The winds finally let up after 4 days of howling northeast or northwest winds.  Even though the temps got up to 60 or so I couldn’t stand it outside.  The wind really irritates me and makes me feel worn out.  I thought I was just an odd wind hater but at a meeting of gardeners last night everyone was complaining about the wind.

 Today was much nicer, the wind was light, the temperature above 60 and it was sunny this morning although high clouds have filtered the sun now.  The birds were singing and it was a pleasant spring morning.  I had to go into town for chicken feed so I took the back road and I noticed a large rock near the side of the road.  I decided to stop and pick it up for my flower bed.  I then decided why not pick up a few more to outline a new bed I was thinking about making.

 I was driving along stopping to pick up rocks along the road and edges of fields that had just been plowed up when a guy came out from his house laughing and said his wife had seen me from the window and guessed I was collecting rocks for a rock garden.  He said they had a pile of them I could drive right up to if I wanted.  So I did and filled the floorboard of the passenger side.    I was afraid to get too many as my shocks aren’t too good but I wish I had collected just a few more.

 The people around here probably think I’m nuts as I am always stopping the car to take a picture, pick up a plant sample to identify or collecting rocks.  Oh well eccentricity is allowed as you age.   At least my slow ride along the back roads wasn’t as eventful as another lady’s who I saw just after I picked up my rocks.  She had driven her small car off the road into a ditch.  I stopped to ask if she needed help, she was a woman about my age.    She was laughing a bit, said she was embarrassed; she was looking at - one guess- her cell phone and just drove off the road.  The wrecker was on the way.  People never learn about those stupid cells.

 After I unloaded my rocks I went for a brief walk through my pastures and around the pond.  It was not a good feeling when I saw how dry and crunchy everything was.  The pond banks are almost bare - Chance- my stud horse, has been out there eating.  Lily and Lucky’s pasture isn’t much better.  I have some hay here, its stemmy old stuff they don’t like very well but I’m going to start putting it out again.  We really need some rain to get the grass growing.

 I did find an orioles nest blown out of a tree from the high wind.  They make a pouch type nest.  It was made almost entirely from horse hair with some strands of white plastic from woven feed bags and a few pieces of black plastic or nylon strands.  I think that may have come from some black plastic “chicken wire” we had used on some pens.  Inside were some remnants of leaves.

I kept wondering why they picked up what they did to build with.  Horse hair is strong I guess while still being pliable and soft.  I guess they collect what the horses rub off.  The feed bag and plastic wire pieces are odd though.  When did an oriole have the chance to unravel a feed bag?  Nature just has so many things to discover and marvel at.

Birthday musings

I had a wonderful birthday celebration with my family yesterday.  It was a bit of a problem getting there- our car has a bad windshield wiper and we drove through some monster thunderstorms, had to pull off the road 4 times.  Only 30 miles south of us they got at least an inch of rain but here at home my rain gauge only registered a 1/4 inch.   At my folks home 50 miles south they too got only a 1/4 inch or so.  It was a narrow band of rain.  We really need some more rain. 

My family got me some wonderful garden related gifts and we had a nice potluck meal.  My son and his wife did some wonderful cooking along with my sisters.  I am so lucky that both my parents are alive on my 60th birthday and in good health and mind and that I could be with them. 

When we got home I found that Lily had jumped the fence in a low spot to get into the pond pasture where Chance is at.  I will guess she is in heat although she was chasing him away quite roughly and he was going.  She left Lucky behind and he was quite upset.  When I put her through the gate he latched on and began to nurse frantically.  Her udder was full so she had been over there a while.    You just can’t go away from this place for a few hours. 

 This morning I strung some hotwire across that spot.  Hopefully she didn’t get bred.  I want her to wait until at least May to be re-bred.  But I will mark it on the calendar.   She is looking for good grass, not eating hay well so maybe she was just hungry.  I was hoping for rain to get the grass growing again. 

We should have baby ducks hatch this week.  The guineas are laying eggs but it’s the tom turkey who is sitting on them.  I don’t know why, he started sitting on some duck eggs then the guineas started laying there.  The turkey hens just started laying in another spot.   Tom turkeys shouldn’t sit, but I have two that do.

 My apple trees are blooming today, unfortunately it may freeze tonight and tomorrow night.  So no apples either probably.  It’s a rotten year for fruit people- expect high prices.  The dandelions are gorgeous, whole fields are yellow with them.  At least the bees will have something to eat.

Happy Easter

It’s Easter Sunday and a chilly blustery day here.  The sun is shining but the north wind is biting cold.  It’s blowing the doggie door open in my office.  Even though it was 80 just 2 weeks ago I have to admit this is more like early spring and Easter weather. 

 This is a year for the record books of horticulturists like me.  It’s interesting what plants are surviving the early warmth followed by seasonal cold the best.  My poor lilacs had buds showing color but are now turning brown.  The flowering quince is blooming quite nicely.  Many daffodils in bloom were browned and wilted by the cold yet the tulips soldiered on.  The fruit crop in Michigan remains questionable and since this weather is not just confined to Michigan, the nation’s fruit crop may be at risk.

I don’t know if it’s the weather or my chickens have been listening to TV stories about rowdy egg hunts but they are trying to give me egg hunts of my own.   Our egg count has dwindled and I keep finding eggs in odd places.  That may be because the mean Guinea hens are hanging around by the nest boxes or because some of the hens want to raise their own chicks.  Or it could be the weather since some of my chickens are molting, which is odd this time of year.

 Our turkeys are also doing odd things.  We had some large eggs, either duck or turkey laid in two different areas of the barn.   The two bourbon red tom turkeys have been sitting on those eggs part of the time, although the hen turkeys are ignoring them.  Last year the old tom sat on some infertile turkey eggs for a couple weeks until I tossed them out.  His son has his same habits.  We have 3 different Muscovy ducks sitting on eggs in different spots so I think they are turkey eggs but they will never hatch with the on and off again sitting.

 I think the Guineas are disrupting the nesting of the other birds.  They chase the turkeys and chickens viciously.  I would give them away but no one wants them.  My husband has started pushing that option - giving them away.  They are interesting but noisy and mean.  Maybe if we just had 2 instead of seven.  I’d keep one pair but I have a heck of a time sexing them.  They are dropping eggs here and there but not nesting that I can see.  If I found a hen on a nest I’d keep one other bird and give away the rest.

 Our foal Lucky is doing well.  He’s eating grain and hay with momma now.  His coat is shiny and plush.   I found out his color is called bay with a pangera mutation, which is common in ponies and donkeys.  It makes the muzzle and belly and legs lighter.  He’s a wild and crafty little bugger though.  I have a heck of a time catching him and I am not doing it enough. 

 I have a little halter that Lily’s last foal used that I want to get on Lucky, although I think it’s just a bit large yet.  It might make it easier to catch him.  Horse people say you should catch and handle foals every day but that’s not happening here.  I don’t know, I sometimes find that young animals get tamer as they get older as long as they are treated gently and that they tame naturally.   Food treats have tamed a few horses around here I took in because no one wanted them.

 We haven’t put his daddy Chance back with him and his mom yet but he is getting impatient to be back with his mare.  She hasn’t came into foal heat yet but I expect it anytime now.  I wanted to wait a bit before allowing her to breed so the next foal wouldn’t be born so early in the year.  Lucky is called that because he’s lucky he was born on a March day that was so warm.  I am hoping my fences will keep them apart at least until late April.  We leave in a bit to drive to my moms for Easter dinner and will be gone several hours.  I bet that’s when he will climb the fence.

Happy Easter