Over the Fence Chat 06/09-06/15/02

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Beyond the Sidewalks : One Thread

Hi all, guess I had better start this!

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2002

Answers

Okay (whew! Nobody else started one at the same time!)

Busy weekend! Today I spent all day at church (and finally it was about 80* here....grrrrr...). Actually it was a good day. Our pastor was ordained and I got to be part of the service. I also met another pastor who raises sheep! Cool!

Got the ducks reined in (finally!) and they seem at home in the poultry yard (with our other ducks fenced OUT of it). Our new additions are two Rouen hens and a drake. One hen presented us with an egg this a.m.!

Had a family barbecue yesterday (post-Mom's birthday). Mr. S. smoked and barbecued (what else) salmon, and it was delicious! We had Hagen Daz (sp?...I always call it Hagen Dagen, anyway!) Gelato...the coconut kind...for dessert. YUM! My life is so simple. 8-)

Caught one of my ewes nibbling potato leaves (old volunteers) and so I moved the ewes to another paddock. Time to mow and get some new grass growing in the old paddock, I guess. Alison, hope your sheep stay put for a while!

I wish I could stay home all summer and work around here..beans are up, and so are radishes, new lettuce, and beets that I planted last week. I had better be careful what I wish for, though...it could mean that staying home all summer would be getting laid off. Not what we need for sure. Unemployment is pushing 8% here. How about where you live?

Have a good week, all of you! Hope your weather and dispositions are good. I know you are no doubt BUSY!!!!! Here comes the sun.

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2002


Busy busy in the garden, too much to do! Stupid me, always taking on more than I can handle. Arrgh!

Thanks for starting this, Sheepish.

-- Anonymous, June 10, 2002


I survived my finals and graduated from massage therapy school first in my class. It's going to seem strange to not be spending every other weekend in school. I feel like I'm getting my life back, but it's a different life than the one I had before, if that makes any sense. :)

My peas have pods but no peas yet. One tomato plant and one pepper plant have blossoms. The yellow crookneck squash is up, and I still have some spinach, lettuce, and swiss chard. Last year I had horrible problems with squash vine borers killing the plants before the squash were big enough to pick, any suggestions?

-- Anonymous, June 10, 2002


My bean germination is spotty. I've lost tomato plants and cukes already. I'd say the season is off to a great start. Sheepish you should have seen one of the ewes tryin' to get that gate open after we rigged it good. She even tried pawing at it with her hoof besides rubbing her backside all over trying to dislodge it. We had a good laugh. So i went to town today to get a pressure washer and a new shovel. The store wouldn't accept our credit card because its in my husband's name and it was me using it. I was so P.....I mean..annoyed. I know its for our own good but right now my own good needed a pressure washer to disinfect the barn after the big clean out and a new shovel because my husband broke my old one. Not to mention I was getting the boys their own tools for the garden and to leave them behind made them sad. GRRRRRRRRR..... So there was a wasted trip to town. On a happier note........ My 5 yr old son had his orientation day at school this morning. He got to eat his lunch there and everything. Such a little man. He had a great time. :o)

-- Anonymous, June 10, 2002

FINALLY getting some time here to sit and "gab"!! I just finished mowing the lawn...around the house, barn and chicken coop. Harry does everything else on his riding mower. Good thing! I don't think my legs could walk another half mile!! We do have a self-propelled mower, but I'm still pooped. It's 80 degrees here today and I'm working on my second wine cooler (and last, bummer!) and a piece of leftover cold garlic bread...Mmmm the snack of champions :-)!

Hectic, hectic weekend! Between doing more planting and weeding in the garden AND unexpected company...we only got out on the boat Saturday for a few hours. Stalked them stripers forever...but didn't get a bite! Tied up to our mooring at just about low tide so we just went ashore and dug some steamers. They were good but a nice striped bass on the barbecue sure would have been better!! Then we had to come home and help my MIL take the covers off her baseboard heating system (she has electric) so that she could VACUUM them!!!! What's up with that??!! I thought I was fussy about my house!

Sheepish...glad you rounded up all your ducks. Ducks are so hard to convince that the safest place for them is in a pen...especially at night! Last summer and for part of the fall, I had a bumper crop of mallards. But they slowly disappeared at night over the course of a month or so since they absolutely refused to go in their pen!! Now...my goats have NEVER been a problem. In fact I have to remember to turn my charger back on when I go out to milk tonight!! I turn it off when I mow the grass...many times I've run the mower right up against the strand of electric tape...NOT fun :-)!!

Brought home our meat chicks last Friday. My granddaughter goes with me since she feels that I can't drive the truck and "babysit" for the chicks at the same time! I only bought 15 meat birds since we can get two meals and more from one carcass...plus I still have several leftover from last year. But they did talk me into taking 8 Aracauna chicks (free!). And of course, I didn't refuse! Turkeys will be available in a few weeks.

Alison...my almost 5 year old granddaughter had her kindergarten orientation a few weeks ago. She got to ride the school bus (with her parents!) and spent half the day at school! She was so proud of herself!! But...since the school bus also drives right by my house, she wants to get off the bus at Gramma's "farm" every day! Help!!!

I have lots to catch up on here at BTS, but right now I have to milk. Later folks....!

-- Anonymous, June 10, 2002



Congratulations Sherri. Good luck with the new career.

My son is graduating from 8th grade. They had awards tonight and he got one for High Honors (that means he finally got his Math to an A) and a special award for Scientific Curiosity. What a smart kid. It was a really nice ceremony with clips of movies when they were young played.

We're eating lettuce from our garden. Spinach will be ready soon.

I'm thinking of taking a few of my goat babies to the city to see if I can sell them privately. Figured I can get alot more for them then at the auction. Maybe someone is having a wedding or barbeque or something.

-- Anonymous, June 10, 2002


Alison and Dee, great about your wee ones!!! Good children from good Moms, eh?

Sherri, Congrats on getting that (dare I say) sheepskin....and Top of the Class to boot! Good job! Hooray!

Mr. S. just finished his finals. He got a 4.0 through his program of the last 3 quarters (he may be dense about ducks, but he's sharp about other things!). Now if he can do that well for the next year or two...!

Happy graduation to all the grads...!

-- Anonymous, June 11, 2002


Congratulations on graduation, Sherri C.! Another milestone in what I am sure has been an interesting life. Top of the class too . . . that's fantastic.

My weekend was a little sad. I helped move out one of my uncle and aunt from across Mom's house. We've been neighbors over 35 years, and they have to move to be closer to their children / grandchildren. My uncle is nearly 79 years old, and still moves around like a youngish 60 year old.

So we were gathering up 'stuff' getting ready for moving truck to pick it up. He and my father were into classical music from way back, and has an extensive collection of old 78rpm music. Many of them are that real deep maroon color vinyl or acetate records. Lots of other 40's - 50's music too, but all those old albums, wow. His son said, "Dad, when you die, I'm logging onto E-bay after the funeral" (jokingly said).

I'm going to miss both of them, especially my uncle, who physically and mentally reminds me of my dad. Same mannerisms, same sense of humor, talking to him is like dad reincarnated for a spell.

I sure envy all of you, with all the gardens producing. Summer here is awful, and because of the baby, we didn't have time to start ours over here.

Have a great week all

-- Anonymous, June 11, 2002


Thanks for all the well-wishes. I got another piece of good news this morning. My friend's neice won Rookie Cowgirl of the Year from the Kentucky High School Rodeo Association and qualified to go to the Nationals, to be televised on ESPN2, in New Mexico in July. All this and she's almost a straight-A student too. She's a great kid who's gone through some tough times (drunk/addicted abusive father) so it's fantastic to see her doing so well.

-- Anonymous, June 11, 2002

Hey, how did all of you get in here last night? I couldn't get onto Lusenet at all, although I could get to other places on the web. Grrr!

So belated congratulations to Sherri -- first in class! :-D

Sploosh! Two big deluges yesterday, so everything is quite soggy. Supposed to rain more again today. No digging in the garden -- so I guess I'll work on container plants.

I have two large green ceramic pots (they don't match, but harmonize nicely) for my front porch. I have a wild assortment of plants to put in, colorwise. I have true red (no orange), magenta, fuschia, hot pink, and purple blossoms and lime green and chartreuse foliage! Going for the tropical look (my favored look the last few years -- before that it was all pastel mixes). Plus there are tomatoes waiting to go into their Earth Boxes. That should keep me busy for awhile!

-- Anonymous, June 11, 2002



Congratulations, Sherri! We aren't surprised you were head of your class!

Lotus did get onstage during the end of Debbie's set.....got to join her on two songs. She said she "didn't suck too much," which is what she ususually says. Points out all her mistakes, too hard on herself. So I asked her what the _audience_ reacted, and she admitted they were very enthusiastic, and Matt said "she rocked!" (unbiased opinion). So it went well, not that I would know......pout........

Right now I'm bummed, which is better than I was a few minutes ago when I was runnin around the backyard screaming (quietly, we're in the burbs) obscenities at the HELICOPTER DROPPING MOSQUITO PELLETS in my little lake!!!!!!!! I called the cops to find out what the %$#@ was up with this, and he said 'we were told they'd be in the area today'. Well, aint that peachy, how about they tell the citizens who live on this lake??? Before it happens!!!!!! I'm trying to get ahold of mosquito control to find out what the heck those pellets are; they better not be poison, or I'm gonna be one ticked-off momma bear. Thanks god they didnt spray, like they're doing right now on the west side of the Cities, for gypsy moth. (At least they're using BT, or so they say).

Lotus says she misses baby animals, so we are going to go to a pet store today and play with puppies and kitties and bunnies and stuff.Help us calm down. Bren doesnt want anything to do with me getting chickens, so no baby chickies this year. Its unnatural.

-- Anonymous, June 11, 2002


Good Job Sherri!!! Congratualtions! I bet you are glad you are finished.

-- Anonymous, June 11, 2002

Oh, yes, Sherri, when are you starting your massage tour? You can swing up this way first . . . . ;-)

-- Anonymous, June 11, 2002

No, this way first!

-- Anonymous, June 11, 2002

Can you put me on your list, Sherri?? I have lobsters, ya know :-)!! Really, though...congrats on your first place finish!

-- Anonymous, June 11, 2002


"Gee, Indy is only a couple of hours from my house..." she said...

"And the sweet corn will be ready in maybe a month and a half or so..."

Hi y'all! Yep, I'm still among the living (I heard that!! Quit groaning!) Just been totally wiped out lately. Back on the OT treadmill at work - I guess I'll never learn - plus working my hiney off (don't I wish!) around the farm as well. I've still got some succession planting to do in the garden; but it is mostly in and growing well. Pop and I drug out some old straw and I mulched all the tomatoes this past Sunday and Monday - Uncle Ivan and I are once again engaged in our annual "Great Tomato Race"!! I got my plants in the ground first, but then he planted more than I did; so then Pop made me plant the cold frame disaster survivors - now he has 60 plants and I have 68. (Can someone tell me why a family of 4 and a family of 2 need that many tomatoes?!) Of course, the first tomato to set on was on one of my CFD plants! He's trying to change the rules on me (there are rules?!) since my Juliet's are growing like crazy - he says they don't count 'cause they are too little - it's gotta be the first big red tomato! Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well fine - I got peppers on my plants and he doesn't - so there!

Hubs slipped up the other day and said something about "your Pop's garden"...Excuse me?! Whose garden did you say?! I'm pretty sure I remember him carying on to beat the band when I started this darn garden - now he thinks it's his? Oh, I don't THINK

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2002


SO!

(Darn fingers are still asleep, obviously!)

I guess I can't really complain (I can't? Are you sure?) 'cause he's been working his butt off out there as well. Now he's come up with a couple new plans - he's going to put lattice on my grape arbor (looks nekkid) and now we're not going to dig a hole for the pond; instead, we're going to get a big tank and set it level; then build a frame of landscape timbers around it about 2' high and top it with a board for a bench seat. We'll fill in around it with wood chips; and set plants in pots and yada yada yada....Guess he doesn't want a hole in the ground to fill in if I think it's too much work to maintain!! And we can always use a tank... I think maybe he's worried about Bailey-boo falling in it if it's ground level. She sure does love the farm! And he likes having her out here when he's babysitting so that he can let her run without having to worry so much. She sure can wear me out in a hurry! I just consider it "Grandma Practice" and enjoy my rest when I get it!

We finally got the rain I was wanting - boy did we get the rain!! Hubs called this morning and told me not to try to come home the usual way - he was driving through water up to the truck doors! By the time I stopped after work to buy groceries, it had subsided quite a bit! The weeds sure are appreciating the rain; the flowers, not so much! The last storm that went through early this morning beat the heck outa my dahlias; knocking them into my lillies - grrrr! Guess I'll have to sacrifice a few more pantyhose and go out and tie them up to the porch rail as soon as it's dry enough to step in there! Pop is about ready to smack me - I was out there eyeballing the plants and talking about which ones I'm going to have to move next year....It's not my fault!! Pop asked me: "Why the hell did you put the short plants in the back?!" "Well, DUH!! So we could admire them from this side of the porch, dummy!" I replied. I can't help it if plant tags lie. They lie like rugs. I think they just make up numbers and put them on there for how tall the plants are going to get!

I finally convinced Hubs of the power of rain! I wanted some rain water to wash my hair with, so I had him set a 200 gal tank under one of the downspouts on the shed - it filled to overflowing in the first little 30 minute rain shower that we got. Our well water is so lousy - it is harder than hammered heck and full of iron algae, even after a water softener and two filters, I won't drink it and I can't wash my whites and good work clothes at home. We've been promised city water for the past 8 years (and for the 30+ years before that, ever since they took over half of our farm under Eminent Domain for this damn lake!) but I don't see it coming anytime soon - especially since we are at the end of a dead end road. I've been talking cistern 'til I'm blue - we've got a 30 x 120 shed; with an additional 8 x 60 patio overhang on it to provide a catch area. This area of Illinois gets about 35" of rain a year - I can't find the site to figure out how many square feet = how many gallon from a certain size rain; but I still think it would be a considerable amount - enough to easily fill and keep full a 10,000 gallon cistern! Pop is walking around muttering something about he ain't brushing HIS teeth with bird crap; but since he is the one forking out the dough to maintain and operate the current water system ($250/yr for iron remover; the same for salt, $10/wk for filters and $35/mo for bottled water to drink) he might change his tune once we'd get going with the cistern. Plus, there would be even more savings on dish, laundry and bath soaps; no inconvienent trips to the laundromat and $1.25 to $3 a load to wash stuff. Not to mention, not dumping all that crap into the environment. I'm thinking this will be a win-win situation. Now, all I gotta do is talk Hubs into turning loose of the moolah...

And speaking of rain and washing my hair in rain water...I got up the other evening to get ready to go to work; there was a nice, steady rain outside, no one else was home and we DO live at the end of that aforementioned dead end road, soooo...I grabbed the soap and shampoo and snuck out the back door for a shower a'naturale, as it were. Next time, I will look at the thermometer first!! Woo-hoo!! You wanta talk about brisk?! 62 degrees and that rain must have been coming from pretty high up 'cause buddy - it was COLD!!! That was one brief shower there, boys and girls! I must have been moving at a pretty good pace when I came back up on the porch - I slid about half way past the door on the way in and darn near fell! I could just see Hubs coming home to find me nekkid and concussed on the porch...

And since there's no way in heck that I can top that story; I'll close for now! You folks all take care!

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2002


I don't think any of us can top that one!

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2002

Looks like the only way I'm going to solve the dilemma of who gets a massage first is to have all of you come to my house! Polly, I am going to have to request that you do wear clothes while you are outside my house, I hope you don't mind too much. :) Seriously, once I get my farm I'm going to have a big party and everyone on the forum is invited!

Just a tiny bit of self-promotion that you can take or leave as you wish. I've been ruthlessly weeding through my personal library and listing books on half.com. It's been hard, but I decided that I'd rather have a homestead than a big personal library. Most of the books are about Celtic history, but last night I did list a few herb, gardening, and craft books. You can see my inventory at Sherri's store I probably will be listing a few more books this weekend, then it's on to the video and CD collections.

I am not at all happy with my bank today. I made a major deposit into my checking account yesterday. Basically, I'm playing off 2 credit cards against each other with their balance transfer offers and got enough money to pay off my home equity loan at 0% interest for 12 months. I called the automated teller line yesterday afternoon to see if they had posted the money to my account yet and the recording said my checking balance was at negative $5000. That put me in a panic because my first thought was that someone had got into my account and cleaned me out. I called the bank immediately and they said that because I had made such a big deposit they had frozen my entire checking account until the deposit check clears! I could understand if they wouldn't let me have access to the deposit until it clears, but they won't let me get at the money already in the account either. I just made my mortgage payment and if they make that check bounce heads are going to roll! I went to the grocery store last night and tried to pay for it with my debit card and it was declined. Talk about embarassing. Grrr!

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2002


OK, that link got goobered up somehow! Look's like it's going to have to be cut and paste time.:(

http://stores.half.com/celtiaskye

That should get you there.

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2002


De-goobering, my specialty! And just see what else had gone into the void and now has popped back up -- the whole bank story! I would be talking to the bank manager or whoever is in charge of this kind of thing. I'm not even sure it's legal. I know you are denied access to a deposit until the check clears, but I cannot see any reason why you shouldn't be able to get at the rest of your money! I'd be seriously threatening them with moving my money to another institution. I belong to the University credit union here, and while they aren't perfect, I have been SO much happier with them and their policies than any bank I was with previously. And they don't act like they're doing you a favor by doing your business!

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2002

Thanks Joy, I just wasn't in the mood to type that whole thing in again.

Can you tell with your moderator superpowers what I did wrong with the link? My formula for making a hotlink doesn't seem to work if the website URL doesn't start with www.

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2002


You forgot the last " after the URL. I do that frequently myself!

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2002

2 friends and I went to the home of a spinner/rug hooking artist for wool handling lessons and spinning lessons. It was great. My yarn actually looks like YARN!! Much better than my last lesson. Its so frustrating that my wheels drive shaft is broken (during assembly so I haven't gotten to use it yet!!). So I am cancelling my registration for a $75, 2 hours away workshop. As a thank you for loaning her my mini van to transport two llamas my llama farming friend gave me a fleece from one of her llamas. Wasn't that nice. It was a great day. New spinning friends and mentors and a new addition to our spinning group, The Fiber Freaks.

-- Anonymous, June 15, 2002

The Fiber Freaks -- I like that! :-)

I spent this gorgeous day on the road, more or less. The dog and I went up to Stevens Point, where I met Mom and Julie. They were shopping, but also brought me a "used" bird. Relatives' kids didn't want the poor little 'tiel anymore, so I agreed to take it. Very thin, weird chirp, scared and not friendly. Oh well, I bet he'll improve. And if he's never tame, well, he won't be the first one I've had like that! At least he isn't a vicious biter.

Speaking of the bird, I need a new name for HIM. They named HIM "Andoria", a girl's name. We usually name the birds for plants -- herbs or weeds. For instance, Chicory, Bramble, Tansy, Yarrow, Thistle, etc. I'm not naming him Mugwort though! If he were a girl, I'd probably name him Hollyhock or Marigold. Maybe I should go find the Hobbit name-generator again. . . . . Maybe I should name him Johnny -- as in Johnny-Jump-Up. We had a Jack-in-the-Pulpit, who was naturally called Jack (originally, his name was for Jack the Ripper! but he improved a great deal after adoption).

I hope tomorrow is as nice, as I still have much garden stuff to do. We've been having frequent rain, which makes things difficult.

-- Anonymous, June 15, 2002


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