What did you do in the garden today?

[Liz Birdlover]

Are they good eating? We have a LOT of them around here.

Several here, too. A few years ago I had one that I swear must've weighed a hundred pounds & he was really a PITA. He dug under my shed where some seasoned lumber is stored & the whole building started leaning like the Tower of Piza. I trapped him using cantaloupe and took him for a 1 way ride for relocation. During the ride, he took himself a big, stinky dump in the truck bed. Thank goodness I have a bed liner in the pickup...it was the worst smelling crap ever to hit my nose. Took several scrubbings followed by bleach & 3 days of open air & sunshine to finally dissipate the stench. I don't care what delicious recipe could possibly involve groundhog, I'm never going to attempt eating anything that produced a smell like that.

 

[jerryse]

Thunderstorms here all day. I have mum seeds sprouting. I need to start tomato seeds.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

I should be starting seeds now. I don't have the umph to do it. Usually, it is stress reliever. This year, the thought of it is adding stress.

Dh and I will both be gone for a week at very bad timing for the starts. I think I can rig up watering but lighting is a problem. I don't have a good south window or enough grow lights. Other years, I moved them from east window to west window.

Then, I expect to be gone for several weeks at the drop of a hat when a kidney becomes available for ds-i-l. Or early in the summer, if one of my kids qualifies as a living donor (they have minor health issues to clear up in order to qualify) and if sil can wait that long or sooner if someone clears as a living donor sooner and he can't wait longer. Results are better if it can be done before he goes on dialysis.

Or. the latest is worse. Maybe. The transplant center found markers for pancreatic cancer. A family friend had that so I'm trying not to look anything up until the referral people get done looking into it. If we have to deal with it, we will but there is enough else going on to not deal with that unless we have to.

Maybe I will just plant cover crops this year. And marigolds.

When I was beaten down by chemo, looking out the window to see blooming Marigolds & Sunflowers made me smile. Honeybees enjoying white clover crop cover made me feel good that mother earth was getting some rest & nurturing, too. Take care, rest & nurture yourself. There's plenty of time for being industrious, After the time for healing.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

DW gets probed by an alien tomorrow. Having a colonoscopy. I bet you did a double take when you read that.

Hate that stuff! I tell the doc, that area of my body is Exit Only, but they gotta do what they gotta do. I'm just grateful to be knocked out when they do it!

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Yes, no piles allowed!

Holes like missile tests are allowed at times, though. Those buggers!

 

[igorsMistress]

Holes like missile tests are allowed at times, though. Those buggers!

Ain’t that the truth!

 

[Liz Birdlover]

22 traps in the house now
15 of those are in my studio
Did I mention I loathe mice?

I got some of those battery traps, it zaps the mouse, instant death, I use a dab of peanut butter as bait. These have turned out to be the best traps I've ever tried over the years, in the house, in the pigeon loft & chicken coop.

Mice are one thing...rats are another. This is 1st year I've ever had rats & a neighbor has them bad. Chicken feed on the ground is a major no no. She stopped doing that but says she still sees rats. So now what...any advice for rats? They're running around between our yards & 4 chicken coops now. What do ya do when rats have decided to hang around? My level of stress & anger over these nasty critters is at an all time high right now.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good morning gardeners. For all those math geeks out there: Happy Pi Day. My new garden gate will be arriving today. I noticed the bok choy seeds I planted on Monday are already popping through the soil. Need to get the garden bed in the soggy area of the yard built up so I will be able to plant soon.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

I know Menards is not nationwide, but maybe your local big box store(s) will have a similar sale on those industrial totes. There are lots of great uses for totes related to gardening and I hope some of those general links for totes were helpful.

Try Home Depot, I found some there

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Well, we had monsoon type rain & wind all last week, so it is taking time to get re-absorbed back into the ground. Around the big barn & garage was literally a moat. It was deep enough for some wild ducks & a pair of Canadian geese to swim...deep enough for their little feet to paddle!

One night it's cold enough for frost, then we get a ton of rain, with one of those nights having thunder & lightening, then a few days of 50s & 60s temperatures, then back to frosty mornings...very weird indeed!

My daffodils are blooming now. Trees are budding & pollen fills the air. The soil is still a sopping mess so DH & I took advantage of the dry spell to haul old carpet & padding from a job we are doing, to the dump. So let me ask ya...have you ever have a bad spell, where things just don't go right? Like suddenly your usual agility & balance just decide to take a vacation?

Last week my right knee, and especially above the knee itself, decided to swell up, huge. I've been rubbing Traumeel cream, arnica gel, castor oil & using ice packs every morning before work & every night before bed.

Then the left elbow swelled up. Why? Who knows! So now rubbing & icing that, too, along with the knee.

So, the 1st day we finally see sunshine, I decided to shake out & then clean some area rugs. As I'm shaking a big rug, I get a shooting pain in my hand, I guess it's the palm but between the ring & pinky finger. I look at it, and I'm amazed to see it swell up & a purple bruise-like spot appear...like what the heck, did I hurt a vein? I hurt that spot before moving cinderblocks, a few years ago, soon after a carpal surgery. The surgeon said it was probably dupuytren's contracture & it was like a big thick cord was sticking up, inside my palm. Personally, I think the surgeon accidentally nicked something during the carpal surgery. Whatever. Anyway, now that darn thing is killing me, so I got ice on that & wearing a carpal brace just to keep me from accidentally moving it & getting more sharp pains in the hand & wrist.

So then yesterday, we take a load from the jobsite to the dump. I always need to do something, usually I'm handling this stuff alone, but DH is unloading it. So I have to help, right? I have basically 1 good arm. I use that 1 good arm & hand to hold up the heavy folded tonneau cover, as he is yanking on the rolled carpet. Yeah, bright idea. When he yanked the carpet roll out, the tonneau sort of bounced upward, then came down hard...right on my hand, and part of the apparatus put a puncture wound into my palm. It hurt bad! He drove me home. I cleaned off the blood & washed both of my sore hands & grabbed the ice packs. So now, both hands are messed up! Knee & elbow are still swollen, too!

Anyway...I hope that's the end of this stupid injury streak, bad luck week. I'm running out of places on my body that don't hurt! Lol

Last night before dusk, after flock was all tended to & nestled down, I was able to tend to my little mealworm farm, so fresh potatoes slices & chicken feed along with warmer temperatures make the mealworms active. Live mealworms are great treats for the flock & also I add some to the compost area & they break it down faster.

Some pics of the moat...which is shrinking daily. Maybe once it is gone I will be ok & functional enough by then, to get something accomplished. Pigeon loft needs spring cleaning & I need to build a new stall trap & landing board & the chicken coops need some attention.