The Good Day All Thread

Pac, I don't think that is a bobcat. We have a resident bobcat in the field, and she doesn't look anything like that. The cat in your poplar tree looks like a large feral cat. Bobcats usually hunt from the ground--pouncing on their prey.

 

Those are lovely!

 

We went to Farmers' Market in Vancouver WA. I thought Rufus could use the adventure, and I wanted a fix of falafel.




It was too crowded and noisy for me. There are lots of folks who bring their doggies, and rufus likes to sniff them. Then a bulldog - type dog snarled and lunged at him, leaving both Rufus and me a bit traumatized. But I did get some falafel, and it was very tasty.

I dpn't know if that is a chili Quetzalcoatl or pterodactyl. It looks tasty. If it came swooping down at me from the skies, I would take cover as quickly as possible!

 

Daniel— lovely fotos. The people milling about, the stalls and that art work/childrens’ playing area. The pic that I liked the best was the one showing what was on offer. I do not think that I could have left the Market without a sack of those peaches.

 

@Daniel W - that looks like a fun day. With the exception of rude doggy behaviour that upset you and Rufus. Sorry to hear about that. The produce looks amazing. That is a lot of human beans though, isn't it. I hear you on that one.

Poor old Angus has decided that he is scared of thunder and lightening. We had a roller come though around 1 am, so some consoling and comforting was in order. Eventually I gave up trying to go back to bed and moved downstairs to one of the kids rooms, where Angus happily jumped up and cuddled in, snoring within seconds. Could be a plot..a devious snuggly one. I'm not sure hahaha

I'm roasting the smaller squash today to freeze. And the lint in my navel and I are busy contemplating if I should bring everyone inside for cool but consistant temperatures for curing, or if I leave them in the greenhouse with a little risk of cooler temps, but nice warmer days. I'm not sure about this one - but in two days the decision may be made for me with lows of -4 coming. That will be too cold for the cold frame greenhouse to keep the frost away.

 

Our hummingbirds have flown. The feeder will be left up for a while in case we have some stopping by, but really I don't expect any because those in farther north summering regions would probably be somewhere south of us by now. Starlings and quail have now formed some big flocks and are swooping over the pastures gorging themselves on grasshoppers. I counted the starlings and then estimated a group of them this morning when they perched on the fence. On a section of fence about 25 feet long there were at least 130. They also sit on the power lines and turn them black! Quite impressive! Three times in the past few years enough of them sat on the lines coming into the transformer on the power pole near our yard that they shorted out the service. We had to call the power company. It took a big truck with a man way up there in a bucket to replace something and get us back online. When birds short out a power line it is a once in a lifetime event.

Cattle on the other ranch next to us have small calves that were born in the last three or four weeks. They are black Angus, known for having low birth weight calves (easier on Mom) and a quick rate of growth from 85 pounds to 600 in about 6 months! Some of them might be coming closer to us soon to graze near our pasture. The rancher does pretty much the same rotation every year.

There is a small herd of antelope have been here for about 2 weeks now. Apparently they have found our pasture with its rolling hills to be a safe haven. In the evenings the youngsters run around and worry their parents.
listening to the coyotes at night… yelping sounds so close. …

 

Pac—keep your eye out for starling murmurations. It is the time of year for it.

 

The robins are happy for some morning drizzle today. We've had a few families stop in on their way to their winter home. I was lucky enough yesterday to see three having a bath on the shore of the creek ( no camera...drat!) We woke to THIS yesterday. The first dusting of snow on the mountain. There is an advisory for high altitude travel tonight, and we must take a back logging road through the mountains to the city very early tomorrow. Maybe the first snowy drive?? hee hee. Always exciting the first time.



We still have some smoke in the air, but the rain will help. The leaves are beginning to turn colour around the barn.


The memory garden has some nice fall colours in it's final hoorah. The sedum is beginning to open.




I am hopeful that my pea netting surround for the Haskaps will be enough to deter snacking from the deer and baby deer variety, and be light enough to not crush in the snow. In the spring I will be able to pound some posts and have a sturdier option. There's enough food around that the deer usually only grab the easy pickins.

 

The Memory Garden is so lovely to see. I don’t think that you show enough of it through the season.

Snow…burrrrrrrr. When do you have to put the spikey tyres on your vehicle?

 

Thank you Friend. I'll be more mindful of flower photos next season Spikies go on by the end of October ish, Early November? Depending on weather. It's painful to hear the studs wearing down on pavement before the snow and ice arrive. We run All Weather ten ply tires on the trucks year round, so it buys us a bit of time. It is law to have winters/all weathers on from October to April.

 

It was the same in Alaska.
You could get a hefty fine if you did not comply.

 

Yes - hefty fines here as well. Also, if you don't have the proper winter tires and have an accident, your insurance can be void. THAT is very scarey to me.

 

This has been a good day, other than being a worrisome day. We had three stray dogs in our front yard and we were worried about our hens and our cat who was outside at the time. Hens and cat are fine, but we need to get rid of the dogs.
About the good day part--husband went into town to get caulk at the hardware store, and stopped by the food pantry/thrift store to see how they were doing. There was an article in a newspaper about a mobile food distribution being discontinued, and the website of the pantry said they had fewer hours, and fewer days open. It was simply that the site hadn't been updated, and the mobile food distribution was a once a month show-up. Our local pantry is operating, distributing and open as usual. What a relief! There is so much need here.
So, I hope your day didn't include worry, but did result in a good day!

 

What a posting, Jane. It was a shake awake reading that. Sometimes we can become complacent and forget that there are still folks for whom enough food is not a given.
Tomorrow is FB day. Sadly I just saw on the news that is going to be hoseing with rain. What a shame.

 

That's a sad thing.

Here they stay all winter long. I had to take down my hummingbird feeders temporarily because the area (patio) was so taken over by honeybees collecting the sugar water, I couldn't cook there. It was a bit anxiety provoking to cook down some peach jam while being nibbled by dozens of honeybees. The hummingbirds couldn't gat the sugar water either.

Now the bees have dissipated. I'll wait a little longer, then put out the feeders again.

if those bees are in a commercial hive, I wonder if the honey will just taste like sugar?