Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 12:10 pm Post subject: Hello, I'm Mary, Book 4
This is just another continuation of parts 1-3. I think 7 pages with a lot of pictures was getting too slow for folks with dial up, and so now you get a new page.
Today Patch gets shoes and I get to go riding! The first ride I plan to attend is less than 3 weeks away, and Patch needs a lot of miles to be ready for it. Well I do too, but we get them together. Most years I start riding in early February so this year we have about half the time. Hopefully the weather this month will be nicer than it usually is in Feb and March. It's a sunny day, and by noon when I get on the horse, I hope it will be warmer than now.
This morning AmandaPanda made herself at home on my soft bathrobe. She kneads for a while, then settles down for a nap, but when I start to type she protests and I boot her off. I thought you would like to see her. That is scar tissue in her right eye, it was completely clouded over when we got her, and mostly cleared up with some cortizone medicine we got from the vet. The remaining cloud was probably near the site of an injury and does not affect her vision.
Patch and I took another ride today, this time for about 2 1/2 hours and a few more miles than yesterday. The weather was perfect! We saw 42 deer yesterday and 50 today, plus one coyote each day. The only wildflowers in bloom now are buttercups and something else that is yellow. In the next few weeks there will be others in white and several shades of pink and purple.
I saw the antelope again today, and I'm sure it is the same one we saw on Sunday morning. This was at the same time of day and in the same place. This evening we watched as the same ? animal explored the edges of the cleared field. We had the same idea at the same time, it's about time for them to be giving birth and we might be watching a mother-to-be picking out just the right spot to have a little one, or more.
Several years ago I watched 2 young antelope playing at the edge of a meadow while their mother grazed nearby, so I hope we will see some action there soon.
The great horned owl babies must have hatched by now. We have been hearing a lot of owl talk during the day for the past couple of weeks. Normally, they are only talking when they are waking up about dusk, or while they are awake. So now they are awake in the daytime, and I think it could only mean that the kids are hungry and won't let mom sleep! She hoots to papa in the other tree and says they need another delivery of fresh mouse.
Today on my way home from my ride I stopped to let the neighbor know that one of his cows had a new calf, he said there had already been 3 today. And he was trying to get his backhoe started so that he could stir up and pile up the big pile of barn cleanings from lambing season. I mentioned that I needed to get a load or 2 of it soon, and he said if I could be there in a few minutes he could load it for me with the front end loader. And so now I have a heaping pickup load that I need to wheelbarrow to the old asparagus patch tomorrow.
The load of barn cleanings is still in the truck, due to weather and life getting in the way of projects. I did get the grape vines pruned but the pieces are still scattered all around. I saved some of the longer ones thinking that I might try my hand at making a basket. We had hoped to get some pruning done on apple trees, but there aren't enough hours of daylight for everything. Hubby did get the fawcett in the greenhouse repaired, and I am very thankful for that convenience! He also pulled the pasture harrow over several acres in three pastures to break up manure piles and scratch the surface allowing moisture to penetrate easier.
We hauled a bunch of old tires to the garden so that I can fill them with new soil from barn cleaning piles that are very old and looking like soil, plus some bagged potting soil. Hopefully my potatoes can be grown in them without picking up diseases from my garden soil. Last week I found a website that shows pictures and has written descriptions of some of the more common potato diseases. My garden soil is loaded with bad stuff; fungus, virus and bugs! I knew I had problems but not that many. Tomatoes and peppers are susceptable to the same problems, so they will also be grown in the tires for a few years.
Our son and daughter in law came out after church yesterday with dinner to be cooked on the grill. They even brought the briquettes! We ate too much and visited until almost dark. The Lord is doing some exciting things in their lives, and also in the lives of some of the people in their circle. We all have a different circle of friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc, and it is wonderful to see God working. They have been witnessing to a young couple with a new baby. Our son told the young father that his life would be a lot happier if he was cooperating with God instead of rebelling against Him. Now he just asks "are you cooperating?" and the young man knows what he is talking about. They can see signs of turning, but no definite committments.
This morning I loaded Patch into the trailer and took him to the vet for a vaccination and a blood test which is necessary for obtaining an interstate travel passport. The weather is sunny but windy and cold with intermittent snow squalls. I hope to be able to ride today, but if I can't, I think I can get some work done in the garden. Maybe I will try to start the rototiller, and if it will start, I could stir up a lot of dirt!
Cajun, I will try to get the rhubarb start on it's way to you in the next day or two. It grows in full sun here, but would tolerate some shade if you don't have a full sun spot for it.
I thought you might like to see a couple of pictures of the rhubarb. That metal can is a 5 gallon bucket! When I harvest the rhubarb and trim off the leaves, I often use them for mulch next to small plants or even over them if frost is expected! They are BIG!
Every gardener needs a helper, and Neut claims the vegie garden as his territory. He often naps under the edge of the rhubarb, possibly thinking he is hiding because his head is in the shade. These pictures are not from this year, at this point the rhubarb is just breaking through the mulch and there is no green grass, only yellow/brown.
We woke up to snow again this morning, but with a couple of hours of sun it is gone except in the shade. The temperature was 24 this morning at about 6am.
Yesterday I rode Patch for a while, but cut his workout a bit short because the wind was strong and cold, and I could feel an earache coming on. The sun was out and I had foolishly gone without a hat that covered my ears. A baseball cap doesn't do the job. It's funny because last week I wore a stocking cap on a sunny day and got my face sunburned, so this time I wear a ball cap and get an earache! Next time maybe I'll wear a headband and the baseball cap so if it gets too warm I can take off the headband and still have shade for my face. Even with a shortened workout, I can tell that Patch is getting into better shape, and hopefully, so am I. He trotted all the way up a very long hill without wanting to slow down.
My vegie garden is half rototilled now, and I hope to finish the other half today. Then, I can put manure down along the rows, till that in and begin planting. While rototilling I found a few volunteer peas, but they are history because I grew 3 kinds last year, and besides not knowing what kind they were, they didn't come up in a row. I really don't like doing things like that with vegies that volunteer. Weeds now, are a whole different story and I destroy those with glee, or possibly malace!
We are still seeing the antelope almost every day, and are more convinced than before that she has picked out that place we can see from the dining room window to have her young. I saw her again this morning, and yes, this animal is definitely female. I search the edges of the field with binocculars from about 1/3 mile away to see if there is a baby, but so far have not seen any. They often have twins.
Yesterday when I rode past my neighbor's place I saw that there is a cold frame next to the south side of the house. It is made of straw bales and old windows. One window was off for ventelation. The young fellow who lives there is the pseudo son in law of the owner. He is taking the Master Gardener course from the Extension Service, and is busy putting his new knowledge to use. They are going to raise some chickens for eggs, so I will probably be able to buy some of their excess. Presently I can buy eggs from a neighbor who lives about 2 miles away but it is out of my way to get them. Fresh farm eggs are so much better than the grocery store variety.
Cajun, your package was sent yesterday. I'm hoping it will get to you before the weekend. Let me know when it arrives. I'm sure it will grow successfully in your area, as I was reading an article from somebody in Florida or Georgia recently who had rhubarb growing.
Spring is continuing to spring forth! We have a few daffodills and one little group of tulips is in bloom. The snowbanks and even the huge drift that covered the fence allowing the horses to escape from their pasture a few weeks ago, are all melted. I have started watering flower beds, some of which were already quite dry from the wind and bright sun.
Over the weekend I have been babysitting several flats of plants for my new gardening neighbor who was away for the weekend. Today they get to go home, and I'm sure he will see differences in the growth of his baby plants. He is the one who is taking the Master Gardener course, and is very enthusiastic about putting his new knowledge into practice. And, he has offered to help me when I need it, so I think this will turn out to be a good working relationship.
The garden is all rototilled, and the load of strawy manure that I brought home over a week ago is now providing a thick layer of mulch over multiple layers of newspaper to try to smother quackgrass along the old asparagus row. I left a strip about 1 foot wide down the row, and when the surviving asparagus sprouts I will snug the mulch up to them. Meanwhile, it might just look like one of those Mowhawk haircuts when the grass along the plants starts to grow. This mess is my own fault.
Tire planters for the potatoes, peppers and tomatoes are in place in the garden row, and the ones for the potatoes are partly filled with soil from a big pile of really old manure and soil that we have. It required an afternoon of shoveling into a wheelbarrow and then getting it into the tires. Maybe today the potatoes will get planted. I have them next to a window in the basement to encourage them to sprout.
Today I will add some manure and bone meal to the garden, making stripes where the rows will be, then stirring it all in with the rototiller. Maybe I will get some peas planted and the little cabbage, brocolli, and lettuce plants out of the greenhouse and planted in the garden. I can cover them gently with handfulls of straw to keep them a bit warmer at night. The soil should have enough heat now to prevent frost from settling and the straw covering would just be for insurance, and peace of mind for me.
My hubby borrowed a ditch cleaning tool from the neighbor this weekend and spent several hours on the tractor cleaning our irrigation ditches. Just in time, because overnight the water came running down through them. Unfortunately, he didn't get the dead grass on the ditch banks burned and the shovel work done where he can't get in with the tractor, and now today I have been pulling dry grass and sticks out of the water where they pile up and make little dams. I could spend all day monitoring the water and digging silt out of shallow spots in the ditch, but I think hubby should share the fun when he gets home from work.
Yesterday I rode Patch again. Last week he was running from Breezy who was chasing him quite agressively, and ran him into the corral fence. I had closed them in there while I was doing the mulch project because they kept getting in my way as I was going through the gate into the pasture with the wheelbarrow, and then through the gate into the garden. So, when they went to stand in the corral I just closed the gate. A while later I heard a commotion and WAM! Patch hit the fence hard. I think he may have still been a bit stiff and sore from it when I rode him yesterday. The ride I planned to go to is next Saturday, and I am still wondering if he will be ready.
Mary,
Reading about all your work is making me tired. LOL Would love to see some pics.
Sorry to hear about Patchs' mishap. Shaq was giving Cream the what for a few days ago when they were out in the lot. She had pushed him onto the hot fence and that is something he will not forgive for quite a while. He had it out for Buddy for months after Buddy made the same mistake.
Cream got a few scrapes from his big old yellow teeth before I got them apart. I try not to interfere if it can be helped as he is the top dog in the herd and always keeps good order among the ranks.
I picked my rhubard up from the post office today. It was in great shape. Only 2 small mushy spots so I cut them back to hard wood. I planted them in a half barrel full of top soil and amended it with compost and rotted hay. I added a few earthworms for luck. I planted them with just the very tops sticking up. The spot gets full sun most of the day. Does this sound like a good deal for them? Thankyou so much for sending them. I am really excited about them and am looking forward to trying them. Will they be ready to harvest this fall or should I wait until next year?
Cajun
The barrel sounds like a good home for the rhubarb. It needs a year to get a good start, so you will have to be patient and just think of it as an ornamental for now.
My sister called and is coming to town today and we will meet for lunch. She lives 40 miles or so on the opposite side from where I live and only comes to town when she has to, or about once a month, whichever comes first. It's 20 miles for me, so we try to meet in the middle. When I was cleaning a flower bed I dug up some volunteer parsley to give her, so I will take them when I go to town. She says they only have about 9 cows that haven't had their calves yet, that's out of about 150, so she has been busy checking cows in the middle of the night for several weeks.
Yesterday was cold and we had strong wind all day. I stayed in the house as much as possible. My neighbor came to get his plants, but it was so windy we decided that if he tried to carry flats of plants out to his truck they would be scattered everywhere. The steel framed roof vents on the greenhouse were flapping and so I wired them down to the center greenhouse bench. Just opening the door and going through it was tricky because the wind was trying to tear it out of my hands.
This morning as my hubby was leaving for work he called from his cell phone to tell me that something was clogging up the irrigation ditch and water was going everywhere. I went out with a shovel and a potato hook and pulled junk and lots of ice out of the ditch. It still overflows into the neighbor's pasture in one place, but I need to find my rubber boots to do anything about that. One shoefull of icey water is enough to cure me! I looked at the temperature when I came back inside, ah, no wonder I was cold, it is 25 with a strong wind, kind of decieving when I look out the window and see bright sun.
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