Tuesday, May 13
Another wonderful day, doing as we please with no schedules or deadlines. How long can this dream continue?Still a bit windy, but sunny.
End of Entry
Thursday, March 27, 2014
5-12-03: He Was Here First
10:30 pm- Weather was still windy and at times wet, so not much doing outside. David hung some shoplights in the barn while I prepared the *2 week menu and a grocery list. Later he went to town while I puttered in the barn and outside.
Barn: Repotted the last batch of houseplants, fluffed the chickens' bedding, and refreshed the horse bedding. Then outside to check the tree cages. I wore 3 layers & scarf & knit hat to keep the wind at bay.
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| © Galina Dreyzina Dreamstime Stock Photos |
Tessa barked away the German Shepherds from the North field (Peggy & Art's dogs) and also a black cat. I walked out to where the shepherds had been digging and came face to face with a groundhog in its hole. We had a little chat, and I told it that when we get horses his holes will be dangerous. The groundhog said 'I was here first'. So I left.
Other activities: Put away groceries, read cook books from library, hot tubbed w/David, clipped cat nails and dog nails.
Yesterday we saw the black snakes close up and took pictures. Researched on internet at Ohio Wildlife site and determined they are common, non poisonous water snakes.
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| Mama snake, headed for her babies across the stream. |
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| We're over here! |
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| Group Hug |
Despite the wind yesterday I got the last 6 trees planted (not counting the mock oranges or evergreens) and David mowed the back yard.
*2 week menu: To reduce grocery store trips, and completely eliminate the daily hassle of deciding "what's for dinner?", I would make up a 2-week list of meals in advance. Usually I would sketch out the basics based on my somewhat boring routine, then get David's suggestions to round it out. I think we got the idea for this from Ray & Sharon, and it works great.
End of Entry
Monday, March 24, 2014
5-10-03: Creeks Gone Wild
Saturday May 10
7:30pm - Phone rang last night after 9:00 so I answered it - it was Lars! Looking for Karin's ph# so he could call her for her birthday. I gave him the # I had, and chatted for a while about this and that. He's planting his "mini-garden" with tomatoes and ... (something else), and we talked about the recent thunderstorms. He said he likes watching the "light show". We hung up, then a few minutes later he called back, saying the ph. # was no good, and that I was the "communications center" and how could I not have the right # - didn't I call Karin ever?
I explained that we hadn't talked since Christmas, but I'd call him back after a minute so I could look for a good ph#. Turns out I'd given him the # which was supposed to be their main line, but the phone company messed up so they had it disconnected and changed to their other line. Lars just laughed at me and said 'yeah, yea, whatever story you need to make up for giving me the wrong #...' We had a good laugh and he said he would call her right away.
Since my last entry, the weather has not been much better. Another heavy storm in the wee hours of Friday morning, and received @ 2" of rain. The bridge to the west field had been submerged and pushed downstream a few feet, and we took pictures of the "creek" gone wild in the backyard area at the bottom of the hill. Some newly planted trees were submerged but later in the day looked okay after the water receded. Yesterday & today there have been "scattered" thundershowers (too much Weather Channel) and we haven't got much done outside. David's arm has been hurting after so much post-hole digging, so it's just as well.
Today we picked up 4 egg laying chickens from "Ron". The transfer went well - we had the pet carrier in the back of the Volvo. They were very quiet. Two Rhode Island Reds, one black and white something or other, and one brown and white something or other. We're embarrassed that we can't remember, but oh well. They are currently settled nicely into their new coop/stall, and just before he came in for dinner David saw them eat & drink; in fact, we've already had to refill the food trough.
Unbelievable dandelion problem here. Just amazing how thick & aggressive they are. 2 days after he mows, 6 billion stems are 6 inches high, marring the landscape. David has vowed 'war on the dandelions'. More good news is that the garden is showing growth, even with all this pounding rain and cloudy skies. Sunflowers, lettuce, carrots, potatoes, and green onions have showed their heads above the soil, and the pepper seedlings are very happy under their plastic pop bottle covers.
Dad & Elsie & their visitors are at Karin's house today and departing tomorrow.
We found a beheaded bird next to the pond - probably a victim of the snapping turtle.
David has seen two black snakes in and near the stream - he's pretty sure they're no garter snakes...
Hope the weather cooperates so we can plant the rest of our seedlings.
Had BBQ chicken & rice for dinner, and for dessert is the apple pie I made yesterday. Also baked up a Lemon Poppy Seed bread mix - yum!
End of Entry
7:30pm - Phone rang last night after 9:00 so I answered it - it was Lars! Looking for Karin's ph# so he could call her for her birthday. I gave him the # I had, and chatted for a while about this and that. He's planting his "mini-garden" with tomatoes and ... (something else), and we talked about the recent thunderstorms. He said he likes watching the "light show". We hung up, then a few minutes later he called back, saying the ph. # was no good, and that I was the "communications center" and how could I not have the right # - didn't I call Karin ever?
I explained that we hadn't talked since Christmas, but I'd call him back after a minute so I could look for a good ph#. Turns out I'd given him the # which was supposed to be their main line, but the phone company messed up so they had it disconnected and changed to their other line. Lars just laughed at me and said 'yeah, yea, whatever story you need to make up for giving me the wrong #...' We had a good laugh and he said he would call her right away.
Since my last entry, the weather has not been much better. Another heavy storm in the wee hours of Friday morning, and received @ 2" of rain. The bridge to the west field had been submerged and pushed downstream a few feet, and we took pictures of the "creek" gone wild in the backyard area at the bottom of the hill. Some newly planted trees were submerged but later in the day looked okay after the water receded. Yesterday & today there have been "scattered" thundershowers (too much Weather Channel) and we haven't got much done outside. David's arm has been hurting after so much post-hole digging, so it's just as well.
Today we picked up 4 egg laying chickens from "Ron". The transfer went well - we had the pet carrier in the back of the Volvo. They were very quiet. Two Rhode Island Reds, one black and white something or other, and one brown and white something or other. We're embarrassed that we can't remember, but oh well. They are currently settled nicely into their new coop/stall, and just before he came in for dinner David saw them eat & drink; in fact, we've already had to refill the food trough.
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| The new girls |
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| The transfer |
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| Checking out the view |
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| Home Sweet Home |
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| I hope that robin is leaving a trail of bread crumbs... |
We found a beheaded bird next to the pond - probably a victim of the snapping turtle.
David has seen two black snakes in and near the stream - he's pretty sure they're no garter snakes...
Hope the weather cooperates so we can plant the rest of our seedlings.
Had BBQ chicken & rice for dinner, and for dessert is the apple pie I made yesterday. Also baked up a Lemon Poppy Seed bread mix - yum!
End of Entry
5-7-03: Rainstorm
Wednesday May 7, 2003
Thursday May 8, 2003
10:38pm - Planted 60 day lily bulbs around the pond. Meanwhile David was finishing construction on the chicken coop he started yesterday. All done now & looks great. Has waterer, feed trough, roost, nest boxes, and wood shaving flooring. The library book we're referencing is quite helpful. Tonight we called "the chicken guy" Ron, husband of the Tractor Supply cashier Jennifer, and we'll be seeing him Saturday to buy 4 young chickens @ $4 ea. He said they'll start laying in 6-7 weeks, and he also seemed willing to pass on any other chicken info we might need.
Saw buds/blossoms on the strawberries today. The pepper seedlings are doing well under their plastic pop covers. The potatoes have started to show some greenery, and a few sunflowers have sprouted.
Heavy rainstorm last night - 6 inches. Also saw lots of lightning flashes, incredibly frequent. Some thunder booms were quite close, and one especially loud crack - and - boom turns out to have severed a large tree limb from a tree in the north field, by the red shed. No smoldering evidence, but the limb was very healthy and didn't appear to have just fallen off. The excessive rain swelled the creek and it looks like a small river. The bridge to the west field caught a lot of debris, and the west field in general has large patches of standing water.
The items we've planted lately are all doing well, except for some of the red maples. It's possible they're just slow to wake from dormancy, but we'll see. The poplars (both styles) are really growing fast, sprouting leaves left & right. Other strong performers are the ash, sugar maple, and birch trees. Sure, they're just tiny sticks in the ground, but showing definite spunk with buds and teeny tiny leaves.
Yesterday I brushed Sam and one of the minis ("Beanie - 'cause she looks like a pinto, therefore a pinto bean). We sure like how cute & sociable the minis are (most of them, anyway) and I see one or more in our future.
I'm falling asleep now so enough.
End of Entry
Thursday May 8, 2003
10:38pm - Planted 60 day lily bulbs around the pond. Meanwhile David was finishing construction on the chicken coop he started yesterday. All done now & looks great. Has waterer, feed trough, roost, nest boxes, and wood shaving flooring. The library book we're referencing is quite helpful. Tonight we called "the chicken guy" Ron, husband of the Tractor Supply cashier Jennifer, and we'll be seeing him Saturday to buy 4 young chickens @ $4 ea. He said they'll start laying in 6-7 weeks, and he also seemed willing to pass on any other chicken info we might need.
Saw buds/blossoms on the strawberries today. The pepper seedlings are doing well under their plastic pop covers. The potatoes have started to show some greenery, and a few sunflowers have sprouted.
Heavy rainstorm last night - 6 inches. Also saw lots of lightning flashes, incredibly frequent. Some thunder booms were quite close, and one especially loud crack - and - boom turns out to have severed a large tree limb from a tree in the north field, by the red shed. No smoldering evidence, but the limb was very healthy and didn't appear to have just fallen off. The excessive rain swelled the creek and it looks like a small river. The bridge to the west field caught a lot of debris, and the west field in general has large patches of standing water.
Yesterday I brushed Sam and one of the minis ("Beanie - 'cause she looks like a pinto, therefore a pinto bean). We sure like how cute & sociable the minis are (most of them, anyway) and I see one or more in our future.
I'm falling asleep now so enough.
End of Entry
Thursday, March 13, 2014
I'm Sorry, Flute
It's been a couple months since one of the male zebra finches died.(see previous post) Since then, even more changes in their little world.
The three remaining birds carried on, but I have waffled back and forth ever since over if we lost Andre II (Deuce) or Brut. I have been 100% sure that Deuce survived, because once the males started to sing again I thought it sounded familiar. Then, due to body size and the way the song seemed incomplete, I was positive that his boy Brut was still with us.
Yesterday I counted spots on the tails, and told David that Deuce was the survivor, because he had always had the most spots on the left side of his tail, and Brut the fewest. I was sure right up until I hear Corky saying toby-toby-toby, and while he sat still I counted HIS tail spots. Rats! Now I'm back to being unsure, not that it matters a whit.
In the meantime, the threesome didn't care who was whom, they just got along and and kept being sociable. Still no overt mating behavior, but it seemed like the two males were starting to be agitated with each other around the ever beautiful Flute, so I decided it was time for another female to join the group (and stir the gene pool in case things did get cozy...)
The new girl was brought home in February, and she was dubbed "Sparkling", nickname Sparkles (a name given earlier to one of the hatchlings before 'she' turned out to be a 'he'.) She rode home in her cage, looking supremely confident and keeping her feathers puffed. After a short while with her new family, she had another nickname: Miss Piggy. Wow, can she eat! Interesting how such a small bird with a such a tiny beak can appear to be wolfing down food as she stomps around in the seed bin.
Anyhoo, she was one of the gang within a few days. She and Flute had the expected female tiffs, the boys duked it out over their choice of mate, and they settled into two couples: Flute & Brut (?), and Sparkles & Corky. All was well for a short time, until one terrible Monday morning.
I came in to open up the blinds and change the bird water and found Flute on the bottom of the cage, not moving. She was alert, but laying down and not flying away. I noticed tiny white feathers on the left side of the cage, and immediately recognized that she had been attacked from the outside. One of our cats, *Bill or *Mango, had apparently gone in the craft room at night, caught Flute too near the cage wall, and done bad things.
I felt horrible because I had been leaving the door to the room open, naively thinking that since I hadn't seen cats near the birds they weren't interested, and everything had been fine as-is for over a year.
Poor, poor beautiful Flute. One of her pretty white wings was mostly gone, and one of her legs was badly damaged. She was so brave and strong though; she kept trying to work her good wing and stand up, but to no avail. With David's help I transferred her into the small cage we keep for transport. Because she was still alive and alert (when you'd think most small birds would have died from the shock) we gave her a slim chance of recovering, but at the very least she needed a place to rest peacefully.
David was off work that week, so he watched over her that Monday. He said she moved around a bit with her good leg and wing, ate a little and had apparently made it to the water dish.
The little trooper was still awake when I got home, and to clean her wound I used a water mister to rinse the area. Before bedtime, I held her cage up to the other birds, and she actually peeped out a greeting. Sadly, those would be her last sounds. She died overnight, and taught me a valuable, heartwrenching lesson about protecting tiny, innocent birds from their enemies.
Not only did I start shutting the door, we immediately began making plans for David to build an indoor aviary. Something that would give the birds freedom to fly and move around; keep them safe from cats and dogs; and make it easier for me to watch their antics.
I'm happy to report we brought our vision to life, but since I've been so long-winded in this post you'll have to wait for another to see the finished product and read about the details.
P.S. We did bring home another female to make sure both males were occupied, but more on her later when we're back on the happy side of things.
The three remaining birds carried on, but I have waffled back and forth ever since over if we lost Andre II (Deuce) or Brut. I have been 100% sure that Deuce survived, because once the males started to sing again I thought it sounded familiar. Then, due to body size and the way the song seemed incomplete, I was positive that his boy Brut was still with us.
Yesterday I counted spots on the tails, and told David that Deuce was the survivor, because he had always had the most spots on the left side of his tail, and Brut the fewest. I was sure right up until I hear Corky saying toby-toby-toby, and while he sat still I counted HIS tail spots. Rats! Now I'm back to being unsure, not that it matters a whit.
In the meantime, the threesome didn't care who was whom, they just got along and and kept being sociable. Still no overt mating behavior, but it seemed like the two males were starting to be agitated with each other around the ever beautiful Flute, so I decided it was time for another female to join the group (and stir the gene pool in case things did get cozy...)
The new girl was brought home in February, and she was dubbed "Sparkling", nickname Sparkles (a name given earlier to one of the hatchlings before 'she' turned out to be a 'he'.) She rode home in her cage, looking supremely confident and keeping her feathers puffed. After a short while with her new family, she had another nickname: Miss Piggy. Wow, can she eat! Interesting how such a small bird with a such a tiny beak can appear to be wolfing down food as she stomps around in the seed bin.
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| Sparkles |
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| Sparkles and Flute, having declared a short treuce |
I came in to open up the blinds and change the bird water and found Flute on the bottom of the cage, not moving. She was alert, but laying down and not flying away. I noticed tiny white feathers on the left side of the cage, and immediately recognized that she had been attacked from the outside. One of our cats, *Bill or *Mango, had apparently gone in the craft room at night, caught Flute too near the cage wall, and done bad things.
I felt horrible because I had been leaving the door to the room open, naively thinking that since I hadn't seen cats near the birds they weren't interested, and everything had been fine as-is for over a year.
Poor, poor beautiful Flute. One of her pretty white wings was mostly gone, and one of her legs was badly damaged. She was so brave and strong though; she kept trying to work her good wing and stand up, but to no avail. With David's help I transferred her into the small cage we keep for transport. Because she was still alive and alert (when you'd think most small birds would have died from the shock) we gave her a slim chance of recovering, but at the very least she needed a place to rest peacefully.
David was off work that week, so he watched over her that Monday. He said she moved around a bit with her good leg and wing, ate a little and had apparently made it to the water dish.
The little trooper was still awake when I got home, and to clean her wound I used a water mister to rinse the area. Before bedtime, I held her cage up to the other birds, and she actually peeped out a greeting. Sadly, those would be her last sounds. She died overnight, and taught me a valuable, heartwrenching lesson about protecting tiny, innocent birds from their enemies.
Not only did I start shutting the door, we immediately began making plans for David to build an indoor aviary. Something that would give the birds freedom to fly and move around; keep them safe from cats and dogs; and make it easier for me to watch their antics.
I'm happy to report we brought our vision to life, but since I've been so long-winded in this post you'll have to wait for another to see the finished product and read about the details.
P.S. We did bring home another female to make sure both males were occupied, but more on her later when we're back on the happy side of things.
*Bill: Our gray, one-eyed, deaf male cat. He hasn't made an appearance in the "Journal" section of this blog yet.
*Mango: Our reddish and white male cat; a rescued stray we adopted from the SPCA to be a barn cat, but immediately ran off for several months. More on him later.
Monday, March 10, 2014
5-6-03: Know Enough to Be Dangerous
Tuesday May 6, 2003
10:15 pm Well, well, I’ve got quite the nasty pattern going on here. Either falling asleep or getting distracted. It’s not like there’s nothing to write about.
Dad & Elsie are back in NC; her daughter & grandkids are still with them (I think they departed for Sweden today, though). We have chatted a couple times about their Florida trip, and I’m glad they had such a good time. Sounds like Destin area is being developed to the max. I wonder if there will be anything nice to visit much longer.
So, Saturday it rained, Sunday not, Monday it was supposed to so we went on errands, and of course the sun was out and skies dry… We bought supplies to make a chicken coop out of the small stall on the NE corner of the barn, with plans to make a chicken exit into a fenced area on the east side of the barn. We borrowed a book from the library to research ‘beginners’ at owning chickens, and we know enough to be dangerous now. Yesterday at Tractor Supply we asked the cashier if she knew where we could get egg layers, and she said her hubby must sell some of their 300+ chix because it takes too long to collect all the eggs! We just need to remember to call.
We’ve been busy today planting the trees that showed up in the mail on Saturday. Yesterday David picked up a load of leaf compost, and we used it to amend the clay soil in the tree holes. It’s just soil near the house that is bad, in most cases the compost is just a helper. Today was near 80*, but a breeze kept us cool. We can’t believe how tan we are here in May. Even with 70%+ humidity outside, the house seems to keep a comfortable temp, and downstairs it’s practically cold!
End of Entry
10:15 pm Well, well, I’ve got quite the nasty pattern going on here. Either falling asleep or getting distracted. It’s not like there’s nothing to write about.
Dad & Elsie are back in NC; her daughter & grandkids are still with them (I think they departed for Sweden today, though). We have chatted a couple times about their Florida trip, and I’m glad they had such a good time. Sounds like Destin area is being developed to the max. I wonder if there will be anything nice to visit much longer.
So, Saturday it rained, Sunday not, Monday it was supposed to so we went on errands, and of course the sun was out and skies dry… We bought supplies to make a chicken coop out of the small stall on the NE corner of the barn, with plans to make a chicken exit into a fenced area on the east side of the barn. We borrowed a book from the library to research ‘beginners’ at owning chickens, and we know enough to be dangerous now. Yesterday at Tractor Supply we asked the cashier if she knew where we could get egg layers, and she said her hubby must sell some of their 300+ chix because it takes too long to collect all the eggs! We just need to remember to call.
We’ve been busy today planting the trees that showed up in the mail on Saturday. Yesterday David picked up a load of leaf compost, and we used it to amend the clay soil in the tree holes. It’s just soil near the house that is bad, in most cases the compost is just a helper. Today was near 80*, but a breeze kept us cool. We can’t believe how tan we are here in May. Even with 70%+ humidity outside, the house seems to keep a comfortable temp, and downstairs it’s practically cold!
End of Entry
5-3-03: Derby Day
Friday May 2, 2003
Saturday May 3, 2003
Derby Day!
Fell asleep during Thursday’s entry, never got past the date Friday, so maybe more will come out of me today. Plenty is coming out of the sky—rain, that is. The local farmers are pretty happy. Neighbor [D] put two more mini horses in the field with Sam today. We’re wondering if he’s going
End of Entry
Saturday May 3, 2003
Derby Day!
Fell asleep during Thursday’s entry, never got past the date Friday, so maybe more will come out of me today. Plenty is coming out of the sky—rain, that is. The local farmers are pretty happy. Neighbor [D] put two more mini horses in the field with Sam today. We’re wondering if he’s going
End of Entry
5-1-03: Prehistoric Visitor
Thursday May 1, 2003
9:48pm Thunder & Lightning all around us—the power went out for @ 3 seconds awhile ago, and we’ve been having trouble with the satellite signal. Heard a giant boom right before the power outage. Temps still warm and rain fairly steady, hard at times. Finally, rain. You can practically hear the lawn applauding!
Until @ 6:00pm the day was warm & mostly sunny, with occasional wind (geez, I sound like the Weather Channel); actually ‘warm’ is not accurate. It was quite hot in the sun, and whenever the breeze stopped you could really feel the heat. I had to water all my newly planted stuff twice today because the earth was being baked.
My work energy was sporadic, but I did manage to plant (swap out) a couple trees, outline the front flower bed w/David, remove rocks & plastic from under a front tree, and take a few pictures. One picture subject was the trench David dug from the garage to the shed, with a split to the *greenhouse site. Super hot day, and he’s breaking ground in the hard-packed, gravel-covered driveway. He also tilled up more sod near the driveway and along the walkway to the front door, and finished edging the garden fence with posts along the bottom.
The menu called for dinner out tonight, so @ 6 we headed to the Mexican restaurant in Lexington (had a coupon). Not thrilled (e.g. burrito vs. enchilada) but willing to go back to try something not on the “combo” menu. The other excitement of the day was Tessa & Vince getting nose-to-nose with the snapping turtle, who had ventured out of the water and was heading down the western slope. I came to see what they were barking at & sniffing, and when we saw the turtle David & I put the dogs inside and let the turtle hustle back into the pond. He is so prehistoric.
Yesterday started out interesting, as we had a 9:00am meeting with Joe & Linda of 'Chamber/Uptown of *Galion' to discuss new *business potential. Discussed an office supply store opportunity, and walked the streets to view properties ‘for rent’. There is much more research and number crunching to do, but it’s all sounding fairly
End of Entry
9:48pm Thunder & Lightning all around us—the power went out for @ 3 seconds awhile ago, and we’ve been having trouble with the satellite signal. Heard a giant boom right before the power outage. Temps still warm and rain fairly steady, hard at times. Finally, rain. You can practically hear the lawn applauding!
Until @ 6:00pm the day was warm & mostly sunny, with occasional wind (geez, I sound like the Weather Channel); actually ‘warm’ is not accurate. It was quite hot in the sun, and whenever the breeze stopped you could really feel the heat. I had to water all my newly planted stuff twice today because the earth was being baked.
My work energy was sporadic, but I did manage to plant (swap out) a couple trees, outline the front flower bed w/David, remove rocks & plastic from under a front tree, and take a few pictures. One picture subject was the trench David dug from the garage to the shed, with a split to the *greenhouse site. Super hot day, and he’s breaking ground in the hard-packed, gravel-covered driveway. He also tilled up more sod near the driveway and along the walkway to the front door, and finished edging the garden fence with posts along the bottom.
The menu called for dinner out tonight, so @ 6 we headed to the Mexican restaurant in Lexington (had a coupon). Not thrilled (e.g. burrito vs. enchilada) but willing to go back to try something not on the “combo” menu. The other excitement of the day was Tessa & Vince getting nose-to-nose with the snapping turtle, who had ventured out of the water and was heading down the western slope. I came to see what they were barking at & sniffing, and when we saw the turtle David & I put the dogs inside and let the turtle hustle back into the pond. He is so prehistoric.
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| 'T' stands for 'Tessa' and 'Turtle' and 'Trouble' |
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| He can't catch a break from the paparazzi. |
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| "...and this is how I beat the hare." |
Yesterday started out interesting, as we had a 9:00am meeting with Joe & Linda of 'Chamber/Uptown of *Galion' to discuss new *business potential. Discussed an office supply store opportunity, and walked the streets to view properties ‘for rent’. There is much more research and number crunching to do, but it’s all sounding fairly
*greenhouse site: David was planning to build me a greenhouse between the garden and large outbuilding.
*Galion: The town to our west. Ironically, Galion was a town my dad had experience with back in the day, and when we first talked about moving to Ohio, he jokingly warned us to "stay away from Galion". His words were very wise, in hindsight...
*business potential: After so many months of freedom from employment, and coming off the successful sale of our previous business, we had made the decision to be self-employed again instead of look for routine jobs.
End of Entry
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