The Good Day All Thread

Daniel— what do you do with Rufus’ hair? You could gather it up and ball it into a plastic net like for onion sets or suet ball nets…then hang it outside in a few weeks for birds to pick-at. They may use it for nest-building in the Spring. Our garden birds take my hair away when the Bride gives mr a haircut.

 

I’ve seen the birds sit on the backs of the horses and pluck hair for nesting. Found several nests intertwined with hair, feathers, moss, small twigs so tightly knitted together. Amazing little architects .

 

Good Tuesday morning all. Currently -15°C and snowing. I looked at the radar because it isn't supposed to be snowing today, and there was one little blob of snow showing, and it was directly above my block! What the heck?? Trusting it will stop shortly, and I can get back to clearing the way for my fuel delivery truck that is scheduled to come today. I am so beyond tired of dealing with snow!
Not much else planned for the day. I have a dentist appointment this afternoon but thats about it for today.
Have a great day all

 

Happy Tuesday. Netty passed to the snow torch to us, so we re quickly getting things organized for a trip to the landfill before it comes. We will be snuggled in for a few days after today.

I finished putting together Hubby's new incumbent bike this morning. The old one can got to the share shed today. This one is much quieter, comfortable and easier to access. After the trip to the landfill, it is time to make a triple batch of Angus' dog food. He loves to help with this endeavor. All is cooked and just needs to be put through the food processor, mixed and bagged.

I'm taking apart the Christmas cedar boughs and wreaths so that the cedar can got to the burn pile. The attachments will be stored for next year. Herman the Ermine was hiding under these on the porch, so he will miss his jazzy brush pile. It is time though. Herman and Angus played a bit of tag this morning, with Herman well in the lead. I don't have a photo of him, but this is what they look like.



Very cute but all teeth.

He is certainly taking care of my rodents. He nabbed another squirrel today, and I haven't had a mouse in the house all winter.

I had some popcorn two nights ago that didn't pop right, so I dumped it in the outside garbage can but neglected to put the lid on. Later, in the dark, Hubby could hear " crunch crunch crunch" coming from the corner of the porch. ( He didn't know about the popcorn). He shone a light in the can and there was Herman looking back at him with a gob full of popcorn. Herman did jump out, and Hubby secured the locking lid. For a little carnivore, he sure didn't mind hitting the Vegan buffet for a while.

 

Sjoerd, many years ago I read in the old magazine "Organic Gardening and Farming" that hair is a good compost additive due to nitrogen and sulfur content. They discussed going around to barber shops to collect hair for compost. I have never done that, but I do spread Rufus's hair on the soil surface and turn it over. I imagine the birds do collect some for their nests.

The hair mass is several pounds! He's like a sheep LOL.

Glad you have hair for the birds. Mine would make a very sparse nest

 

Good Wednesday morning all. Currently -21°C and clear. It sure is a cold one!
Yesterday was another busy day dealing with snow, and I did mange to get cleared out for the fuel truck, went to my dentist appointment and fixed a bunch of stuff around the house. Today I want to get caught up on my bookwork for the skating club, change the furnace filter, clean out the fridge before shopping day tomorrow, and again clear the snow off the greenhouse roof. Then tonight its off to the rink.
Have a great day all

 

Brrrr! We are having a north wind and low temps--17 degrees at 6:30 a.m. Cat is inside, hens have heat lamps on, husband is puttering around the house, and I'm plotting soup for lunch. I'm afraid I've become acclimated to Texas weather since 17 degrees felt almost balmy when we lived up north.
Nothing nearly as ambitious as Netty's list of activities for the day. I did get a new crossword puzzle book . . .

 

Daniel— that sounds like a good use as well.

 

Good Thursday morning all. Currently -16°C and overcast. Looks like the snow is staying away for another day, which is a good thing.
Its Thursday, and that means its errand and shopping day. I only have a couple of stops to make. I set the rabbit trap last night but caught nothing. My friend says I'm losing my touch, but I told him I'd get one tonight. They are still devouring my shrubs, and every time we get more snow they are able to reach a little bit higher up. I'll keep trying to trap them.
Have a great day all

 

@Netty those rabbits are carrying on like your garden is a free for all you can eat meal at the local salad bar. I’ve also sprayed and placed down pellets to repel rabbits it has worked well, deer too. Snow is problematic. In some cases they just tunnel thru the snow following the underground local map set up by their elders. I have a lot of luck with traps too. The dogs is key and the cats set up watch stations. General disturbance around the entire area , I use my big maintenance tractor to run around the pastures daily. It’s stuck in the barn at the moment-flat tire. Lots of noise and disturbance , run over the areas daily & pastures with the dogs seems to work the BEST of all other methods tried over the years. Not always congruent due to a lot of interference that’s outside my control. But if I don’t do anything it’s all over .

I cannot begin to list all the plants and shrubs I have lost to all types of critters. They are a nightmare. I spend more time doing critter eradication and evaluation than gardening. It’s so much more work we do not need. Trapping in my experience works the best for small ground critters and daily runs by the tractor works the best with larger animals-deer and elk. The whole maintenance around the area is important to keep the area clear of critters that attract coyotes and bobcats. Every animal is out to find a meal one way or another. Keeping the small critter population down is a safety concern.

Be careful out there it’s slippery and the weather is a bit unpredictable. At times I have been out in the pastures and it’s raining or snowing in the north pasture while dry in the south pasture. Keeping my eye on the clouds guides retreating back inside. Coping with so much more responsibilities now can be over whelming. Sending good vibes and many blessings your way.

 

@Netty - those deceitfully cute and destructive fur bearers. I wonder ( like you want to shovel more or have time on your hands )...what would happen if you dug out around the shrubs? Not much, but enough to keep the rabbits from reaching the new growth? ( add that to the LONG list of things you WANT to shovel ). You may have to protect the bark/trunk?? I guess it depends how much you love the shrubs vs how much you are tired of shoveling. I feel you on that one.

 

Good morning everyone, I keep forgetting about this thread!! Had a little read back.

We have a lot of rabbits in our area too but I must say they keep to themselves during the Winter months and don't really show themselves until Springtime. We are fortunate that they seem pretty content to stay mainly in the surrounding fields/ woods and rarely cause any issues on our land.

Had a bad day yesterday as my lower leg has been swelling up over the last 2 days and has got very painful, they suspected a blood clot so I spent yesterday afternoon in hospital. Thankfully it was not a clot just a very sudden build up of fluid......why I still don't really know. Lots of leg icing and elevating today is on the agenda. The hospital will also phone for an update.

Hubs is off to attend a hospital app. today ......what a pair we are!!!!!
He's having an assessment for his upcoming cataract opps.
It's turned very mild here...last week we were at 3C and today we reach 15C......only downside is the mild weather has brought wind and rain.

Hope everyone has a good day.

 

Leg swelling is extremely painful , my heart goes out to you. Maybe you could look into air compression sleeves for lower calve with light massage for calf pain and prevents blood clots. - available on Amazon. It slightly squeezes the calv gently . It’s a slight squeeze let go over and over to prevent fluid build up. I used it a lot after my surgeries and they really helped keep the swelling down. It made such a huge difference . Icing is a pain to do but so necessary. What did they say to do to treat the leg fluid build up. Water pills sometimes are prescribed .
And Cataract surgery is amazing. Lots of eye drops . Both my eyes were done now I see far away with one eye the other see up close. New lenses work wonders. Everything looks so clear too. No glasses needed . No gardening for DH for awhile for sure. I painted a mural while healing from that adventure. Kept me buzy and not bored. I hope you don’t think I am bossy it can sound that way, but just sharing what worked for me.
Sending healing blessings your way.

 

I don't think you sound bossy at all @Pacnorwest , and I greatly appreciate and value your thoughts and suggestions.
They have just said to elevate my leg more and ice up.
If it gets worse I'm to go back to them, they are phoning me later to get an update.

Yes it will be good for hubs to get his eyes done.....no worries about him not doing any gardening......he's definitely more a Summertime gardener!!

 

Good Thursday morning all. Currently -16°C and overcast with north winds. It feels really COLD out there today with that wind.
Rabbit trapping was a bust again this morning, darn it. I'll try the trap in another location tonight. I'm determined to get rid of all these buggers before the snow melts and there is more food accessible to them. I do not want a repeat of last garden season when I was finding baby rabbits everywhere.
Today I'm going to do some cleaning out in the garage. I've been looking for the dremel tool, as well as the heat gun, so hopefully I'm able to find them. SO much 'stuff' out there, Hubby sure was a secret collector. No rush, but it's going to take me years to sort the garage out.
Have a great day all