridiculous heat (it was 95 yesterday!!) should be over by then. I spent much of yesterday trying to keep cool water out for the chickens and giving them chilled grapes. Many were still panting.

Only two -- the Sapphire Splashes -- are clever enough to cool themselves off by standing in the ducks' water tank. That is, when the geese aren't bathing in the drinking water and sending it flying out of the tank as they smack their wings into it. So rude!!

The potting bench project has taken a back seat to cleaning out the garden. The hard-neck garlic I ordered will probably arrive this week, and I bought some of the materials I need to build a protective "cage" over and around the strawberry bed. Of course, for what I'm spending, I could buy bushels of organic berries at the farmers market. I have not planted the lettuce or spinach as I intended.

Anna came out Friday and we did Round 2 of dusting for mites. I again cleaned out and sprayed coops before she arrived.

I panicked last night when Lavinia didn't coop up when I called (okay, I ALWAYS panic when everyone doesn't come in for dinner). I checked all the places where the girls like to dig themselves into the dirt to clean and cool off. I looked in coops and among the tall catmint that grows with abandon. I finally spotted her (which should be easy because she is a dazzling Silver-Laced Wyandotte) curled into a ball with her face up against the coop in the Taj Ma-Coop's run.

Clearly, the older hens had been after poor Lavinia, who is a member of the youngest "flock." I think it's the only time in her life that she's been happy to have me carry her anywhere. Once I checked her over for injury, I popped her back into her own run and she had dinner with her girls.

I learned a couple of (easy but necessary) things yesterday. One was how to reconnect the lift rod when you accidentally pull it out of the bathroom faucet. Two was how to remove the clogged spray arms in the dishwasher, which hasn't been doing a great job of cleaning lately.

Jim, in describing your sister, you could have been talking about me. My driving is okay, but my sense of direction is terrible. In the days before my phone could correct me, I would often be sure I knew where I was going, only to end up somewhere else. And, late, at that.

Lisa, how's Trixie doing? And, how much bigger is she? They grow so fast!

Today, I am going to an auction where I hope to buy a Worx cart like the one that someone (not me) ran over in the driveway a few years ago. I'm charging camping fans to help keep the chickens cooler while I'm gone. The heat should break after tomorrow.