The Evolution of Atlas: A Breeding (and Chat) Thread

[speckledhen]

I love those edging bricks, they work really well. That plastic edging didn't last long around here. Sounds like you are making more work for yourself. Something we have a problem with too. Always wanting stuff to look better and better, but it makes you feel better inside when the outside looks nice. It's looking good.

Glad someone else thinks it looks good. I used these same edgers in the last house for something, can't remember, been too long ago. I've wanted to do this for a very long time, make a better sidewalk from parking area to the steps. I still don't know what to put on the actual walkway, maybe egg gravel, pea gravel? I'd rather something that would be flat and sweep-able like pavers, but it would have to be very level, more work.

Yes, making more work for myself, but it gives at least some satisfaction to see something change for the better around here! We bought a new field push trimmer like one we used to have, but a better one, and DH was out using that today. Carrying a regular gas weedwhacker is not a great option for his back, or mine, and a lighter weight, electric one used that far out pulls too much current. So a push trimmer is much better. At least he gets to use his military discount for all this stuff. I need to go back for more edging stones, only got ten to begin the project.

 

[1muttsfan]

I bought a lithium battery string trimmer and blower set last year. The trimmer is so lightweight, and by the time the battery is done usually so am I. It has plenty of power for using around the house.

 

[speckledhen]

They didn't have one of those but they did have the push trimmer, a Cub Cadet. He can take it out to the pasture and trim around the fence, etc, so much more easily. We just did the chicken graveyard, couldn't even see the stones all the way down to the fence. Blackberries, honeysuckle, sassafras saplings, etc. But, no matter what he uses, it hurts his back. He's laying across the bed right now, trying to recover from yardwork. I left my digging for the edging to go use the loppers to cut saplings that had grown too large for the string trimmer so I'm bushed, too.


ETA: I contacted one of the folks who bought the last two sons of Apollo. The larger one was sold just before this lady finally made up her mind about one and she took the smaller one, though her husband was grumbling that he wasn't big enough. I had made her the offer immediately afterward that I would give her another cockerel later on if the one she took did not work out well for her. So, now, I have the two boys in Bonnie's batch. I told her they were going on 4 weeks old and that I wanted to make good on my offer if the boy she took was not growing out satisfactorily for her. Here is her response:

Romeo is doing fine! He is a lover!! Likes petting and is my babysitter right now for all the young polish and orpingtons. He will work out fine for us! I will get a pic of him when I get home.

Romeo! Definitely, these boys are more lovers than fighters! The other one was named Rocky, I heard. At least they have unrelated hens now.

 

[speckledhen]

Still working hard today. Took out the black plastic stuff on the other side. Have to buy more bullet edgers before I can continue. Reshaped my formerly kidney shaped planting bed. Need a new bench for that, I guess. It had lost its shape over the years by me picking up rocks for the chickens to get crickets, LOL.

The garden today. Does anyone else love the delicate bean flowers? They look almost orchid-like to me.

You can see the stems have been chomped by the deer. Need to put something so they can't get right up to the fence where the beans and peas are growing.

Volunteer in the compost-still not sure if it's a melon or a squash, but it may never fruit.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Wow, my stuff is just coming up now. Nice garden. We converted mine into raised beds last fall due to my knee replacement. My beds come up to my hip and are so easy to tend. Your garden is way bigger than mine.

I love green beans straight off the plant, I got a bit of a wait for mine.

 

[speckledhen]

Work, work, work. Back saying STOP! So stopping for the day. Let Dh do the shopping by himself while I was doing this.

 

[itspebbl]

Your garden looks great! I love the way bean and pea flowers look, too! I don't have too much of a garden right now, just some tomatoes, herbs and flowers mainly.

 

[speckledhen]

Thanks. I'm still chuckling at my husband insisting on planting squash. He swore he hated squash. I grew up eating squash casserole. I told him that his mother didn't know how to cook it (she boiled squash-she boiled or fried everything, but never thought to fry squash). He liked it in stir fry, not something he had as a child, so he decided to grow it for that purpose. And I made him a squash casserole in several versions, which he loves. It's amazing how his horizons have broadened since he married me, LOL.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I will only eat butternut squash. Baked in the oven in a bit of water, delicious. Edging looks great.

 

[speckledhen]

I will only eat butternut squash. Baked in the oven in a bit of water, delicious. Edging looks great.

YUM! Butternut squash baked in the oven with butter and some brown sugar and nutmeg or cinnamon on it was the way my mother made it. And I love it in pancakes, breads and as a soup. It's so versatile. I did not plant any this year. DH planted some yellow crookneck, straightneck and zucchini. I have cantaloupe and honeydew coming along, love those in summer!

Thanks re: the edging. I had to change the curve of the other side that also makes up the border of the hosta bed to copy the outer one, so I had to move a couple of hostas back. I used to have a nice hosta bed before I had guineas. That year, they found it and showed the chickens it was like a lettuce so they all chowed down. They never came back as lush as they were, but I also need to amend the soil. That bed is almost all clay. After I do that, maybe I'll get more hostas. The chickens still free range but spend less time near the house now that we have more sun and grass and clover grow out around the compost pile and garden. That used to be all woods.