The Vet

First of all it was 32 chilly degrees out this morning.  Should be warming up fromnow on but this is Northern Nevada so no guarantees.

The vet came out today.  Wiseguy was a perfect gentleman.  Held still for the stethoscope   I showed him a carrot and fed him a carrot while he was getting his shot and he barely flinched.

The vet says Wiseguy is in great shape and has good muscles.  He also says the feet look good.

We are getting a worm count fecal analysis.  It's the modern way to worm.  Results will be coming in the mail.

I asked a bunch of questions.

Spot the Goat was looked at.  He has something gruesome on his butt.  Looks like squamous cell carcinoma to the vet.  He can't be positieve without a biopsy He says we can slice it off but....

I say we need to be practical.  I add that I sometimes wonder if we do the right thing for animals when they have cancer and we start doing procedures.  After all, they really don't understand what you are doing to them.  He concurs.

Spot will be going to the Big Goat Hut in the Sky when he starts looking thin or if he starts looking like he is in pain too much.  Kinda sad.

Update

35 degrees overnight.

Mid sixties yesterday and a bit of gusty wind.  Not bad.

Should be in the sixties again today.

Peas are up and dong fine.

We got the 50 gal pond out of the backyard yesterday and into the front "rocky stream bed".  Today I have to put the spirea back in that we had to move.  I think I will remove a goldenrod and toss it.  They aren't my favorite and they are trying to spread around the yard a bit.

I need to landscape the area with the dirt a bit height in the back towards the house and a pipe to direct overflowing pond water away from the house.  I dug a low spot but I think a pipe wouldn't hurt.  It will be covered in rocks.

I will be finishing the landscaping cloth and Hubby is going to haul some large rocks from where the pond was in the back to cover the pond area landscape cloth.

My plan for the pond is to get the milk crate back in there, set up the pump and use some flat rocks to build it up to a nice level for little birds to get a drink from and take baths.

Speaking of birds, I'm expecting our first hummingbirds around May 1st.  We shall see.

Oh, I'm looking into getting Wiseguy a friend.  I found an eligible bachelor through my mini horse website.  Awaiting photos.  He is an appaloosa gelding, 34 or maybe a bit more inches tall and nine years old.  I can get him professionally started in harness before bringing him home.  There is  a great trainer that lives near by to the gal that owns the horse.  The horse is in Utah and would be about an 8 hour drive to go and see.

Much warmer overnight

It was much warmer overnight at 37 degrees.  Looks like not too much damage from the 26 degrees Thursday morning.

Every year there are certain weeds that come on strong.  This year it is dwarf lupines.  Poisonous so I walk around our 5 acres at especially look for those while I work my hoe.

Last year it was desert dandelions.  The year before that was mustard.  Weird, huh.  I think it has to do with the timing of the rains.

Below Freezing

26 degrees at 6am.  Way cold.  I can only go out and survey the damage later when it warms up enough for me to want to be outside.

After skirting disaster for two nights in a row, this third night was the charm.  We went very cold.  There is a warming trend on its way.  I hope it will be warmer tonight.

It is already above freezing.  34 degrees at 7:45am.  Hoping for the best.  Fearing the worst:)

Cold

The weather has gone cold.

Yesterday the temperature dropped from 50 degrees to 37 degrees prompting much wailing and gnashing of teeth over just how cold would we go.

The answer 34 degrees and at 8am it is still 34 degrees.

Sadly, we may get colder tonight and tomorrow night.  We shall see.

Peas are up and quite a few trees and shrubs have leaves coming out.  All I can do is hope for the best.

Still cloudy and windy out there right now.

Mosquito trap

Found this on Facebook.  I'm going to try it.

What we need is basically:
200 ml water
50 grams of brown sugar,
1 gram of yeast (yeast bread, found in any supermarket) and a 2-liter plastic bottle. [...]

How to:
One. Cut the plastic bottle (PET type) in half. Storing the neck portion:
2nd. Mix brown sugar with hot water. Let cool. When cold, pour in the bottom half of the bottle.
3rd. Add the yeast. No need to mix. It creates carbon dioxide.
4th. Place the funnel part, upside down, into the other half of the bottle.
5th. Wrap the bottle with something black, minus the top, and put in some corner of your house.

In two weeks you will see the amount of mosquitoes and mosquitoes who died inside the bottle.

In addition to cleaning their homes, breeding sites of mosquitoes and mosquitoes, we can use this method very useful in: Schools, Nurseries, Hospitals, homes, ranches, farms, ranches, nurseries. etc. Do not forget Dengue in the coming months: this mosquito can kill a person! from salve o planeta (spanish)

Garden Notes

Planted carrots, onion bulbs, pak choi, lettuce and rads in the garden over the weekend.

Raining today.  Overnight of 35 degrees.  Should be in the fifties later today.

All the peas are coming up.

Worried about it freezing overnight for the next couple of nights.  We shall see.

Rain

Rained last night.  Warm overnight in the low 40's.  Cloudy and only 45 degrees and 11am although the sun may be breaking through.

I made a fire in the woodstove to take the chill off the house.  I keep saying this will be the last fire of the season:)

30 degrees! Ackkk!!!

At 5:30am it was 32 degrees.  At 5:45 it was 31 degrees.  At 6:00am it was 30 degrees.  OMG!  I am so wishing the sun would come up now!!!!

Fortunately the sun arrived before it went any colder and it looks like our trees are okay...so far.  I'll keep checking as I go around the property.

Warming up nicely.

Spring?

Had a scare last night.  Went to 34 degrees but the weather was reporting it could go to 30 degrees.  I am so hoping we don't get one of our horrible cold nights.  I have trees with leaves popping out and fruit trees blooming.  One year it set us back so much when it froze since the trees all had to get new leaves after already getting their new leaves that got froze off:(

Penny is limping and there is no obvious problem.  I think she may have messed up her shoulder jumping off the table in the breezeway.  She would get up there using a chair but then jump off without using the chair and three feet is a long way for a little doggy to jump.

Yesterday was very windy and it snowed but of course it didn't stick.  The hills and the mountains got some real snow though.  Today should be in the fifties and then it will be warming up a bit for the rest of the week.

Little projects need to get done like cutting down the one last clump of grass I missed during winter cleanup. I need to plant some lettuce.  Make sure the fruit tree area gets some water today.

Did I mention that I finally got the strawberries transplanted on Sunday?  We may not get strawberries this year because I should have done that last fall.  I also got my baby onion plants in on Saturday but I found out I also ordered onion sets so those need to go in.  I want to plant some lettuce and carrots and radishes in the main garden as well.

I got an appointment for the vet to come out in two weeks.  Wiseguy needs his shots and deworming.

Catching Up!

Friday I cleaned a house.  Then I went to the grocery store while I was in town.  I also got a bale of alfalfa.  I decided to get three buckets of rocks on the way home.

Yesterday, Hubby and I went out to finish the last of the yard clean up.  I raked.  He used the fire stick.  We didn't make it all the way to the front but we did pretty good.  I was so tired from Friday that I had to quit.  So, one more rake and burn and we should be done.  Sometime in May is our last burn day so we have about 3 weekends left to do this.

I cleaned up the kitchen which really needed it and collapsed on the couch.  Too much physical labor is too much.  Today, I am resting up for the big day tomorrow.  1 1/2 cleaning jobs, getting into Carson City to buy glasses.  Home Depot to look at ponds.  That will be plenty.

Looks windy today and tomorrow and the lows are going to be as low as 34 degrees.  Sure hope we don't get a real freeze.

Seeds Started Indoors

Yeah, I probably should have got the seeds going a bit sooner but I had technical problems.  My seed mix was so dry I had to rehydrate for a couple of days.

Tango Celery [Hubby and laughed so hard at that since celery probably likes moist and we live in a desert. I        
         couldn't resist so I bought it.]

Broccoli

New Early Girl Tomatoes

Cauliflower

Cayenne Peppers

Spring Photos

This is my front of the house project where I am taking the sprinklers off this area and using these old wine barrels for flowers.  I put down layers of news paper to block weeds and then landscape cloth.  I installed the barrels and I am hauling rocks in from the hills one load at a time to cover the landscape cloth.

The daffodils are blooming.

The cherry tree is blooming.

I love spring.

Yesterday I managed to transplant some baby sages and do a little more yard clean up.  What I didn't do was anything to keep the inside of the house up so I guess I better work on that today.

Spring...it's official

Looks like spring is here although we could get a night or two below freezing still.

The weather is fantastic this year.  I am trying to be outside to enjoy it.

I drove into Carson City for the BIG shopping trip.  We have been very conservative with our grocery dollars.  After awhile, it gets a little dreary.  I splurged and got the 4# bacon pack.  We have had some Del Monte green beans in a can to use up and I must say I don't like the flavor.  We don't eat a lot of canned goods but since we need to be stocked up in case of an emergency, we do have some.  That means trying to use them up every once in awhile. This time of year there aren't many fresh veggies at the store so now is the time.

Anyway, I am going to do some bacon and almond with green beans to see if I can spark those canned green beans up to a more edible level.

I love bacon on my venison burgers.  This venison has a stronger flavor than some and the bacon is a good counterpoint.

I also bought frozen shrimp.  Yep, decadent at $12 for 2 pounds but hey, you only live once:) And we will get two dinners out of that.  I got the small ones even though I like the big ones.  The big ones were $19.   Out here in Nevada, I prefer frozen seafood.  You know it isn't fresh when you buy it at the store.  We live hours  from the ocean.


Today I have lots to get done.  I bought pansies and snaps to put in the new barrel set up out front.  Oh, and some Dahlia roots for the summer.  Should look great!

Get 'er done!  Looks great.  I must get a photo.  I also got the automatic drip water onto the barrels.

I need more rocks so that I can keep filling in this area.  I need to finish the end of the front area.  It's about 7' by 6' so I will lay newspaper down to smother the light and the landscape cloth on top of that.  That should take care of the weeds.  Then, rocks to hold it down and protect the landscape cloth from the wind and the sun.

I really must start seeds indoors today!  Petunias, peppers and tomatoes.  The greenhouse is still a bit cold overnight but doing much better.

The list goes on!!!

Got the baby onion plants in and the water running on them.

No Fooling Around!

This is April 1st and is All Fool's Day but...this is spring and there is no time for fooling around:)

I've never been much of a prankster.  Hope no one pranks me today.

We got 4/100 of an inch of rain yesterday.  Yeah!.  Not much by non desert standards but pleny of help for my rice grass.  I swear the willow tree got three time greener.  It is budding out right now.

The temps are cooler but so far above freezing at night.  We are a bit worried about this week as we are being threatened by some fairly cold overnight lows just as the fruit trees are thinking about blooming.  Arghh!!!!