Pics

I've been meaning to get over here and get some blogging done:)

I frightened a mama quail off her nest when I was weeding a few days ago.  Unfortunately, she did not return so I got this picture of her nest. with eggs.

This is the "pine grove" area of the yard.  The purple flowers are pennstemmons.  There are sonme wild roses in this area, as well.

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.