And then the Critters found the straw bale garden.

Straw bale gardening was going great, until the critters showed up. Not sure what kind of critter but something ate the cucumber plants and one of the tomato plants. We have a lot of rabbits in the neighborhood. Would they stand on their hind legs to reach fresh greens???? Or would the wood duck that is nesting in the chimney in the old shed next door eat fresh greens??? The cucumbers were “cut” but the tomato was pulled out and then “cut”. Does anyone have any ideas on what the critter might have been? I was so bummed. Replanted the cucumbers this morning and we plant on getting another tomato plant when we get to the city. But still. It is aggravating. As you can see we put up some fence at an angle hoping it keeps whatever it is from reaching the plants. 

 Our radish are getting ready and M being a four year thought we should pulls some. We pulled 5. They were small but she didn’t care. She had never tried radish before, so she was excited to try one at lunch today. Needless to say, I don’t think she will be as anxious to pull the rest of them. She popped the little radish in her mouth and started chewing and then decided she didn’t like radish.  Said it was “too spicy”. But what a little trooper. She is always willing to try new things.

The ate off plant.

The radish on the edge of the flower garden

The harvest

The fun time, the  "washing".

Sure hope we have a garden to report on next week.
Rose

Shhh, our little secret-Straw bale gardening update.

Took these pictures yesterday for this week’s straw bale gardening update. But due to another grandchild’s graduation last night at 7, I didn’t have time to upload them. Thought maybe I would do that before bedtime, but this graduation had 361 graduates and the ceremony lasted till 8:30 and visiting over ice cream longer. We didn’t get back to our room till 10:30. That was the last one for this year. All we have let are the four parties this coming weekend. Let the fun begin. Back to the straw bale gardening. Tomatoes and Cucumbers are doing great. The green beans are coming up on the sparse side but I wonder if that is the bales or the fact that a four year old did the planting. Was going to plant some in the bare areas today but it is rainy, windy and cold. Only got to 53 today. The forecast for tomorrow is sunny and 70, so maybe I can get that done in the afternoon when M leaves for the day. Shhh, our little secret.

Carrots in a soda bottle.

On Friday, our little gal couldn’t stand it anymore. All she talked about was her carrots. We had planted carrots back a couple of months ago in a soda bottle. She had wanted to see if she had carrots for the last week. So on Friday morning I let her pull some. She was so excited. We had to have them for lunch with our pizza. They were pretty tiny but they were very tasty. What a fun experience for her. We planted radish on the edge of the flower garden, too. She checks them out each morning. And we pray for sunshine every noon before lunch for her carrots, radish and flowers. She will make a great farmer one day, just like her daddy.

Have a great Sunday,

Rose

Update to our Straw Bale Gardening

Last week the weather warmed up so hubby decided it was time to plant his garden. First he went out and dug holes in two of the bales with this very sharp knife. He sharpened it before he headed out to make sure it would work. The holed digging was a bit tough to do but sitting on a milk crate helped. No back breaking bending needed. Then he filled the holes with garden dirt. He and M planted two tomatoes, 3 cucumber plants and a whole bunch of beans. Little M wanted to plant more. She is destined to be a farmer like her daddy.  Of course, the weather didn’t stay warm. Saturday evening we had to cover the tomatoes and cucumbers. The temp got down to 33 on Sunday morning. And today? Today it is 99 degrees and very windy. I am afraid our straw bale garden is off to a rough start. It will be interesting to see how our garden grows. Stay tuned.

M planting green beans

tomato plant

tomato plant

Green Bean bale

Three cucumber plants

Just the beginning.

Spring is really here. The birds are all back from their winter vacation. And boy do they fight over the feeders. Ones of the same species can’t even share. Hubby thinks we should apply for a farm aid loan to help feed them all. We only buy black sunflower seeds at the local farm type store. The seeds come in bulk, making them a little cheaper. Right now there are seven Grosbeaks at the flat feeder. And boy, they don’t like each other. It is a bit cool out today and cloudy with a few sprinkles once in a while. Good excuse to bird Instead of yard work. Love spring. 

Orioles

Redheaded woodpecker

He got a mouthful to take back to the Mrs. who is probably sitting on the nest.





Grosbeaks




We have another busy weekend. First grandchild to graduate from college is this weekend. We, also, have three grandsons graduating from high school later this month. Plus our first wedding. A granddaughter is getting married the second weekend in June. Oh, and two grandkids' birthdays. We had a bridal shower last weekend. Have to get a lot done on week days, so we can play on weekends. And with 13 grandkids this is just the beginning.
Love it, Rose

Fire scares the heck out of me.

Watching the news on all the California fires makes one realize a little snow the last couple of days isn’t so bad. It is melting fast and we need the moisture. Fire, tho, scares me. I have a hard time even being around bonfires, especially when little ones are present.  You see when I was a teenager, I caught myself on fire. We had a very small kitchen in the house I grew up in. It wasn't  an eat-in kitchen, but we did have a two person little table to have coffee at or eat a bowl of cereal at. But mostly it was for counter space next to the stove. One wall, stove and table, one wall sink below a window and bit of cupboards and counter, one wall refrigerator and a very small bit of counter and the last wall a bit of blank wall and the door to the basement. Two people made it crowded.  Now that you have the kitchen layout you will understand why I was easy to catch myself on fire. I came home school to find Mom sick in bed. I was to start supper. I, also, had a rolling skating date that night. So being the multitasker even back then, I decided to polish my nails while watching the meat brown. I leaned against the table that sat right next to the stove and began to polish my nails. Oh, I had on one of my dad’s white shirts with the long tails, very popular in the late fifties, early sixties. As you probably have figured out by now, the darn shirt caught on fire. That wouldn’t have been so bad, except I forgot the drop and roll rule and went running through the house to my mom’s room. She immediately threw the blanket she had on around me. But the damaged had been done. Only thing I could wear for a few days was my nightgown. And I remember asking “Does this mean I can’t go skating tonight?” Dumb but I think I must have been in pain and shock. So that is why I hate being around open fire any kind and feel for anyone that has severe burns. End of story.

Year without summer????? Today makes a person wonder.

Winter is back. Wonder if this will be the year without summer. This is what awaited us this morning when we got up. It is May 2, isn’t it.

The temperature is staying steady at 33 so it is a slushy mess. Lots of schools close to us, some 15 miles down the road, have late starts. Still snowing there. Lots of farmers in the area started planting the last couple of days. Moisture is very welcome but not in the form of snow. When will spring/summer arrive?