tortoise
Wild Hare
Fantastic article! It deserves its own thread!finished first draft of the onion project page:
the little wild kingdom
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flowerbug
Sustainability Master
i've edited it a bit more and added a few more things. so it's not really done yet, nor is my website for that matter since i like to try to improve things when i'm in the mood for writing. there's a few older projects that need some work so i should get those on my list of things to do for these cloudy rainy spring days when i don't feel like doing anything else.
there was the growing onions thread here on SS before that pretty much inspired me to do this since then.
i get so far with a page and then it's like i just want to do something else so i try to get it mostly legible and put it out there and then after that i can come back to it after a break and take another look at it - like i did this morning to put in some things and clarify or to add more bits. editing is 99% of the work. my writing runs on a bit so i need to pare it down and improve it yet some more. i noticed this morning some really clumsy stuff that needs rewriting but i'm out of gas for the day on that.
comments always appreciated. but i know you do tons of editing yourself so it's ok if you take a pass on that here.
i'm not an English major, i write more from a poetic or flow sort of perspective, but also trying to keep it lighter than a full formal presentation.
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flowerbug
Sustainability Master
finally got a picture of a young one today as now both nests have hatched out. i've been trying for many many years to get any kind of picture close enough to be interesting enough. this year seems like a pretty early hatch compared to many in the past but that is perhaps because i recall them hatching after they've tried and failed with an earlier laying. either way it was great!
i got pictures of the last chick of the eight eggs (in two nests) such a tiny one still in the nest and then Mom saw one running around that i could get a picture taken. at one point it got trapped in between some rocks. i picked it up and moved it to where it could run off again. it was very precious and soft and it did not want to be held at all. set it down and off it ran. i wished i could get a picture of it in my hand but it wouldn't be still and i wasn't going to try to keep it any longer than i already did. then snapped a picture as it was in between steps - rarely standing still for longer than a split second.
oh! i just was able to get a much better picture. Mom came in and said the last hatchling was out in the pathway and that perhaps i could get a picture of that one instead. yep... will get it posted later.
i got pictures of the last chick of the eight eggs (in two nests) such a tiny one still in the nest and then Mom saw one running around that i could get a picture taken. at one point it got trapped in between some rocks. i picked it up and moved it to where it could run off again. it was very precious and soft and it did not want to be held at all. set it down and off it ran. i wished i could get a picture of it in my hand but it wouldn't be still and i wasn't going to try to keep it any longer than i already did. then snapped a picture as it was in between steps - rarely standing still for longer than a split second.
oh! i just was able to get a much better picture. Mom came in and said the last hatchling was out in the pathway and that perhaps i could get a picture of that one instead. yep... will get it posted later.
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flowerbug
Sustainability Master
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- #225
flowerbug
Sustainability Master
i can't always remember what i've posted where so if i repeat myself just put it down to too many scattered brain cells and no sure method of keeping track of what i do where.
more daffodils with some sunshine for a change. there's a lot more color out there now that some of the later daffodils have also started to come out so in a few more days when the sun tries to come out again i'll take some more pictures. i also need to mark some clumps and plants for removal or thinning.
more daffodils with some sunshine for a change. there's a lot more color out there now that some of the later daffodils have also started to come out so in a few more days when the sun tries to come out again i'll take some more pictures. i also need to mark some clumps and plants for removal or thinning.
frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
Absolutely gorgeous!
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flowerbug
Sustainability Master
so much of what is in that picture needs to be removed or thinned out that all i see is a lot more work. ok, no, it's not that bad to me, it looks pretty good to me too considering what it has been through and how much time i've spent on it this spring (about 3hrs so far). it needs some weeding and marking those bunches i have to move and ...
i was looking at it this morning and wishing i had a nicer day without rain to get out there.
so far so good. it will come along quickly once i can get back to it later this week. just a few hours of weeding and i can get most of the clear areas taken care of. it's all the nitpicky weeding along the edges that takes more time, but it is pleasant time if it is warm enough. just grab my ground pillows and sit there and go over it all a few hours at a time.
here is larger sized picture. i normally only post thumbnails here because they can take time to load up for people on slower connections:
and here is birdie pic in larger size too:
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flowerbug
Sustainability Master
i still think this is the best hatchling picture i was able to capture when it happened in 2013:
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- #229
flowerbug
Sustainability Master
did some weeding today and then puttered around while they were working on replacing the culvert under the end of the driveway.
after that was done i had to get out and water the garlic, onions and strawberries. while i was standing there watering the strawberry patch when i saw a bird fly into the top of this wood stove that we only use as a decoration. i think it was a female cardinal and it was heading in there with something in its mouth to feed the babies. my question is how in the world are those babies ever going to get out of there?
in other strange sightings news there was some kind of creature running up the driveway towards the garage and i think it was a mink, but i'm not sure. i've not seen anything like that here before so now i'm curious what it might have been. from looking at pictures on-line it probably was a mink, not a very old one, but it for sure wasn't a weasel or anything else that fit how it moved and how it was shaped. perhaps the 2nd mink i've seen here since they built the place. Mom asked me if they eat groundhogs.
likely the mink was disturbed from its den near the culvert - it looked like there was some kind of den near the end of the culvert.
after that was done i had to get out and water the garlic, onions and strawberries. while i was standing there watering the strawberry patch when i saw a bird fly into the top of this wood stove that we only use as a decoration. i think it was a female cardinal and it was heading in there with something in its mouth to feed the babies. my question is how in the world are those babies ever going to get out of there?
in other strange sightings news there was some kind of creature running up the driveway towards the garage and i think it was a mink, but i'm not sure. i've not seen anything like that here before so now i'm curious what it might have been. from looking at pictures on-line it probably was a mink, not a very old one, but it for sure wasn't a weasel or anything else that fit how it moved and how it was shaped. perhaps the 2nd mink i've seen here since they built the place. Mom asked me if they eat groundhogs.
likely the mink was disturbed from its den near the culvert - it looked like there was some kind of den near the end of the culvert.
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- #230
flowerbug
Sustainability Master
yesterday crawled under the house and inspected things and changed the air filter.
then cleaned up mess in crawlspace hatch entrance. mouse ick. skipping the long description for the moment...
weeded onion garden. tried one of the green onions and it was mild and delicious - i think Mom will like these too.
will be a busy day outside again today. i can't go as long in this heat as i'd like but will gradually build up tolerance and how much i can get done.
the longer version of the mouse ick follows - for those weak of stomach or with too good of an imagination you might want to skip the rest of this...
the smell when opening the hatchway cover has been bad since last fall, i've removed a few mouse nests and the mice have been in using two corners as a potty. not just a few potties, but piles of congealed poos and pees all mashed together along the metal cover which we crawl through to get under the house. after changing the air filter and inspecting things down there and coming back out i'd already planned on sweeping up the mouse droppings and then cleaning up the potty stations and removing the nest they'd started to build in there again. i knew it was not going to be a fun time...
first thing was to get rid of the nest and as much sand, mouse poops, and any other bits of pine needles or whatever were in there on top of the concrete. it's not super smooth but the small whisk broom and dust pan i used were able to get almost all of the loose stuff out of there including everything from the frame that holds the metal hatch door out of the slot. a lot of sand and bits of whatever in there over 25yrs worth and some mouse poops that got in there when the hatch was opened. i made sure to hold my breath as much as possible as i sure didn't want to breathe that crud into my sinuses and lungs.
then it was a matter of getting some bleach and water and getting the wet pee/poop conglomerate gunk from the corners and the track cleaned out completely and that was done with bleach, water and some rag towels that went right into the trash bag. an old paint brush also helped with some scrubbing down in the track. a few rounds and a last douse of bleach water and left it all to dry out before putting the hatch back into place. and as a final parting gift i took a 1 pint wide mouth jar and poked some holes in the lid so it could vent and filled it part ways up with bleach to hopefully discourage any further mouse adventures.
i'll check it in a few weeks and see how it is all doing and to make sure no more nesting is going on in there. plus i should put out some mouse traps again. i know the mice are always out there, so i really should always be trapping any new adventureres looking for new territory to set up a home. the AC and hatch for the crawlspace have been used before and likely will be again.
then cleaned up mess in crawlspace hatch entrance. mouse ick. skipping the long description for the moment...
weeded onion garden. tried one of the green onions and it was mild and delicious - i think Mom will like these too.
will be a busy day outside again today. i can't go as long in this heat as i'd like but will gradually build up tolerance and how much i can get done.
the longer version of the mouse ick follows - for those weak of stomach or with too good of an imagination you might want to skip the rest of this...
the smell when opening the hatchway cover has been bad since last fall, i've removed a few mouse nests and the mice have been in using two corners as a potty. not just a few potties, but piles of congealed poos and pees all mashed together along the metal cover which we crawl through to get under the house. after changing the air filter and inspecting things down there and coming back out i'd already planned on sweeping up the mouse droppings and then cleaning up the potty stations and removing the nest they'd started to build in there again. i knew it was not going to be a fun time...
first thing was to get rid of the nest and as much sand, mouse poops, and any other bits of pine needles or whatever were in there on top of the concrete. it's not super smooth but the small whisk broom and dust pan i used were able to get almost all of the loose stuff out of there including everything from the frame that holds the metal hatch door out of the slot. a lot of sand and bits of whatever in there over 25yrs worth and some mouse poops that got in there when the hatch was opened. i made sure to hold my breath as much as possible as i sure didn't want to breathe that crud into my sinuses and lungs.
then it was a matter of getting some bleach and water and getting the wet pee/poop conglomerate gunk from the corners and the track cleaned out completely and that was done with bleach, water and some rag towels that went right into the trash bag. an old paint brush also helped with some scrubbing down in the track. a few rounds and a last douse of bleach water and left it all to dry out before putting the hatch back into place. and as a final parting gift i took a 1 pint wide mouth jar and poked some holes in the lid so it could vent and filled it part ways up with bleach to hopefully discourage any further mouse adventures.
i'll check it in a few weeks and see how it is all doing and to make sure no more nesting is going on in there. plus i should put out some mouse traps again. i know the mice are always out there, so i really should always be trapping any new adventureres looking for new territory to set up a home. the AC and hatch for the crawlspace have been used before and likely will be again.
