Lazy Gardener's Little Town Farm

[Mini Horses]

I am overjoyed: My Elderberry is going to bloom. It has about 6 flower bracts on it. Just in time for the deer to browse on it, I'm sure!

Sadly, my goats took out a lovely stalk with about 20 brackets of berries! probably need to dig and move out of pasture....need to find a safe place to replant.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

This morning, I made 2 mini custard pies, and a bowl of custard. I used some of the custard mix, along with some of my DIY 8 grain waffle/pancake mix, packaged cornbread mix, ripe bananas to make banana/cranberry muffing. Now, to get one of those pies chilled down so I can take it to my dad at the Vet's Home for his 96th Birthday "Pie instead of cake". Just realized that I forgot to put the butter in the muffins! Oh well... you win some... you loose some!

 

[Lazy Gardener]

We had a "pre-destined" meeting today. Hubby and I were totally beat, exhausted, barely able to keep our eyes open. But, we decided to make a great last act of the day and go out with the truck to: pick up a couple barrels of mulch, then to the dollar store for some cardboard, then to the small "in town" store for milk and gas.
We pulled into the town compost facility for the mulch, just as a guy was unloading/dumping black trash bags from his trailer. He was dumping right where I'd gotten the stable litter last week. So, I told him, "You're selling exactly what I'm wanting to buy!" We struck up a conversation, and ended up talking for almost an hour. He NEEDED to talk. He has a little hobby/rescue farm with goats, horse, too many chickens and ducks. Retired Nam military, with a wife who would fit right in with this crowd! I told him that it was as much of a shame for him to load up his trailer and drag this stuff to the dump as it was for us to drive to the dump to pick it up! "So, why don't we save you the trip, and pick up the next load at your place?" He was more than agreeable, and will call me when he has the next load ready for pick up.

The chances of us being there to pick up mulch at the same time that he was dumping it... late afternoon, on a Thursday, when we were both totally exhausted... had to be a God thing.

BTW, that 10' tall pile of composting stuff was riddled with rats. I stood there and watched little eruptions here and there where the rats were kicking the debris out of their tunnels. YUCK!!!

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Gave my elderberry plants a chicken wire enclosure today. It's not pretty, but hopefully, it'll keep the deer from snacking on it.

 

[Britesea]

We had a "pre-destined" meeting today. Hubby and I were totally beat, exhausted, barely able to keep our eyes open. But, we decided to make a great last act of the day and go out with the truck to: pick up a couple barrels of mulch, then to the dollar store for some cardboard, then to the small "in town" store for milk and gas.

We pulled into the town compost facility for the mulch, just as a guy was unloading/dumping black trash bags from his trailer. He was dumping right where I'd gotten the stable litter last week. So, I told him, "You're selling exactly what I'm wanting to buy!" We struck up a conversation, and ended up talking for almost an hour. He NEEDED to talk. He has a little hobby/rescue farm with goats, horse, too many chickens and ducks. Retired Nam military, with a wife who would fit right in with this crowd! I told him that it was as much of a shame for him to load up his trailer and drag this stuff to the dump as it was for us to drive to the dump to pick it up! "So, why don't we save you the trip, and pick up the next load at your place?" He was more than agreeable, and will call me when he has the next load ready for pick up.

The chances of us being there to pick up mulch at the same time that he was dumping it... late afternoon, on a Thursday, when we were both totally exhausted... had to be a God thing.

BTW, that 10' tall pile of composting stuff was riddled with rats. I stood there and watched little eruptions here and there where the rats were kicking the debris out of their tunnels. YUCK!!!

The compost must not be heating up enough... good working compost ought to be too hot for rodent comfort...

 

[Britesea]

At nite quickly slip a plastic garbage bag over the hive tie it tight at the top. Come back after 3 nights and 2 days, dead wasp hive.

I don't know if it works on other hornets, but yellow jackets hate,hate,hate the smell of peppermint.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I am going to have to dig my spots for my elder berry trees, I dont know, how close together do ya think I can make them???

I don't think I'd put them any closer than 10'.

This copy from FB might bring you all a few giggles:
The Middle Wife'
by an Anonymous 2nd grade teacher
I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own second grade classroom a few years back.
When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it in to school and talk about it, they're welcome.
Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid,takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her sweater.
She holds up a snapshot of an infant. 'This is Luke, my baby brother, and I'm going to tell you about his birthday.'
'First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love, and then Dad put a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord.'
She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm trying not to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me. The kids are watching her in amazement.
'Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts going, 'Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh!' Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. 'She walked around the house for, like an hour, 'Oh, oh, oh!' (Now this kid is doing a hysterical duck walk and groaning.)
'My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn't have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my Mom to lie down in bed like this.' (Then Erica lies down with her back against the wall.)
'And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like psshhheew!' (This kid has her legs spread with her little hands miming water flowing away. It was too much!)'Then the middle wife starts saying 'push, push,' and 'breathe, breathe.
They started counting, but never even got past ten. Then, all of a sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff that they all said it was from Mom's play-center, so there must be a lot of toys inside there. When he got out, the middle wife spanked him for crawling up in there in the first place.'
Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat.
I'm sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then, when it's Show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case another 'Middle Wife' comes along.
Now you have two choices...laugh and close this page or pass this along to someone else to spread the laughs. I know what I did!!!
Live every day as if it is your LAST chance to make someone laugh.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Totally lazy day. misty rain off and on all day. I made a stir fry. From the garden: garlic, spinach, chard, carrots, and first tender zucchini. Plants are setting lots of female blossoms, so I'm picking the fingerling fruit while waiting for the male blossoms to arrive.

Ducks were out to enjoy the damp yard. Their chests were almost dragging on the ground b/c they found so many goodies to eat.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Crazy hot here today. Up to 90 @ 9:45 AM. I decided to let the ducks have the run of the yard b/c it's so beastly hot. Went out to close the garden gate, and not a quack to be heard. No idea where they've gone. But, surely they will be cooler hunkered down under some shrubbery than they will in their garden moat. We'll keep the AC running, and dash out now and then for a few chores. I need to do some watering. It's gonna be beastly hot through Thurs, then cooling on Fri. I've put off Dad's visit until Thurs.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Found this song this morning: