As It Turns Out... Sunday April 2, 2010

.

There was another puppy. The neighbor found it. It had missed being road kill, but that might have been merciful.

He kills them. There are three ways he goes about doing this; either by drowning, using them for target practice, or dog training - meaning they become prey.

Spay and neuter, please?

.
.

It was a warm and muggy day here. Early in the morning a turkey hen made her way nearly up to the lawn. She must be still looking for a mate. She comes out of the woods down by the compost bins, and this time walked all the way up through the orchard before veering off into the meadow by the fence charging unit.





Speaking of the fence charging unit...

Saturday we had storms expected, so we did what was advised in the manual, we unplugged the fence before we went to bed, and then got up this morning to plug it in again. Before we made our way to town, I made a quick check of the garden, only to find that there were horse tracks ALL over the whole place! The vegetable garden, the herb garden, the orchard - all around the perimeter of the enclosed pasture for the horses.






The horses were both inside the pasture. Apparently Ginny had jumped out, and then jumped back in again. I've never seen her jump before, much less a fence! Two scary things - she knows exactly when the fence is not electrified, and she now jumps. So we were running a little late by the time we'd finished checking that out.

We were kept amply busy with two office cleanings and a window washing job. We were pretty tired through the whole thing, and we didn't make it to church.

We sufficed it by listening to some really great messages on our iPods while we worked. Sometimes I do like technology.

Coming home late in the evening we added another strand to the fence, bringing the top to about her eye-level. I hope that discourages her enough.





We've had a broody hen for a while and some of her and her friends' eggs have begun to hatch.

She was up here on the wall nests, which obviously need more hay.





So Michael moved her down into this cage. If we hadn't locked her in, she'd have left her eggs and tried to go back into the wall nest to sit there. Chickens are creatures of habit.









Looking forward to seeing those chicks running around the chicken yard!

~Faith

.

Hunting, Vinca April 24, 2010

.

The puppy has been given to a home. We were literally on our way to take it to the pound, when I had to get to the doctor before they closed. I was talking to the assistants in there, one of them my daughter, and she fell in love with the puppy.

YAY!

However, on this Saturday, Michael got up at 4 am and left for a morning of turkey hunting. They didn't catch anything but he had a great time, learned a lot, and is looking forward to the next trip.





We received a pack of 110 vinca minor plants we hope to get into the ground to stop the erosion under the pool deck.





The trick will be getting time to do it before they die. This mean installing a French drain, dismantling a deck, digging out banks, planting the vinca, and rebuilding the deck...

Gulp.

~Faith

.

Bad Peach. April 18, 2010

.

Almost completely leafed out around here.





Still hoping to find a home for the puppy. Otherwise he's got to go to the pound in the coming week. He's already digging up the garden. Michael loves riding his bike everywhere when the weather warms up.





We got two peach trees! A J. H. Hale.





But the Red Haven will need to be taken out. After we had planted it, I removed the protective truck covering to find that the trunk was damaged.





And that hose is being drug over to the herb beds to soak them for weeding this week.





That's a back builder!

~Faith

.

Tea Parties, Tax Days April 15, 2010

.

This duty-filled day began with more gardening. It keeps us grounded.

We decided to do onions in the first raised bed. I had four groups of them I'd purchased some time back, but things had never worked out to plant them. Now, on the verge of it being too late, we are giving it a shot.





Tilling it up. Oh, somewhere in here we had another workday with a friend who helped us put up the tomato cage. That's sturdy!





Planted and watered.





Dogwood season!





One Bradford Pear in!





Still haven't found this guy a home yet.





Asparagus beetles have invaded our patch.





They have 3 or 4 generations that hatch, come up on the spears, mate, lay eggs, die, and do it all over again. All this while you are trying to eat yummy spears.

Can you see the little black eggs on the sides of these spears?





Here's what the beetles do to the tops.





I picked all the spears for cleaning the eggs from and eating.





It's dandelion season!





Watering in the third Bradford Pear.





This is a Manchurian Apricot. It was a freebie from a lower quality nursery supply many years ago. It needs a pollinizer so I've never had any fruits from it. But I hope to get apricot trees this fall to add to the orchard.





We planted Swiss Chard at the end of the onion bed. I only went with six this year because last year we had PLENTY of Swiss chard.





It's the Bright Lights variety, so it will have beautiful stem color.





The praying mantis egg sacs have hatched.





Can you see the babies? They are about 3/8 of an inch long.





Those bare root blueberries in cardboard I picked up from Lowe's for 6 bucks are turning into a disappointment. They are about to be dug up and returned.





So we invested in an 11 dollar plant to see how it will do in the same area.





I got my taxes done and in the mail. Then we were on our way to the local Tea Party gathering.





Many friends, AKA terrorist/extremists, if you ask 'some' people.





Look at this vicious girl! I wonder if she feels uncomfortable by all us white extremists? LOL





And our young friend who opened us in ..... ready for this....?

PRAYER!!!!!!

IN PUBLIC!!!!!





All kidding aside, our friends also led us in songs of God and country.





In our conservative town of about 15,000 people, between 400 and 500 came to the rally. We had several speakers and, though people are angry about what is going on, there were no threats of violence or any of the ridiculous things that are bandied about in the media. Some reporters really need to take off whatever it is that is blinding them to reality.













I am at a loss sometimes as to what to pray for the country any more. The best I can do is say, "Your will be done."

We left with friends to spend the day together and have some fun.

Still working, still hoping, still praying, still loving, as madness ensues...

~Faith

.

Puppy, Vineyard, Blackberries April 14, 2010

.

Scared to death to let anyone touch him, and covered with ticks, we managed to gather this little one to photograph in the hopes of finding a home for him. I hate to think of where all his brothers and sisters are that likely were scattered all over the county by the people who loaded them up in their car and drove off for the morning, leaving them crying by the sides of roads.





Colored like a doberman, but with obvious hound in him. He was sweet and cute as the dickens.





I nabbed three Bradford Pear trees on sale at Lowe's for only 7 dollars each! They will go up around the driveway.





The strawberries are coming to life.





We tied up the blackberries so we could mow without running over the canes, but they still need pruning, weeding and fertilizing.





The vineyard is pruned and tied and mowed. We need to watch carefully for black rot now.





Some of them have some good framework now.





Wearing my pruning and tying apron.





One blackberry done.





Looks much better now.





Carting all the prunings off to be burned.





The raised lettuce bed we built in the shade last year is doing well.





Beginning the long and arduous task of double digging and building raised beds this year.









Getting pretty green around here!

~Faith

.