Good morning! So hot out there!! I've been trying to work in the garden in the blazing sun, and sweat to death. Then come in, for water, and go back out. Love the heat tho... but not sweating.
Pulled a tick off Gary this morning. Bought a tick remover from Lee Valley, also a dutch hoe... god, best invention ever... and a hat to work outside in. Has a flap for the neck.. super super light, with ventilation around the top, and no freaking button like hats have... so I can wear the radio head phones with I cut grass, without having a sore spot on the top of my head forever. Seeing as how I cut grass about 3 days a week, for about 3 or 4 hours at a time... it does get sore.
I discovered a guinea walking around with little ones yesterday. Kinda sorta pushed her down beside the barn, where there WAS a nest.. not sure if it was hers... and then got a waterer and put turkey starter down. I have NO clue if shes found it. She was trying to get them to drink out of the last very small water puddle in the lane. Boy those little buggers can zip around FAST. Hope it stays relatively dry, so they don't get chilled. No clue how many she has today, saw her with them in weeds over my head.. so hopefully some didn't get lost or chilled in the damp grass. HOT out, so that will help.
Colleen hatched some guinea's out for me as well. Not a great hatch, took eggs from said nest above a while ago, and gave them to her to hatch. I think there may be 10 in there out of 25 eggs or so. Alot were splayed too.. but we bandaged the legs, and I think everyone looks good in there today. I also seen a few bandaids dragging... but chicks walking fine (when they aren't freaking out when I lift the lid), so the shavings I think have helped them with walking instead of the slippery bator floor.
FINALLY are getting rid of the 2002 Durango we have been driving since 2005. My god.. that thing has had MORE money dumped into it in the last 5 years, and despite my yelling at Gary about that... now that I've been driving around with this thing with standard steering, because theres a leak somewhere... then it went REALLY standard, as in NO steering... lol. Actually Gary was driving it and had to back up when he made a turn into a timmies.... he thought people looking at him were thinking.. "oh ya.. look at that senior', lol. Its time. I told him I was going out and buying one on my own. So he kinda of reluctantly climbed on board. Its a 2017 Ford Explorer, XLT. I'm going to like the heated seats, lol. Took Scott, our son in law.. and its got a 'tic'. Hes thinking hole in some lifter/manifold exhaust thing. So, they are dealing with it today. We WERE supposed to get it today, so I'm kinda miffed that they didn't get to it by now.
We've cut some hay, and somes been rained on of course. Not enough rain to do good anywhere else except screw the hay up. Gary has someone come in and wrap some stuff for silage, but it was already sorta crap so no telling what that feed will be like. Ugh.
Sprayed my garlic for the leek moth AGAIN today, and I see the bottom leaves are starting to die off.... and I cut the scapes a week ago.. so soon it will be time to harves the garlic. Thinking 3 weeks roughly , and my ground cherries, which have mostly died off.. think out of 12 plants I have 2 left. They just rotten away. Too much rain and cool when I planted them first week in June. Stupid weather. Planted some sunflowers a week ago, and want to plant more soon. Every spring/early summer planting matures too quickly to leave a winter harvest for the birds. So I want to have some for winter feeding. I just leave the plants where they are, and the birds can help themselves.
Martin and Kathy came for a visit two weekends ago, or maybe one.... time flies... and dropped off some chicks. I have them in a big brooder box, and they are getting crowded. So.... I've got that box in a pen section, with a hen with 10 guinea's on the floor. In the big part of that same room, I have a hen with 16 older guinea's. (and in the smaller box, in big pen with hen and 16 guinea's... colleens hatched 10). So... going to have to make a decision soon.... put 2 week younger 10 guinea's with bigger ones and kick out the hens? And put chicks in box on floor, with box moved out? Or put 10 guinea's with hen (kick her out) in big brooder box, and chicks on floor? Since my damn barn is caving in, in the back... I've not much room. I miss it a lot. REALLY a lot. Kind of limited to what I can do now, with birds.
Turned the air conditioning on yesterday for the first time. More for Gary and the dog really. I was totally fine without it, and find it cold with it sitting here. Its set at 75F.
Its really nice not having to drive the bus, because now I can have a beer if I want, any time of the day!! lol. I really like the Bud Light Radlers.... Love grapefruit... tried the orange, but it tastes too much like beer, lol. I'm waiting for my camera ... well, this computer to upload my pictures from my camera to put a few on here. My roomba is busy vacuuming the floor, so I don't have that to do, lol. I'm itching to get back outside however... do a big more weed pulling and maybe some spot watering....I just put the nozzle at a tomato or pepper, and let it leak away slowly for about 5 minutes per plant.... funny how wet it WAS, now dry according to the plants, because their root systems are not down far enough.
Well, while waiting for this computer/phone, I watered the really hot peppers, and laid the soaker hose along the cucumbers. After the next rain, I will spread the old straw bales under/around them, to keep it moist, keep mud off... and keep cuc's clean.
Heres a few pictures. The one is kinda gross.. witnessed a bull mastiff attack a man I see every single morning with my bus. He walks past this woman and little girl, and the dog. EVERY SINGLE DAY, SAME TIME. Only that morning, not long ago, from my bus, up head, I see the dog on the road, jumping at the guy. As I get closer, (and he keeps walking away), I could see him swinging his arm up out of its way, with his lunch box in hand. The dog comes back to the woman, but on the road still, so I have to stop, cause the dog is right in front of my bus. She grabs the collar, and says sorry. I said... "looks to me like you should be telling 'that' guy that. Well, I catch up with him (hes within yelling distance of her.. not too far), and I stop and ask if the dog bit him. He shows me his arm.
I asked him if he had his phone, to take a picture, he said no. (and from talking to him I was gathering that he was a little mentally challenged). I took a few pictures for him, and gave him my name/number. She's yelling are you OK? And he said No. Also at this time her little girls bus had picked her up, and I was still stopped on the road. Course, a car behind me too. Anyhow, he went to talk to her (she was walking up), and I told him to call if need be, and that he needed to see a Dr. right away. (long story short, I called animal control... and they said can't do anything unless he press's charges.. calls in... and to get me the address.. only thing they could do is run it, and see if the dog has done anything like this before. I ran some errands after I got home, and went to his place. Dad answered the door, and son came to the door. Said they were not going to do anything, blah blah... but he did go to Dr. I called animal control back, and they said, IF he went to the Dr. they are bound to phone health unit, which will go see him, and take it from there... to check if dog is up to date on vaccines/stuff. Ok.. thats that. Heres a cute picture of Grace, with Gary.. First tractor ride, and beside/smelling some giant alliums. And maybe another pic or two. I think I've been on here long enough, lol. Oh, and found this on the internet.. anyone with Peacocks would like this for a wedding.