Thinking About Corn

What a difference a couple of days and a good, steady rain make!  The picture on top was taken last Friday.  A few little snow pea sprouts and that's about it.  Saturday night, we had a nice rain that just drenched everything.  The picture below was taken today.  Not only did more snow peas show up but the corn made an appearance too!  All in the space of may-be 48 hours. 

Everything else is coming up, too.  So the garden is off to a good start, I think.  It's a little patchy but hopefully it will fill in, it's still early yet.  But it’s the corn that's been on my mind lately.  A couple of years ago, I had trouble with critters raiding the corn after planting it.  They ate all the seeds and I had to re-plant.  Corn was slow that year because of it.  So I put up Dolly and I started covering the corn with plastic at night.  That seemed to do the trick.  Last year the corn came up first planting.  I thought it curious, though.  I never had trouble with critters in the corn before.  And then, after planting this year, it hit me...

Two years ago, I had read that it was wiser to plant the corn ahead of the snow peas.  It made sense to me; I had struggled to keep the snow peas from over-running the corn.  In a few weeks it worked out, the corn out-grew the snow peas quickly and became trellises for the snow peas.  But I figured I'd try planting the corn first and waiting to put the snow peas in.  That's when the corn seeds got raided.  This year I decided to go back to my old method of planting the corn and snow peas at the same time.  I didn't like waiting to plant the snow peas because they are an early plant vegetable and they do well in cooler weather.  I was also thinking may-be that was why the snow pea harvest wasn't as good as it had been previously.

I also didn't cover the corn with plastic at night this year. Simply because the plastic sheets I was using sort of disintegrated over the winter and I hadn't replaced them yet. And TAH-DA!!!!! No raiding of the corn! I checked every morning and the corn rows were pristine; no little scratch marks, no disturbed earth. And the corn is coming up in a timely manner and abundantly.

So now I'm thinking that there might be another benefit to planting snow peas and corn together. I think may-be the peas act as camouflage for the corn and the critters stay away. Took me two years to figure it out. What's that saying about not seeing the forest for the trees?

Dolly's New Duds

It's been a busy few weeks with getting the garden prepped, then ready, then adding compost, then making rows and then trying to figure out where to put the DaM plants and seeds. It seems I run out of space faster each year. Which is odd considering I'm only feeding two (humans, not going to get into the animals, figuring that out would take forever) instead of four. Mind you, the kids come home from university fairly regularly and I tend to ply them with food to take home so that could have something to do with it.  Running out of space and running out of time pretty much marks this time of year for me.

Thankfully, the busy time is winding down from a Cat.5 Hurricane to a little dirt devil. It's manageable; I can actually do everything I plan to do in a day now. So I decided to have a little fun and kill half an hour by giving Dolly a makeover. She changes every year, as I add and take away things that get worn, lost or taken.  The big changes this year are eyes instead of sunglasses and stuffed blue hands instead of floppy white ones.  Last year her picture ended up in our local newspaper with the caption of being "unique".  I'm glad I took the time and had a little fun, now I'll have someone to talk to while I'm weeding in the garden.  Oh, and of course, any resemblance to fictional or real characters is not intended and purely coincidental.



Thinking About Elderberries

I've been thinking about getting a few elderberry bushes for a while now. Why do I want elderberries? Because I want to make elderberry syrup. From all I've read this syrup is a pretty good preventative for colds, flues and related illnesses. Sure could of used it last year when dear Don was sicker then ever with a cold he just couldn't shake and turned into a lung infection. Apparently if you take a tablespoon a day, it acts as a preventative. And if, by chance you do catch a flu/cold, you up the dosage to 2 tablespoons and the cold doesn't hang around as long. So they say. I won't know until I try it. But I figure even if it doesn't work, I have a syrup for pancakes.

Last year, I did try to get some. I figured it would be a fairly simple procedure. Go down to the local nursery, announce I want some elderberry bushes and be directed to the right area of a immense greenhouse conglomeration that not only includes numerous greenhouses but wandering paths, garden paraphernalia (what's with the gaudy painted real ugly gnomes? Really, they are enough to make any garden give up and not grow anything) and bunches of people, some with carts laden with plants others wondering where they are and more importantly where they are supposed to be. (WOW, I think I just became the unofficial queen of the run-on sentence. Wonder if the the Guinness book of Records has that category).

Unfortunately, it was not the case, getting elderberry bushes, I mean. First I was asked if I wanted the decorative type or the common type. That got a blank stare from me. I said I wanted the one that I can make syrup from. The blank stare was promptly returned to me. After a bit of a discussion the nice helpful lady and I decided that I likely wanted the common variety. Then I was told they didn't have any. She said she'd order some in and she couldn't order any because they're all out. I thanked her for her time and did not say "You could have saved me 45 minutes simply by saying you were all out of both the common and decorative type." But I learnt more about elderberries and about patience and that's worth 45 minutes.

So home I go to find out more about elderberries. I know they are native to PEI which makes them very attractive to me. I'm not crazy about evasive species whether they are plants or wildlife. I figured it would be good to have their botanical name so I get the right type of elderberry. The elderberry bush I need is Sambucus Canadensis. I also found out the the PEI Forestry Department GIVES these things away because they are indigenous to PEI and they want to encourage people to grow native plants. Unfortunately the department were all out and so that ended my plan to plant elderberries last year. So today I will phone the department and order my elderberries. Hopefully that will go well, but based on my experience last year, I'm not counting my elderberries before I grow 'em.

Another Cat!!!

If this keeps up, I'm going to be starting to be referred to as The Crazy Cat Lady (as opposed to The Crazy Chicken Lady or The Crazy Rabbit Lady...but I guess anything's better than just plain old The Crazy Lady. Sometimes you just gotta look for the bright side.) Last winter I noticed a very large, fluffy black and white making its way across the snow cover towards the chicken coop. She moved slowly and gingerly as if she thought she might fall. It hurt to watch her. I got the impression she was old and probably arthritic. I opened the door and she ran(ish) under our porch.

I saw her on and off through the winter. It appears she has taken up residence under the veranda, on the farthest corner. Probably an old feral cat too tired to try to make it through the winter without some sort of shelter. My heart went out to her. (I'm calling her 'her' but I have no idea if she's a 'her' or a 'him' , but I know she's not an 'it').

I started leaving food out for her. I know, I know, I know, you feed 'em, you'll never get rid of 'em. But I didn't want her starving to death under my porch. Besides, it was obvious she was heading to the coop to eat Coop's leftovers anyways. At first, she ran and hid from me. Then she didn't run as far and did stay in sight waiting for me to put down food and leave. She started at about 30 feet away and over the months, she has gotten as close as six feet. She moves cautiously (painfully?), and sits daintily with her tail curled around her front feet.

She has learned, I imagine, to be patient, to be invisible, to be cautious of humans.

She gets along with Coop but not Whisk but then again, Whisk hates EVERY cat in the world. I'm hoping one day I will gain enough of her trust that I will be able to take her to the vets so she can at least be spayed or neutered, which ever the case may be. We call her Toc which stands for The Old Cat and as long as people don't start calling me TCL (The Crazy Lady) I figure I'm ahead of the game.

It's Not Goodbye If You Don't Forget

I lost my biggest fan of this blog. Mom passed at the age of 86 after a monumental battle with cancer. She passed as she had lived; quietly with a grace and love I have never seen matched.

Mom loved my blog and if I hadn't posted for a while I'd get an email from her. Typically, she never told me to post something it was always how much she enjoyed it and were there any new posts on the way? Pushy, she wasn't. Supportive and positive was the way she liked doing things. When I told her I was taking a break from it, she just said could read the old posts over and over. She had three favorites: http://wwwmindwanderings.blogspot.ca/2010/09/pumpkins-on-gate.html
http://wwwmindwanderings.blogspot.ca/2008/07/my-moms-peonies.html

http://wwwmindwanderings.blogspot.ca/2009/01/to-special-lady.html

I must admit, the last one is my favorite, too.

I decided to stop posting for a year or so because I found myself repeating the same thing: Today I grew something, today I harvested something, today I butchered something... Same old, same old. Over a year has gone by so it's time to start again. At least it will be a record of my triumphs, failures and everything in between.I'm going to start again once things settle a little bit around here. But it won't be quite the same because Mom was my biggest fan and not only of the blog.

My Blog Will Start Up Again in the New Year, but Untill then...HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

This is from last year, we don't have snow yet.

As the year closes,
We sit back and reflect on the fleeting 12 months
That seem to pass so quickly.
Invariably our thoughts go to friends and family,
Both near and far
In not only distance but in time as well.
So to your family from The DaM Farm,
Merry Christmas!
May the glow of the fireplace stay in your hearts
And may the New Year
Bring your dearest hopes and dreams to reality.

Raw Dog food

Oooooh!!! Is that the food dish I hear rattling?!?!

I started making dog food about eight years ago. Dusk was my inspiration. We had him for about three months and by then I had done considerable research on his breed mix/type and the results were not good. Dogs of Dusk's origin, breeding and size don't live much past five years old and many do not get to three. I was feeding him a quality dog food that cost twice as much as the regular stuff but a serving was about a third of what I had to give compared to the grocery store brand so it wasn't as expensive as it looks at first glance. He got lots of socialization and excercise. So I was doing what I could and Dusk seemed happy and healthy.

At nine months Dusk started kind of favouring his hind quarters. He did a lot of 'bunny hopping' instead of running and sometimes had trouble getting up after a nap. Oh-oh. The vet said it looked like signs of hip displasia. Not good. She gave me some massage techniques to use with him and told me to limit the ball chasing/retrieval games since the stopping short wasn't good for H.D. My vet also suggested either home-cooking or raw food. She is a holistic vet, most vets are dead set against raw food for dogs. So I started looking into it. I did a lot of research but still it terrified me. I knew nothing about making a diet for my beloved pet that was going to be nutritious and healthy. A friend of mine and I were discussing this one day and I said I should really change Dusk to a homemade diet but I was pretty sure I'd end up killing him. She outright dismissed me, "You're not going to kill your dog". Here, go get this book, read and follow it and you'll be fine. And she was right. I was still halfway terrified and measured/weighed everything for well over two years. But after feeding this way for eight years and seeing Dusk approach his ninth birthday in good health, ( his back end gets a little stiff now and then) I'm glad I made the switch. I remember about a year after starting him on the diet watching all 130 pounds of him thunder across a field with a grace and strength he simply didn't have before. I couldn't help but marvel at the change in him.

Of course, food can only do so much. A really, really sick dog may not get better just because you change his food. But I do believe that a non-processed diet is just better for any living being. I suppose humans could live on nothing but cereal their entire lives, but who'd want to and how healthy would they ultimately be? Are there dangers to feeding raw food to dogs? Sure there are. I never leave the pets alone if they're having bones in case of choking. I use the same cleaning/preparation methods for their food as I do for cooking for the family. Other than green tripe, all the dogs food is human grade, so it's basically the same as ours (except it's the parts we don't eat). Green tripe is the stomach/intestines of cow, lamb or other herbivore. It's just gross, smells like a over-crowded barnyard that hasn't been cleaned in 50 years. I open the pack real fast and the dogs eat it outside. Horrid as it is, it's great for dogs and they absolutely go bonkers for it. So in short,I am aware there is risk but I believe the advantages outweigh it. Besides, the store bought dog food can be dangerous, too; remember all those recalls a couple of years ago?

A big bowl of veggie mush! I'll freeze this in little packages for the dogs' meals. A meal is mainly meat or meat and bones but a bit of veggies or fruit does seem to be required for my dogs. Dusk gets about 10% in his meal where Angel does well with 20 - 30%. I try to give the dogs as much variety as I can. Meats include chicken, rabbit, turkey necks, fish, beef, pork and on occasion goat and lamb and whatever else I can snag. Veggies are usually in a three or four combo mix and include dark, leafy vegetables and a little carrot or yam.

Mmmmm, garlic, ginger and parsley! When the dogs have veggies, I add this mix. Again, I make a load of it and then freeze it in single servings (I'm all about the easy and the convenient). I find it helps with digestion and my dogs breath/smell is not offensive at all. They do get other supplements, too; organic apple cider vinegar with their meat and bones meals, kelp/alfalfa with their meat meals, some oils like like wild salmon fish oil and early evening primrose oil though mind you, since now most of their meat is pasture fed, not grain fed they don't need as much. Dusk gets Vit. C to help when his hip displasia makes him stiff. They get raw organic ground pumpkin seed in the summer months to help prevent worms and fleas. I've never had an issue with either, yet.

Another important part of the meal is offal, the organs of whatever animal I happen to have, usually it's beef. This mix is heart, kidney, liver and tongue. They don't need much of it, but they do need it. We buy half a side of local, grass feed beef. I always ask for the organs and the trim that is usually thrown out and use it for the dogs. Of course, they have rabbit and chicken organs as well.

A nice, nutritious training/snack treat, dehydrated beef heart! The butcher usually throws in a couple of beef hearts along with the one that comes with my cow so I slice them thinly and dry them out in the oven. That plate is a whole beef heart dehydrated.

OK, it's not part of the diet Per Se but my dogs love their liver brownie treats! They also get eggs and yogurt and assorted other foods may not be 'classified' as raw but it works for for them.

Obviously, research and learning is tantamount in the success of a non-processed diet. Here is the book and the email group that helped me the most.

Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats The Ultimate Diet

by Kymythy R. Schultze.

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Nutrition/

Smart Move, Cat

I've got to admit, when my cat dreams, she dreams BIG. That blob to the right of the picture is Whisk. Crouching under the trees that hold my bird feeders is a favorite hang out for her. She hasn't quite figured out if she stays there the birds will not come. But no matter, she lies there, patiently in wait of some unsuspecting little birdie that never shows up. I think now she just goes there out of force of habit more than anything else.

So there she was, reposing under the tree, half asleep wondering where all the birds were when the two wild geese returned! They wandered unconcerned around the bird feeders, gobbling up any errant seed left behind by the squabbling birds. Well, as far as Whisk was concerned, this was a gift from the gods! So she stalked and crouched and whipped her tail back an forth as she waited for the perfect opportunity to spring on her unsuspecting prey. She waited for close to an hour. Then she changed her mind and walked away, offhandedly as if it really didn't matter. She must of thought better of trying to pouncing on something that was at least twice as big as her. Though I'm pretty sure she'd never admit it.

View from the Porch, 7:20 A.M.

Almost 7:30 in the morning and sunrise isn't even thinking of breaking. Not so long ago the sun was greeting me at 5...A.M....in the morning.

But today is the Winter Solstice, shortest day of the year. I know a lot of people think this is wonderful because the days will start getting longer and the worst is over. But I know the coldest weather is yet to come and I won't notice the lengthening days for another month or so, I'm sure. It's like the Summer Solstice, the days start getting shorter but no-one notices and the sun is really just starting to warm up.

But never mind. Winter Solstice has a charm and a comfort all its own. It is a holiday of little fanfare and even smaller commercialism, and that's the way I like 'em!

Christmas Goats

She sat on Santa's lap and mugged for the camera as prodded by her mama. After the picture was taken Santa asked her what she wanted for Christmas.

"A goat," she said as her blue eyes sparkled in the reflection of the tinsel. "A little grey goat with white, floppy ears." A little goat who is so happy he's gotta bounce. "

After the little girl left with a shy smile and a wave. Santa mused to himself. "A goat. What an unusual request."

Not really, Santa; not at all. Click here

Turkey Behavior or How I'm Loosing Faith in Books

Turkeys are seasonal layers. That means they lay in the Spring/Summer. I know this because the books and goodness knows how many websites tells me so. So how does the books explain this picture? In short, they don't. The four top eggs in the basket are turkey eggs. The other three are various chicken eggs. I put them in so the difference in turkey eggs is more obvious. Turkey eggs are off-white and speckled. They're also much pointier on one end.

`

I really don't know why my turkeys are laying now. I phoned a turkey lady I know and she is clueless as well. But she did say she was impressed that I was getting eggs from my turkeys. I don't know if I'm all that impressed, I think I'm more worried. Is it good for turkeys to lay off-season? Does it hurt them? Does it make them weaker? Will they lay in season? The turkey lady hazard a guess that they may be laying because I have lights in the coop. But other than that, she had no other information.

`

Poking around the Internet did get me some interesting heritage turkey facts. Did you know heritage turkeys lack the broad-breast gene that all commercial turkeys have? And that has something to do with why heritage turkeys can breed naturally while commercial turkeys can't. I'm not quite sure, though, how those two things get connected.

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I am going to keep looking and see what I can find out. For the time being, I'm hoping the turkeys are ok and are not hurting themselves laying. May-be they're just confused...like me.

Late Hatch

Last September, Caribou, a Buff Orpington hen decided to go broody. ~Incidentally, just in case you're wondering, I don't name all my chickens! With thirty plus birds and some of them almost identical it would be impossible. But when one stands out with a certain feature or personality, a name invariably pops into my head and the chicken is christened. Caribou came by her name because her comb was missing a couple of spikes, nothing happened to her, she hatched that way. Anyhow the resulting comb looks like the antler on a caribou and so she was named.~

I thought Caribou's timing was a bit off. September is not a great time for little chicks but she was not going to get off that nest for love, money or chicken feed so I put her in a broody area with ten eggs. While the time for raising chicks was not good, the timing to extend her lifespan was impeccable. Caribou was destined for the freezer with all the other year and a half old hens. So she dodged that bullet (or axe, whatever the case may be).

On October 14, nine of the eggs hatched. I was pretty impressed with the hatch rate, especially when I considered some of the frosty nights Caribou had to keep those eggs warm through. All nine thrived, I didn't loose one. Cariboo is an excellent mother, and this was her first time at it. Gotta love a Buff Orpington's natural instinct! The chicks are about nine weeks old now and the cockerels are trying to crow and end up strangling on the noise. I put Caribou back in the main coop and she seems be doing just fine. Sometimes I find her on top of a straw bale looking at her chicks but she doesn't seem upset that she's not with them.

So my first fall hatch turned out very well, I think. When it comes time for broodiness, the hens know much more about it and I think I'm going to trust their judgement.

Roosting just like big chickens!

Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop

There's no snow but the trees are bare. The temperature is in the single digits (C) but not to the freezing point. The squirrels scamper through the yard with their cheeks bulging but the call of the Canadian Geese are silenced, they have packed up and headed south. The colours are washed out, like a favorite pair of jeans that you hang on to even though they are thin and ragged. Winter's coming, he's just dawdling. It's not like Winter to be so sneaky. I suppose he's having way too much fun in other parts of the country to make his way here yet.

New Turkey

As it turns out, my two turkeys are both females. I really wanted a trio because I'm hoping to raise turkeys for the freezer next spring. So I contacted the lady who gave me the turkey eggs. I knew she raised them to sell at Christmas time. I asked her if she would sell me a tom just not butchered, I needed it live. She was happy to oblige me and so now I have my trio of Beltsville Small White Turkeys. I had no idea what to call them. P, teenage son, came up with Snap, Crackle and Pop. That works well.

Introductions were a little difficult. I had the tom separated for a week or so. He could see everybody and everybody could see him. I was hoping that they'd get familiar and comfortable with each other so there wouldn't be any problems. False hope on my part. I put him in the main coop. The chickens couldn't have cared less. The smaller turkey was fine with him. The larger hen was not. She went over and started yanking on his wattle with her beak. So I separated him back to his quarantine area. Then I decided to put the hens with him so there wouldn't be the territorial thing going on. That worked much better. She grabbed him by the wattle, he grabbed hers then they both quit it. In five minutes everybody were buddies. After a few days, I put the three turkeys back in the main coop with no problems at all.

I think the world would be a better place if its leaders had to pull each others' wattles for five minutes and then decide whether the argument was really worth the effort.

Pop showing off!

Visitors of a Feathered Variety

A while back, I glimpsed out the window just in time to see two unfamiliar birds land just outside the chicken pen. I had no idea what kind of bird they were. Going out to investigate and taking my trusty camera with me, I heard both of them calling to my chickens and turkeys, "Arp, arp, arp." Now that's a familiar sound! That's just like the sound my turkey hens make. OK, so now I know they are turkeys of some sort. They didn't like me getting too close, but I did manage to get a good look at their heads and necks. Yup, definitely female turkeys. After a little research, I think these two girls are Eastern Wild Turkeys. I have no idea if they are wild in the true sense or if someone is missing a couple of them from their farm. I called around but nobody knew of anyone who raises turkeys, except for me. That fact was pointed out to me by everyone I talked to about this. Well, yes; I know I grow turkeys.

The next day the two hens managed to figure out how to get into the chicken pen. I didn't know if that was a good idea or not. I have no clue if they, being wild, could have diseases they could pass on to my birds. These two certainly looked healthy enough and my birds didn't seem to mind them hanging around.

So I figured I'd just let them hang out and may-be they'd stay and become part of my flock. The next day they were gone and I haven't seen them since. I think I'm a little disappointed.

Empty Nest Box Syndrome

I started with rabbits four years ago. Having had a pet rabbit, I knew the basics of rabbit care. But I knew nothing of raising meat rabbits. I read a lot, joined groups and asked a lot of experienced breeders a lot of questions. Armed with a bit of knowledge, a bit of support and a lot of nervousness I began my journey. Beginner's jitters, I told myself, it will pass as you figure it out. And so it has. Litters come and go here with little fanfare and a lot of "ooohs" "aawws" and "so cuuuuute". But still after four years things happen that are just real strange and convince me that rabbits have a sense of humour that is far more advanced than their place in the evolutionary scheme of things would dictate. Not only is is their humour well developed, it can be cunning and rather sneaky, in short it has a touch of evil.

Flare, a perky, friendly little doe two years of age was bred a while back. I like Flare, she's the granddaughter of my beloved Sunfire and loves to follow me around doing the 'Bunny 500' (rabbits, when they're really happy will do things to show their feelings; "Binkies" are when they kind of flip in the air, "Floppies", that's pretty self descriptive, they flop down in a contented heap, the "Bunny 500" is a curious activity involving the rabbit running furious circles around a persons' feet). Unfortunately, for all her charm, Flare's birthing record is less than perfect. She's great when she does become a mama, medium sized litters all healthy kits with no runts. But Flare misses more times than most which means no litter at all.

Last summer I bred her and marked the calender with her due date, August 26. About ten days before she was due, I noticed she was digging around in a corner so I put in her nest box. Usually they recommend you don't put the nest box in until two or three days before delivery date otherwise the rabbit will use it as a potty station. I haven't found that the case in the colonies at all. First of all, the nest boxes are much, much bigger that the standard ones used in cages. Secondly, I designed them (Don built them) very long to resemble a burrow more. I also designed them very high so newborns would not fall out, chill and die. Moms just don't use these boxes to toliet in. When the babies are about two and a half to three weeks old, the mama will start building a ramp-like mound out of woodchips and straw in front of the nest box. Then the kits can get back in when they venture out.

`

Flare happily jumped into the nest box and went to work, chewing up the straw and making everything comfy and homey. Her due date came and went and no kits showed up. I waited a couple of days, but no little hairless squigglelies in the box. Ah, well that happens. I was meaning to take the nest box out but that task kept on getting bumped to the bottom of my list.

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A week after she was due, I found Flare had been very busy lining the box with her own fur. In the rabbit world this usually means babies are putting in an appearance in the very near future, anywhere from 20 minutes to two days. I had rabbits go past due date by a day or two and I've heard they'll be up to five days late. I have never heard a rabbit going a week. Now I'm getting a little worried. I'm hoping I just got my dates mixed up. But there is a chance she has only one kit and it's grown to a humongous size, which happens sometimes when there's no competition for room space and nutrition. So I watch her carefully. She's perky, she's happy. She eating, eliminating fine. Everything's rosy in Flare's world. I wait two more days then I take the nest box away. Flare is unconcerned, studiously washing her left ear. As I leave, I'm pretty sure I caught her winking at her colony mate. Rotten little rabbit.

A beautifully made complete with fur-lined bowl nest and nary a kit in sight.

Pumpkins on a Gate

The title sounds like something on the menu of one of those restaurants where the "ambiance" costs more than the food. You know, the type of restaurants that spring up in touristy areas promoting down home, old fashioned cooking (usually with imported food). But I have to admit, the pumpkined gate gives off an ambiance all of its own without any hype or spin. It's quaint, old-fashioned and charming. It's also totally unplanned and truly did spring up on its own.

A long, long time ago (last spring), Don made new pen for the baby chicks from the three broody hens. He bought a very large and deep storage shelf from work so he turned it on its side, stuck doors on it, made a few air vents and ta-dah! a chook coop! Worked well, too. We kept 24 chooks in that thing. Of course, they were only in it at night, but still it was roomy and airy and sooooo easy to keep clean. Don even put a window in one of the doors for the chicks so they could look out in rainy weather. The only problem was the afternoon sun. Except for right behind the coop, there was no shade at all. So I made a little strip of a lasagna garden by the fence to cut the sun's blistering heat and create some shade. I planted snow peas, sunflowers, corn and nasturtiums. The snow peas and sunflowers never stood a chance. They were planted right by the fence and the chicks ate the young plants as soon as the little plants poked out of the ground. The corn is ragged, having their lower leaves torn and shredded by little curious beaks, but the corn is tall and strong and their yield is good. I suppose there are a couple of nasturtiums in there somewhere, overshadowed by the broad pumpkin leaves.

I never planted pumpkins; they were pop ups from the compost I used. I'm used to having pop ups now. I enjoy them, actually; it's like Nature is adding her own special touch when I plant gardens. Pop ups confirm the co-operation between myself and Nature. So when I noticed the pumpkin plants, I thought, "Oh, that's cute, kind of like a miniature Three Sisters Garden." Pumpkin plants by nature are a curious lot, always exploring. They grow and stretch and stretch. These found a gate that was beside the pen and started growing through and up and over it. The gate is sturdy and strong and I knew the pumpkins wouldn't wreck it, well not much anyhow. I think it looks really interesting. I can't wait to see what it looks like once the pumpkins turn orange.

Standard Rex Rabbits

I have two new rabbits. I don't 'need' two new rabbits but that's besides the point. They are both young does about 3 months old. I had to have these two rabbits because they are Standard Rex and have just amazing fur. You can't really tell in the picture but the fur is the softest soft, the plushest plush, the velvetyest velvet and is beyond thick. Their fur is that way because their guard hairs are very fine, straight and the same length as the under hairs. If I ever get into tanning the hides, Rexes make the best pelts. While Mini Rexes abound, the Standard Rex are hard to find. In fact, I got these two from New Brunswick. The Standards are considered a good meat rabbit. They weigh about 7 pounds, like the Creme D'Agents I have. Most meat rabbits are bigger, but I like this size, still enough for a meal and easier to pick up.

The one on the left is a chocolate otter colour. She's a dark brown with a triangle of light brown on her neck just behind her ears. It also looks like she is wearing light brown eye liner. Her tummy is light brown going to white at the center. The other one's colour is Lilac. They're both considered solid colour rabbits. Rexes do come in 'broken' colours which simply means they're white with spots that can be black, brown or whatever. I like the solid colours better, I think.

They are in an isolation cage right now, just as a precaution. The barn were they came from was immaculately clean and it's obvious these rabbits were well taken care off. Other than "This One" and "That One", they still have no names. I was thinking of using names from old rock ballads like Ruby Tuesday and Maggie May. That way, if I ever do get a buck, I could call him Rebel, Rebel. But these names don't suit these rabbits at all; old rocker types they ain't. And the two girls are from different lines so they need to have different theme names. I'm kind of leaning towards calling the brown otter after a tree. She's dark and earthy and has a presence of calm sturdiness. The lilac one is a lighter in colour and personality so I'm thinking either moon names or mist names.

So I'm up to eight permanent rabbits, a far cry from the four I started with. That's it, no more rabbits, none. Doesn't matter what breed they are (Harlequins and Chinchillas would be nice), how cute they are or how perfect they would be. No. More. Rabbits... probably.

Earl Was a Fizzle

A little rain, a little wind, I've seen worse. And that's fine by me. I'd rather be over-prepared than under-prepared. From what the forecasters say, Earl moved eastward so we were spared the worse.

Waiting for Earl

For about a week now there's been a lot of talk and reports about Hurricane Earl. It's been tracked meticulously by weather and news stations constantly. As the week and the hurricane progressed so has the warnings. It is actually predicted that good ol' Earl has a fifty-fifty chance of hitting Nova Scotia as a category 1 tomorrow, but that might change. It seems to change on an hourly basis. I tend to look at weather reports with askance. In my opinion, they're wrong more than they are right. And my neighbour thinks they're making more out of this than there really is. He's 86 and he's seen more weather than these young hot-shots on the tube with their images and computers and cool colour mapping of Earl. But you never know. I learned my lesson about that being on the island less than a month with a blizzard I didn't really take seriously.

In the time I've been here, I've seen remnants of tropical storms and they can be very destructive but they will likely pale beside an hurricane, no matter what category it is. So I'm going to hope for the best and prepare for the worse. As I do so, a little niggling worry rattles around in my heart. I can clear the veranda of loose items - needed to be done anyhow. Don can make sure the generator is gassed up in in top working order. I can take in all my gardening tools and make sure the tomato teepees are sturdy and anchored well. I can take a good look around the chicken coop and make sure the windows are in tonight and that the lights are working. I'll do head count and re-do it just to be on the safe side, I'll make sure the Coop Cat is in. I can make sure there's lots of food and water - it's harvest season, we have oodles of food. But there are some things I cannot protect, there's only so much one can do. The corn and my beloved trees are on their own. I'm glad we topped the trees earlier this summer, that should help them stay resolute against winds that are predicted to top 120 k/h.

Hopefully it won't be as bad as they say but if it is at least I won't be looking for my wheelbarrow in the next county when it's done. Be safe, my neighbours, my trees, chickens and garden.