The Front Porch Swing

[LindaB220]

For those of you who prank or get pranked on April Fools' Day, this one is priceless:


http://myfox8.com/2014/04/06/students-april-fools-prank-on-professor-could-be-best-ever/

Loved this. Only trouble is going to youtube. I can't get off. Listening to Susan Boyle as we speak.

And I don't even listen to her. This happened this morning and I spent one hour watching Misty Prepper can, cook and garden. This woman talks so fast I have to keep pausing just to write down the ingredients.

 

[Beekissed]

That is WONDERFUL news.

I think that there is something about being given up on and not being taken care of properly, or given sufficient attention, that can really change a dog (or even a person). Our dog had a change like that too - he loved to run, but if given attention, a job, and enough exercise, he completely changed his attitude. Let him know very quickly where it was OK to put his energy, what he was supposed to do, and where he was NOT to put his energy. But, it takes the right person and the right time to be able to see that and take the chance. Good on you, Bee!

I also noticed that he was PERFECT for the first couple weeks, and then as a teenager, in a month or so he started to push the boundaries a little... That's when your reactions are key. Basically, from what I can tell, the dog has learned the rules, knows the drill, has now completely accepted his new place and home, and is just testing out the boundaries a bit. A sense of humour and a consistent approach is what's best, and Bee, we both know you have those, and your Ben is in GREAT hands!

I can't help but wonder if maybe part of his food aggressiveness was simply that he was hungry. Now that he got dewormed and some good food in him, he's not starving and fine! Our dog was like that. I could never get him enough food, and finally when I just fed him all out for 3-4 months he gained weight and is much more calm. I was already feeding him 2.5 times what the food said for his age and weight, but it too 6 for 3-4 months for his metabolism to catch up and then slow down.

By the way, how much does it cost to feed a GP per month?

Welcome home Ben!!!

Not sure....my GP mix dog ate just what my other dog ate...2 cups of food per day. I'm giving this guy about 3 cups right now to get him up to proper conditioning but will have to see if he eats more or less than that. He doesn't seem like he's hungry all the time or really moochy for food. I don't want to make him overly fat with summer coming on..that's hard on a dog and also affects their activity levels and he seems to have a slow metabolism the way it is. Once he's in good condition I'll back him off to 2 cups and see if he will maintain conditioning on that.

I'm thinking seriously about fermenting some of their dog food and mixing it with the dry each day....to cut feed costs and for the health benefits. This dog LOVED the buttermilk on his food so I'm thinking he will also love his food fermented as well. Saves money, healthier food...can't go wrong there.

You know what I love about this dog? He smells like hay! I love that he doesn't smell sour or dog-like...he sort of smells like horses.

 

[sarahsunshine]

I tried Mortgage lifter. They don't do well here. It gets too hot for them. I need the smaller fruiting kind. The one Mortgage Lifter I got sure was good. I like the Homely Homer tomato too.

What is white Dutch clover?

I wish I could grow rhubarb. I really miss that.

Yeah!

If you have hot and dry, could you try to plant something like a vine (grapes? kiwi?) that love to climb over an arbour, and plant your veggies beneath it? That way you get less direct sun, it holds more moisture, and stays a little cooler. Alternatively, you could plant on the north side of a house. Just some suggestions. I would wanr against a raised bed. They are drier, and if heat is already a problem, you don't want to add drought.

I also wish I could send you all my frozen rhubarb.. We have to move and there is no way we can keep it frozen for 1500km and 3 weeks!

 

[Ms Jellybean]

.

 

[Blooie]

I can buy the frozen stuff in the grocery store here. I don't care for it. The last time I bought it the package was full of thick stalks. Yuck!

I did some reading up on growing rhubarb here and found out I need to plant it in the fall and treat it as an annual. I'm going to get some seeds (recommended) and try that. I can start the seeds in July and set them out in early Sept. I'll plant them on the east side of my garage. Good drainage there and protection from the hot sun. Maybe I will be lucky and I can get it to be a perennial.

I guess it all depends on where you are and what you want....I have several large clumps of rhubarb, most of which are already up and growing. I love that stuff! Use it in all kinds of recipes and freeze the young, tender stalks to make strawberry/rhubarb jam all winter long. Kenny and Jenny have two clumps of it, they hate it, and the plants grow so big they interfere with the other stuff Jen wants to do - so for the past 4 years they've been trying to get rid of it. They made the mistake the first year of mowing it down. Came back bigger than ever. The next year Kenny dug all around it and pulled it up....it came back. Third year he pulled it, hit it with Roundup, and thought it was gone. Went a whole season without seeing any. I just noticed on my way back from their house that it's ba-aaak! He hasn't seen it yet - he's gonna come uncorked!

 

[TexasLisa]

I guess it all depends on where you are and what you want....I have several large clumps of rhubarb, most of which are already up and growing. I love that stuff! Use it in all kinds of recipes and freeze the young, tender stalks to make strawberry/rhubarb jam all winter long. Kenny and Jenny have two clumps of it, they hate it, and the plants grow so big they interfere with the other stuff Jen wants to do - so for the past 4 years they've been trying to get rid of it. They made the mistake the first year of mowing it down. Came back bigger than ever. The next year Kenny dug all around it and pulled it up....it came back. Third year he pulled it, hit it with Roundup, and thought it was gone. Went a whole season without seeing any. I just noticed on my way back from their house that it's ba-aaak! He hasn't seen it yet - he's gonna come uncorked!

You have been sneaking over there and planting it, haven't you????

Lisa

 

[Ms Jellybean]

.

 

[Blooie]

You have sneaking over there and planting it, haven't you????

Lisa

Um, that would be a "nope". I might have considered it, but taking into account the way he cusses at those 3 plants would have made me rethink that double quick! I don't even want to be HOME when he sees that they've come back.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Bluebells?

Probably!!!!!

I thought the info about capturing the color was awesome ... shhhhhhhh! don't tell ... seriously, only use this info for the purposes of this story ... but I used to do graphic design/computer-based publishing back when I was a baby and computers had hardly been invented. When color monitors started happening, bingo! We got all kinds of fabulous blue colors on screen that people wanted to see in print. And then I had to explain to people how terrible ink is at reproducing blue compared to how well light does it.

Big fields of blue flowers are glorious in person, with the light bouncing all around them.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I also noticed that he was PERFECT for the first couple weeks, and then as a teenager, in a month or so he started to push the boundaries a little... That's when your reactions are key. Basically, from what I can tell, the dog has learned the rules, knows the drill, has now completely accepted his new place and home, and is just testing out the boundaries a bit. A sense of humour and a consistent approach is what's best, and Bee, we both know you have those, and your Ben is in GREAT hands!

Gust is a rescue dog ... we adopted him when he was 11 months old. He has had at least 3 different personalities since then.