I was doing some clean-up work in the garden today, and as I was pulling spent bean vines, (minding my own business, don't you know), and I saw what looked like a great big worm. I can be kind of slow, but eventually I figured out that it was a snake. A SNAKE! IN MY GARDEN! UNDER MY DADGUM BEAN VINES! RIGHT BESIDE MY HAND! And, if this weren't bad enough, he was leering at me! I tell you what, that snake had his nerve, invading my garden, eating my bugs, leering at me! What is this world coming to, when an innocent person, (who is minding their own business), can't go out into the lovely world that God has so generously created for us, without encountering bugs, rodents, and reptiles? I've had my share of these creatures all summer long; all I needed to complete the trio was to see a snake. I'm complete now; the snake I've seen. There he was, hiding under the bean vines, (which were HUGE, by the way), slithering along in a concrete block, looking for all manner of things to eat, and he looked at me like I had the nerve to mess up HIS day, by tearing down all of his lovely bean vines! What makes creatures think that they can just trespass on someone's property and lolly-gag around, doing whatever, without a care in the world, la-di-da? So, I'll tell you what I did; I grabbed me a big stick, crept up on him from behind, (although this was hard to do, because he kept squirming around), and got ready to WHOMP the tar out of him............. when I got to thinking........... wait a minute. Didn't I read somewhere that 1. the bees and butterflies pollinate the vegetables and flowers 2. the toads , bats, and the lizards eat all the creepies 3. and the snakes catch vermin!
Let's see, let me think about this a minute; (you remember I told you from the first that I was not the sharpest tool in the shed?) Hmmm, a snake in the garden might not be such a bad thing after all. Lets add up all the reasons why I should not whomp this bugger, right where he slithers. 1. He eats vermin. (well, he will someday, when he grows about two more feet; did I mention that he was only about twelve inches long? too little to make snake stew out of , sheepish grin............) 2. He actually wasn't leering at me after all; it's kind of hard to tell if a creature is leering at you when you can't see his eyeballs very well, because they are pin-pricks in the sunshine. 3. He was kinda cute; he was all curled up, ( it kinda looked like he was posing, really! ), and he was flicking his tongue at me, (you know that snakes use their tongues to check out the world around them, don't you?), and yes, I could swear that he was winking at me! (Ok, maybe he wasn't winking, snakes don't have eyelids, after all............. or do they?) 4. He wasn't lunging at me with intent on bodily harm; actually he looked kind of docile, come to think of it. 5. And, (drum roll please), he is already in the process of eating vermin! He's not big enough yet for mice and rats, but some day he will be, and in the meantime, he can cut his teeth on crickets and other such creepie-crawlies. And if something in my garden is willing to eat the creepie-crawlies, then have at it brother! All of that said, I just couldn't bring myself to whomp him, he was just too little and cute. Problem was, I didn't know if he was poisonous or not. I'm not a snake expert, and he couldn't talk to tell me whether I needed to worry or not, and I certainly didn't want my dear husband, (who is getting on up in years, and not able to swiftly get out of the way, poor thing!) , to get bitten by what might, or might not be a poisonous reptile. So............ I bravely, and with great trepidation, lunged at him, grabbed him by the tail, and whisked him with lightening speed into a soft-drink cup. Now, this is probably not the best thing in the world to keep a possibly poisonous reptile in, but out in the wilderness, you do what you have to do, to accomplish the task at hand; (protecting my aged, infirm, ...........well, you know.) I did manage to find some screen-wire and rubber bands to secure the top of the cup; (this wilderness was maybe not quite so void of SOME needed items, it seems.) Well, to make a long story short, we took Elmer, (the baby snake) up to my brother-in-laws house; and we were told that he was just a chicken snake, wouldn't hurt you, actually make good pets, and so forth and so on. We took him home to show JoAnna, and then let the poor little creature go forth back out into the wilderness, to do what snakes do. (Ok, ok, this is what really happened: I took him out to show him to JoAnna and Joe, and he took one look at freedom, and jumped right out of my hands, and took off like a streak of brown and tan lightening, vvvrrrroooooommmmm! ) Oh well, I've got vermin up here that need to be eaten too.................
Monday, November 3, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Connor, the Conure Parrot
Since I don't really have anything worthwhile to contribute to the world today, I thought that I would just let my thoughts go where they will, and see what happens.
First of all, I would like to talk about my pet parrot, Connor. ( Connor, the Conure parrot.) I got Connor about a month ago; I have always wanted a parrot. I wanted one that I could teach to talk, but two things influenced my decision to buy Connor. Main thing was the price. Conures are the small parrots, they don't usually talk, if they do, it is limited (according to the articles that I have read). I like to research everything before buying, and according to research, Conure parrots have a more out-going personality than their larger feathered friends. Large parrots are more prone to bite, although they are capable of an extensive vocabulary. So, the second main reason for getting a Conure was the fact of having a more social pet. I'm telling you what, I never knew a bird could have a personality like Connor does. He's just like a little person, I've read that they are like two-year-olds. He absolutely loves to be paid attention to; if you don't do it voluntarily, he will sit on the door of his cage, (we keep it open most of the time during the day), and he will either screech, whistle, or trill to get our attention. He's usually very vocal during the day, but when I cover his cage at night, somehow he figures that the screeching and yelling will not work, so it's the funniest thing to hear him try to sweet-talk us into uncovering his cage. He makes soft little chirrup noises, and any other little birdie noises to try to get our attention. In the morning, when I go to uncover him, he will hop onto the inside of the door and "ride" it as it comes down, he just can't wait to be held and talked to. If you don't pick him up right away, he will strreeeettcchhh toward you as hard as he can and try his best to "talk" you into picking him up. It amazes me how human he acts.
The previous owner told me when I clipped his toenails, that I'd be better off taking him to the vet and letting them do it, because he holds a grudge; but if I did it, I'd better hold him in a towel. So, tonight I decided that I really needed to cut the toenails, despite the hard feelings that may result, because he keeps getting hung up in Sarah's hair every time she lets him sit on top of her head. I actually had to break several hairs to get him disentangled from her hair last night. I decided that I'd better not put it off any longer. So, I get my little towel, and wrap him up, and try to do the job. Let me tell you folks, it's harder than you think that it might be to clip a parrot's toenails; especially when the parrot doesn't want you to. I never in my life heard such screeching as I did tonight. You'd have thought I was killing the poor little thing, it's a wonder the neighbors didn't call the police for parrot abuse, the way he was carrying on. I just thought he was loud before, it didn't even compare to the decimal level that I heard. That was one mad bird. But it was kind of funny to see him throw a fit like that, he just seemed so human! Parrots don't have but four toes on each foot; good thing it didn't take that long, poor thing would have probably had a heart attack or something, the way he was all worked up. Goofy bird! But, you know what? He didn't seem to hold a grudge; that was unexpected, but a welcome relief. I guess he was so glad that I turned him loose, that he wasn't worried about pay-back. Either that, or he knew that he needed his nails clipped, and he knew that this was the only way to get it done. Who knows how a bird thinks? Good grief, when I start thinking like a bird, then everyone can legitimately call me a bird brain!
I love to watch him eat sunflower seeds. He uses those toes like fingers. He'll hold the seed in his mouth, and crack it, and then will stand on one foot, and hold the seed in his other foot, and PEEL the little skin off the seed, (until this time , I never knew that sunflower kernels HAD little skins on them.) Then he will delicately nibble a little at a time until the kernel is gone. He looks so human when he does it, it's hilarious!
He LOVES to get into your hair, and stomp around. Then he'll start to groom. It's the funniest thing to watch; he'll take little individual strands and stretch them out in his mouth all the way to the length of the hair, (can you imagine him doing it to Sarah's hair? ) But his favorite head of all time to stomp around in, is knot-head Steven's. He gets so excited when he gets in Steven's hair; he stomps all around, and gets in a frenzy to get him all groomed before someone removes him. And poor little Steven looks kind of nervous with the bird tromping all around on his head; after all, Connor is not completely potty-trained yet. (Yes, Conure parrots can be potty-trained , interesting, huh?) But, all's well that ends well; so far Steven has not been "doodied" on, although I can't say the same for the rest of us!
First of all, I would like to talk about my pet parrot, Connor. ( Connor, the Conure parrot.) I got Connor about a month ago; I have always wanted a parrot. I wanted one that I could teach to talk, but two things influenced my decision to buy Connor. Main thing was the price. Conures are the small parrots, they don't usually talk, if they do, it is limited (according to the articles that I have read). I like to research everything before buying, and according to research, Conure parrots have a more out-going personality than their larger feathered friends. Large parrots are more prone to bite, although they are capable of an extensive vocabulary. So, the second main reason for getting a Conure was the fact of having a more social pet. I'm telling you what, I never knew a bird could have a personality like Connor does. He's just like a little person, I've read that they are like two-year-olds. He absolutely loves to be paid attention to; if you don't do it voluntarily, he will sit on the door of his cage, (we keep it open most of the time during the day), and he will either screech, whistle, or trill to get our attention. He's usually very vocal during the day, but when I cover his cage at night, somehow he figures that the screeching and yelling will not work, so it's the funniest thing to hear him try to sweet-talk us into uncovering his cage. He makes soft little chirrup noises, and any other little birdie noises to try to get our attention. In the morning, when I go to uncover him, he will hop onto the inside of the door and "ride" it as it comes down, he just can't wait to be held and talked to. If you don't pick him up right away, he will strreeeettcchhh toward you as hard as he can and try his best to "talk" you into picking him up. It amazes me how human he acts.
The previous owner told me when I clipped his toenails, that I'd be better off taking him to the vet and letting them do it, because he holds a grudge; but if I did it, I'd better hold him in a towel. So, tonight I decided that I really needed to cut the toenails, despite the hard feelings that may result, because he keeps getting hung up in Sarah's hair every time she lets him sit on top of her head. I actually had to break several hairs to get him disentangled from her hair last night. I decided that I'd better not put it off any longer. So, I get my little towel, and wrap him up, and try to do the job. Let me tell you folks, it's harder than you think that it might be to clip a parrot's toenails; especially when the parrot doesn't want you to. I never in my life heard such screeching as I did tonight. You'd have thought I was killing the poor little thing, it's a wonder the neighbors didn't call the police for parrot abuse, the way he was carrying on. I just thought he was loud before, it didn't even compare to the decimal level that I heard. That was one mad bird. But it was kind of funny to see him throw a fit like that, he just seemed so human! Parrots don't have but four toes on each foot; good thing it didn't take that long, poor thing would have probably had a heart attack or something, the way he was all worked up. Goofy bird! But, you know what? He didn't seem to hold a grudge; that was unexpected, but a welcome relief. I guess he was so glad that I turned him loose, that he wasn't worried about pay-back. Either that, or he knew that he needed his nails clipped, and he knew that this was the only way to get it done. Who knows how a bird thinks? Good grief, when I start thinking like a bird, then everyone can legitimately call me a bird brain!
I love to watch him eat sunflower seeds. He uses those toes like fingers. He'll hold the seed in his mouth, and crack it, and then will stand on one foot, and hold the seed in his other foot, and PEEL the little skin off the seed, (until this time , I never knew that sunflower kernels HAD little skins on them.) Then he will delicately nibble a little at a time until the kernel is gone. He looks so human when he does it, it's hilarious!
He LOVES to get into your hair, and stomp around. Then he'll start to groom. It's the funniest thing to watch; he'll take little individual strands and stretch them out in his mouth all the way to the length of the hair, (can you imagine him doing it to Sarah's hair? ) But his favorite head of all time to stomp around in, is knot-head Steven's. He gets so excited when he gets in Steven's hair; he stomps all around, and gets in a frenzy to get him all groomed before someone removes him. And poor little Steven looks kind of nervous with the bird tromping all around on his head; after all, Connor is not completely potty-trained yet. (Yes, Conure parrots can be potty-trained , interesting, huh?) But, all's well that ends well; so far Steven has not been "doodied" on, although I can't say the same for the rest of us!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
All Around The World In Just Three Hours
Ok, so maybe it wasn't all around the world; just all around St. Clair county. But what makes it fun, (did I just use the word "fun" for the set of circumstances that JoAnna and I experienced last night?) ; Ok, let's call it fun for the time being, I can always edit later, and I HAVE to call it something.
It all started with a good deed, which I am feeling real noble about, because, as you know, good deeds are fun to do when you can pat yourself on the back for sacrificing for someone else. But, wait a minute, the good deed was for my daughter, whom, as we all know, we sacrifice for from the minute they are born; nay, from BEFORE the time that they are born; so does this still count as a good deed since it was a sacrifice that I would have done anyway, since she is my daughter; or does it only count if it was done for someone of which I wouldn't normally have done it? Oh, lordy, I'm getting sidetracked, see what you have to look forward to as you age? (Where's my cane and glasses?)
Ok, so back to this good deed, (that I have decided DOES count as a good deed, because the bible says that if you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto Me, and since Amber was there and Jesus wasn't at the time, and Amber needed a good deed done, and Jesus said.................good grief , here I go again!!!!!!)
So, here's how the good deed thing works. When you are feeling bad, either physically or emotionally, (good deeds count for either in this case; see, I restrained myself, I'm not getting sidetracked again....), anyway, when you are feeling bad, (either physically or emotionally; oh wait, I've already covered that); then whichever is the strongest of you at that time, is the one to go out of their way for the other. Now, recently, Amber has been the stronger of the two of us; I had just gone through a bad several days, and Amber was there to lend support, (which is a miracle in itself, because she has been feeling really bad from being "with child", and has not been able to take care of herself and her family, much less be a support system for dear old Mom, but she stepped up to the plate admirably, and was there for me!! Yay, Amber, go girl!!!! Oh lord, here I go again!!!!) Dang, I keep this up, I'm gonna have to write this in installments.
Back to the subject at hand; now what was it? Oh yes, good deeds. As I have already established, I have been down, and Amber has been the support person. Now. Last night, the roles were reversed, and Amber was down, and I was the support person. I had Knot-heads 1 and 2 at my house, because grandchildren and grandparents get very cranky if not given an opportunity occasionally to eat junk food and watch cartoons and spend money on junk toys at Dollar General. But when it came time for the boys to go home, Amber and Frank both were wiped out; her from being "with child", and him from working, being an angel of mercy and all. So, since I was not as tired and worn out as they were, then I felt like I should volunteer to take the boys home, so their dear deserving parents could get some rest. Dang, I feel noble, where did I put my humble crown (encrusted with diamonds)? Oh good grief, Carole, get on with the story!!!
So the trip to the boys house went fine. We sped along the back country roads, singing with the cd in the player, looking out for deer, so we wouldn't hit one with the car accidentally. (Frankie and Steven were watching for the deer, because whoever rides shotgun is automatically appointed that job; and let me say what a fine job they did too, we did not hit one single deer on that ride home......thanks, boys!!)
Ok, so we made it to the boys house in one piece; no deer were harmed in the making of this story, me and Frankie sung Steven to sleep, and Amber and Frank got some more rest.
The real fun started when JoAnna and I left to go home. Now, it is a known fact, that I could not find my way out of a wet paper bag if my life depended on it; and here I am in the boonies, with no sense of direction; which is not really a problem, because I have driven that route many times, and knew how to get home. The problem started when I got the bright idea to stop by WalMart for groceries before heading home. After all, WalMart is just a couple of miles out of the way, I'm going in that general direction anyway, we DO need groceries, and if we stop at this particular WalMart it will be good, because everyone knows that the people in the little towns are ever so much friendlier than the ones in the big city, it's after ten p.m. so they won't be too crowded. So, I get directions from Amber, and off we go into the wild blue yonder; well, BLACK yonder, 'cause it was nighttime. I've been told by a higher authority that Amber is not the best judge of distance when it comes to giving directions, so I tried to allow for a little lee-way, when , what should have been approximately three miles seemed to stretch on and on and on, (and on).
I told JoAnna that this was the longest three miles that I had ever been on, and was wondering if someone had changed the linear footage of a mile and forgot to tell me, and so I finally decided to pull over and get out the good old GPS, and try to get back on track. I started looking for a place to pull over, and thought I never would because, after all, we are in the boonies, it's after ten p.m., and other than me, JoAnna, and the cows, I saw very few signs of life. After a little while, I came upon a wide place in the road, with a building, and LOTS of cars. Now, I'm not the brightest star in the galaxy, so when I started wondering what kind of business could possibly be thriving that late at night, it wasn't too hard to figure out "bar", especially when a huge sign by the side of the road proudly stated "Tha Bar". I kid you not, this is what the sign said. Tha Bar. (hehehe)
So I pull over into the parking lot, and was looking for a place to stop, and to the right of the car, a headlight came between two parked cars, and stopped literally 2/16th of an inch from the passenger-side window. I absolutely had a heart attack, I am not kidding. I'm driving along in the boonies, a weary traveler trying to find her way, and almost run down by a drunk dude on a motorcycle. Now, I couldn't for sure attest to the fact that this dude was drunk, but 1. He was in a bar's parking lot; surely he wasn't there for his health at that time of night, and 2. he drove between two parked cars and almost hit a car that was ten times bigger than his motorcycle; how in the world he managed not to see something that big, and how in the world he missed it are beyond me. Which leads me to assume that the dude had to have been drunk. And the bad thing about it is, if he HAD hit me, it probably wouldn't have done a whole lot to my jeep, but he would have been seriously hurt, and as an EMT, I would have had to save his stupid, drunk life. I've never been in a serious car accident, but, I'm telling you, this (almost) one like to have scared the living daylights out of me. And at the exact second that this near-miss happened, my cell phone started ringing, and progressively getting louder and louder, and I couldn't answer right away because I literally could not move from shock. So, the guy was not hurt because he didn't hit us, and the jeep was not touched, so I pulled over to compose myself, and try to get back on track.
Only to find out that the GPS was not in the car at all; I had taken it into the house a couple of days before, and forgotten to put it back into the jeep. So, not only am I lost, but I am still in the boonies, I have just had a heart attack, I have no idea where I am, how far off track I am, no idea how to get back to civilization, and a bad tire on the front of my jeep. I could just see myself having to call my husband to report a mutilation of my vehicle, and you're where?, and what are you doing THERE? , at this hour of the night. Embarrassing! So, I decided to try to turn around and go back the way I came and try to figure it out myself; so, about eight miles later, I came upon an intersection that looked familiar, and lo and behold, there was WalMart, lights shining in the distance. Now, I had told myself that I wasn't going to stop, I was already aggravated enough by that time, but I am a stubborn person, and I wasn't going to let this beat me; so off I go into WalMart's parking lot. The trip inside wasn't too bad; I bought my groceries, only having a little incident inside the store that was a little stressful, and loading up and starting for home.
Now, to re-cap, I am the one that cannot find my way out of a wet paper bag; I am still in the boonies, (friendly people in the country, but nevertheless, still in the boonies),I now have frozen food in the back that needs to be in the refrigerator, it's even later at night than it was an hour ago; I still have a bad tire on the front of my jeep; and I really still don't know where I am, and I am hoping that if I point the front of the jeep in a direction, that it will be the right direction. Well, folks, let me tell you, this strategy is not a good one. Take it from me, you really need to know where to point your jeep, because trusting that little blue devil to know the way home is sheer foolishness.
I saw a freeway sign just out of WalMart parking lot, but I thought that if I did that, then it would take me the long way around, and I had already had my nice little drive through the country tonight, thank you very much. Also, I didn't know if I was supposed to go north or south on the freeway, and I sure didn't want to wind up in Timbuctoo, so I didn't get on the freeway. So, I drove forever and ever, (this three miles was even longer than the last three miles), and the bad thing about it is, I even thought I recognized landmarks along the way. Now, let's see, did we pass St. Clair County Correctional Facility before? (and remember not to pick up any hitchhikers if I should happen to see any; oh never mind, that's another story). I started to get worried after about ten miles, so I figured that my only choice was to keep going, that if I turned around now, that it would take me just that much longer to get home; and there are no roadsigns or anything to tell me where I was. ( I didn't figure that the "Hay For Sale" sign would do me any good.) FINALLY, I saw a sign, and it said "Welcome To Ashville". Boy, when I make a mistake, I do a royal job, don't I? I couldn't explain if I had to, how in the world I got to Ashville from Springville. (But I saw a sign in Springville that said the EXXON had gas for $2.99 a gallon; we haven't seen it that cheap in a long time!)
Well, I figured that if I just drove along, that eventually I would come to a main intersection that I could use to try to figure out how to get home. I drove along for a while more, and saw some blinking lights in the distance, and it kind of puzzled me because they would appear and disappear. I thought that that was strange, until I got to the enormous tree that was lying across the road, hiding the police and fire apparatus on the other side of the tree. So, now I had no choice, I HAVE to turn around and go back the way I came. A good ten dad-gum miles, no less! RRRrrrrrr!! I literally cannot win for losing, but at this point, I'm thinking, this is totally ridiculous, it can't get any crazier than this, let's play this out and see what happens. So, I finally had to break down and call Steven, and answer all the questions that he seemed to think that I needed to answer before he could tell me how to get home; where are you, how did you manage to get THERE from HERE, what were you doing in that part of town, you did what?, and so forth and so on; only to hear him finally say, " I have no idea where you are, or how to tell you to get home". What do I keep a dang man around for if he can't help me in a time of crisis, I ask you? Had to go through the embarrassing question and answer session for nothing, 'cause I still didn't get any help. Good grief!
His final advice was to turn around, get back to the freeway, GO SOUTH, get off on the next exit, take a right, and you should know where you are. Which almost worked, it didn't take me exactly where I had been before, but before I had time to worry, I arrived at a place that I knew, the very place I had started from, two hours and forty miles earlier.
But, while I was there, I stopped and got gas for $2.99 a gallon. What a bargain!
It all started with a good deed, which I am feeling real noble about, because, as you know, good deeds are fun to do when you can pat yourself on the back for sacrificing for someone else. But, wait a minute, the good deed was for my daughter, whom, as we all know, we sacrifice for from the minute they are born; nay, from BEFORE the time that they are born; so does this still count as a good deed since it was a sacrifice that I would have done anyway, since she is my daughter; or does it only count if it was done for someone of which I wouldn't normally have done it? Oh, lordy, I'm getting sidetracked, see what you have to look forward to as you age? (Where's my cane and glasses?)
Ok, so back to this good deed, (that I have decided DOES count as a good deed, because the bible says that if you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto Me, and since Amber was there and Jesus wasn't at the time, and Amber needed a good deed done, and Jesus said.................good grief , here I go again!!!!!!)
So, here's how the good deed thing works. When you are feeling bad, either physically or emotionally, (good deeds count for either in this case; see, I restrained myself, I'm not getting sidetracked again....), anyway, when you are feeling bad, (either physically or emotionally; oh wait, I've already covered that); then whichever is the strongest of you at that time, is the one to go out of their way for the other. Now, recently, Amber has been the stronger of the two of us; I had just gone through a bad several days, and Amber was there to lend support, (which is a miracle in itself, because she has been feeling really bad from being "with child", and has not been able to take care of herself and her family, much less be a support system for dear old Mom, but she stepped up to the plate admirably, and was there for me!! Yay, Amber, go girl!!!! Oh lord, here I go again!!!!) Dang, I keep this up, I'm gonna have to write this in installments.
Back to the subject at hand; now what was it? Oh yes, good deeds. As I have already established, I have been down, and Amber has been the support person. Now. Last night, the roles were reversed, and Amber was down, and I was the support person. I had Knot-heads 1 and 2 at my house, because grandchildren and grandparents get very cranky if not given an opportunity occasionally to eat junk food and watch cartoons and spend money on junk toys at Dollar General. But when it came time for the boys to go home, Amber and Frank both were wiped out; her from being "with child", and him from working, being an angel of mercy and all. So, since I was not as tired and worn out as they were, then I felt like I should volunteer to take the boys home, so their dear deserving parents could get some rest. Dang, I feel noble, where did I put my humble crown (encrusted with diamonds)? Oh good grief, Carole, get on with the story!!!
So the trip to the boys house went fine. We sped along the back country roads, singing with the cd in the player, looking out for deer, so we wouldn't hit one with the car accidentally. (Frankie and Steven were watching for the deer, because whoever rides shotgun is automatically appointed that job; and let me say what a fine job they did too, we did not hit one single deer on that ride home......thanks, boys!!)
Ok, so we made it to the boys house in one piece; no deer were harmed in the making of this story, me and Frankie sung Steven to sleep, and Amber and Frank got some more rest.
The real fun started when JoAnna and I left to go home. Now, it is a known fact, that I could not find my way out of a wet paper bag if my life depended on it; and here I am in the boonies, with no sense of direction; which is not really a problem, because I have driven that route many times, and knew how to get home. The problem started when I got the bright idea to stop by WalMart for groceries before heading home. After all, WalMart is just a couple of miles out of the way, I'm going in that general direction anyway, we DO need groceries, and if we stop at this particular WalMart it will be good, because everyone knows that the people in the little towns are ever so much friendlier than the ones in the big city, it's after ten p.m. so they won't be too crowded. So, I get directions from Amber, and off we go into the wild blue yonder; well, BLACK yonder, 'cause it was nighttime. I've been told by a higher authority that Amber is not the best judge of distance when it comes to giving directions, so I tried to allow for a little lee-way, when , what should have been approximately three miles seemed to stretch on and on and on, (and on).
I told JoAnna that this was the longest three miles that I had ever been on, and was wondering if someone had changed the linear footage of a mile and forgot to tell me, and so I finally decided to pull over and get out the good old GPS, and try to get back on track. I started looking for a place to pull over, and thought I never would because, after all, we are in the boonies, it's after ten p.m., and other than me, JoAnna, and the cows, I saw very few signs of life. After a little while, I came upon a wide place in the road, with a building, and LOTS of cars. Now, I'm not the brightest star in the galaxy, so when I started wondering what kind of business could possibly be thriving that late at night, it wasn't too hard to figure out "bar", especially when a huge sign by the side of the road proudly stated "Tha Bar". I kid you not, this is what the sign said. Tha Bar. (hehehe)
So I pull over into the parking lot, and was looking for a place to stop, and to the right of the car, a headlight came between two parked cars, and stopped literally 2/16th of an inch from the passenger-side window. I absolutely had a heart attack, I am not kidding. I'm driving along in the boonies, a weary traveler trying to find her way, and almost run down by a drunk dude on a motorcycle. Now, I couldn't for sure attest to the fact that this dude was drunk, but 1. He was in a bar's parking lot; surely he wasn't there for his health at that time of night, and 2. he drove between two parked cars and almost hit a car that was ten times bigger than his motorcycle; how in the world he managed not to see something that big, and how in the world he missed it are beyond me. Which leads me to assume that the dude had to have been drunk. And the bad thing about it is, if he HAD hit me, it probably wouldn't have done a whole lot to my jeep, but he would have been seriously hurt, and as an EMT, I would have had to save his stupid, drunk life. I've never been in a serious car accident, but, I'm telling you, this (almost) one like to have scared the living daylights out of me. And at the exact second that this near-miss happened, my cell phone started ringing, and progressively getting louder and louder, and I couldn't answer right away because I literally could not move from shock. So, the guy was not hurt because he didn't hit us, and the jeep was not touched, so I pulled over to compose myself, and try to get back on track.
Only to find out that the GPS was not in the car at all; I had taken it into the house a couple of days before, and forgotten to put it back into the jeep. So, not only am I lost, but I am still in the boonies, I have just had a heart attack, I have no idea where I am, how far off track I am, no idea how to get back to civilization, and a bad tire on the front of my jeep. I could just see myself having to call my husband to report a mutilation of my vehicle, and you're where?, and what are you doing THERE? , at this hour of the night. Embarrassing! So, I decided to try to turn around and go back the way I came and try to figure it out myself; so, about eight miles later, I came upon an intersection that looked familiar, and lo and behold, there was WalMart, lights shining in the distance. Now, I had told myself that I wasn't going to stop, I was already aggravated enough by that time, but I am a stubborn person, and I wasn't going to let this beat me; so off I go into WalMart's parking lot. The trip inside wasn't too bad; I bought my groceries, only having a little incident inside the store that was a little stressful, and loading up and starting for home.
Now, to re-cap, I am the one that cannot find my way out of a wet paper bag; I am still in the boonies, (friendly people in the country, but nevertheless, still in the boonies),I now have frozen food in the back that needs to be in the refrigerator, it's even later at night than it was an hour ago; I still have a bad tire on the front of my jeep; and I really still don't know where I am, and I am hoping that if I point the front of the jeep in a direction, that it will be the right direction. Well, folks, let me tell you, this strategy is not a good one. Take it from me, you really need to know where to point your jeep, because trusting that little blue devil to know the way home is sheer foolishness.
I saw a freeway sign just out of WalMart parking lot, but I thought that if I did that, then it would take me the long way around, and I had already had my nice little drive through the country tonight, thank you very much. Also, I didn't know if I was supposed to go north or south on the freeway, and I sure didn't want to wind up in Timbuctoo, so I didn't get on the freeway. So, I drove forever and ever, (this three miles was even longer than the last three miles), and the bad thing about it is, I even thought I recognized landmarks along the way. Now, let's see, did we pass St. Clair County Correctional Facility before? (and remember not to pick up any hitchhikers if I should happen to see any; oh never mind, that's another story). I started to get worried after about ten miles, so I figured that my only choice was to keep going, that if I turned around now, that it would take me just that much longer to get home; and there are no roadsigns or anything to tell me where I was. ( I didn't figure that the "Hay For Sale" sign would do me any good.) FINALLY, I saw a sign, and it said "Welcome To Ashville". Boy, when I make a mistake, I do a royal job, don't I? I couldn't explain if I had to, how in the world I got to Ashville from Springville. (But I saw a sign in Springville that said the EXXON had gas for $2.99 a gallon; we haven't seen it that cheap in a long time!)
Well, I figured that if I just drove along, that eventually I would come to a main intersection that I could use to try to figure out how to get home. I drove along for a while more, and saw some blinking lights in the distance, and it kind of puzzled me because they would appear and disappear. I thought that that was strange, until I got to the enormous tree that was lying across the road, hiding the police and fire apparatus on the other side of the tree. So, now I had no choice, I HAVE to turn around and go back the way I came. A good ten dad-gum miles, no less! RRRrrrrrr!! I literally cannot win for losing, but at this point, I'm thinking, this is totally ridiculous, it can't get any crazier than this, let's play this out and see what happens. So, I finally had to break down and call Steven, and answer all the questions that he seemed to think that I needed to answer before he could tell me how to get home; where are you, how did you manage to get THERE from HERE, what were you doing in that part of town, you did what?, and so forth and so on; only to hear him finally say, " I have no idea where you are, or how to tell you to get home". What do I keep a dang man around for if he can't help me in a time of crisis, I ask you? Had to go through the embarrassing question and answer session for nothing, 'cause I still didn't get any help. Good grief!
His final advice was to turn around, get back to the freeway, GO SOUTH, get off on the next exit, take a right, and you should know where you are. Which almost worked, it didn't take me exactly where I had been before, but before I had time to worry, I arrived at a place that I knew, the very place I had started from, two hours and forty miles earlier.
But, while I was there, I stopped and got gas for $2.99 a gallon. What a bargain!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
It's All Out Of Hand! How Did This Happen?
Well, actually, I KNOW how it happened. It was just too hot to get out there and work in the garden. I don't feel too guilty. I got out there and just about worked myself to death for a lot of hours. Got a lot accomplished too. I think that between the heat, and having too much to handle, it just got the best of me. The problem this year was, we put in completely new beds; which meant that everything had to be done from the very start. Blocks had to be laid, dirt had to be hauled, mulch had to be done; and when you have a fairly decent-sized garden, then all these things are time-consuming and HARD WORK. And my husband keeps saying, " We're not spring chickens anymore!" I swear, I'm going to slug him if I hear that from his lips one more time! My body tells me this everyday, why does he feel that he has to rub it in, I'd just like to know? Anyway, the good thing about all the work that was done this year, is that a lot of it will not have to be repeated. Unless I decide to enlarge my garden, which I am seriously thinking about doing. I have come to the conclusion that farm equipment is a wonderful thing to own. Tractors, plows, wheelbarrows, riding lawnmowers, I get all mushy inside just thinking about all those things. Because, most of the work that was done this year, was done by hand, and if you don't have a whole lot of help getting it done, then any mechanical implement that can help me to get the job done, where the machine does all the work, is a wonderful thing in my opinion! My problem is, we have very-well-used equipment, and I get so frustrated when it won't start, or it quits in the middle of the job. I used a regular push-mower for most of the grass-cutting season, and then started having trouble out of it, couldn't keep it running. The grass would get so high, that it looked like we were trying to grow a crop of hay for our imaginary horses. It kinda made me want to go buy a couple of horses just to keep the stupid grass cut. When the lawn mower tears up, it doesn't get fixed right away, sometimes it takes as long as a month. And we all know that the grass is certainly not going to cooperate by not growing. Well, since I was trying to keep the grass down at my garden cut , (about 1 1/2 acres) , and the grass at home cut, ( almost 1 acre), with a push-mower, I talked hubby into buying a used riding mower off of the want-ads. Now, hubby didn't want to do this, after all, we have a perfectly good broken-down 15 y/o riding lawnmower that's been sitting in the yard with weeds grown all around it, ( because I have nothing to cut the grass with). But, he's going to get that one fixed some day, I'D BETTER NOT GIVE IT AWAY TO GET IT OUT OF MY YARD! And we also have the push-mower that won't stay cranked more than 30 seconds; he's going to get that one fixed too; so why do we need to buy a working riding lawnmower? Well, we bought it, ( the riding mower), and I got three grass-cuttings out of it before IT tore up. I tell you , sometimes I just want to cry. I don't know how I got stuck cutting the grass in the first place; JoAnna contracted the job last year, to make spending money, but this year, she would only cut grass when she wanted something, not once a week when the grass needed cutting. If she was only going to do it for the money when it suited her, that wasn't acceptable, so I took the job away , and started doing it myself. And when we got the riding mower ( the one that lasted three grass-cuttings), then she started wanting me to pay her to cut grass again. Now sometimes I can be pretty obtuse, but this time, I didn't fall for it. The nerve!
So, the grass is waist-high again; all three lawnmowers are broken, and I tell you, I get pretty depressed sometimes. The weed-eater doesn't work, and I have actually gotten out into the yard with a pair of grass-shears, and cut around the edges by hand. I really despair of ever having a decent-looking house and property. I am always so embarrassed when people come over. So, these problems and others, are why my garden and property got out of hand. The only thing that I know to do is to let it all die down in the winter, try to clear it all out, and try not to let it get out of hand next year. That, and pray that God send some working equipment my way! I am also going to check into lasagne gardening between now and next spring; I've been reading a little about that, and it's supposed to ease most of the digging that has to be done.
So, the grass is waist-high again; all three lawnmowers are broken, and I tell you, I get pretty depressed sometimes. The weed-eater doesn't work, and I have actually gotten out into the yard with a pair of grass-shears, and cut around the edges by hand. I really despair of ever having a decent-looking house and property. I am always so embarrassed when people come over. So, these problems and others, are why my garden and property got out of hand. The only thing that I know to do is to let it all die down in the winter, try to clear it all out, and try not to let it get out of hand next year. That, and pray that God send some working equipment my way! I am also going to check into lasagne gardening between now and next spring; I've been reading a little about that, and it's supposed to ease most of the digging that has to be done.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
All Is Well, We Are Not Alone
Are there times when you feel all alone? Like maybe at two or three in the morning when it seems that everyone but you is asleep? How do you feel, knowing that you are the only one awake at your house? Do you feel sad that you are all alone, or do you feel joy that all is quiet for once? Do you use this time for meditation and prayer, or use it for doing something that you have wanted to do for a long time, and just never found the right time to begin?
I have been using this time to think deep thoughts; of course, most of what I think of seems to BE deep thoughts. I've been told that this is a sign of a sensitive and creative mind. And I don't seem to have a whole lot of trouble thinking of things to think about. I don't know if that's my AADD (adult attention deficit disorder), or just my creative mind just keeping busy; who cares, at least I'M seldom bored by my thoughts. And I don't have to worry about boring anyone with what I'm thinking about, because no one knows what I'm thinking besides me. I feel the power! Oh, but wait! There is one who knows the thoughts, and that is God. He says in His Word, "I will never leave you nor forsake you", and that is very comforting indeed, but even more-so when it is in the middle of the night, and you feel all alone. I don't know why, but I feel panicky when I am alone. Now, I am not panicky right now, because even though I am the only one awake, I know that all of my family is here (the ones who live here), and I know that if I need them , all that I have to do is to wake them up. (Hey, this could have possibilities..................all the times the kids got me up in the middle of the night????? heh, heh!)
Do you have family nearby? Are you all alone? If you are the only one in your house, and you feel deserted, then remember that if you are a Christian, then God has promised in His Word, that He will never leave you nor forsake you. God bless, my friends, let us all be there for one another.
I have been using this time to think deep thoughts; of course, most of what I think of seems to BE deep thoughts. I've been told that this is a sign of a sensitive and creative mind. And I don't seem to have a whole lot of trouble thinking of things to think about. I don't know if that's my AADD (adult attention deficit disorder), or just my creative mind just keeping busy; who cares, at least I'M seldom bored by my thoughts. And I don't have to worry about boring anyone with what I'm thinking about, because no one knows what I'm thinking besides me. I feel the power! Oh, but wait! There is one who knows the thoughts, and that is God. He says in His Word, "I will never leave you nor forsake you", and that is very comforting indeed, but even more-so when it is in the middle of the night, and you feel all alone. I don't know why, but I feel panicky when I am alone. Now, I am not panicky right now, because even though I am the only one awake, I know that all of my family is here (the ones who live here), and I know that if I need them , all that I have to do is to wake them up. (Hey, this could have possibilities..................all the times the kids got me up in the middle of the night????? heh, heh!)
Do you have family nearby? Are you all alone? If you are the only one in your house, and you feel deserted, then remember that if you are a Christian, then God has promised in His Word, that He will never leave you nor forsake you. God bless, my friends, let us all be there for one another.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Fall Prevention For Spring Garden Problems
When it comes to lawn and garden problems, prevention is the best cure. Fall affords gardeners a great opportunity to set the tone for next year's growing season by way of soil preparation and cleanup. By putting in just a little bit of extra effort this fall, you spare yourself a whole lot less work and worry next spring.
1. Clean Up And Cut Back
Fall is the best time to clean up dead and decaying plant debris, and it's also a good time to cut back spent foliage. Decomposing plant debris can provide a safe haven for overwintering insect pests and disease , and removing it reduces the likelihood of having to deal with problems next year. Having a neat and tidy garden going into winter also means less time spent on cleanup in the spring, and makes it easier for tender shoots to push their way through the soil. In the coldest zones it's often better to leave spent foliage until spring. It offers plants extra winter protection by attracting and trapping insulation snow.
2. Ward Off Weed Seeds
Weeds really go to town releasing their seeds in the fall. If you can, pull them up, clip them off at ground level, or collect the seeds by hand (or with a cordless handvac) before they have a chance to scatter. The same is true for any desirable self-seeders that have run a bit wild this season. Now is the time to regain control. Whatever you do, don't toss the seeds on top of the compost pile. There may not be enough heat left to kill them off by next spring. Toss them in the trash instead and be done with them for good. If you have a large area infested by weeds, smother them over winter with a sheet of black plastic secured with rocks or stakes. If you cover them now, you'll have a clean slate to start with in the spring.
3. Test Your Soil And Top Off Your Beds
Fall is a great time to test your garden's soil, because once you get the results, you will still have plenty of time to add amendments before the really cold weather settles in. Once you've added your amendments, top off all of your vegetable and flower beds with three to four inches of compost. There's no need to work it into the soil; winter rain and snow will leach the organic nutrients into the soil, giving your plants a great head start next season.
4. Water Everything Well
One of the most common mistakes gardeners make is not irrigating properly in the fall. Frozen soil limits moisture availability, which can create a drought situation that damages ( or even kills) plants during the winter. Give perennials and trees a good weekly soaking in the final weeks leading up to freezing weather. In colder zones where the ground freezes several inches deep, top plants with a heavy layer of organic mulch ( four to eight inches deep depending on average snow cover) for some added protection. This will help prevent frost heaving and conserve moisture.
I found this article on the internet; it says perfectly what I wanted to say about putting your garden to bed for the winter. I still plan to plant a few more things before cold weather sets in; I'm just waiting for the heat to ease up a bit, so it will be a few weeks before I get my garden ready for winter.
I make it a habit to clean up all garden debris after the gardening season is over; spent plants, weeds, etc. When the green stuff is dead, it is much easier to clear away, plus it makes it much easier in the spring to begin to work the ground. Also, it's not nearly as hot, and hardly any mosquitoes at all! These are just some things to think about; to let you know what makes gardening easier, to prevent disease and insect problems next spring. Happy gardening.
1. Clean Up And Cut Back
Fall is the best time to clean up dead and decaying plant debris, and it's also a good time to cut back spent foliage. Decomposing plant debris can provide a safe haven for overwintering insect pests and disease , and removing it reduces the likelihood of having to deal with problems next year. Having a neat and tidy garden going into winter also means less time spent on cleanup in the spring, and makes it easier for tender shoots to push their way through the soil. In the coldest zones it's often better to leave spent foliage until spring. It offers plants extra winter protection by attracting and trapping insulation snow.
2. Ward Off Weed Seeds
Weeds really go to town releasing their seeds in the fall. If you can, pull them up, clip them off at ground level, or collect the seeds by hand (or with a cordless handvac) before they have a chance to scatter. The same is true for any desirable self-seeders that have run a bit wild this season. Now is the time to regain control. Whatever you do, don't toss the seeds on top of the compost pile. There may not be enough heat left to kill them off by next spring. Toss them in the trash instead and be done with them for good. If you have a large area infested by weeds, smother them over winter with a sheet of black plastic secured with rocks or stakes. If you cover them now, you'll have a clean slate to start with in the spring.
3. Test Your Soil And Top Off Your Beds
Fall is a great time to test your garden's soil, because once you get the results, you will still have plenty of time to add amendments before the really cold weather settles in. Once you've added your amendments, top off all of your vegetable and flower beds with three to four inches of compost. There's no need to work it into the soil; winter rain and snow will leach the organic nutrients into the soil, giving your plants a great head start next season.
4. Water Everything Well
One of the most common mistakes gardeners make is not irrigating properly in the fall. Frozen soil limits moisture availability, which can create a drought situation that damages ( or even kills) plants during the winter. Give perennials and trees a good weekly soaking in the final weeks leading up to freezing weather. In colder zones where the ground freezes several inches deep, top plants with a heavy layer of organic mulch ( four to eight inches deep depending on average snow cover) for some added protection. This will help prevent frost heaving and conserve moisture.
I found this article on the internet; it says perfectly what I wanted to say about putting your garden to bed for the winter. I still plan to plant a few more things before cold weather sets in; I'm just waiting for the heat to ease up a bit, so it will be a few weeks before I get my garden ready for winter.
I make it a habit to clean up all garden debris after the gardening season is over; spent plants, weeds, etc. When the green stuff is dead, it is much easier to clear away, plus it makes it much easier in the spring to begin to work the ground. Also, it's not nearly as hot, and hardly any mosquitoes at all! These are just some things to think about; to let you know what makes gardening easier, to prevent disease and insect problems next spring. Happy gardening.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
The Dog Days Of August
It must be that time of year- the time when you are all pooped out on the garden chores. In the spring, there's something inside you that makes you want to get outside and do anything at all. Cut grass, clear weeds, plant flowers, clean up winter's debris, paint the porch, wash the car, whatever, as long as it includes being outside. I tell myself that very possibly this is a spring-time occurrence only, but I really don't believe that this is the case. I still feel that urge to get outside and beautify my little corner of God's green earth, but I just can't take the heat anymore. I've tried to do it at night, but, for one thing, it's not much cooler, and, another thing is, I'm scared of critters. Isn't that crazy? I've never really been afraid of snakes, or insects, or anything that would do me harm, but ever since I found that wretched black widow spider, I've been afraid to turn over rocks, do heavy weeding, go in brushy areas, woods. Good grief! I hate letting something like that keep me from doing what I need ( and enjoy) doing. That doesn't mean that I will never do these activities again, it just means that I will be very, very, cautious. ( BTW- I was looking on the internet to try to find the ever-elusive mosquito repellent recipe, and I found out that Listerine mouthwash sprayed all around your yard, porch, or any other place that you would want to repel those wretched beasts, works very well. I have personally tried this remedy, and was very pleased to find good results. It won't last forever, of course, but is a very good short-time remedy.It works as a general bug killer as well, it can be sprayed directly onto the bug, and at least stuns them enough so that you can kill them with the fly swatter. I tried it on my skin as a repellent as well, it worked, but left a very sticky residue; highly unappealing, but I sweat so much when I am outside working, that it might actually be worth the sticky feeling. It doesn't smell too awfully medicine(y) , and it is fairly inexpensive. And I figured that if you could put it in the inside of your mouth, then it couldn't be that bad to spray onto your skin. Oh, and I tried rubbing olive oil all over my skin; according to Captain Compost of Al., this works great for him. Didn't work for me, though. JoAnna thought I was nuts, but she's getting used to seeing me use strange and unusual kitchen lotions and potions to try to get some relief from these horrible creatures. )
So, back to the yard chores; I see so many things that are just begging to be done, but it is so hot, that, even if I convince myself to go out there and get busy, the heat gets me before I make a good dent in any project that I happen to start. A friend drove by the other morning about six a.m. when I was in the front yard, and asked if it wasn't just a little too early in the morning to be raking up lawn clippings, and I asked him what better time there was to do it? It was as cool as it was going to get. I thought it made perfect sense, but I had to question the wisdom of that when the hornets got after me. Man, oh man! do them boogers ever hurt! Only one of them managed to get me, but bam! bam! bam! , he got me three times in very quick succession! Yee-oowww! So, that's another reason that I am afraid of critters. I have not been afraid of insects too much in the past, but just this summer, I have gotten bitten by a tick, (first time ever), stung by the hornet, and bitten by all manner of biting insects. My things that I have been particularly abhorrent of have been spiders, and ticks; now I am actually afraid of them. But I'll be doggoned if I am going to let these wretched beasts cripple me, I've got enough phobias as it is, without going out and collecting more. So, there!, you wretched beasts, Carole ain't gonna give up, it's all-out war!
Hey, something else I've found out on the internet: In researching natural weed killers, 90% of people on all the gardening forums that I looked on agreed that vinegar, ( household vinegar is 5%, horticultural vinegar is 10 - 20% strength) , used alone, or in combination with regular household salt is a great weed killer. There is some debate about the salt, it is supposed to work very well with the vinegar, but is supposed to be bad for the environment in large quantities. It is not supposed to break down easily, staying around for years. Vinegar works, used alone, but the vinegar and salt mixture is supposed to be the absolute best remedy around. I haven't tried it yet, ( still too hot for me to be outside for any length of time), but I do know someone who used regular household vinegar, and had very good results. If one application doesn't kill the weeds, then another application should take care of the problem. I'm not sure where horticultural vinegar can be found, the web-sites all say that garden centers will carry it, but either they don't carry it in our area, or I am not looking in the right place. I'll keep looking, however, and post it if I am able to find it. It has been said that boiling water poured over weeds will kill them as well, but either my weeds are way too big, or I didn't use enough boiling water, because the weeds didn't die.
Well, that's my two-cents worth, ( for what it's worth, he he he!) Happy Gardening.
So, back to the yard chores; I see so many things that are just begging to be done, but it is so hot, that, even if I convince myself to go out there and get busy, the heat gets me before I make a good dent in any project that I happen to start. A friend drove by the other morning about six a.m. when I was in the front yard, and asked if it wasn't just a little too early in the morning to be raking up lawn clippings, and I asked him what better time there was to do it? It was as cool as it was going to get. I thought it made perfect sense, but I had to question the wisdom of that when the hornets got after me. Man, oh man! do them boogers ever hurt! Only one of them managed to get me, but bam! bam! bam! , he got me three times in very quick succession! Yee-oowww! So, that's another reason that I am afraid of critters. I have not been afraid of insects too much in the past, but just this summer, I have gotten bitten by a tick, (first time ever), stung by the hornet, and bitten by all manner of biting insects. My things that I have been particularly abhorrent of have been spiders, and ticks; now I am actually afraid of them. But I'll be doggoned if I am going to let these wretched beasts cripple me, I've got enough phobias as it is, without going out and collecting more. So, there!, you wretched beasts, Carole ain't gonna give up, it's all-out war!
Hey, something else I've found out on the internet: In researching natural weed killers, 90% of people on all the gardening forums that I looked on agreed that vinegar, ( household vinegar is 5%, horticultural vinegar is 10 - 20% strength) , used alone, or in combination with regular household salt is a great weed killer. There is some debate about the salt, it is supposed to work very well with the vinegar, but is supposed to be bad for the environment in large quantities. It is not supposed to break down easily, staying around for years. Vinegar works, used alone, but the vinegar and salt mixture is supposed to be the absolute best remedy around. I haven't tried it yet, ( still too hot for me to be outside for any length of time), but I do know someone who used regular household vinegar, and had very good results. If one application doesn't kill the weeds, then another application should take care of the problem. I'm not sure where horticultural vinegar can be found, the web-sites all say that garden centers will carry it, but either they don't carry it in our area, or I am not looking in the right place. I'll keep looking, however, and post it if I am able to find it. It has been said that boiling water poured over weeds will kill them as well, but either my weeds are way too big, or I didn't use enough boiling water, because the weeds didn't die.
Well, that's my two-cents worth, ( for what it's worth, he he he!) Happy Gardening.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
In The Rural Setting......
In the rural setting:
1. You get to share your space with a multitude of God's creatures- rodents, insects, deer, snakes.........good grief! where do all these critters come from? And the bad thing about it is, even if they are cute and fuzzy, most of the time they are destructive. The deer will eat anything, including the baby fruit trees that you paid $150.00 for, and paid your son-in-law $100.00 to plant for you. The rodents dig up your flower bulbs and eat them; the insects chomp down on your vegetable plants until there is nothing left but skeletons of what used to be; rabbits eat your vegetables as well; and good grief, what the worms and raccoons will do to your corn patch! It's enough to make you want to cry! ( or get mad; or get even; or declare WAR!) We bought three six-foot-high dog pens to encircle our garden with; this has worked pretty good about keeping the animals out. The deer don't like to jump inside an enclosed space; also, there is not a good landing-place inside the fence, because we have raised beds; two concrete blocks high.
Lizards, toads, and snakes, however, are very good to have around. Toads and lizards eat insects, and snakes eat mice. Also, ladybugs and praying mantis eat aphids! Yay! Bats are also wonderful to have around, they eat mosquitoes.
2. You might have a lot more lawn to cut when you live in the country, but you get lots more grass-clippings and leaves for your compost pile. I got out there today and cut grass, and then raked up all the clippings, and got LOTS of material for composting. I'll bet all the neighbors thought I was nuts; you can drive down the road, you can see the yards that have just been cut; that the grass has gotten so large that it has gone to seed. And when the grass is finally cut, there is huge clumps that have been spitten out by the lawn mower. ( I want to get my rake and go get all of that free mulch). Anyway, most everyone in MY neighborhood just leaves the grass where it falls........the yard is too big to do all that raking, don't you know. Me, though, I get out there and rake up all them precious greens, and dream of all that precious black that will eventually grow my next ford-hook lima beans. ( see previous post on composting).
3. You can have a bigger garden when you live in the country. The one I planted this year wasn't big enough. We put in three, 30-foot raised beds; we planted corn in the middle of two of them. The corn took up too much room, so when I plant again, I will put the corn in a separate area, (and hope they don't get ravaged too awfully bad by raccoons). I'm telling you what, though. That was some of the best ( and sweetest) corn that I have ever eaten. The ears didn't get as large as I thought they should be, but they made up for it in taste. ( We didn't plant the corn the way it is supposed to be planted; we planted just two rows. You are supposed to plant more than two rows, at least four or six, so that the corn can help pollinate each other. It doesn't matter how long the rows are, in other words, plant it in a square-shape instead of rectangle or row-shaped. ) That way, they have a better chance to help pollinate each other. I think my corn did not have enough corn around it to get good pollination; hence, the smaller ears. BTW, something interesting about corn; each of the silks goes to a kernel inside the corn husk. Each silk has to be pollinated to form a kernel of corn. If you have an ear of corn with bare spots on the cob, that means that the silks didn't get completely pollinated. Interesting, huh?
4. It is quieter out in the country. There are not as many people all around you; if you don't live in an apartment or in a trailer park, that is. I live in an area that has people all around; but we are currently building a house on 6.75 acres, which is where my garden is located. The place where I am now is very noisy; I can hear my closest neighbors talk when they are out in their yards. And unfortunately, I can hear their music as well. I had my garden up here until this year, and I would take my music outside to listen to while I was working, but it had to compete with the neighbors music as well. And the neighbors in the back are prone to have large gatherings. Frequently. And loudly. And, the language is not exactly g-rated. Goodness, I can't wait to move!
5. It is darker out in the country. And that is not always a good thing; especially when you are building a house, and people keep coming onto your property and stealing things. We put up a fence, and installed a gate ( with padlocks), and STILL they got in and stole my little tiller. My husband bought me a Little Mantis tiller, because I have back problems, and this tiller weighs less that 20 pounds. He paid $450.00 for that little tiller, and I had only had it for 2 years, and someone UNLOCKED the doggone gate and stole my tiller, ( along with an air compressor of my husband's) . It's too hot to stay there at night to guard the place; no electricity or plumbing yet. I sure mourn the loss of my tiller, though.
Well, there are lots more good things, and bad things about living in the country, but I'll have to ruminate on them later; most of the Locust Fork population is asleep but me, and I wouldn't want to rock the boat. Good night!
P.S. May God continually bless the man who invented the riding lawn mower!
1. You get to share your space with a multitude of God's creatures- rodents, insects, deer, snakes.........good grief! where do all these critters come from? And the bad thing about it is, even if they are cute and fuzzy, most of the time they are destructive. The deer will eat anything, including the baby fruit trees that you paid $150.00 for, and paid your son-in-law $100.00 to plant for you. The rodents dig up your flower bulbs and eat them; the insects chomp down on your vegetable plants until there is nothing left but skeletons of what used to be; rabbits eat your vegetables as well; and good grief, what the worms and raccoons will do to your corn patch! It's enough to make you want to cry! ( or get mad; or get even; or declare WAR!) We bought three six-foot-high dog pens to encircle our garden with; this has worked pretty good about keeping the animals out. The deer don't like to jump inside an enclosed space; also, there is not a good landing-place inside the fence, because we have raised beds; two concrete blocks high.
Lizards, toads, and snakes, however, are very good to have around. Toads and lizards eat insects, and snakes eat mice. Also, ladybugs and praying mantis eat aphids! Yay! Bats are also wonderful to have around, they eat mosquitoes.
2. You might have a lot more lawn to cut when you live in the country, but you get lots more grass-clippings and leaves for your compost pile. I got out there today and cut grass, and then raked up all the clippings, and got LOTS of material for composting. I'll bet all the neighbors thought I was nuts; you can drive down the road, you can see the yards that have just been cut; that the grass has gotten so large that it has gone to seed. And when the grass is finally cut, there is huge clumps that have been spitten out by the lawn mower. ( I want to get my rake and go get all of that free mulch). Anyway, most everyone in MY neighborhood just leaves the grass where it falls........the yard is too big to do all that raking, don't you know. Me, though, I get out there and rake up all them precious greens, and dream of all that precious black that will eventually grow my next ford-hook lima beans. ( see previous post on composting).
3. You can have a bigger garden when you live in the country. The one I planted this year wasn't big enough. We put in three, 30-foot raised beds; we planted corn in the middle of two of them. The corn took up too much room, so when I plant again, I will put the corn in a separate area, (and hope they don't get ravaged too awfully bad by raccoons). I'm telling you what, though. That was some of the best ( and sweetest) corn that I have ever eaten. The ears didn't get as large as I thought they should be, but they made up for it in taste. ( We didn't plant the corn the way it is supposed to be planted; we planted just two rows. You are supposed to plant more than two rows, at least four or six, so that the corn can help pollinate each other. It doesn't matter how long the rows are, in other words, plant it in a square-shape instead of rectangle or row-shaped. ) That way, they have a better chance to help pollinate each other. I think my corn did not have enough corn around it to get good pollination; hence, the smaller ears. BTW, something interesting about corn; each of the silks goes to a kernel inside the corn husk. Each silk has to be pollinated to form a kernel of corn. If you have an ear of corn with bare spots on the cob, that means that the silks didn't get completely pollinated. Interesting, huh?
4. It is quieter out in the country. There are not as many people all around you; if you don't live in an apartment or in a trailer park, that is. I live in an area that has people all around; but we are currently building a house on 6.75 acres, which is where my garden is located. The place where I am now is very noisy; I can hear my closest neighbors talk when they are out in their yards. And unfortunately, I can hear their music as well. I had my garden up here until this year, and I would take my music outside to listen to while I was working, but it had to compete with the neighbors music as well. And the neighbors in the back are prone to have large gatherings. Frequently. And loudly. And, the language is not exactly g-rated. Goodness, I can't wait to move!
5. It is darker out in the country. And that is not always a good thing; especially when you are building a house, and people keep coming onto your property and stealing things. We put up a fence, and installed a gate ( with padlocks), and STILL they got in and stole my little tiller. My husband bought me a Little Mantis tiller, because I have back problems, and this tiller weighs less that 20 pounds. He paid $450.00 for that little tiller, and I had only had it for 2 years, and someone UNLOCKED the doggone gate and stole my tiller, ( along with an air compressor of my husband's) . It's too hot to stay there at night to guard the place; no electricity or plumbing yet. I sure mourn the loss of my tiller, though.
Well, there are lots more good things, and bad things about living in the country, but I'll have to ruminate on them later; most of the Locust Fork population is asleep but me, and I wouldn't want to rock the boat. Good night!
P.S. May God continually bless the man who invented the riding lawn mower!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Subtle Signs Of Dedicated Composters
This is too funny! I've been guilty of a lot of these, but now I have lots more ideas!
1. You get very excited when your next-door neighbor gets a herd of cows.
2. You scavenge your friends trash cans when you visit, to get all the 'goodies' that they've thrown away.
3. When you see your neighbor raking leaves in the fall, you run over to ask if you can have them.
4. When visitors ask you if they can use your bathroom, you tell them your toilet is broken, and ask them to pee into a container, so that you can add all that 'natural nitrogen' to your compost pile.
5. When neighborhoods place all of their raked and bagged leaves out for the city to pick up, and you want to cry because you've run out of room in your car to bring all that you see home.
6. You can't see how to change lanes, because of all the bags of leaves in your car that you've picked up.
7. Your car still has tell-tale odors from last year's manure haul.
8. You bribe employees of the local coffee shops to save their spent grounds for you.
9. You barter home-grown vegetables for sacks of lawn and grass clippings.
10. When you give a compost-turning tool for a house-warming gift.
11. When you start talking to other people about 'greens' and 'browns'.
12. When co-workers look at you strange for taking home all the scrap paper from the trash can beside the copy machine.
13. When you ask your co-workers if you can have their banana peels and apple cores.
14. You offer to help clean a chicken coop in exchange for the bedding.
15. Weeding is now for the purpose of feeding your compost pile.
P.S. My bathroom is in good working order, so feel free to visit.
1. You get very excited when your next-door neighbor gets a herd of cows.
2. You scavenge your friends trash cans when you visit, to get all the 'goodies' that they've thrown away.
3. When you see your neighbor raking leaves in the fall, you run over to ask if you can have them.
4. When visitors ask you if they can use your bathroom, you tell them your toilet is broken, and ask them to pee into a container, so that you can add all that 'natural nitrogen' to your compost pile.
5. When neighborhoods place all of their raked and bagged leaves out for the city to pick up, and you want to cry because you've run out of room in your car to bring all that you see home.
6. You can't see how to change lanes, because of all the bags of leaves in your car that you've picked up.
7. Your car still has tell-tale odors from last year's manure haul.
8. You bribe employees of the local coffee shops to save their spent grounds for you.
9. You barter home-grown vegetables for sacks of lawn and grass clippings.
10. When you give a compost-turning tool for a house-warming gift.
11. When you start talking to other people about 'greens' and 'browns'.
12. When co-workers look at you strange for taking home all the scrap paper from the trash can beside the copy machine.
13. When you ask your co-workers if you can have their banana peels and apple cores.
14. You offer to help clean a chicken coop in exchange for the bedding.
15. Weeding is now for the purpose of feeding your compost pile.
P.S. My bathroom is in good working order, so feel free to visit.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Things To Do
Today, I am going to use this forum to give myself a pep talk.
All of my pink-eye-purple-hull peas have given up the ghost, and instead of pulling them up and re-planting, I let the heat intimidate me. Good grief! I'm telling you what, I just can't take the heat anymore. I go out into the garden with a wet rag around my neck, use the hose to wet various body parts, strategically place fans all around............. I feel like such a wimp. So, I have let this deter me from doing what I KNOW that I need to be doing.
Here are the things that need to be done; ( and this list is not only for me, but for others that may be first-time gardeners that may wonder what needs to be done next.......)
1. I need to pull all of the spent pea-vines, and throw on compost heap.
2. Need to turn compost heap. ( despite all of my good intentions, this heap has not been turned once this year. )
3. Need to pull all spent corn-stalks, compost the remains. ( Although, let me tell you what I did with some of the last ones that I pulled up. When I pulled them out of the ground, I tossed them into the middle of the rows that were growing , to help provide mulch, because the mulch that I had put into the middle was not thick enough, and weeds were beginning to get large. Worked pretty good!) In any event, it's still time to clean up the garden, so that I can get another crop in before winter.
4. Gonna have to scrape the mulch out of the way, and scrabble up the ground a bit, and throw some more seeds in, along with a little of that un-turned compost, and see if I can get some cool-weather crops growing; carrots, turnip greens, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, etc.
5. Need to use some of my wonderful fish emulsion to fertilize what is currently growing. BTW, have any of you folks ever used fish emulsion? I have discovered this wonderful stuff recently. I found it at Wal-Mart and Lowes; I had been reading about it in my garden books, and had no experience with using it, didn't know anyone that HAD used it, but in all of the books, it was supposed to be good stuff. (Organic). The problem with everything recommended in these books is, they all give the ingredients of the products, but they don't give brand names, and the sales people look at you like you're crazy when you go in and ask for IGR (insect growth regulator). It has been a dickens of a time trying to find most of the organic items that are recommended. Anyway, back to the fish emulsion, this is a liquid foliar fertilizer, that is mixed and sprayed directly onto the plants, leaves, stems, all of the plant parts. The first time I used it, I sprayed it onto some sad-looking pink-eye-purple-hull peas, and the next day when I went back to the garden, the difference in the appearance of the plants was very noticable. I'm not kidding, them boogers were standing up straighter, looked a lot greener, it was awesome! I like that fish emulsion! ( just a note: it is sold in the garden centers in the spring, once they sell all that they have ordered, they normally don't buy any more, because they don't want to have to put it on the clearance rack in August; note-to-self- buy fish emulsion when you start the garden season, if you wait until later, you probably won't be able to find any. I have sung its praises so much, and it is not available right now, so I have poured a little in quite a few little bottles, and passed it out. Fortunately, I bought extra, so I had some to share. ) Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, look at all the garden center's clearance racks right now; everything seasonal is being marked down, you can get lots of good buys! It's a great way to get some things that you have wanted but haven't had the extra money to buy. ( They say seeds are cheap, and they are, but when you have to buy everything that you absolutely HAVE to have, some things you just have to wait until later on.)
6. I really need to water the garden as well- this is a time-consuming job. It usually takes me about an hour and a half to water. ( Of course, this is a great job for kids to do, THEY don't seem to mind if the hose "just happens" to get them wet as well as the plants!)
7. There are some BIG weeds that have grown around the edges, that the landscape fabric didn't quite cover, ( there is one huge plant that grew in one of my raised beds in the tomato patch, it has little ball-shaped seed pods on it.......... my husband asked me what kind of vegatable was the one growing in the tomato patch. It was kind of embarrasing to tell him that it was a weed that had gone to seed,.....he he he!) Since my weed-eater is not working, I will have to get the grass-shears and shear the weeds by hand. I enjoy this kind of stuff, but it is so hot, that I get wet from head to toe from sweat, how I long to take my clothes off; couldn't do that to the neighbors, though. My, how I do ramble!
Well, just from seeing a partial list, I have revved myself up, ..........I think? In any event, revved up or not , guess I'd better get to it. More later........
All of my pink-eye-purple-hull peas have given up the ghost, and instead of pulling them up and re-planting, I let the heat intimidate me. Good grief! I'm telling you what, I just can't take the heat anymore. I go out into the garden with a wet rag around my neck, use the hose to wet various body parts, strategically place fans all around............. I feel like such a wimp. So, I have let this deter me from doing what I KNOW that I need to be doing.
Here are the things that need to be done; ( and this list is not only for me, but for others that may be first-time gardeners that may wonder what needs to be done next.......)
1. I need to pull all of the spent pea-vines, and throw on compost heap.
2. Need to turn compost heap. ( despite all of my good intentions, this heap has not been turned once this year. )
3. Need to pull all spent corn-stalks, compost the remains. ( Although, let me tell you what I did with some of the last ones that I pulled up. When I pulled them out of the ground, I tossed them into the middle of the rows that were growing , to help provide mulch, because the mulch that I had put into the middle was not thick enough, and weeds were beginning to get large. Worked pretty good!) In any event, it's still time to clean up the garden, so that I can get another crop in before winter.
4. Gonna have to scrape the mulch out of the way, and scrabble up the ground a bit, and throw some more seeds in, along with a little of that un-turned compost, and see if I can get some cool-weather crops growing; carrots, turnip greens, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, etc.
5. Need to use some of my wonderful fish emulsion to fertilize what is currently growing. BTW, have any of you folks ever used fish emulsion? I have discovered this wonderful stuff recently. I found it at Wal-Mart and Lowes; I had been reading about it in my garden books, and had no experience with using it, didn't know anyone that HAD used it, but in all of the books, it was supposed to be good stuff. (Organic). The problem with everything recommended in these books is, they all give the ingredients of the products, but they don't give brand names, and the sales people look at you like you're crazy when you go in and ask for IGR (insect growth regulator). It has been a dickens of a time trying to find most of the organic items that are recommended. Anyway, back to the fish emulsion, this is a liquid foliar fertilizer, that is mixed and sprayed directly onto the plants, leaves, stems, all of the plant parts. The first time I used it, I sprayed it onto some sad-looking pink-eye-purple-hull peas, and the next day when I went back to the garden, the difference in the appearance of the plants was very noticable. I'm not kidding, them boogers were standing up straighter, looked a lot greener, it was awesome! I like that fish emulsion! ( just a note: it is sold in the garden centers in the spring, once they sell all that they have ordered, they normally don't buy any more, because they don't want to have to put it on the clearance rack in August; note-to-self- buy fish emulsion when you start the garden season, if you wait until later, you probably won't be able to find any. I have sung its praises so much, and it is not available right now, so I have poured a little in quite a few little bottles, and passed it out. Fortunately, I bought extra, so I had some to share. ) Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, look at all the garden center's clearance racks right now; everything seasonal is being marked down, you can get lots of good buys! It's a great way to get some things that you have wanted but haven't had the extra money to buy. ( They say seeds are cheap, and they are, but when you have to buy everything that you absolutely HAVE to have, some things you just have to wait until later on.)
6. I really need to water the garden as well- this is a time-consuming job. It usually takes me about an hour and a half to water. ( Of course, this is a great job for kids to do, THEY don't seem to mind if the hose "just happens" to get them wet as well as the plants!)
7. There are some BIG weeds that have grown around the edges, that the landscape fabric didn't quite cover, ( there is one huge plant that grew in one of my raised beds in the tomato patch, it has little ball-shaped seed pods on it.......... my husband asked me what kind of vegatable was the one growing in the tomato patch. It was kind of embarrasing to tell him that it was a weed that had gone to seed,.....he he he!) Since my weed-eater is not working, I will have to get the grass-shears and shear the weeds by hand. I enjoy this kind of stuff, but it is so hot, that I get wet from head to toe from sweat, how I long to take my clothes off; couldn't do that to the neighbors, though. My, how I do ramble!
Well, just from seeing a partial list, I have revved myself up, ..........I think? In any event, revved up or not , guess I'd better get to it. More later........
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