- Thread starter
- #171
Britesea
Sustainability Master
Thank you Fem, I am feeling better now. I must have picked up a virus somewhere.
We had snow just a little higher than where I live last night... it won't be long now. Yet another instance of unusual weather this year; normally, we don't get snow until the end of October. DH is talking more and more about building a greenhouse as it looks like that may be the only way we'll get any kind of warm weather crops. No problem with growing things like favas, peas, cabbages and kale; but every once in a while I want a tomato.
A colleague of my husband came from southern Alaska and she says that we wouldn't notice any appreciable difference in the weather- just that the winters are longer. Heh. She also told him that she had a couple of Mastiff/Great Dane X's that used to hang out where she worked (a Gold Mining tourist town) and many times, a tourist would ask her what breed of cattle they were (... and what major metropolitan area are YOU from, then?)... ah well, it all works out in the end. I used to think Bluetooth was a Viking, after all.
I've been renewing all my favorite spice mixtures for the pantry-- the onion soup mix, several rice flavoring mixes, taco seasoning and cajun seasoning mix. Now I'm nearly out of paprika and crushed red peppers again. And with all the canning jars I have now, I'm thinking of canning up some of the dry beans- just water and a bit of salt- to make fast meals.
I tried giving the ducks some fermented feed yesterday and again this morning. Yesterday they finished up everything in their trough (4 cups of dry feed, with water to cover) in an hour. It normally takes them until the middle of the afternoon to clean up that much dry feed. I think they liked it? So now I think I'll break it up into 2 feedings instead. I'm also getting regular installments of lettuce trimmings from the local mini mart, which allows me to let the kale bounce back from some rather heavy harvesting lately.
One of the ducks appears to have twisted wing. I don't think it's a lack of niacin, as I give them a couple of tablespoons of nutritional yeast every day. It's more likely the result of an injury (maybe falling off the ramp or something silly like that). It doesn't appear to be bothering her, and I think I would stress her out more by trying to catch her and bind it up. Does anyone know if this will right itself when she molts, or is it going to be a permanent disfigurement? I need to post a question in BYC I guess.
I've got a lot more deer in the yard now- probably they are just smart enough to know that they are safe from hunters if they hang out close to the houses. I hope they do ok this winter- they aren't as fat-looking as usual for this time of year. The weather is affecting their forage as well as our gardens.
DH wants to get a LGD now. Our current dog is getting older and slower, he would like to get a pup that she could teach before she gets too old. I'm not sure I want her teaching a pup; she's a lab/aussie cross, so her instincts are more along the line of a LHD, not a LGD. There's an ad in the paper for some Great Pyrenees pups right now, I figure I'll call and at least find out just how much they cost; but more than likely we can't afford them. Maybe a rescue would be the way to go, although you don't know what you're getting when you go that route; not every dog from an LGD line will do well with livestock.
We had snow just a little higher than where I live last night... it won't be long now. Yet another instance of unusual weather this year; normally, we don't get snow until the end of October. DH is talking more and more about building a greenhouse as it looks like that may be the only way we'll get any kind of warm weather crops. No problem with growing things like favas, peas, cabbages and kale; but every once in a while I want a tomato.
A colleague of my husband came from southern Alaska and she says that we wouldn't notice any appreciable difference in the weather- just that the winters are longer. Heh. She also told him that she had a couple of Mastiff/Great Dane X's that used to hang out where she worked (a Gold Mining tourist town) and many times, a tourist would ask her what breed of cattle they were (... and what major metropolitan area are YOU from, then?)... ah well, it all works out in the end. I used to think Bluetooth was a Viking, after all.
I've been renewing all my favorite spice mixtures for the pantry-- the onion soup mix, several rice flavoring mixes, taco seasoning and cajun seasoning mix. Now I'm nearly out of paprika and crushed red peppers again. And with all the canning jars I have now, I'm thinking of canning up some of the dry beans- just water and a bit of salt- to make fast meals.
I tried giving the ducks some fermented feed yesterday and again this morning. Yesterday they finished up everything in their trough (4 cups of dry feed, with water to cover) in an hour. It normally takes them until the middle of the afternoon to clean up that much dry feed. I think they liked it? So now I think I'll break it up into 2 feedings instead. I'm also getting regular installments of lettuce trimmings from the local mini mart, which allows me to let the kale bounce back from some rather heavy harvesting lately.
One of the ducks appears to have twisted wing. I don't think it's a lack of niacin, as I give them a couple of tablespoons of nutritional yeast every day. It's more likely the result of an injury (maybe falling off the ramp or something silly like that). It doesn't appear to be bothering her, and I think I would stress her out more by trying to catch her and bind it up. Does anyone know if this will right itself when she molts, or is it going to be a permanent disfigurement? I need to post a question in BYC I guess.
I've got a lot more deer in the yard now- probably they are just smart enough to know that they are safe from hunters if they hang out close to the houses. I hope they do ok this winter- they aren't as fat-looking as usual for this time of year. The weather is affecting their forage as well as our gardens.
DH wants to get a LGD now. Our current dog is getting older and slower, he would like to get a pup that she could teach before she gets too old. I'm not sure I want her teaching a pup; she's a lab/aussie cross, so her instincts are more along the line of a LHD, not a LGD. There's an ad in the paper for some Great Pyrenees pups right now, I figure I'll call and at least find out just how much they cost; but more than likely we can't afford them. Maybe a rescue would be the way to go, although you don't know what you're getting when you go that route; not every dog from an LGD line will do well with livestock.
I'm thinking to work in some more compost and maybe plant some cornsalad and claytonia, and I could probably still get a crop of radishes before the ground freezes. 
