Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[saysfaa]

...McIntosh apple tree and a peach and plum tree... now I have no clue which one is which....

The plum doesn't have lenticles (the specks on the bark, they look sort of like small scars). The peach bark has wider lenticles than apple and is more orangey-red vs the brown-gray of apple.
If they have leaves, peach leaves are are much longer and thinner than apple leaves.

 

[RaZ]

I think I might pick up a couple of fruit trees for the yard. I don't eat much fruit so it would mostly be for the critters. I don't think that I'll plant a garden this year. If I do, it won't be until Memorial Day weekend.

With this nice weather all I have been hearing is the city people running their leaf blowers. That perfect lawn idiocy is so ingrained in some people. They try to removed months of fallen leaves in a weekend. Hey folks! We live in the woods! There will always be leaves.

Anyway, I drove the car to work yesterday for the first drive of the season. Car needs to be washed before going back in the garage. I hope it doesn't get cold like they are predicting. There are lots of outdoor chores to be done. I need to uncover the septic tank today so it can be cleaned out Tuesday. No problems with the system just a routine maintenance service.

Enjoy your day folks.

 

[1muttsfan]

My cousin was up from downstate and asked when I would be raking out my perennial beds. I said Never. The leaves decompose into the soil and feed this year's growth. My gardens are huge, riotous jungles of blossoms, foliage, bugs and bees by end of June. Hers are sterile little plots of isolated plants. I'm quite happy with mine.

I also discovered several packs of fall bulbs in the garage that were missed last year. Put some tulips and crocus layered into a pot, and dug up the partially frozen ground to plant the rest. Hope they grow! They got their cold treatment, as the garage is above freezing but not by much.

Too cold here to do much outside, the ground is still frozen in places and very wet. But the crocuses cheer us up.

The chickens are beside themselves to get out, but I have so many migrating birds passing through right now they will have to stay locked up for a while longer.

 

[Sally PB]

Several years ago, we bought 5 acres that adjoins our property. It has an old farmhouse with a nearby unattached garage, a huge metal pole barn, and another outbuilding. We had thoughts of fixing up the farmhouse and using it as an air bnb, or renting it out. We bought the place when it went into foreclosure. When the owner left, he also trashed the place and the raccoons moved in. We couldn't access it for a year, so the critters had plenty of time to wreck havoc. And they did.

Well, the roof is past repair. We should have torn it all off and re-roofed it the first year, but we didn't have the money. So now we're looking at have it demolished. I've got RFQs out to a couple places.

The garage near the house is still good enough to store things in and it's about 10-15 feet from the house. So I think it's probably too close to see if the local fire department wants to do a practice burn, but I might call them anyway.

Has anyone had a house torn down? I'm wondering what it'll cost to do it.

 

[Folly's place]

I have no idea, but do talk to the fire department about it all. Would be nice if they are interested.
The crazy warm spell is over, and it's April again! Our crocus are done, and the daffodils are blooming, and the snow drops. Love spring!
Mary

 

[chickflick]

Why not let the fire dept do a practice burn on the house?

 

[Sally PB]

Why not let the fire dept do a practice burn on the house?

I'm going to call a couple tomorrow. There is a garage that is not attached, about 12-15' away from it. And a bunch of mature trees that DH would like to keep. But it might be a better way to go, depending on the cost.

Has anyone had the FD do a practice burn?

 

[Dreamzchaser]

Hey guys, I am doing really good today. My feet are normal, yey!!!!!
However, it is snowing this way. Nothing much but it feels like 23 outside. So we are all cooped up,lol

 

[PhantomSlayer]

Our chicks had a taste of freedom during the summer like days and now about half of them try to fly out of the brooder when I open the brooder door lol. Today I witnessed one of our newer brahma chicks flying up onto the feeder. So far it and one of the barred rocks are the only rulers of that spot. Our buff orpingtons and black australorp don't seem to care for doing it.

 

[TheDandyLion]

A couple of my 2 wk olds started jumping up on their water (barred rock & buff orp). The RIRs are trying, but failing at the distance required to go up there and bumping into it. It won't take long before they figure it out. It certainly is entertaining to watch.

The Mystery chick, definitely not a BR, is feathering out with black feathers. I'm wondering if she's an egger or a clean legged MM. I keep asking her what she is, and I swear her answer is "chicken."