Baby Keet

So this is the little keet I am brooding downstairs. Except now he’s upstairs quite a bit as his feathers grow in and he doesn’t need to be under the brooder light constantly. Keeping with the ‘Out of Africa’ theme, his name is Mandela. If he’s a girl, I can change it to Mandelas or Mandy. Or may-be I just keep with Mandela, I’m sure the keet doesn’t care.

Guineas are real cute for a few weeks then they start hinting at ugly and it just progresses from there. Mandela is just leaving his good looks behind. His new feathers coming in are straggling and wet looking. As they grow in, the cute grows out. I took a lot of pictures hoping to get a couple that were flattering. These pics are the best I could do. He’s not buzzard looking yet, but with those big eyes and that narrow little head, he looks like he should be flying around in a spaceship; he’s got that space alien look.

Physical appearance notwithstanding, Mandela is sure a sweetie pie. I started bringing him up stairs because I figured it wasn’t good for him to be alone all the time. In a normal situation, he’d have siblings and a mama to socialize with. All he has is four rubber blue walls; I’m not thinking that’s all that stimulating for him…unless, of course, he’s crazy then rubber walls are in order. At first, he’d sit in my lap, talking to me in his two-note whistle. After a while, he liked sitting on my shoulder as I watched TV. I was very impressed with his interest in M*A*S*H, it is a great show but I’d think the humour would be lost on a bird. Then I realized he was looking out the window. Which made sense, so now I’m the birdbrain for giving him too much credit. After a while, I put out a towel so he could walk around for a bit. Now he pretty much thinks he has the run of the house.

When I leave the room, he scurries after me, his two note whistle sounding just a little frantic, it translates easily to “Hey, YOU! Hey, YOU!” or may-be “Wait UP! Wait UP! Or even “HEY YOU, WAIT UP!” He enjoys the dogs and the cat doesn’t intimidate him at all. I’m thinking he’s in for quite a culture shock when I put him out in the coop. It might be a good idea to have him in a cage for the first little while out there. I’m hoping he’ll feel a little more secure and the others won’t have a chance to pick on him because he might come off as a bit of a oddball what with not much practice in social bird skills. And then when everyone is used to each other, I’ll start opening the door. That won’t be happening for a few more weeks yet. So for now, I’ll just enjoy the ugly little bird with the sweet disposition.

2008 Garden Reflections, Part One

Every year, when I plant my garden, I make a pledge to note what did well and what didn't and try to figure out why. A written record would be so helpful in planning the next gardening scheme. I have yet to actually write down my observations so I could review them before planting again. Invariably, Spring arrives and I have a vague memory of what worked and what new thing I wanted to try. The memories are all fuzzy and worn at the edges. My brain, once a steel trap, now resembles a worn blanket; it definitely has holes. So I figure I might as well put my blog to good use. It'll be a record of sorts. November is a little late for writing down what did well last July or August but it sure beats trying to remember the next April.

The Squash Family
The pumpkins did really well. I planted two varieties, sugar pie and Jack O'Lanterns. I really like the sugar pie, they are small, only 3 - 5 pounds and they bake and freeze well. They're delicious in muffins and bread. I planted them at the end of the garden, beside the corn and snow peas. Things on that end of the garden generally do really well. I harvested well over 40 pumpkins and was absolutely thrilled. This is the first year I got more than 20, and some years I would only get nine or ten. I also discovered I don't need 40 pumpkins; it's way too much, be careful what you wish for and all that jazz. I have enough pumpkin to bake muffins and bread twice a week for the next year. And I don't bake anything twice a week. Next year, I'm thinking I'll plant them in the annex and give something else a chance in that area of the garden. In the annex, it will be easier to manage the vines, they won't get a chance to over-take their neighbours.

The Zucchinis did well. I had enough to freeze and eat fresh. They were planted with the pumpkins. I still have some of the larger ones down in the cold room, they do keep well. They were the dark green bush variety. I'm not sure if I will plant them with the pumpkins again. The pumpkins will run them over and it's hard enough to find zucs without pumpkin vines snaking over the plants. Zucchini disguised as pumpkins makes them hard to harvest.

This is the second year I grew buttercup squash. I won't bother with them again. They take up a lot of room and don't yield all that well for me. On top of that, the only one who will eat them is me. Mind you, I have managed to sneak a bit into a stew or a stir fry but I'm always doing that with veggies that aren't appreciated here so I really don't need another of how-on-earth-am-I-going-to-get-them-to-eat-this vegetable.

So all-in-all, two (green) thumbs up for the squash. May-be not plant so many pumpkin and keep with the sugar pie.