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

[seminolewind]

Yea, from hatchling on she loved to be held, but keep you face safe.

Well thankyou Lord! These docs are finally figuring out what I have. It;s probably an abscess in or outside of the colon, and somewhere in the vicinity of the bile ducts. I have a CT next month so hopefully they can give me and the Doc a plan.
So that's causing terrible pain , and especially my lack of appetite, and weight loss. I've had alot of weightloss.

Otherwise my birds all love me and want to be held. alot. How sweet! I'm always throwing them tomatoes that have split. Yum!!

I am dealing right now with some creature that likes to take one bite of a tomato or cantaloupe. I need to fence my whole garden in. One bite out of several of my stuff. Not only that, I went to water my 2 eggplants never even realizing that one was gone without a trace! They did not touch my peppers.

So for the first time I had so many tomatoes that I removed the skin, pureed them and froze them in bags for sauce!!! I hear that tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes is very acidic. Is there anything aside from sugar that will lower the acidity???

I think next year I will plant what I will eat. I never gave much thought to herbs until I grew parsley and it had an awesome flavor!!!!! So now I have Oregano, Basil, I had mustard greens, well worth growing . My daughter taught me about Poblano peppers, hot but super mild. So peppers, radishes, only 2 plants of tomatoes, romaine, Herbs, would like to grow scallions and cilantro, both of which have to be started indoors, the smaller eggplants. We don't really eat cukes, I'm tired of cabbage. I still like cantaloupe!

I am awed with those plants that will supply you for an extended time. Like lettuce. What plants have you grown and have good luck with, and you eat it?

And I've even thought of going back to more roses. At least I know how to care for them!! Mine right now have taken off! I've always grew hybrid roses but never had the luck I have here! Daylilies are my other love but tend to get grass growing in with them, and they look worn out after flowering. I will love my Black Eyed Susans. Lavender hates me. I've tried for years to have it and they always die on me.

I have also got obsessed with donkeys. The neglected ones who end up rescued and needing a home. I've been watching (don't laugh) donkeys that have been neglected like their hooves growing into horns and how they , well, rehab their hooves. Some can barely walk. This is all Chinese donkeys. US really has a low amount of abused donkeys. I never gave Donkeys much thought. But to look in their eyes and know their intelligence, I can't stand it!!! Now I want one.

 

[getaclue]

seminolewind, I'm glad they're finally figuring out what's wrong. Hopefully you can get it taken care of soon, and be pain free from it.

 

[speckledhen]

Lavender hates me. I've tried for years to have it and they always die on me.

Me, too. I can't grow it for love nor money.

seminolewind, I'm glad they're finally figuring out what's wrong. Hopefully you can get it taken care of soon, and be pain free from it.

Me, too, Karen!

We don't grow a huge variety, just two types of peas, two types of bush beans (though we prefer the peas by far), some tomatoes for slicing and for canning, sweet potatoes, okra and occasionally broccoli and brussels sprouts. This year the critters are insane. Hornworms, Mexican bean beetles and other leaf eaters, tunneling voles, deer, rabbits, chipmunks and now the aphids want their cut of the garden. Ugh. Worse pest year ever here. I did grow a lot of flowers and herbs to dry for tinctures and teas, but not all of them did well, either. I dried what I could for later use.
Adding pics taken today. We harvest tomatoes daily in small batches. Have already stewed down and frozen some and will can them later when we get them all, have broccoli, okra and quarts of peas frozen raw to can later.

 

[getaclue]

Our garden looked like that last year. This year we did a bit of spraying (pyrethrum which is organic) a good wide swath around the outer perimeter outside the garden, then the garden itself shortly after planting. It did very good. Got our harvest in just as the bugs began trying to invade again. No need to spray a second time. I hate using sprays, but I chose the best I could, didn't mix it any stronger than needed, and got it on well before the food came in. Had I not sprayed, we wouldn't have gotten much of anything. That's a lot of work, and money to spend on feeding bugs, instead of feeding us. We have posts we put around the garden, with chicken wire attached all around, and on top. That keeps the critters from getting our food too.

 

[speckledhen]

Someone said that interplanting with basil will deter hornworms. Not sure how accurate that is, but next year, I'm doing it.

 

[speckledhen]

Still battling for our cat's vision. Tom has severe swelling in both big toes, probably arthritis. It's not a fun time here. Hector had a bad day yesterday so I expect he won't be around long. He has ups and downs. Here is the story on Finn: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...pdate-with-videos-dec-31.935794/post-26083478

 

[speckledhen]

I buried Hector about 30 minutes ago. The story is on his thread.

 

[getaclue]

I'm so sorry. He was one of the special ones for sure.

 

[speckledhen]

Hector was very special, yes, he was.

I posted an update on my poor cat on his thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...pdate-with-videos-dec-31.935794/post-26168955

 

[speckledhen]

A sad update for our Finn:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...pdate-with-videos-dec-31.935794/post-26223306

Atlas is trying to grow in his feathers in this horrible molt, has no meat on his keel, but he sure perks up when I come into the barn every morning with special food. I found he likes tuna a lot, LOL. If he lives through winter, he will be 9 years old in early spring, but I have my doubts about that, considering that time recently when he collapsed and was out cold for almost an hour.