The Skunk

One warm morning, I was running around doing some chores before I headed to my job in town. The kids were already dressed and outside playing. One was out front swinging and the younger was out back playing in her sand "box".

I was wandering around looking for the silly guineas to put out corn where they would find it. They were out by the garden. I shake the feed scoop filled with corn and they start running towards me. Past the younger child the sand box. I start counting to make sure they are all accounted for. 1-2-3-4-5 that is almost right. Let's try this again 1-2-3-4-5. Huh. It should be 4. The fifth one is black with a white stripe and a bit furry. Then it registers! SKUNK! I scream for, lunge and grab my child, holler at the dog, who is nose to nose with the skunk, and scream for the other child to get in the house.

I race for the trusty firearm, race to the other end of the house for the ammo. Race back through the house and burst through the back door. I'm so rattled that I can't keep a good aim on the smelly creature. I take a breath and pull the trigger. Nothing. Really? I actually cock the gun and then take aim again. I pepper his back end. He scurries back to his hideout....sigh...

A couple of observations. (1) My guineas are not the smartest birds on the farm...this is the second time danger has slithered right by them and they stare obliviously at it. A month ago, a 4 foot bull snake slithers by and they just stare at it. Seriously? I thought you were supposed to attack the thing? And now with the skunk, they don't start their alert squawking until after I shoot. (2) I need caffeine to make sure I am awake enough to actually kill the varmint who wander through my yard.

No pictures of the half-dead skunk, but one of his "house"

 And just because summer has arrived and my garden is loving it, a photo of my spaghetti squash! This has nothing to do with the skunk...unless it decides to climb into my garden and eat it. Then we have a problem!

Happy Summer! Stay cool and away from crazy animals!

Clean Collars

I have this problem. Well, actually, I don't have it. My husband does. He works outside and on many days he works with large animals. He comes home looking and smelling like a large animal! And let's just say, he has his own laundry basket!

For many months now he has been complaining that his shirts have not been coming clean. Sorry. The old washing machine was purchased long before I knew you even existed and I'm probably more intimate with it than you. Wait. That did not come out exactly how I planned it!  Bessie, the washing machine, is coming up on 20 years. She's reliable and for the most part does what is expected. He still complains.

So, with this complaint, I started looking for "easy" ways to get the beloved man's shirts clean. I found this on Pinterest a while ago and finally broke down and tried it the other day.

It is titled under "Remove Under Arm Stains"...Under arms. Neck. Same thing, right?

Here is the "Before" picture -

Gross! So, using 1 part Dawn Dish Soap, 2 parts Hydrogen Peroxide and a dash of Baking Soda, I poured a little on at a time and scrubbed like a crazy woman. Threw it in the wash with the rest of his stuff and let Old Bessie do her magic.

Voila'!

Not Bad! The only problem is that I have to go back and do the rest of the shirt! Rats!

Here's a shot of the ingredients. Pretty simple and I am impressed with the results.

 Happy Scrubbing!

Deer Deterent

I like seeing deer walk through my yard. I like watching them. I wonder what they hear when their heads pop up and look around. Are we really that loud inside the house that we 'startle' the deer? Probably, but that's a whole different story.

Sorry for the bad picture, but it was overcast, snow on the ground, raining and the deer was in the tree row.... Back to my original story, kind of.  I also like getting magazines in the mail. I really like certain magazines. I grew up with Southern Living. I absolutely LOVE the old Southern Living magazines. I still like the ones today, but the ones from when I was growing up absolutely thrill me. I use Southern Living for recipes, decorating ideas and just plain old dreaming.  Currently, one of my favorite magazines is Mother Earth News. I love the gardening, the recipes, the DIY stories and admire those who can survive on their homestead. (No, I have nowhere near this type of dedication and I love going to town!)

I have done a few things that I have read about in this magazine. One, that works, is a way to keep deer out of your garden and away from your trees.

Basically, what you do is string clear fishing line around your garden and or trees. I knew the deer would walk right over the knee-high fence surrounding my garden. I knew this because I have found them IN the garden and I have also seen their little and not so little hoof prints in the garden.  So, I took some posts we used for electric fencing on our old place and placed them around the garden. Then I strung the fishing line around the posts. I made it pretty taut so that the deer would feel some tension when they bump into it.

The idea is that the deer bump into the fishing line. They cannot see it. So, they go around. They will not jump over it because they do not know how high it is. It worked. The deer tracks in the garden disappeared immediately!

I also planted some fruit trees and placed the fishing line around these too. I know from past experience that deer LOVE fruit leaves in the following order...Apple, Cherry, Peach and then Pecan! My poor trees...

When I put the fishing line around these trees, I also strung a string about 18-24 inches off the ground. This will deter the fawns from getting too interested in the trees too.

About a month ago, a group of about 10 deer wandered from the tree row through the yard to the pasture. One of the last deer walked right up to a fruit tree. However, before he reached it, he walked into something unseen. No freaking out, bumped it a couple of times, until he was able to go around with no obstruction. IT WORKS!

Here is my sad little apple sapling with two of the posts and the two lines.

Happy Deer Watching!

Spring and Fruit Trees

Wow! Has it really been this long since I posted? It has. Like many of you, I have had too many things on my plate and writing has been pushed to the back burner.

It's early May and surprisingly, Spring chose to show up here in March! Last year we had two snowstorms in mid-April that left nearly 18" of snow on the ground and a chill in the air stuck around well into June. But this year has been remarkably warm!

What that does is make all of us who like to garden get the itch to put stuff in dirt. However, we know better. It's like a well, worn, war veteran who is regaling battle stories. Gardeners who have lost many a garden to a late freeze. It starts innocently enough. Usually you break down when you are in town and buy a flat of flowers and veggies on freakishly hot spring day. I mean, you broke out the capris and flip flops, painted your toes. So, yes, it "should" be warm enough to plant a few things. You rush home, plant them, water them and love them like your own children.  Then one morning you wake up, notice a slight chill in the house, your husband is putting on a jacket before he leaves and you rush to the thermometer and pray that it is well above that dreaded number of 32.  You can't bear the thought of going outside and looking at your 'babies'. The questions start "Why?", "Was it supposed to do that?", "WHEN are the weather forecasters going to get it right?"

When you do go out, it is heart-breaking. The wilting, the shriveled leaves, the look of defeat shown by each plant...

But, not so much this year. I have not bought much this year because in the back of my mind, I know it can still happen. But it so hard not to plant when it has been as warm as it has. But I have gotten to plant a few things. I bought some Vidalia Onions (I know, not truly Vidalia's unless grown in certain conditions with certain characteristics--But I'm a Georgia girl and was tickled to find them in the north central plains!). My husband built me a Potato Box that I found on Pinterest. We will see if it produces the amount of potatoes the web page claimed....If not, then it will become a new compost box!

And my favorite planting of the season? Fruit Trees! WOOHOO! I was so excited! Last year I purchased a peach tree and cherry tree on "clearance". Trust me, they were CHEAP! When the cherry tree leafed out, it was about 6" off the ground. Perfect height for the dreaded grasshoppers to eat. And they did. That little tree kept popping out leaves (only at 6" off the ground) and the grasshoppers kept having dessert. So, it quit trying. The replacement tree showed up a couple of weeks ago and I promptly put it in the ground and said a little prayer for leaves at the top of the tree. Then my three apple trees arrived! I about cried. These are great looking trees from Stark Brothers. I picked out a spot for these guys and they are firmly planted in the ground.

Each night after my run, I cool off walking through my "orchard". To my delight, every tree has little leaves popping out and even a couple of little blooms on the peach and cherry trees! I felt like I had won the lottery! And, of course, in the back of my mind, is that thought of "...is it going to frost tonight?"

We will see.  Happy Spring, everyone!

An Idea Gets Out Of Hand...

So, there's this flat valley several miles from here. Truly, in the heart of the Sandhills. There's lots of water, grass, cows (duh!) and eagles! I love eagles. They huge, beautiful, majestic birds. You don't realize just how big they are until you see one up close, by the road stalking a gopher mound (which I don't have a picture of because I forgot my camera that day....). Trust me, huge!

Each year, in this group of dead trees, the old nest is dismantled and a new one is constructed.  Most nests are big, wide, super-sized bowls. Lots of room to stretch out. This year, I'm not sure I understand the logic of the nest. Did it not start out well? Did she demand a 2-story condo? A separate nursery for the kids?

So I guess to avoid the complaining, moaning, whining about this year's nest, the mate spends his time cruising above the lake. Relishing the peace and quiet of a blustery winter day.

I love eagles.

My Husband Asked....

One day last week, my husband asked me to ride along with him while he fed the calves. He had already fed a couple of pastures, so the odds were fairly decent I would not be stuck in the pickup all day. It's nice to spend some time with him without all the chaos that ensues when the kids are around. We can talk uninterrupted and actually complete sentences that are not "in code"!

I must say, this feeding excursion went rather well. There were no sick calves that we had to rope and doctor, we did not get stuck in a snow drift, and no vehicles broke down and we had to walk....

I took a few pictures while we were out.

 Someone anxiously awaiting word that she can go round up the stragglers...(and, yes, there are dirty windows and mirrors...)

I'm still waiting...

 Are they all there?

I think he's kind of cute up there on his horse!

 Trying to open the door of the pickup...

 Still trying....

Little devil horns!

Weird Winter Weather

This winter has been weird, weather-wise. I 'know' the reason. At the end of the summer, I began praying for a LONG fall....and it seems I got it! We enjoyed nice, unseasonably warm and dry weather through November. We literally went from short-sleeves on the Nov 30th to wind, snow and freezing temps on Dec. 1st.

But wait! it warmed up again and then froze. Warmed up and froze. Like a recent Sunday, it was in the mid-to upper 60s. The following Monday night snow and the temperature dropped to -1 here at the house.

So, here it is the middle of the night. I'm awake because a dear child got up at midnight, woke me up on her way to the bathroom and I could not get back to sleep...So now I'm watching the thermometer hover around 0 again. The forecast for Sunday? 60.

I have begun praying for an early Spring!

 One of the fat robins 'wintering' in my trees...