Over-The-Fence Chat Thread 5-6 thru 5-12

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Hope you all had a great Saturday. We spent all afternoon out in the sun doing things around here. I gave 5 dog baths and 1 pony bath. Steve started taking down the outside woodstove parts for the summer.

We had a massive tree branch fall in the yard on Thursday evening, just 10 minutes after I was finished mowing that yard! No wind, no nothing. Man it was LOUD! I heard a cracking noise that just got louder and louder. I had just walked in the kitchen to soak the puppy food. It landed up against the house and covered the whole yard. It just barely grazed the electric wires. It's a very old Maple tree, a perfect massive tree. Now there is a huge hole on one side. We were so thankful we and everything was allright. Steve was just about to hop on the Donkey right in the yard when it started to crack! I took some pictures of it.

It's all cleaned up now, we have allot more firewood and the goats got ALLOT of branches. We need some rain now, it's a bit dry. What have you all been up to or going to do this week?

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@hotmail.com), May 06, 2001

Answers

We had a good week. Got some much needed rain and am very thankful. Garden is growing and the army worms are eating it up. Hope they move on soon before it is to late. Hope to dig some fresh potaotes this week. The rain has really made the wildflowers pretty. One of my milkcows is due soon so more chores before long. But it is nice to sit and milk as the sun rises the world seems at peace then. Have so many projects that I need to get done it seems overwhelming. Guess I will just do them one by one and hope for the best.Hope you folks that need rain get some this week. Have a good week! John

-- jd-tx (inkina@cctc.net), May 06, 2001.

Still stirrin' and addin' to the sourdough and Amish Frienship Bread starters here. Potatoes I planted last weekend now have little green leaves on some of 'em. (I have never seen a potato grow before so this is real exciting to me.) Also tomatoes I planted have sprouted as well. Real encouraging to me. Funny thing is, yesterday when I checken on the tomatoes there were only about 6 - 8 that had sprouted. I watered them and when I checked them this morning, there were about 18 that are up now! Amazing what a drink of water'll do! Weather here has been real nice. Rainy on some days, but after such a drought, we're glad to get it. Still haven't got around to ammendin' nor plantin' the little garden spot. Soil has been too wet to work lately. Little neighborhood boy, tore down the fence on one side of my garden spot so will have to have hubby put it back together for me. Not too much trouble with cats in there lately. Maybe 'cause the soil has been too wet? Best to all.......

-- Greenthumbelina (sck8107@aol.com), May 06, 2001.

It's been cold all week, not able to do much outside, except get some old corral rails cut up to use in the wood funace. Kids arrived mid-week, waiting on my maiden goat to kid now. Seedlings are taking over the house as are the 24 chicks in the spare bedroom. (No, not Ma Kettle...though she was a role model). Grass is coming up nice. I have one rabbit, Greyling, due to kindle this coming week. First time for both of us. Had a heck of a windstorm last night..came from the East and it shook the house. I don't like winds that strong, scares me. More neighbors are having fencing disputes..wasn't just me. I found out that a dog was poisoned over it, out of spite. She's a single lady too, and she is also looking for somewhere else to live now. I am too. I don't need all the grief that is in this neighborhood now. She and I are the two "poor" people in the development and don't have the fancy houses the rest of the neighborhood does. She's lived here 10 years, I've been here 2. We're also the only "homesteaders" in the development. She's looking to move to the famlily ranch and I'm just trying to find somewhere I can do a contract for deed. But, it's spring and the land is regenerating itself and I am thankful for all of it. It reminds me that change is constant and to just go with it. Life endures. Hope all of you are having good springs. Enjoy your life.

-- Deborah (bearwaoman@Yahoo.com), May 06, 2001.

we finally got about 3/4 inch of rain sure did help my garden. tomatos are coming up finally the corn and okra are doing good cukes are looking better so everthing is fine here. ok got a question is enyone fooling around with bio disel im going to try to get started this week. hope everone has a good week. Bob se.ks.

-- Bobco (bobco@hit.net), May 06, 2001.

we have been so busy this week,bought a new to us mower,mowed and mowed,then finished the chicken coop, cleaned out the barn,hung cabinets inthe barn, sheared a sheep,which was harder than we thought, put up pasture fencing, attended sons ballgame and mass, cleaned house,castrated and banded lambs tails,gee its wearing me out just recounting these things, and the list continues,have a great week, julie

-- julie (nelson3@bright.net), May 06, 2001.


Wow, just thinking about having tomatoes in the ground is exciting since that's a few weeks away for me! However, the peas and spinach are coming up nicely. I just harvested the rest of the parsnips and made a parsnip cake with goat cheese icing ..... yummy! Tomorrow I'll plant the carrots, beets, fava beans, and maybe the parsnips for next spring. I pickled eggs this evening and my husband said he'd like some pickled beets. I told him he was in luck, that I was planting them tomorrow! Have a good week!

-- Sheryl in ME (radams@sacoriver.net), May 06, 2001.

We had a wonderful week-end. Went to visit our daughter that lives 110 miles away. So good to have the whole family together again, even if for only a day. We have had rain for 3 days straight. Garden is looking great. Thankfully planted tomatoes and peppers just before the rain set in. While we were gone on Saturday, someone hit an electric pole and knocked power out for over 3 hours. I have 2 incubators going. One is due to hatch out in a week. The other was set last Tuesday. Does anyone know if the heat being off the eggs for 3 hours will kill the ducks and geese inside? I sure hope not. Also, what is a good natural way to get ticks to stay off the dogs? We have beagles that love to run rabbits, but they come in covered with ticks. It takes hours to get them all picked off. Thanks for any info that is offered. I hope everyone has a good week. Winona

-- Winona in MO (thompsonwin45@hotmail.com), May 07, 2001.

Hello Folks, It had been a good week for us too. We got a lot accomplished, especially in our gardens. Everything is up and we already have picked some onions, radishes, turnip greens, dill, and spinach! Been making wonderful salads. Lots of eggs from our "junkyard chickens" averaging 5 to 8 daily. Made quiche, cakes, boiled eggs, egg salad, souffle, omelets and anything else we could think of. Scrambled five dozen and put them in the freezer. Poured the footer for our cellar and built the forms to start slip forming the walls. Gathered all the natural stone we could find and piled it up near the cellar for the walls. Had two nice rainfalls here. One was 1/4 inch and the other was 3/4 inch. Brought all the green back to the forest and the lawn.....very pretty! Have not driven the pickup truck in a while because of gas prices. Truck gets only about 14 mpg. Use the Saturn most of the time now. Saturn gets almost 40 mpg! Gas prices are still rising, $1.73 per gallon today. Family is happy and healthy. Meli got a/c for Mother's Day gift. We installed it this week. She is in heaven after living last summer in our camper without it! Hope you all have good fortune and are prospering in all the areas of your lives too. Sincerely, Ernest

-- http://communities.msn.com/livingoffthelandintheozarks (espresso42@hotmail.com), May 07, 2001.

Boy oh Boy we got allot of rain! All day yesterday, on and off. Those storm fronts were marching across the sky one after the other! You know how it goes, outside, then run in, outside, then run in. It smells so good now, we're still sleeping with all the windows open, and listened to rain all night. We really needed it. I ate 2 strawberries yesterday! The plants are loaded and beautiful. It sounds like everyone's been busy working hard, maybe I'd better work harder!

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@hotmail.com), May 08, 2001.

Winona, I forgot to answer your questions! Yes, your eggs should be just fine, 3 hours isn't very long, no one opened them. Give your dogs garlic in their food. I use Happy Jack Kennel Dip also. It really makes the coats clean and soft. My dogs get dry in the summer, and this puts back the softness in their skin. It also keeps off the critters.

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@hotmail.com), May 08, 2001.


Funny how things work out. My neighbor sold his Bramvieh bull since he was getting more horned calves than he wanted. Then he bought a young bull (3/4 Angus - 1/4 Brahman). However, before he brought him home, the bull apparently stepped in a hole and is hobbling. About the same time one of my bulls (either Angus or Black Limousin) jumped the fence to get at a cow in heat in his herd. The bull seller let him back of out that deal, and he just bought my bull. Now I'm back in the market for a bull.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), May 08, 2001.

Great week here, also..Loved the spring storm we got the other night. We haven't succumbed to the AC yet either. I love sleeping with open windows and falling asleep to the night sounds. I am hoping to last as long as I can without the AC. The garden looks great. But then again the weeds haven't really taken hold yet. Picking about a quart of strawberries a day, lettuce,sugar snap peas and spring onion tops. Tomato plants are looking great as well as pole beans,turnips, broccoli,squashes, herbs and celery. I've never grown celery before but I found some plants at Target, so I'll give them a try. Lost my pepper plants with the last hard frost we had. Someone gave me irises last fall. Not having any flower beds prepared,I just stuck them in the garden. How colorful. Trying to do some spring cleaning this week. Overall a really good week.........Ria in Ky

-- Ria in Ky (MinMin45@aol.com), May 09, 2001.

Hi Ria,

My strawberries are loaded now, I'll have to pick them this morning. I was waiting for them to get good and red. It's soo beautiful and green, your garden sounds nice. I have to finish getting mine going as I did not know if we would still be here or not or on another farm, but it looks like we are staying here. That's ok, I love this place.

Hey Ken, do you have to fix the fence every time the bull does that? We sold our bull before we moved up here on the hill because I was afraid that was what he would do since he only had 2 cows of his own, and there were about 20 next door. However the neighbors bull is Simintal, and poor Abraham was a Jersey, so I think he might have come home awful quick! I would not like to go try to fetch a bull out of a bunch of attractive girl cows!

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@msn.com), May 10, 2001.


Rule is the one whose cattle broke the fence repairs it. What happened is he had just rebuilt the fence using railroad ties every twenty feet with a t-post inbetween. Put up five stands of new wire, but didn't put them up high enough. As soon as the bull could stick his nose over the fence, he knew he could go through. Put on another strand and put two strands of hot wire on my side. (I've had to raise my corral fences to 6'.)

Purchased another bull on Tuesday. Two year old Angus. However, he cost me more money and isn't half the bull as the other.

-- Ken S. WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), May 10, 2001.


Cindy, I had to tempt you with my strawberries knowing yours are but a day or two behind mine. I am in limbo every year with the garden. Should I plant or not, knowing that if I do, I will be here til it's finished. We have decided however that we will make a move "beyond the sidewalks" after the harvest is in. We are looking at probably August or September. We have a home business and we have simply out grown this place. Hubby is finally convinced that countrylife is for him. (Since he grewup in the city, that is a major feat!) He just loves all this fresh food. I keep telling him that I could teach him so much about good living, given the chance. He has finally agreed!! BTW, I went to your web page and I must tell you that you have a ***BEAUTIFUL*** place....WOW........Ria in Ky

-- Ria in Ky (MinMIn45@aol.com), May 10, 2001.


Hi: Sounds like everyone has been busy - as we have. Dennis found an old grainery to salvage. So, we worked on that 3 days last week - got some really good lumber; but the siding just has too many big nails in it to save much. We did get enough for me a new henhouse. We got 8 Leghorn pullets (just starting to lay) and a Leghorn rooster. Got a good deal on them because a local guy raises them from day-old to laying size and then sells them. I guess he has to raise extras in case some die, and I happened to be at the right place at the right time. I think our two gilts (Daisy and Star) are bred. The neighor's gilt is not being so cooperative; but we need to make sure they are bred before we sell the boar anyway. Anyone know how soon the gilts will come back in heat if they didn't take? Our 55 Cornish Rock cross broilers chicks are growing like weeds. It is funny to me how agressive they are - I smile and tell them, keep pecking me you little %@#$%$%^$ and you will be the first to go! I have spinach, english peas up. Set out a few tomatoes, tomatillos, celery today. The rhubarb will be ready to start picking next week. I got it from my wonderful neighbor Phyllis last year - She has had this rhubarb for over twenty years and she gave me about 20 strawberry plants last week from a bed that she has had for 26 years. I feel so lucky to get things "tried and true" to the area. She also gave me several periennial flowers. In return, we always take her pike when we come back from fishing and Dennis trimmed her plum tree for her the other day, etc. Well, hope everyone has a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. Cynthia

-- Cynthia in MN (farmsteader@gvtel.com), May 12, 2001.

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