The Old Folks Home

[ronott1]

Prickly pear is grown as a crop here. There is a grove of them on the North East part of Woodland. It is uses as food, medicine and even a water purifier.

They sell the fruit in our local stores.


As food



Cultivated prickly pear grown for food
Nutrient content

Prickly pear, raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)​

Energy 172 kJ (41 kcal)

​

Carbohydrates

9.6 g
Dietary fiber 3.6 g

​

Fat

0.5 g

​

Protein

2.5 g

​

Vitamins
Vitamin A equiv.

(3%)​

25 μg
Riboflavin (B2)

(8%)​

0.1 mg
Niacin (B3)

(3%)​

0.5 mg
Vitamin B6

(8%)​

0.1 mg
Folate (B9)

(2%)​

6 μg
Vitamin C

(17%)​

14.0 mg
Vitamin E

(0%)​

0 mg

​

Trace metals
Calcium

(6%)​

56 mg
Iron

(2%)​

0.3 mg
Magnesium

(24%)​

85 mg
Phosphorus

(3%)​

24 mg
Potassium

(5%)​

220 mg
Zinc

(1%)​

0.1 mg

Link to USDA Database entry

• Units
• μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams
• IU = International units

Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient Database​

Opuntia has modest content of essential nutrients as assessed by the amount of Daily Value (DV) provided in a 100 g portion, with only dietary fiber (14% DV), vitamin C (23% DV) and the dietary mineral, magnesium (21% DV) having significa

 

[bamadude]

Since tomatos are a fruit; ketchup must be a smoothie

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Got up early to help my wife load the car for my daughter and her. My daughter worked till 3 am. They're going on their annual 'all girls float trip'. This is the 29th year and is on the crystal clear Black River in the eastern Ozarks. No men allowed and daughters have to be 16 before they're allowed. I asked my wife why they came up with 16 as the minimum age, she said it was too long ago, no one can remember. The wife has only missed one in the last 29 years. Now it's a bunch of old folk and young women.
The original concept came when we were on a canoe trip with 3 other couples. The guys were fishing and the gals were lounging, sunning, drinking and chatting.
They thought, "it would be so much more fun if they would do the same thing with just women". Over the 29 years they've gone on a few different rivers but the Black has been the site for nearly 25 of them. About 3 times they took canoes but most of the time they do rafts. Can anyone say lazy?

The day they conceived of the idea, each of the other husbands said they wouldn't allow it (probably thinking of their safety I'm sure)

The other guys got mad at me because I didn't take their side. They said, "why don't you tell her she can't go?"
I said, "because, if I want to do something by myself, I wouldn't want her to tell me I couldn't do it."
Finally one guy said he'd let his wife go if she caught a bucketful of crawfish for bait for him. She actually spent a few hours catching crawfish.
Some people are such control freaks.

This year there are about 25 of them going and in the past there has been as many as 30 or so women.
Some women go from Thursday to Tuesday. The wife and daughter waited till this morning because my daughter had to work last night. They're taking Monday off so they'll be camping 2 nights. They always float on Sunday. Occasionally there are a few that are too hung over to float on Sunday and just stay in camp.

Here's the place they've camped over many of the years.
http://riversedgeblackriver.com/

There are 3 forks of the Black. They float the middle but the east fork includes Johnson shut-ins is a very cool spot.

I'm not that fond of the Black because it's too crowded, too many ATVs and poachers. You can barely catch a fish, unless you float below the Clearwater dam.

There are so many great float streams in MO, I avoid the crowds.

On anniversaries like the 10th, 20th, 25th they have signs and shirts made ("Take me to the river")
I'm sure there will be something wild next year.
They come from as far away as Texas, Indiana, Florida and Chicago, IL. Most are both sides of the river (MO and IL) around St. Louis.

 

[Cynthia12]

Love, love, and love!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

...

More likely kitty will also be taking songbirds. Take them somewhere else to be another person's or wildlife's problem.
If it was me, the feral cat caught in a trap would never see freedom again.
I keep a large 65 gallon trashcan filled with water for all vermin in traps.

Should this sound cruel, think about all the damage man has done introducing invasive species all over the planet. It is up to man to rectify the damage.

Feral hogs are doing severe damage to the environment in many areas of the world. One quarter of all fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals in South Florida are exotic destroying the natural ecosystem. Controlling invasive species in the Everglades costs half a billion dollars a year and yet it's still infested. If Burmese Pythons don't get a free pass when eradicating, invasive cats that do just as much damage shouldn't get a free pass either just cause they resemble someone's house pet.
Aussies are well aware of the damage done by exotics.
Cats are an invasive species over most of the globe and have been introduced to every continent, even Antarctica for nefarious reasons (as cute mousers). They do the most damage on islands and arguably are responsible for more small animal extinctions than any other cause.
Feral cats and domestics allowed to roam free are the primary cause of bird deaths in the U.S. Even if they're fed by their owners or misguided individuals, they have an instinct to hunt and are responsible for decreasing numbers of endangered native species in south Florida including beach mice, cotton mice, the Lower Keys marsh rabbit, scrub jays, ground-nesting birds and sea turtle hatchlings. They may carry diseases that can be spread to bobcats and the Florida panther. With cats' ability to reproduce, there are an estimated 5 + million free-ranging cats in Florida. 80 million pet cats and another 80 million feral cats in the US. Research shows that in the US alone cats are responsible for 1-4 billion birds and 6-20 billion mammals annually. Most live in feral colonies or are closely associated with residential areas. In similar sized territories cats potentially outnumber bobcats 640:1 unfairly competing for the available food of our native predators.

 

[Dragonfly216]

Thank you for sharing the puppy photos, Cynthia! They are adorable and mom is beautiful! I hope you share more as they grow!

Beautiful chickens, Teila! That looks like a good camera, great shots! And X2 Cynthia, I love that one! Isn't it called frizzled?

That looks like a great trip for the ladies, CC! I agree with your perspective too. Why not let her go and then you can also go off by yourself too? It's healthy to get away from your significant other for a little while! Absence makes the heart grow fonder......

 

[Dragonfly216]

Oh and what a crazy, detailed dream Wisher! I think it just means that you can never leave your chickens alone........ ;-)

 

[Lacy Blues]

oz, had a feral cat get one of my Heritage Rhode Island Red pullets. I was steaming mad. Caught her eating it out behind our shed. I set a live trap, put some tuna in the back of the cage. Boy she was mean! Didn't dare put your hand in that cage. We did not take her to the pound. She would have been put down for sure. We went way west of us where there are fields and barns. Pretty sure that kitty knew how to catch a mouse or two..or even pheasant.
If you don't have a live trap, you may just have to invest in one of those the next time you are in the states. Or a couple if you have a lot cats. It would be well worth the money from the sound of it. Just take those wild cats somewhere else.

Did you bring it to Fallon, NV? (joke

) I have strays showing up at my place all the time. The last one that came around we let stay for a little while til it started showing psychotic attributes. Still, we let it stay, then one morning our very favorite little kitty that was actually ours was no longer here. I know she didn't run away or stray as she never left the area and would stand at her self-imposed border and cry if we were out and about but not within "her" space. There are lots of coyotes around here and that cat had ours terrified to go into that particular space which is the safest space to get away from any kind of dog. That day I sent my son to get his 22. I won't make the mistake of allowing strays again.

I am trying my hand at breeding to standard. I am dedicated to improving Silver Campines and have been working at it for over two years now, and it is really slow going. Last night I dreamed that I was away for a week and I had moved my chickens to our rental property so the people there could care for them. I had built four or five pens and segregated by quality and importance to me. I put the best ones in a pen close to the house so they would be better protected. The other pens were scattered about in the pastures. I came back to find that the pen had been torn down and there was only a patch of bare dirt in it's place. When I ask what happened to my chickens, the people keeping them said they had a "chicken expert" friend come over and he said they should cull (kill) that pen due to an infestation of mites. They were afraid the mites would spread to the layer flock.......

Wisher? Obsessed much?

I think I will.............

Wisher, while checking for mites, check beyond the vent region. I've almost lost several birds to mite infestations because I didn't check the entire body. I've had mites infest a bird everywhere EXCEPT the vent area. I had a rooster get an infestation on his chest and though I could tell he didn't feel good, I kept checking and checking and finally he had a spot on his chest feathers that looked greasy and boy did it smell! Upon checking that area... lets just say it was horrible. Got it taken care of and he became a happy, healthy boy again.

In line with your dream, I don't think there is anyone, outside of my children that I trust to adequately care for my birds! A vacation would be nice but not at the expense of my birds.

Got up early to help my wife load the car for my daughter and her. My daughter worked till 3 am. They're going on their annual 'all girls float trip'. This is the 29th year and is on the crystal clear Black River in the eastern Ozarks. No men allowed and daughters have to be 16 before they're allowed. I asked my wife why they came up with 16 as the minimum age, she said it was too long ago, no one can remember. The wife has only missed one in the last 29 years. Now it's a bunch of old folk and young women.
The original concept came when we were on a canoe trip with 3 other couples. The guys were fishing and the gals were lounging, sunning, drinking and chatting.
They thought, "it would be so much more fun if they would do the same thing with just women". Over the 29 years they've gone on a few different rivers but the Black has been the site for nearly 25 of them. About 3 times they took canoes but most of the time they do rafts. Can anyone say lazy?

The day they conceived of the idea, each of the other husbands said they wouldn't allow it (probably thinking of their safety I'm sure)

The other guys got mad at me because I didn't take their side. They said, "why don't you tell her she can't go?"
I said, "because, if I want to do something by myself, I wouldn't want her to tell me I couldn't do it."
Finally one guy said he'd let his wife go if she caught a bucketful of crawfish for bait for him. She actually spent a few hours catching crawfish.
Some people are such control freaks.

This year there are about 25 of them going and in the past there has been as many as 30 or so women.
Some women go from Thursday to Tuesday. The wife and daughter waited till this morning because my daughter had to work last night. They're taking Monday off so they'll be camping 2 nights. They always float on Sunday. Occasionally there are a few that are too hung over to float on Sunday and just stay in camp.

Here's the place they've camped over many of the years.
http://riversedgeblackriver.com/

There are 3 forks of the Black. They float the middle but the east fork includes Johnson shut-ins is a very cool spot.

I'm not that fond of the Black because it's too crowded, too many ATVs and poachers. You can barely catch a fish, unless you float below the Clearwater dam.

There are so many great float streams in MO, I avoid the crowds.

On anniversaries like the 10th, 20th, 25th they have signs and shirts made ("Take me to the river")
I'm sure there will be something wild next year.
They come from as far away as Texas, Indiana, Florida and Chicago, IL. Most are both sides of the river (MO and IL) around St. Louis.

Boy does that sound like fun! I'm glad you let your wife have a little bit of her own life. Some husbands really are super controllers and I find it repulsive.

I've heard about situations like the husband has this chicken raising hobby and the wife doesn't really like the chickens. Her friends ask her "Why do you put up with it?" Her response was a good one but its irrelevant to my point. "Why put up with it?" Who says that every single thing a spouse does has to be approved by the other spouse? That kind of high mindedness drives me up the wall.

I am very thankful that my husband "puts up with" my personal passion of choice! He sees that it brings me joy and keeps me busy. Yes, its expensive, but not overly much. His hobbies are costly too and more so than mine but he doesn't run to get food for it every other week!

 

[vehve]

Bama, ketchup is cooked, so doesn't apply

@ChickenCanoe That sounds like loads of fun. And why wouldn't someone let their wife go? If your marriage is that insecure, you need to be paying that woman a lot more attention. Dinners, gifts and compliments. And besides, you get a weekend without the wife!

 

[sourland]

"Let your wife do something?"

I do not tell the Princess what she 'can or can not' do, and she accords me the same courtesy. It's worked for 50 + years - too late to change things now.