This Crazy Life. Coyotes and more

I lost several hens last week that were accidentally free ranging. No tracks or bodies so I thought a hawk or possibly a bobcat since I seldom see tracks from them when the ground is dry. 

This morning I got 1.1” in about an hour. I had to go to work just as it started letting up. 

When I got home the gate to the hill pen was open and the birds were all out. There were several new feather explosions. And then I found this pair of tracks. Probably coyotes. At least one adult and one pup. At dark I rounded them all up and put them in a more secure pen. Several are injured across their backs.  Hopefully the coyotes will move on somewhere else. 

I’m working on fence as fast as I can but it’s slow going by myself. 

There was a pretty rainbow when I got to work tho. In other news there is still a mouse eating seedlings. My PC is having mouse issues also: the wireless mouse croaked and I can’t get the newer one to work. So I don’t know what the issue is. 

The broody’s bunch have been doing good until today when I found a chick a little sluggish and cold. I warmed it up and put it back but it was dead later. It might have had an internal issue or it might have gotten chilled with the rain this morning. I don’t know. Stuff happens. 

Been a long dry summer

I’ve neglected this page I see. A few highlights from a hot dry summer. This is a native fruit, holly leaf  barberry. They are sweet and a little tart when soft ripe, more tart if less ripe. They have little flesh and a lot of tiny little seeds but they are addictive once you start eating them. Maybe next year I’ll have time to pick more. I would love to juice them.  They ripen in June. 

There was a huge wild fire not that far away from me. 

I hatched some Black Copper Marans along with a few others. 

The wild life is driving me crazy. 

The sunflowers have done well. 

There was a nice crop of summer apples. 

I redid the steps to the hill pen. 

There have only been a few squash and peppers. 

The 3 years old peach (from seed!) had 4 huge peaches. They were cling stone but sweet and juicy. 

I am still battling root knot nematodes in a couple of areas. 

The Lofthouse sunroots are about 8 feet high and blooming. A buttercup squash grows on the compost pile. 

Four years of neglect in the greenhouse. Full of weed trees. 

A couple hours work. More to do as I have time. 

And while it rains all around me I’ve had only about an inch of rain since February. 

Cleaning Up

So this is my back area when I started cleaning up. 

A couple mornings a week I’m outside by 5:00 and work until it’s too hot in the sun, about 10:00. 

There is still a lot more to do but it’s getting there

Chicks!

Have some chicks hatching. 

Planted some rhubarb. Have no idea how well it will do. 

Pulled some garlic. 

Planted some snap dragons in pots. 

The Saga of the Red Rose

Hybrid tea rose "Oklahoma"

So I do want to share the story behind this rose bush. First a little back story. My step dad passed away in 2009 which broke my mother's heart. Mom passed in January of this year. They both donated their bodies to science and what remained was cremated and returned to us. They were so much in love from the time they met in 1972. They both said they were soulmates. Pop bought mom flowers all the time, for almost anything he could think of, their first date anniversary, wedding anniversary, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Valentines Day,  her birthday, Mothers Day and sometimes just because. Many of those bouquets were red roses.

Now the other day I was out doing errands and had a strong and sudden urge to go to Golden Hill Nursery. Have no idea why. I was not planning to buy any new stuff for the garden right now. I have plenty of everything. But I looked around and all the roses were blooming. Now I really love yellow roses, but the two kinds that were there did not have much fragrance and that is an absolute requirement, roses should have a good strong 'rose' scent to them. So I sniffed some of the other colors. And I kept coming back to this one. Had a lovely strong rose smell to it. And so I bought it. I didn't have any idea where the heck I was going to plant it.

I set it by the front steps with some other plants to make sure it got watered and last evening it came to me. I would plant the rose bush beside the front steps and add Mom and Pop's ashes to the hole. And now they are guardians of my gate. 

4/29/19 Monday

I stopped by Golden Hill Nursery today and bought this pretty red rose named Oklahoma. It has a good strong fragrance, a major requirement for me. I also bought some ladybugs to release into the garden. I haven’t had any here since the Pinals burned so maybe adding some will help. 

Sunday Sunday

Fresh cut peppermint

Today’s tea flavor is peppermint. It’s been hot but not miserable yet. I managed to get a coop cleaned out, another compost pile started, some laundry and dishes done. I remember to eat and drink.

Vintage incubator

I managed to get some more of my desk cleaned off and rearranged some piles in the living room so I could plug in my vintage 1950s incubator. I had set some eggs in my small table top but it malfunctioned and cooked them. I would rather have had chicks 2 months ago because they grow better and faster when it is cool, but just couldn't make it happen.

73 eggs going in

So in the top carton the 3 lefthand rows are Black Copper Marans, the row of 3 are true breeding olive eggers and last is Buff Orpington. In the bottom right carton at the right top are 3 lighter BCM eggs and some more Buff Orpington. Then 21 silkie eggs. The right hand carton are a more olive eggers from a different cross.

4/26/19

I spent the morning putting shade cloth up. I think Giotto approves. About a minute later the chickens in the big house were sounding off and Giotto started growling and sniffing the air. I didn’t see anything and started to open the gate when he lunged for it. I got his collar just in time. He was in full bore growling and barking. A coyote on the opposite hill broke cover and ran over the top of the ridge. Good boy Giotto!!

I got some tomatoes put in. 

It was hot so I went inside and tackled my desk. 

After 2 hours I can almost find it. 

65 eggs today. Wowza. I’m going to need two buckets if they keep going!

4/25/19

Yeah. I did. I bought some silkie chicks. 

I cut herbs for the chickens to eat. Here milkweed and clover. 

Some white horehound

 And calendula.  Also known as pot marigold. 

And catmint. Aka catnip. All mints are good for the chickens. 

I also clipped herbs for the nest boxes and got some of them cleaned out. This is mugwort. It smells like vanilla. 

Rosemary. I also added sage and tansy. 

A Few Things Done

So on Sunday I painted at our local art fest. 2x2’ board. Not quite done here. 

My thornless red flowered locust is blooming.  They smell so good. 

I think it’s at least 15’ tall now.  That fence is 6’. Only been in the ground about 3 years or so. 

I did get the bolting kale and chard out and planted some squash in its place.  

Today in between short bursts of rain I set some posts and got some tomatoes put in. The chickens enjoyed the lambs quarters