NatureNut4

Snakes, Spiders and Other Small Creatures

2011-09-28T09:54:00.002-04:00

Can you see the little creature using it's camouflage abilities, in the pictures below?
This is a Click beetle. We used to play with them when I was a youngster ;) They are harmless, we used to (I still do) get a kick out of how they jump and click when they're on their back. They do this because they can't turn over with their feet, so they arch their back and flip over making a click sound, they can be scary looking with those big false eyes! ;)

A baby praying mantis....waiting for a meal to happen by.

(Upper pic) A small blue tailed skink....trying to get a sweet meal :( If you look to the right you can see an anole lizard trying to do the same.

(upper pic) A garden spider in my chicken pen

A garter snake that was hiding under a bucket in my chicken pen. This isn't the one I was after, but I'm glad I caught her, she was way over five feet long, I took her and the one below far away in a much wooded area and released them. They are totally harmless, but they were eating all of my chicken eggs! I rearranged the coop and so far no more snakes have been in there. ;0)
(upper pic) This little one is the one I was trying to catch, when I discovered the larger one!
(below pic) The release.....I still worry about them being in a new location :(

(upper pic and below) This little guy is a bluffer! Poor thing, it's a baby/juvenile black rat snake and it's trying to make us think he's a bad poisonous snake, so we'll leave him alone. The sad part is most people kill poison snakes and even sadder is they kill any and all snakes they see. Last week I posted about adult and baby black rat snakes, this one is most probably related to the one that was in my yard. My husband and I had just finished up working in the bee hives when my adorable neighbor called me to come over and help identify a snake they had just caught. At first I wasn't positive that it was truly a black snake until it flattened itself out like a cobra and hissed at me. I've ran upon the adults before in the woods and they will act just like a cobra!

It's just a scare tactic though......I usually run the other way ;) I have total respect for nature and that includes snakes. They are a vital part of our eco system whether humans like it or not. It's just not fair to kill something so natural and a part of God's creation, just to turn around and try to take care of things on our own with chemicals and such! Makes no sense to me how people think sometimes! I'm known as the "weird one" by most, and I love it! ;)

If it weren't for nature lovers like myself......this world would be SO EMPTY!!!!

(upper pic) A garden (banana) spider in my friends garden, the pic below is one on my Mom's porch, arent they lovely ladies?

I hope you will take the time when you're outside to stop and notice the little things God has created for us to enjoy. Don't be scared or afraid, learn about your surroundings, read about the things you find or see. You'll *bee* surprised at how much more you start to enjoy the great outdoors and the joys of nature that God intended for us to enjoy.

TTFN!

Until Next Time....

Explore your surroundings!

Julie ;)

Black Snakes/ Adults and Babies

2011-09-08T21:46:00.009-04:00

Last summer I spotted this adult black snake crawling across the yard. It looks as though it just finished a good meal. Last summer I didn't know anything about this snake except that it was black and non-poisonous. It left me alone and I would leave it alone.
Snakes are really such misunderstood creatures.......

Sometimes I feel we have a lot in common. ;)

They don't bother anyone, as a matter of fact snakes are just as scared of us as we are of them. To them we are the predators, well I suppose we ARE the predators, as most people kill them rather eagerly. A couple of months ago I was weeding around some plants and noticed a slight movement.... this one really scared me because it caught me off guard. I just let it stay there and I went on my way..... Can you see it? (picture below) you can click on the pictures for larger viewing.
Then today, after gardening all day around this bush, something caught my eye. I thought it was a piece of dead knotty branch and when I got closer to remove it, I realized it was a snake! Had it been there all day?!? I ran to get my camera so I could identify it. Then I thought it would be better to catch it in a glass jar and bring it to the computer with me for better ID.
I searched for what seemed an hour or more. There just isn't a lot of photos or information on baby snakes. I surfed from site to site, Utube videos, blogs, etc. then I stumbled upon two really great blog sites and that's how I knew beyond a doubt that this is a baby black rat snake! I then remembered the adult black snakes I had seen in the yard.
At first it was a toss up because it looked like it could be an Eastern milk snake...or a King snake...so I was really glad to get a positive ID.

I would like to thank the authors and photographers of the sites, they were so helpful! Their pics were wonderful and clear.

Check them out sometime!

www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/black_rat_snake.htm

chiotsrun.com/2009/10/09/baby_rat_snake

I learned a lot about these black snakes today....I have rodents here that are becoming a pest for me and these snakes are here because they are hungry and the food is plentiful. They eat moles, voles, frogs, lizards (I wasn't to happy about that one) and other snakes, even the poison ones. So to me they are keepers and are welcome in my yard!

They are like any predator (in the natural world) they only kill what they can eat, no waste and no gluttons.
The baby snakes have marks on their underside, except for the upper inch or so, it's plain white.

This one is a little over a foot and as round as a pencil. It looks bigger in the pics but it is very tiny!
After identifying it I took it back to the bush where I found it and released it. I'll be looking out for it when I go out there from now on! ;)
Black snakes can lay up to 30 small eggs, in a woody area, but very few make it. I have lots of birds here and a few chickens so I'm sure they have a hard time living here.

I couldn't help myself from taking so many pictures of this tiny helpless creature. It stayed up in the bush for about an hour then it slithered down and on across my small compost pile.......

where it disappeared between the tarp. I'll make extra sure I'm careful out here from now on. You can click on the pics to make them larger.

I also learned something else about them, the pupils of their eyes are round not slatted meaning again non poisonous.

Please before you grab a hoe or shovel to kill something....look it up, identify it......after all, it has just as much of a right to live as you do!! Even if it is "just a snake"! Snakes are very beneficial to our environment.

I think we have thrown our planet life out of "kilter" by being so uninformed and afraid of things. We kill too many helpful things and suffer because of it. THEN pesticides and poisons have to come into the picture....GEEZE!!! Just let nature take care of itself, the rewards will be greater than our harmful efforts!

TTFN!

Until next time!

Julie

Growing Pains

2011-05-15T22:40:00.005-04:00

Well, my little Chihuahua, Molly(she weighs less than 2#) has decided that because I've never let her be a mommy that she will adopt, ;) which is just fine with me....she has taken over the role of protector and caregiver of love and affection to our little *Honeybee*. My only role now is to feed her, which she thinks should be every time she sees me.
Is this not the cutest face you've ever seen?????
Oh to have her life! ;)
I was taken by surprise today when I went to the chicken pen to let the hens out.....Something unusual caught my eye in one of the nesting boxes.....

My husband and I had made an agreement that we would do everything we could to try and win the mother cats trust.....if for just enough to be able to lure her into something to be able to get her to a vet and have her spaded. We've been feeding her when we see her in the afternoons going across our back yard. I've noticed over the last week that she's been watching me very carefully from a distance......
I suppose it has worked! She moved in!
And she's not alone! Dang!
After much soft talking and very slow moving I was able to get close enough to her to take more pictures and saw how thin and bony she was. The kittens were starving as well. I came in and fixed them some food and water.....
And they all dove in! Poor things!

A while later when mom got down I went in and got the black and white one, brought him in and bathed and blow dried him, they are covered in fleas. He went to sleep and when he woke he acted like he's always been here! He won't take to the bottle like *Honeybee* does but thats to be expected. He's way tinier than she is too.

I'll get the last two tomorrow and bring them in, but first see if I can catch mom. I can't wait too long because when I went to reach in to get the spotted kitten they hissed and growled at me. Mom did too when I brought the food out to them earlier.

I'm hoping this is *Honeybee's* mom, there is another cat that looks like her around here too. I do wish people would be responsible with their pets and have them fixed before letting them roam free and multiply. It's such a burden on those of us that care!

I'll keep you posted on our Hemingway kitties;)

TTFN!

Julie

My Little Honey Bee

2011-05-04T10:42:00.007-04:00

Well, since the last post, I have learned quite a lot about kittens.

Number one just because they are tagged with a famous man's name, doesn't really mean they are rare or elite or famous themselves ;)

A friend of mine (thank you Suzie) told me this little kitty was a Hemingway cat. I was SO impressed! How sweet! I thought.....a very unique kitten indeed! ;) She went on to tell me the story that Ernest Hemingway had lot of feral cats that he took care of and they inner bred, causing the "extra" thumbs and toes on their paws. Well, this explains things, duh....we have feral cats around here, geeze, I'm so outta touch!

She went on to tell me that this little kitty was also a female because she is a Calico. Calico cats are almost always female, rarely will one be a male. Well, I really didn't want to believe her because I had had a look down yonder and things looked to be male gender......;) apparently I didn't look close enough ;) again, I have to admit....I just don't/didn't know.

So, my famous rare male kitten, is "not so". "She" is just an average little girl born out of insest! But, I still love her, it isn't her fault, or her mother's...it's the person that brought them here that didn't care enough to have them fixed.

This little one will be fixed as soon as she is old enough!

All of her time is spent eating and sleeping.......oh, to be a kitten!

Waking up.......
just to go back to sleep.....
Her eyes finally opened a day ago.....isn't she the cutest!
Love this one!
Dozing.......

Griffen can't wait for her to be able to play! He's still not quite sure what exactly she is!

TTFN!

Julie

Abandoned

2011-04-26T22:33:00.003-04:00

What is this thing?!

Millie thinks she might want it for her own.....or either the "mother instinct" in her wants to soothe it and hush it's crying.

Griffen doesn't know what to think about it and wants it to play with him.

Sasha and Mollie want it to go away........
I had a very busy day with bees today and noticed when I came home to crab a few things to work with, that a kitten was crying under (or so I thought) our shed. I was in a very big hurry and couldn't stop to look. We have a few feral cats in our neighborhood and even though we have never had a cat here, one seems to always be around. One had kittens in our garage last year (she found a way in through a crack in the window), she moved them once we found them.

Anyway, when my husband got home we were out working hives and he said, "it sounds like you have baby chicks".....I said no...then he said "baby squirrels?".....I said no.....then it hit him..."oh, no you've got to be kidding me!!! Kittens???" I said "yep!" He went over to the shed (I was in a hive) and he walked back over and I could hear it crying. He said it was between the shed and garage....it was soaking wet and cold.
Poor thing, I finished up in the hive and brought him inside, dried him off and let Millie "mother" him while I fixed him something for his tummy.
He was sooo hungry! He latched onto that bottle and wouldn't let go!

Living out and loving nature I always have an animal baby bottle around. I've raised squirrels (heavens knows why) and there's always something that comes along sooner or later that needs a bottle.
He doesn't even have his eyes opened yet.
Sound asleep......I have a heating pad under the rags and he's out ;)

He needs a name.....and a home.....any suggestions?

TTFN!

Julie

Sasha

2011-04-05T14:38:00.004-04:00

This is Sasha......sitting in her chair on our front porch, just before daybreak.

She's camera shy and I've disturbed her morning ritual.....she's not too happy with me right now.

She sits in her chair on nice mornings for hours on end looking out into the yard and down the road. I often wonder what she's thinking about.......her younger days most probably, when she roamed these roads around here.....back in her day, she knew everyone that lived around here and they knew and loved her. She loves people and children.....she's such a sweet girl.

About five years ago an influx of new people moved in and they were "afraid" of her, so we put up a fence to keep her in. Her old friends got upset because she didn't visit them any more.

Sasha has a hip disorder and can't get around very good, she walks with a bad limp and falls alot. When she does get out for a stroll she can barely move the next day, meds don't work as good as they once did. The vet is worried about a knot on one of her ribs, so I try to keep her as comfortable as I can.

In the picture above I took her with me to get a load of mulch/dirt in the truck. She loves to ride but she's used to my low little car and when I opened the truck door for her to get in she turned and looked at me as if to say, "you're joking, right!" LOL I really did have to slide the seat all the way back and help her in. Isn't that a sweet face? LOL
More sweetness.....
Out like a light! ;)
Oh...soooo....humiliating!
She loves her chewies!

Sasha was given to my son on his sixteenth birthday by a girlfriend at the time. I said NO! Absolutely not! She was four weeks old! He asked me to pllleeeaaassseee try her for just one night.....and here we are! ;)

No one liked her, none of our older dogs at the time. I felt so bad for her and before I knew it she had my heart. She's only been away from home one night since she came here and that was for spaying. She's never had pups and she's always been my baby.

I've often talked so much about Griffen because he's our "wild" one. I just wanted to take a moment and share about my sweet girl, Sasha!

TTFN!

Julie

Gardening with Peter Pan and Rabbits ;)

2011-03-08T05:58:00.002-05:00

Have you ever watched the movie "Captain Hook" starring Johnny Depp and Robin Williams? I love that movie! But then again just about anything with Johnny Depp or Robin Williams playing in it, is intriguing. In the movie, one of the "lost boys" ,now grown-up, is looking for his marbles.....a sweet and funny but, sad movie.

It's always been a "little joke" with my family that when I do nutty things, that I have a screw loose or I've lost me marbles! The same in turn, goes when I happen to "find" them.

Well lately I've felt like I have lost me marbles and I seem to be finding them......out in the yard/garden. Have you ever played marbles? I'm not sure if anyone does anymore. I remember playing with my brothers growing up, they loved playing against me because I couldn't get my "cat eyes" to go very far...I don't remember very much about the game except that I usually lost. And in turn I lost my marbles to the best player....
I'm really fascinated when I find them because...really where are they coming from?? No one but me travels these areas...;)
Well, that is.....except for rascally rabbits! I honestly believe I would be harvesting broccoli and kale by now! They mowed down my veggies to the top of the ground. All but one or two made it to grow back, but it's like starting from seed all over again.
I'm not one for sitting up waiting to catch a thief in the act, because all I'd be able to do is shoo it away ;) I lay awake (not being able to sleep) and thought of different ways to keep them out of my gardens....then I heard something tinkling softly outside.... eureka! wind chimes! I couldn't wait for daylight to arrive!

I have raised beds with corner and middle poles/2x2's, for support, doubling as (anything else I can think of to use them for) ;) In this case I used them for stringing up my wind chimes. I realize that some of you will wonder why I didn't just put up a fence around the border of the boxes...I thought of that, but I'm trying to be frugal here! ;) LOL!! I wanted to use something I already had and I didn't want to go out and buy.
Poor little plant :(

I actually even put up a small motion light that I had bought a year or so ago, so if the wind chimes don't work, hopefully the light will ;)
Things are trying to make a come back. We'll see what happens.

Take Care!

TTFN!

Julie

The Waiting Game

2011-02-10T08:42:00.006-05:00

Have you ever thought about how much of our lives is spent on waiting? It can be a boring, uneventful time. It can be an exciting or happy time, or it can be a sad time. I don't like to look at waiting on anything as being boring or sad. If you just look at time at a different angle, waiting on it can be quite fun, challenging, kind and knowledgeable.

I spent some time yesterday waiting in a doctors office, I could have read, I brought a book and a magazine with me and the tables were filled with interesting reads. But instead, I chose to listen to my "waiting" neighbor sitting beside me. It's amazing how much you can learn from someone in just a few minutes, without even knowing their name you can understand the kind of person they are. Everyone has a story to tell, we just need someone to tell it to, someone that is willing to take a few minutes to just "listen". I usually sit and listen to peoples stories while waiting in a waiting room. I really enjoy hearing about other people and how their life has been while being here, after all we are only passing through, some believe.

I'm usually not a good listener unless I'm tied to a "waiting" room ;) My days are spent racing and hurrying about trying to get things done, to "live" life. I guess that's why I enjoy sitting still once in a while and just being there to listen. I once met a beautiful young lady, she was so angelic and thinking of her now brings tears to my eyes......we had been sitting and talking and waiting. She was called back to see the doctor and a little while later came out and sat beside me, she had just been diagnosed with cancer for the second time in her life. She was all alone and so very young, her family was living States away. I held her and we cried together, silently and dignified, in the "waiting" room filled with people. She needed someone and I'm thankful I was there. I got the opportunity to meet a very special person.

I also have special people and living creatures all around me on a daily basis, sometimes I just have to stop myself and take a look around to see and appreciate them. Not all of them are human, but I love and enjoy them just the same;)
"Waiting on a neighbor" ...he used to come out to see me when he'd hear me outside.....see that hole in the fence, well he's outgrown it now and his mommy and dad put a log up to it so he and his sister can't come back through or tear the fence any further. I love these two and we still see and visit on the other end of the yard, where it's safer for them. They had gotten so big that they were having a hard time getting back through the hole ;)
"Waiting on babies"
"Waiting on a new home"
"Waiting to grow up"

"Waiting for dry land"
"Waiting on the strength to make it back home"
"Waiting on the next phase of life"
"Waiting for things to be over" ;)
"Waiting on family to come home safely"

"Waiting on good food to eat"

"Waiting on winter to be over" ;)
What are you waiting on? Are you making the best of your "waiting" time? Are you "living" and loving how you live? I hope so, I hope all of you are enjoying life to it's fullest! We were given this opportunity for a reason......Let's make the best of it!

TTFN!

Julie

Hawks

2011-01-17T21:35:00.005-05:00

Can you see him/her? It's a youngster......just sitting, looking, thinking, scoping.....such an awesome creature.
If you click on the picture you should be able to get a closer look. It sat and let me take pics.

About a week after taking the above pictures my husband and I came home and drove up to the chicken pen to unload feed. My heart sank when I looked over and saw this hawk in the pen! Feathers were everywhere and I just knew it had killed my last little banny hen. But, to my relief it had caught and killed a dove. My pen fills with birds in the mornings and evenings with all sorts of birds. They come in to eat with the chickens. I didn't have my camera so I took the below pictures with my cell phone...a horrible substitute.
I tried to catch it, I do NOT recommend anyone to ever do this! I had something to throw over it but it's beak and tines tore right through into my hand. I let it calm down and blocked the door so the chickens wouldn't get out but was able to coax the hawk out the door. To this day we have no idea how it got in.

A beautiful bird! An awesome bird! It was so sweet to be so close to it.Hawks are protected, so please don't kill them, after all, we for the most part are in their territory and they are predatory animals. They don't kill for the fun of it...just for survival.

Until next time!

TTFN!!!

Julie

Gobblin' Gobblers

2010-11-22T07:02:00.006-05:00

School is out this week in most places, so if you have children at home and nothing for them to do, here is something everyone can enjoy making and eating!You will need: Old Fashioned Creme Drops (Bon-Bons) or you could use Chocolate covered cherries, striped cookies, candy corn or Indian corn and chocolate frosting.
I give everyone their own plate with a dab of frosting and a spreader so there's no fussing or waiting turns.

Take a cookie and turn the striped side down for the base. Dab a small bit of frosting on over the hole and place a bon-bon over it.

Next put two little dots of frosting on the bon-bon front and back. Place a cookie striped side to the bon-bon then put a piece of candy/Indian corn to the front, and there you have your little Gobbler!

These are so cute and extremely easy to make! My sons made these every year for Thanksgiving when they were little.

These Little Gobblers decorate the table, are fun to make and eat!
HaPpY ThAnKsGiViNg!!!!

GOBBLE, GOBBLE!

TTFN!

Until Next Time!

Julie

Rooster Spur Removal

2010-09-24T12:42:00.005-04:00

For months now I've had a dilemma. I have a rooster that I really like, he's kind to the hens and he was good daddy roo to the few eggs that made it to hatching over the spring. However, he had spurs that eventually killed one of his favorite hens. I didn't know that she was wounded or hurt in any way. I only have one hen that will come up to me and let me pick her up and that still has to be her choice. I don't have a habit of chasing them down to pick them up for examination, UNLESS they give me reason to do so, ex. limping, or just acting lethargic....at any rate, they just haven't warranted that to happen. The evening before she let me know something was wrong I was in the pen with them feeding them, they were all around me and she seemed fine. The next morning is when I saw her lying alone and she let me pick her up, that's when I knew something was wrong with her, but by then it was too late. Upon examination I saw where her thigh had been cut (by a spur) it had healed but it was a nasty scar, still sore to the touch. I waited till dark and put Domonique (my roo) in a pen to himself. I didn't know what to do, I had thought about putting him in the freezer, but it's still so hot. My husband doesn't like *putting things in the freezer* when it's so very hot outside. I don't blame him......at any rate, I would let Domonique out for about an hour each evening to be with the rest of the flock, after all it wasn't his fault he lost his favorite girl, he didn't know he hurt her. So over the next few weeks I started feeling sorry for him and looked for an alternative way to deal with the problem. There isn't much on the net about spurs, I found a few about cutting them but you have to be careful of infection or cutting them to close to the quick. A spur is a lot like a finger nail. I did find two videos on youtube about removing the spur completely but temporarily. That's what I wanted to do!Here they are! My husband removed them while I held the roo. It was sooo simple, easy and no harm to him at all! He didn't even flinch! I videoed the last one being removed but it won't download on to my blog :(
It was a little blood but not much at all. I dabbed some purple violet antiseptic on each spur and put him back in his pen for the night.

How we did it:

He was already in a pen, which I highly recommend (it reduces his stress) (and yours);)

One person can do this but two makes it easier. Hold him with both feet in one hand (if you're alone)

Take a pair of pliers and gently place them around the spur. Twist firmly, but gently, ever so slightly back and forth. This shouldn't take but maybe two to three slight twists back and forth. You'll feel a *give* then finish with the twist. It comes off so easy! I was so thankful! Now I get to keep my roo!
Be sure to keep him separated for a day or two because the spurs are very tender. You'll even notice him stepping softly ;) Almost like having real long finger or toenails then having them cut real short.
He's fine...grooming himself ;) I let him go back with the girls the next afternoon, after checking his spurs and making sure he was healing okay. Now that I know how to do this properly and pain free, (for me as well) ;) I'll be able to it again, without worry.

Until next time!

TTFN!

Julie

Do You See What I See?

2010-09-21T14:03:00.003-04:00

I went out this morning to look the yard over before I cut the grass, but I was quickly sidetracked ;) Beauty and serenity engulfed me. I posted on my other blog (Buzzinhoneybeez) about the honeybees and bumble bees I found on the grass blooms and wanted to post these other beauties on this blog.

I was lying in the grass taking pictures of the bees when this little creature caught my eye. Can you see it?

When I was a youngster we called them "Walking sticks" I remember being so scared of these things....we were told that "they will spit in your eye and blind you!" I used to be petrified of them, our "Praying mantis", one of our most beneficial creatures of the garden!

I don't know if our "elders" meant for us to be so afraid of them that we would just leave them alone or if they themselves believed their "tall tales". I do know that a lot of "kids" were so afraid of them that they would kill them. I get a bit flustered at parents or adults that don't take the time to learn about the things in this world that we "need". Nature is so off balance because of our "lack of knowledge. So many of us just take for granted that what someone tells us is the truth. It's sad because if we believe them we become part of the lie.

I am so thankful that I had sons to teach....but more than not, they taught me. They taught me that life/nature isn't so scary. They taught me to read up on the things I just knew would kill them if they touched it! ;) They taught me that I need/have to go outside with them to make sure what they find/get into won't harm them ;) And in turn I learned that outside is a wonderful place to "bee".

We have become an inside generation......computers, TV, games......no one gets outside to explore life any more. We need to educate our kids and be educated by them! Get them outside....AND don't be afraid of a little bug! Read up on it...you'll "bee" surprised at what you learn! ;)

Have you learned from a child today????

TTFN!

Julie

Crockin' Peanuts

2010-09-15T20:03:00.006-04:00

I found a great way to cook peanuts, thanks to an idea from a friend. I'm sure there's a recipe out there on the internet some where but I didn't want to sit to look. I tend to get side tracked and never end up looking for what I started out for anyway.
I bought peanuts for a super good price yesterday and wanted to try them in the crock pot and I will never fix them any other way! These are so good and not to mention the easiest way ever!I wanted to try different flavors so I divided them up. Just enough for about four to eight people. I rinsed them well, although they weren't really dirty or sandy. Poured them into my crock pot, put in enough water to cover them (they float so don't try to literally "cover" them) ;)
I added my spices, turned on high and left them for the day. They were perfect! I sampled them from time to time so they wouldn't get to soggy. Be careful and don't add to much salt, especially if you use spices. For some reason I didn't use near the salt I have to use cooking them on the stove.
The first batch I used McCormick Roasted Garlic and Herb spice mix. I love this stuff. When I'm in a pinch and don't have time to run out and clip from my fresh herbs this is the next best. I've used this in my homemade cheese too and it's awesome!

These peanuts are huge! I have small hands but even at that, they are big.
I can't tell you exactly how much spice I put in because I rarely measure, but if I had to say...it would be about 1/8 of a cup. Salt in this was probably 1/4 tablespoon.

Use your imagination, if you like to cook, explore with your ideas. Peanuts are good cooked with different spices and flavors.....

Try them and let me know what flavors you come up with and how they taste.

The batch I have in now is with red pepper flakes and powder.

TTFN!

Julie

Fishing With My Son

2010-09-01T09:42:00.007-04:00

I am so blessed and thankful.

Blessed that I have three amazing and wonderful sons.

Thankful that I am able to spend time with them when they have it.

Thankful to be alive and enjoy what God/ Our Creator has given to us to enjoy.

There is beauty all around us....we just have to take the time to stop and soak it all in. The Bible tells us to "be still and know that I am God"...I truly believe this is what he's talking about. His Glorious creations.

When my sons were small I used to take them fishing when their dad was away. It gave us something to do, something we all enjoyed. I miss those days....I miss them as youngsters.

But, on days like today, I am thankful that they have grown into fine young men....thankful that they want to call me up to get away for a while.

I'm talking like they take me fishing a lot but truth be known this is the first time.They usually don't have the time to take a whole day to go fishing, but will call up and ask me to meet them for lunch from time to time. So, I was thrilled when my oldest wanted to take me fishing.

I ran into a snag and had to make a phone call to get a license to fish, then I had to buy a tag to go with the license in order to fish in certain "public" fishing areas. The tag was a WMA tag. Wildlife Management.......I got upset at first because of all of the add ons, but after I calmed down and let the beauty of the place sink in again, something occurred to me......Developers are trying to buy up peaceful places like this all the time. They buy it up, doze it down and out and totally destroy the wildlife and beauty, all because they want the money and people want to live in places like this. It's sad to me...people want to live here, until they "live" here. We see it all the time! People want something and once they get it they don't like or want it anymore. Something about it starts to irratate them, bugs, animals, etc. then they want to sell out and move. This place and places like this are heavenly.......but I wouldn't want to live here. Places like this, is meant for "get aways", to relax, reflect, breathe, appreciate what we have. Wildlife has to have places to live, but we humans seem to be taking their homes from them, just because it's so peaceful and beautiful.......anyway, I understand now why we pay the price for licenses and tags......Thank you Wildlife Management for protecting these places for us to enjoy and the animals to live.
Beautiful butterflies, this was the only place they were congregated.
Catch of the day LOL It was just a wee bit larger than my hand which is small.
Not sure what type of bird this is, I haven't had time to look it up yet.

I learned somethings today that I've known for quite a while ;) It doesn't matter where you are, there is always beauty in your surroundings....you just have to look harder sometimes is all.

And spending time with your child/children is a blessing that no parent should ever take for granted. They are gifts to us, they didn't ask for us to bring them here, it is/was a choice that we made as a parent want-to-be. A parent doesn't have to give birth, just an open heart that's full of love...unending and unconditional.

Thank you my Son, for taking me fishing..I had an awesome day, because I was able to spend it with you!

TTFN!

Julie

Do I have to go?

2010-08-31T06:28:00.002-04:00

For those of you that are following me in my adventures with *nature* encounters and the egg eaters I've been trying to catch....I caught one more. Remember last post I freed one from the netting in my coop? Well, I caught the other one. I was so glad that I could release them together. The first one to scoot off was the entangled one, it was ready to go.
This one? Well, I had to do some encouraging to get it to scoot away, it turned and tried to go back into the can I took it off in. I know this is weird, but I felt just a little sad with it all, when she did that. I wondered if maybe she was scared? After all the area is new to them. Other snakes might be there with established territory rights. She won't have free, easy meals any more....she'll have to hunt.

I probably wouldn't have moved them if I'd have had more egg layers....hmmm. I don't know for sure, I do know I miss them just a little....but not too much. They apparently came from a large family because I found another one in the box the next day. I know it's not one of them because I took them miles away to acres of woods. I didn't want them to be in anyones yard because not everybody likes snakes and I didn't want them to be killed. They are harmless! They never once struck at me, they were more scared of me, I think than I actually was of them.
My cactus is blooming again! It has bloomed profusely this year! I left it in the greenhouse this year because it's * painful* to move in and out each fall and spring. It's gotten so big! A dear friend gave it to me when it was just knee high. We were living in Missouri, she got a piece of it from her mother. I gave a piece to my mother. This thing is huge! I'll try to get a full picture of it if I can. It's about eight feet tall now.
That's it for now. Just wanted to catch up with those of you that wanted to know the outcome of the tangled snake.....he's free again ;)....I hope ;)

TTFN!

Julie

Oh, My!

2010-08-25T11:56:00.004-04:00

Okay before you read any further or look at the pictures I need to tell you something.....I never said I was a sane person...I've only ever claimed to be a "nature nut". I don't know where I get it from, I used to think I got it from my Grandmother *rest her sweet soul* but even I know she would kill........snakes.

This first picture is of my front yard pond, I didn't want to scare you off right away by showing things to my readers that don't like "certain" things in nature ;)....see my little bullfrog?? ;)

Now, those of you that do follow me and my nature trails, know that I have an egg eating snake problem. I've relocated the only one that I thought I had, across the road into a wooded area. Well....a few days ago I went to collect the eggs and found not one but two of them in a egg laying box! It was funny because I had been running *one* of them out daily for a while now, and when they saw me they tried to hide. As usual...when I don't have my camera on me things like this happen, so I wasn't able to capture the "Kodak moment". I ran in to grab my camera and when I got back one was under the box chamber and one still in the box.

We've been trying to catch them ever since so they can be relocated to the woods way away from here. I've also been checking the boxes more frequently trying to get the eggs before they do ;) So, this morning when I was out there something caught my eye and I totally had heart failure! When I calmed down and could see it was one of my egg eaters, I ran in to get my camera ;) I took the first photo then thought I'd try to see if I could catch it and start the relocation process. I got my snake stick and that's when I realized it was tangled up....really bad.

I ran in to get my favorite sharp little scissors to cut it free. I know....I know.....I thought I was crazy too, but sooner or later I would have to deal with removing it and I'd rather be able to save it than to wait for it to suffer this terrible slow death, knowing it was in my power all along to be able to free it.

People don't realize how important snakes are to our environment. I know they are fearful and intimidating.....geez I was shaking so bad I thought I would have to have a bottle of wine to calm my nerves ;) LOL Just kidding......but really I was a nervous wreck! I kept telling it if it bit me I would kill it LOL ;) I started clipping the netting away at the lower part so I could hold it's head to clip away that area last.....didn't want to take any chances...;)

You can see where it was cutting into it's skin. A snake is like an alligator in the way that when it gets tangled up in something it rolls and twist it's body, only to tangle worse. Once I got it free I put it in a cooler and brought it up to the yard....I want to make sure it's okay before I release it. It's head and jaws looked pretty messed up.
I put an egg in there to make sure it will be able to eat before I let it go. Once it saw the egg it went over to investigate and opened it's mouth. It looked like it was trying to make sure it still worked ;)
I'll keep you posted...if you are an interested "nature nut" as well....

Oh, for those of you that have listened to me about mothballs keeping snakes away......well, it doesn't work ;)

Until next time!

TTFN!

Julie

It's a Bug's Life

2010-08-03T18:29:00.006-04:00

I have been wanting this for some time...I stumbled upon these creatures one day on you tube, but I never actually saw a picture of what they look like, I just knew that they were beneficial and not pesty at all...my kind of bug. I had no idea how to even go about getting them, I tend to forget things rather quickly and so it was in this case LOL ;) Until....a couple of weeks ago......

I opened a sealed bag of bird seed and freaked out!!! Can you see the creepy crawlies in there???

Perhaps you can see them better here.....I scooped some of them up for a closer *safer* look. ;) I had called my sweet, dear cousin for something "out of the ordinary" and we got onto this subject. She suggested that I might have soldier flies....I googled it and sure enough!!! That's what I have!!! How about that one for ya!!! Something I wanted and had forgotten about and now here it was.....freaking me out!!! LOL

Adult soldier fly....they have no mouth parts. After emerging from their pupae state they fly off to mate...lay eggs, then die. The best part is when they are larvae. They are nature's garbage disposals! They will devour food in no time. I have a yard debris composter and leftover "disposers" but these little critters are the answer for me on foods that my chickens can't or shouldn't eat. A huge plus also, is the larvae makes excellent food for your chickens, birds and/or fish! On you tube they have really nice composters for these, but alas, I'm someone that "if I can make it without it costing me money......well..."
I looked around and found an old empty tub. I had a glass cutting board that I NEVER use because "it's not good for the knives". I used that for my separator. The larvae has to have a dry place to migrate to in order to pupate into adulthood.

I placed a brick next to the separator to hold it in place long enough for me to get things going in the compost side.
Left side compost side...right side dry side It also has to have a drain outlet. I drilled a small hole and put a small hose in the hole. I also had a piece of old window screen that I placed over the hole on the inside. I didn't have a picture of that to post though.
Hole and hose on the inside.....left side...compost side
Hose on the outside, I put a stopper in it but ended up taking it out because of the backup.
Scraps and of course the larvae that was in the jar above.
Finished! Now to wait to see if it works....my aim was to see if they would reproduce. Even though I saw a few flies hanging around I wasn't sure it would "work". Another very important thing is when making it this way you have to have it angeled so it will drain out of the tube.
YES!!!! Just what I wanted to see! See the end of the stick I had holding the top ajar???? See the white stuff??? That's eggs!!! I'm so excited.....

I know...I know...it doesn't take much for me......what can I say....I'm just a Nature Nut!!! ;)

TTFN!

Julie

Just Minding Our Own Business

2010-06-11T13:12:00.004-04:00

Meet Buttercup....she's a Buff Orpington. She is five years old and just now has decided that she wants to be a mother! That's okay by me she's an absolute sweetheart and has spent many days sitting in my lap listening to me babble on about one thing or another.

When her and her sister was about a year old I came home from work one day and found one of them hanging upside down on their pen (the fence). I didn't see her when I first went into the pen but there was an odd, uneasy feeling in the air...all of the other hens seemed out of sorts......anyway, I looked over and my heart sank. She had her leg caught in the fence and couldn't get free. She was almost dead and I didn't think she would make it. I got her down and her leg had already stiffened, she was dehydrated and in awful shape. I brought her in and held her for a bit trying to work her leg and got fluids back into her.....it was touch and go for days and I gave her physical therapy for a good week before she could get up and go on her own again.Here she is just sitting on her clutch of eggs minding her own business when something peeked over the top of her head and slithered down into the box with her...or.... I don't know she may have squawked bloody murder and flew out of there before it got in there with her.
I would have!

Forgive the blurriness I was a bit nervous, what with all the commotion going on and all.....
A lot of people have asked me what I do with my hens when they slow down on laying.....I let them live out their life as usual and die of natural causes. I don't put my girls in the freezer and would only do so if we were starving to death. My hens are part of my family...they feed us well and don't ask for anything in return, except to be let out of their pen to free range. Now roos on the other hand is a different story, they go into the freezer IF we can't give them away.
This is a harmless snake, around here it has various names....garter snake, ribbon snake, rat snake, chicken snake......I usually call them ribbon snakes because of the stripes down the back. This one is very young, my husband said (judging by me holing it up) it was about four feet long. I believe it's mother was the one living under the nest boxes last summer...I blogged about it but can't remember what post it was now.
My hens lay very large eggs and it was having an awful time trying to get it's mouth over this one.

I'm thinking Buttercup got into a fight with "Reds" sister (the one that likes to fight over a nesting box that another hen is in), because there is a broken shell by that snake.

Anyway, I saw I had the opportunity to pick the snake up while it had it's mouth full, I usually just pull them out with a snake hook I made and send them on their way.
Here it is, it was hard taking this picture while holing this snake, I had to keep a grip on it's head and not freak out while it was trying to wrap around me.....I'm starting to think I'm spending too much time alone here in my own little world of nature...minding my own business......;-)
I went to change out hoses this morning and saw what looked like a dirt daubers nest inside of the hose, then out popped this little creature.....a baby toad, isn't it cute? I told it, it's a good thing I looked in there before screwing it to the faucet...poor thing would've been all washed up! ;-)

Just minding it's own business......

I do other things around here besides Honeybees, snakes and frogs ;-)

I put up some infused honey last week.....Rose infused and Gardenia infused honey.
Rose honey, I did this honey the same as the gardenia honey only I used a small jelly jar for the rose because I didn't have but a few roses.
With each one I made a cold salt bath to wash off any little insects that might be lurking in between the pedals....
Then I carefully and tenderly (pedals bruise really easy) pulled the pedals off..."he loves me.....he loves me not"...."he loves me....he loves me not".....hey! He loves me!!! ;-)

Then I let them dry, but only enough to dry the water off not dry out the pedals.
I used a pint jar for the gardenia then poured the honey in, mixed it gently with a butter knife to just pull the pedals from the sides and let the air off. Add more honey to top it off.
For the next week or so I will turn the jars over a few times during the day. Can't wait to taste it...it smells SO good!

Now, I'm off to pickle some squash and cucumbers.

uwww, I hear thunder......such a delightful sound, now I really don't feel bad for staying inside and minding my own business....;-)

TTFN!

Julie

I Have A Baby Chick!

2010-04-29T09:09:00.003-04:00

Look what I found yesterday! A baby chick! And it was born on my Uncle Williams birthday!

These two amaze me......this is a little over the second year that I've had these girls and they've gone broody on me both years. It's funny how they have this worked out. They are both bantams, the one on the right always goes broody first. A week later the one on the left goes and they each will have their own brood box, THEN about a week before hatch time the one on the left (that went broody a week later) will switch over to her sisters box....isn't that a hoot! I just take and put the eggs in with both of them. They are such wonderful little moms. If you look close you can see they have a little egg on them due to the egg fight ;o) I guess they figure they'll help each other out with the big bullies and raising the peeps.

I tried to get a picture of the top of it's head, it has two spots one yellow and one white, curious to see what "she'll" look like. She's pretty big to be less than 24 hours old.

I completed my pond in my front yard. I thought I had already posted pictures but I guess not. Everything here I grew, had laying around or it was given to me. I can't help myself, if I think someone doesn't want something anymore and they might throw it out, my mind goes in high gear trying to dream up a way I can use it. The elephant ear leaf, frog and lily pad stepping stones I made. Those tennis shoes were mine, one had a hole in the bottom so I made planters out of them.

I hope you have a wonderful day.

TTFN!

Julie

Taking The Plunge and The Egg Fight

2010-04-27T22:47:00.004-04:00

I have a hen....a white australorp, her sister's name was "Red". I have never named this hen, most of my hens I don't name unless they are unusually friendly or have a certain personality. Their name has to just come to me when I'm near them, if they respond that's what I call them by. This girl here, I've never felt a name......Anyway....she has character. When Red was alive (a bizarre accident) they would literally fight over a nest box! I mean pulling feathers out, squawking, pecking, the whole nine yards! I would have to break them up, then both of them would leave the box without laying an egg until one saw the other go back in.....well, she hasn't stopped. Apparently she's found someone else to fight with, this time I think she's met her match...a little bantam hen that's broody! Talk about a "wet settin' hen"! Take a look! She's got egg all over her!

This blog is about nature....so I'm going to show you something I found sunning itself the other day. It's a brown skink.....and it is huge! I really enjoy seeing these around our place. They eat so many crawly critters that would other wise infest my home. I have "natural pest control" free of charge :o) I leave them alone to do their job and they leave me alone to enjoy my yard and home, pretty good trade off if you ask me!
Well, the tadpoles finally grew into baby frogs! They still have a lot of growing to do. I'm curious though, are they bullfrogs or toad frogs? How can you tell?
I made this lily pad from a real one imprinted in concrete, I also made giant elephant ear birdbaths, it's really fun and easy if you like yard art/crafts. Let me know and I'll post the instructions, and/or the site.

As I was watching them an old song came to mind...."I'm a little green frog, sittin' in the water, little green frog doin' what he otter, took a plunge from the lily pad, looked around and he said "I'm glad.....I'm a little green frog".....does any body remember THAT song????

Just chillin'

Until next time!

TTFN!

Julie

As I Walk Through My Garden I'm Not Alone....

2010-04-13T06:23:00.005-04:00

I Love to see these beautiful birds arrive! Golden Finches.....just beautiful!
My yard smells "Heavenly". In the pic above is one of my banana shrub scented flowers. I have a variety of scented plants/shrubs in my yard. I can't help but think about what Heaven smells like if it's supposed to be better than here on earth.

I have a lot of "old fashioned" shrubs and my gardens are my most favorite places to be. I can't help but think of and sing (in my head)lol the hymn "As I walk through the garden alone". It's one of my most favorite hymns. I've told my husband that when I pass I want it sang at my funeral. I requested it to be played at my Grandmothers, it just seems fitting somehow.

A garden in the morning when the dew is still on the roses.....a time to meditate and reflect on the joys of life, love, happiness and sorrow...but the feeling......that knowing all the while that HE is there walking, sitting, listening, understanding and loving you......the feeling is so comforting, so joyful. My Creator, the Creator of all the beauty that surrounds me in my garden.....and my life, HE is truly Awesome!
This is one of two of my little Bantam hens, she and her sister went broody on me last year and raised five chicks together in "The joy of having a sister" post. Last year she started in mid May, this year she started April 1st. Her sister seems to join in behind her a week later. Last year they shared the same nest box and shared the duty of incubating and raising the chicks.

But this year I guess they decided to go separately....again the one on the left is a week behind. They only have a couple of their own eggs, the rest belong to the large hens. They are such sweet moms.......I love my bannies.
Remember the tadpoles in my "March" post? Here's one of the babies, I still have some bigger tadpoles that are just getting their back legs but I can't get a good picture of them. I will release these around my new little pond that I've been working on all week.
This is my "old" pond we've done a little renovation on it...added some dirt around it and cleared out a little bit of the plants so I could get up to it better.
And here are a couple of the inhabitants.......bull frogs....they are so neat to watch.
FROG......do you know what the letters stand for?

Fully Rely On God......it's something I work on constantly because.......HE's still in control.

I hope you have a wonderful day and that you can FROG too! :o)

TTFN!

Julie

True to Form

2010-04-01T11:00:00.007-04:00

Well, in my last post I wrote about March.....and the old saying that if it comes "In like a lion it will go out like a lamb" and visa/versa. I also wrote that the saying could be for life as well as weather. It is as far as I'm concerned, The beginning of March was sad for me and the weather complied as well, but as the month rolled on things began to change.....thank you March for holding true. This year I'm trying out gardening in a whole new way for me. I'm planting in raised beds and planting by the moon/month phase. It's very interesting what months are fertile months and barren, strong,etc. I get calendars and the Old almanac from our local pharmacy, I always have but the almanac used to be intimidating so I never tried it out much.

But the calendar....that's a different story. I really like the symbols of the month that the days are in, you then look it up in the back to see what it means and after you've done a few you get the hang of it and it's really easy......

So we got the beds made. Then I found some black gold, this stuff is free! Yes, free......well, except for the gas and time. A friend told us about this place and I am so glad.

Have you ever wondered what they do with all of the yard debris that people in the city or county don't compost and take to the dump instead? I was and even more so....amazed when I finally reached my destination! Mounds and mounds of composted leaves, trees and dirt. They have bull dozer's working, spreading and turning the compost....all the while on the other side of the road is more and more trees, leaves and peoples yard debris being brought in to start another batch. They know me now...they probably wanted to know what a woman could be doing with so much dirt! :0) I made several trips....

They motion (it's to loud for voices) for you to pull around then a dozer loads you up and your on your way in a matter of minutes!

It makes beautiful plant beds, so rich.
I even got paid! lol I couldn't believe it, I found a penny! The things people lose in their yard. ;0)
Things are sprouting up everywhere....

yes out like a lamb....thank you again March, hope things will be a little nicer when I see you next year. ;)
How was your March?

TTFN!

Julie

March......

2010-03-15T15:00:00.002-04:00

This has been a very sad month for me...this March......I've always heard for March "In like a lion out like a lamb". I used to think the quote was for the weather....but this year I'm not so sure. Perhaps it could be for one's life as well. At any rate I'm waiting on the "lamb" part of it. Today has hit me pretty hard and has taken a lot for me to get "motivated" I really don't think I've gotten there even as I type. I did "have" to go outside for something and thought it would be a good thing to check on things outside, I took my camera "just incase". I did find a few things that lifted my spirits........... The "girls" have plenty of water, I love my honeybees......
My coriander/parsley is looking so good, enjoying these still cold days and nights. The pansy's add a colorful touch.
Most of you that know me know that I'm a "nut" for nature. If you look closely you can see tadpoles in these next pictures. Click on the pic to get a better look. I live on a much loved dirt road and the ditches fill up with water and tadpoles....baby frogs. Well, the water started drying up and the rescue part of me kicked in. I keep an old aquarium around so I filled it with what tadpoles I could. I also have a very small fish pond that I put some in as well.

Have you ever watched a tadpole develop into a frog??? Have your children? Grandchildren???

It's an amazing thing to watch, although it can take a while.

TTFN!

And remember......

Explore the "life" around you!

Julie

Red and a Day of Sprouting

2010-03-06T20:13:00.004-05:00

Remember "Red"? The hen that I thought was twitter pated and wouldn't come out of the coop box because of heart break???? Well, she came up missing about three evenings ago when I did the nightly head count. I was furious because I thought the dog down the road had made off with her. Well, I don't know where she had been hiding out but she appeared this morning and made my day!!! She was scratching around like she had never been gone, and she probably hadn't. The last two days have been hectic around here and I was away for most of both days, so I had not noticed her and hadn't let the others out to free range. But, today I noticed and I let the others out to free range while I did some much needed yard work and planting!!! Finally! Not only that, I discovered some sprouting going on!

My potatoes are sprouting! I planted them in five gallon buckets to regulate the amount of rain that they could get. I did this last year and was pleased with the results.

This beauty was waiting for me today in my green house. I couldn't believe they lived straight through the winter. I planted them last year and harvested bell peppers from them over the summer, then when the cold came in I put them in the green house with my other plants and they survived! Even produced!

This is my parsley, I have tomato seeds planted in the middle. This worked for me very well last year.

According to the almanac, today was my last day to plant above ground plants until the 15th of this month. Root crops can be planted again on the 10th.

I discovered that my lettuce and radish had also sprouted as well as onions and garlic.

Today was a very enjoyable day indeed!

I also planted more crops today, brussel sprouts, cucumbers, egg plant, pumpkin, (Penny's)loofa, yellow squash, zucchini squash, tomatoes (large and cherry) and spinach. I also planted flower seeds for our honeybees. Today was a full day, I also got pictures of our girls (bees) but those pics will be on their blog.

Of course, when I went to close the chickens up one was missing again....Ms. Red! This time I knew she was here somewhere because I had been out all day and the neighbors dog hadn't been around, so I went on an even more extensive search for her...........

There she was under the house in a place I couldn't see her the first evening she came up missing. She was sitting all comfy until I shone the spot light on her, by the time I got my camera she got up, upset that I found her. I thought first that she had gone broody and was laying on eggs, but she isn't. I don't know why she has decided to leave the flock, she mingled with them all day today while they were free ranging. The part of the yard she is in is fenced so I just let her stay where she is. It's also under our bedroom so if something gets after her we can get out in time to save her........I hope:}

I would say this has been a full day indeed!

What kind of day did you have???

TTFN!

Julie

Anticipation.......it's worth the wait

2010-02-26T09:51:00.006-05:00

I am tickled pink! I have grown Orchids for a few years now and they haven't ever bloomed for me. I have tried everything including "just leave them alone" and "neglect" them and nothing! But a couple of months ago I noticed a shoot coming up from between the leaves and I got all excited but I didn't want to get my hopes up because I thought it might just be another leaf. SO I waited.....and waited....then the buds started coming out. There was also another limb of buds coming out as well.
So I waited.....and waited again. It takes a very long time for Orchids to bloom, but the blooms last even longer. Some of them have a wonderful scent, I thought these might but I haven't smelled one coming from them as of yet.
Here she is....my first bloom! I know this probably isn't as thrilling for you as it is for me but I've been waiting for years to get one to do this!! It doesn't take much to get me excited or make me happy. LOL

The other limb bloomed this morning.

These have brightened my days here lately. I'm so ready for spring! But until then I have my inside bloomers!

BEE PATIENT,

It's worth the wait!

TTFN!

Julie

Please Don't Take My Sunshine Away...

2010-02-09T22:28:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure if I have a case of Chicken "Heartbreak" or shear out and out Hen "Depression" on my hands.

I have a hen that for the past week has refused to come out of "the roosting box". At first I thought she was afraid of the water on the ground, but that has dried up and everyday I have to coax her out and it takes some doing! She seems to walk around okay but doesn't want to get to far from the pen. The other hens free range openly but she stays behind.

I told my husband about it and we both said the same thing at the same time.....she must miss "Sunny".......which his full name is "Sunshine"........
The white hen roosting is "Red" (I have no idea why I named her that other than the fact that her red comb stood out so beautifully on her white head). The hen beside her is "Butter cup" she's a good friend, even to me..... but this is about "Red". She talks to me when I go out to coax her out and I really wish I could understand her lol!
This is "Sunny". I raised him from the incubator, his Mum died after a raccoon attack and I took the eggs and finished the hatch in the incubator. Sunny was the first one to hatch and it was on a beautiful bright sunshiny day.......you get the picture. Anyway....I've had him for almost two years and he's been a great roo, but it's a good idea to rotate the roos out if you keep the same hens, because of cross breeding.

I had some baby chicks given to me last spring and they were ALL roosters! Go figure! Anyway one of them turned out to be a beautiful Dominique rooster. When we culled the other roosters a few weeks ago I decided that I would keep "Dominique"....don't you love the name??? ;0)
He is the sweetest roo and such a sweet one with his girls. He hasn't been testosterone crazy at all with them.

Well, back to Sunny.......I had to keep Dominique separated from the rest of the flock all the time because Sunny would beat the living daylights out of him! I was constantly yelling at Sunny. Poor Dominique wouldn't even be near the girls and Sunny would clobber him....so I had to make a decision.......

My husband found someone that wanted him and I even threw in Sunny's favorite hen to go with him....but now I'm wondering....maybe Sunny had more than just "one" favorite hen.......

I have been keeping chickens for over twenty years and have never had something like this....

Maybe I need to seek out a "Chicken Whisperer" or "Chicken Shrink", LOL! What do you think????

I know that a lot of you don't believe it but spring IS just a few weeks away.......I've already seen wild ducks with babies so that means that birds will be looking for nesting material soon. If you dry your clothes by machine save the lint for the birds. If you put it in a bowl or something to keep the rain out and put it where it's easy for the birds to get to, they'll get what they need for their nest. The "Titmouse" really like lint and it's neat to watch them come on the porch for it.

Until next time I hope everyone is keeping warm AND dry.........

TTFN!

Julie

Floating Hearts

2009-11-16T21:34:00.004-05:00

I can't believe that I haven't been here in so long. I've been meaning to drop a line or two for sometime but just haven't found the time. Not that anyone has missed reading what I have to say. So, anyway because of so many things, I'm here once again.

I had some plants given to me and during their time sitting around waiting for me to plant them, ants moved in....I have a plastic tote that I use to mix my potting soils in so I filled it with water to the rim of the pots to get the ants to move out of my plants. After a day or two I removed the pots and to my dismay ants were floating on top of the water. I thought this was neat so I grabbed my camera. Believe it or not it did not look like a heart when I snapped pictures. Maybe they were thanking me for saving them:-) I dumped them out to move somewhere else. To this day I don't know where they moved.

Remember the wheel barrel my Aunt gave me??? Click on the pic for a closer look. She also gave me that tree that's in front. It's a bottle brush and our honey bees love it, there's also a black-eyed Susan vine growing up in it.
These characters make me smile.....can you see them? The one in the middle is a small green tree frog, the two on the outside are green lizards (anole's), there must be a lot of bugs that come that way......
A "walking stick" or Praying mantis. He reminds me of "Kung fu fighting" I've seen more of these this year than I have in a long time. Could it possibly be because of the decrease in bug spraying??????
And do you know what this thing is????? It's a follow your nose sort of thing! Ewwww it's a stinky thing. When I was little we used to call them Buzzard noses cause they look like a nose with nostrils but I found out today after searching that it's called a stink horn on www.TransplantedGardener.com and on americanmushrooms.com/coolest.htm they are called stinky squid. So whether you call them buzzard noses, stink horn or stinky squid I guess the thing we can all agree on is that they stink! Visit these sites though if you will, they have some very good information on all sorts of plants and material.

Well, that's all for now, feel free to leave a comment, complaints, any sort of suggestion(s)..... it helps to have feedback;-)

So until next time....don't let your heart float away.......

Take Care!

TTFN!

Julie

Patience...Is it a virtue or......

2009-10-28T14:30:00.009-04:00

Is it reward!! In my case this week it has been both!

If you read my blogs you will remember in the last one "It's Always Something" I had been battling with another pest after my chickens. Well....he came back and even though I was not prepared for the outcome, it came together perfectly. My husband and I were outside looking over the yard and I noticed "my nemesis" attacking one of my youngest roosters. He then went over to the door of the large chicken pen and went inside like he lived there! Well, I took off as fast as I could (my husband said he hadn't seen me move that fast in years)lol I wanted to close him in so I could catch him. It took a bit because he's fast and it's a big pen, but I caught him! I was so happy, but then reality started to set in....what in the world am I going to do with him??? For now, he stays the night in a small dog kennel. During the day, when I let my chickens free range I put him in one of the small pens (which is still pretty big). I've thought about taking him back to where he belongs, but they don't want him and he no longer has a flock to tend to.

He looks to me like he might be a Phoenix rooster or at least he has some part. He's feisty that I do know. *****Update*** We got in touch with his owner who told us he did not want him back so we found an older man a few miles away that wanted him for his hens! Nice how things work out isn't it??

Now for a peaceful bit of nature.....A few weeks ago my husband and I took a long awaited and much enjoyed trip to Arizona. We are not traveling people but we absolutely loved this trip!

We saw things we had no idea existed (that's our proof that we don't get out much) lol One beautiful thing we did see and KNEW was our wonderful honeybees! Not "our" girls of course but true blue honeybees! We asked everyone about them but they had no idea they were even there! A good thing in my book. The places we went were wide open areas and I'm 99.9% sure they didn't spray pesticides there, explaining their busy activity. We even asked around trying to find a beekeeper but no luck.
I did however find a "retired" beekeeper through the internet when we got back home. He told me that about 30 years ago people quit keeping bees, because of fear, laws, and then the african bees coming in. He told me that the bees we saw were wild bees and most likely africanized. I was saddened but I'm not so sure I want to believe all the hype that's coming from the media and people that just have a "fear" of something so innocent and determined to take care of her "family" (colony). The honey bee is the hardest working insect or creation known to man. The honey bee is mentioned in the Bible. She produces not only for her family but for ours. The honeybee is an awesome creature! Please take some time to study a little about them , they are not vicious and don't come to attack you intentionally. We need these little critters in our lives. They are in trouble and need for us to be aware of their decline. Don't kill them , just leave them "bee".(alone)
Even in the Arizona mountains cactus grows. You can enlarge this photo to see them.
This was a small river running through the mountains. I could've set up camp and moved there. Such a tranquil place.
Everyone we met on the trails wanted to know if we could feel the "vortex". lol I'm a believer in the "vortex" but I believe it rests inside our soul. You have to meditate and get in touch with your own "vortex". However......even though this is what I believe.....I don't meditate and I haven't been in touch with my "vortex" for quite sometime! And I know I probably sound like I'm out on a limb but to my defense it tells us in the Bible that we should meditate. I have to admit though that this is and would be a fantastic place to meditate and "feel" the vortex.
Such a beautiful place!

Until next time....study about the honeybees and get "in touch" with your "vortex".

TTFN!

Julie

It's Always Something!

2009-10-01T10:54:00.004-04:00

To quote one of my all time favorite Actresses/Comediennes...Gilda Radner Wilder. I Loved her!

Anyway, it IS always something! We have put up with everything here after my chickens! Dogs killed quite a few, raccoons more than I want to think, Hawks....snakes eating the eggs but people I have to tell ya, this one takes the cake! We live in a community where people around us here have NO consideration for neighbors! We put up a fence to keep OUR dogs from roaming, but it seems that since that has happened the neighborhood has gone to pot! The cats around here have gotten horribly out of control, I fear we are close to a feral case with them! They are multiplying like crazy! I can't believe the irresponsibility of people! I guess I'm on my soap box today, but believe me I've calmed down!

Look at this fella here! He IS NOT mine and has NO business in MY yard! Can you believe this?? He has his own hens in his yard but is over here everyday! That is the entrance to my chicken yard where he is. I tried to run him in there so I could catch him, but he's on to me:-) That's why the blurred picture. Anyway, my poor Sunny (he is NOT a fighter) has done his best to keep him fought off, they both have some serious wounds. Fortunate for Sunny he has someone that cares about his wounds. So until I can get in touch with his owners or catch him, I will keep my girls and boys locked up! I am so mad about this! "It just goes to show you.....It's Always Something!"
Here's my boy, even his eye was swollen, he put up a good fight for not being a fighter, poor guy.

Cochins are big chickens and are the most docile of all to me. I really enjoy this breed.
Again!.....He/she has set up a living space! Can you see it? In the crack directly behind that little white jar....a snake. The same one that I caught eating eggs a few months back...you can read about it in one of my older posts. I haven't had it in me to get him out lately, too much happening around here and for now he's not bothering anything, just enjoying an egg now and then. Nothing missed.....
This is a gulf fritillary caterpillar on my passion fruit vine. If you have passion fruit growing please leave these plants and let the cold take care of them... I know they will look awful but the butterflies thrive on these plants. They eat the leaves. These vines grow wild here and I think the blooms are beautiful. You can also eat the fruit, if you have them and are interested you can google them or ask me :)
This is one of my joys......I love these little creatures....he was making his rounds on my window, going in and out of the crevices of the vinyl siding looking for spiders and insects.

I want to dedicate this post to my "Late" Papa T and two of his brothers, Uncle James and Fred.

Papa T., Thank you for Loving and taking care of my Mom, and for looking out for her, you were a great provider and I Love You, and Mama I Love You.

Uncle James...I danced my first dance with you when I was only a toddler, I still remember it like it was yesterday. I'm glad for the memories, thank you, I love you and Aunt Net.

Fred, I'm glad we are Bee buddies.....I Love you and Liz too.

Even though "It's Always Something" we still have the "Joys" that life has also given us. Sometimes we just need to take the time to "be still" and look around.

I Love All of You!

TTFN!

Julie

Family and treasures

2009-09-18T20:33:00.002-04:00

Families........I have a large family and even though when I was younger I didn't appreciate having them like I do now. After me and my husband had been married a couple of years he joined the military and we moved away from our families. We were on our on......teenagers! But we were doing what we wanted and enjoying our Independence! Even though every chance we got we made a bee line straight for "home". We raised three sons away from the "family" unit but all in all they came out pretty good. But this is not what I wanted to get into tonight and I don't want to start this all over....When my husband retired from the military (we still have to work) so I guess it's not really retirement:) we moved back "home" to be near "family" and I am soo glad we did. I have gotten to enjoy so much! As I said before I come from a large family, my Grandmother had 12 children....she lived to be 102 years old . Sense her passing (didn't mention that she had 10 girls and 2 boys) but the "girls" have been having "get togethers" ever sense. I am fortunate that I get to attend these "get togethers". We all bring something to eat homemade and we have such glorious fellowship! I have learned so much being around them! The stories....we laugh and reminisce and the things I learn about them! They were actually kids at one time:) I Love my Aunts and Uncles and Cousins and I'm so thankful that I've had the opportunity to spend time with them like I have been able to.The pictures below are times with some of my family.This is my niece Gracy with Griffen our fella with issues....but he loves everybody! He used to have to wear this neck collar to keep him from chewing his back, even though he still goes through troubled times he hasn't had to wear the collar in about six months! yeah! I love this picture.
This is my Aunts, Uncles and maybe a cousin or two at one of our "get togethers". Sorry about the haze on the right side but you know it's probably from the "BEES" I had been in them the day before and it was honey or propolis...anyway...
This is a black snake at one of the family "get togethers" ....they all know how much of a "nut" about nature I am so when they spotted him they started hollering and I grabbed my camera. When I thought I had a good snap of him my "Dearest of All Uncles" grabbed me and scared the Who..who out of me..that's why the blurred vision. I could write a whole book on my "Dearest of All Uncles" because he also has a "Dearest of All wife" my sweet and adorable Aunt. I Love these two so very much and they are such a huge part of my life that I don't think they even realize how much a part of me that they are! Love you Uncle W. and Aunt T.!
There goes the snake, glad to get away from all of the "nutty" people.
And last but not least a treasure! I have an Aunt that I know I take after quite a bit! We think a lot alike! Well...really I put the word out that if ANYBODY has an old wheelbarrow that they need to throw out Please let me have it....I'll come pick it up! She thought about me! I feel soo honored! I truly do! Do you know what I can do with this thing???? Just wait and see. I really enjoy these things.. they make wonderful planters and you can move them where you want!....well..unless it looses it's wheel or leg supports but it still works as a great planter! Thank you Aunt B.! Love You!!

TTFN!

Call someone from "home" I'm sure they'd love to hear from you!

Take Care!

Julie

Fall (Autumn) is in the "air"

2009-09-03T09:31:00.003-04:00

Autumn/Fall is in the air...you can feel it....smell it....and see it happening all around. The spring and summer flowers are starting to fade......making way for the fall bloomers. The air is getting crisp during the late night and early morning. I love this time of year but it also makes me quite sad at times. The fall to me is a time for preparing for "rest" "winter". I like the fall time it gives way to new things just like all seasons it gives us a moment to reflect...to take a deep breath...and look forward to tomorrow. It's the hint that "Winter" and "cold" is approaching. It can be a little over whelming at times....it seems to sneak up on you, you know it's coming and you've been expecting it for sometime....knowing all the while what you have to do to get ready for it's arrival.....if you have indoor plants that can't hold up to the low temps you know you have to prepare a place for them to "winter" through til the spring....but somehow you can't seem to get the energy or motivation to get going with it....the summer is too hot, the bugs are biting...the list can go on...but we have a small window with Autumn/Fall, I say small because it can come and go so quickly......almost like "Spring"....but when you can "feel" it and "smell" it in the air...you know you need to get busy! Because it may not last very long at all! We have two seasons that seem to last the longest around here Winter and Summer! Spring and Fall are just split second glimpses that give you a hint of warning so when you see, feel or smell them coming you need to act fast! LOL

My husband and sons fix me up a green house every year....this summer we took it down because we need to haul in some dirt to build up our back yard...the rain this year told us we need it;) I bought a green house about three years ago and it's been waiting for the day.....hopefully within the next week or two.....after all I "smell AND feel" Fall in the air!
I've had a double treat this year..this is the second blooming of my bromeliads.
My Zinnias are starting to fade this one (top) is a spider variety
Double or to me it's more like multiple petals
This pink one is the spider variety
Another double.... poor thing....but it will give way to seeds shortly for next years beauty.

How are you handling the "Fall"? Do you prepare for the Winter?

Take Care!

TTFN!

Julie

Waiting.......

2009-08-18T08:36:00.004-04:00

The waiting.....it takes patients.....

Meet Griffen, he's waiting on his papa to come home from work. He has a built in "brain clock":O) And knows his papa is almost home.

Yes! He's home, he's home!

I haven't introduced our beloved dogs to you yet so here they are....Griffen is our youngest and is now 3 years old. Our oldest son called me one night with a request....a plea....at the time he lived four hours from us....summed up he asked if I would take a puppy that he knew was on it's way to the pound......he sent me a picture over the phone and I couldn't refuse...even though everything in me was saying noooo not another dog!!! At the time we had four and had just recently lost another..she was very old and I didn't want anymore dogs!! He pumped me up really good...he knows how to "play" his mom:O) Oh, Mom please...he needs a good home and you live out where he can run and be with other dogs...he'll have a good home with you....please....Okay....I caved! I even went to pick him up! My sister went with me and we had a great time together.....we rarely get to talk, let alone spend time together. Actually that was the last time we've been together just the two of us and that's been TWO years now....my how time flies! Anyway, Griffen had and STILL has issues....he was indeed a "city" dog! He had lived in an apartment with a young couple that went on "vacation" and my son's friend "dog sat"...well they never came back to get the pup! They ran into the couple a few weeks later and was told they needed to take him to the pound....hence the phone call to me....Like I said he "was" a "city" dog and took him a long time to adjust. He developed skin allergies and was scared of everything but had a huge ego! I have had a lot of dogs in my lifetime and I have to tell you he is not a normal animal!!! I don't even put him in a category with a dog! I could write a book about him but right now I'll move on to the "girls"
This is Sasha...our middle son's"Girlfriend at the time" gave her to him for his birthday!!! His plea was Mom please just let me keep her over night and if she doesn't work out I'll give her back....Please......Sasha is now 9 years old! I have to say that last year we lost his little dog that he got for a birthday when he was little....he died of old age....he was such a sweet wonderful little dog.
This is Millie on the left she was a present for our youngest son, Mollie in the middle is her daughter. Millie is coming up on her 10th birthday and Mollie her 5th. Griffen is on the right.

As you can probably guess when the "boys" left home we inherited the dogs.....actually it would've been extremely hard for me to let them go because I have to have something of my sons to stay here with me....does it sound like I have issues:O) Maybe that's why Griffen fits in so well around here.
Sasha....you can find her anytime (when she's not begging for a treat) lounging/sleeping/resting...it's hard work keeping a watchful ear and sometimes eye on me....
Until next time.....relax and get some rest:O)

TTFN!

Take Care!

Julie

Is there a cure??

2009-08-12T21:40:00.002-04:00

Okay I have NO idea who wrote this (it was sent to me through e-mail) But I have to tell you this is me 100%! I just thought it was to good not to share :O) The only thing that's not me is I don't drink coke :O) Actually it's a rare thing for me to drink a soda at all.

AAADD

KNOW THE SYMPTOMS

Thank goodness there's a name for this disorder.
Somehow I feel better, even though I have it !

Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. -
Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.
This is how it manifests:

I decide to water my garden.
As I turn on the hose in the driveway,
I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.

As I start toward the garage,
I notice mail on the porch table that
I brought up from the mail box earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys on the table,
Put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table,
And notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back
On the table and take out the garbage first.
But then I think,
Since I'm going to be near the mailbox
When I take out the garbage anyway,
I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my check book off the table,
And see that there is only one check left.

My extra checks are in my desk in the study,
So I go inside the house to my desk where
I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks,
But first I need to push the Coke aside
So that I don't accidentally knock it over.

The Coke is getting warm,
And I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke,
A vase of flowers on the counter
Catches my eye--they need water.

I put the Coke on the counter and
Discover my reading glasses that
I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk,
But first I'm going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter,
Fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote.
Someone left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV,
I'll be looking for the remote,
But I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table,
So I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs,
But first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers,
But quite a bit of it spills on the floor.

So, I set the remote back on the table,
Get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then, I head down the hall trying to
Remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:

The car isn't washed

The bills aren't paid

There is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter

The flowers don't have enough water,

There is still only 1 check in my check book,

I can't find the remote,

I can't find my glasses,

And I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,
I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day,
And I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem,
And I'll try to get some help for it,
But first I'll check my e-mail....

Do me a favor.
Forward this message to everyone you know,
Because I don't remember who I've sent it to.

Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!!

TTFN!

Julie

My Mental Therapy Clinic trip

2009-07-31T15:32:00.002-04:00

I had an appointment today...a place I've been needing to go to for quite sometime now....

My morning started off as usual, cleaning the house and today friday chores....washing (deep cleaning) everything the clothes, floors,etc....

then I get to plug into the world.....blog.com! I don't ever do a whole lot with or to my personal blog 'cause I'm so engulfed in everyone elses blog. If you've ever visited mine you can tell:O)

So I'm surfing from one blog to another, joining here and there and it hits me I have this appointment.....oh the agony! I don't want to gooooooo! But the nagging and guilt that I feel....I've been supposed to do this for soooo long.....OKAY!!!! I give in! I get up and get dressed, not in my best attire either you can believe that! When I get there my first thought is.....
MAN! What a jungle in here! Weeds everywhere! and NO place to sit.......
Something was watching me and I could see it poking it's head out but when I looked straight at it it would jump back in.........
And I don't even want to mention the little buggers that were there! So I stopped my whining and pulled up a crate box and had a seat.....I started my therapy treatment....:O). I got to memory visit with so many people....:O) my Grandmother for one......I've missed her terribly and the garden is something her and I always shared. From the time I could walk my memories were always with her in the yard and garden....she used to tell me to pull my shoes off so she could put fertilizer in them so I would "grow". I'd go to pull them off and she would laugh and get me to water something. She taught me how to squirt water from the hose....my hands were so tiny that my fingers kept going into the hose instead of covering it, I would be soaked.....she tried all different ways to get the water to spray out for me....as I got older though I learned.

I also learned today something more about myself...something that I've known for a while, just something I didn't want to admit to......I'm an addict! I feel so bad about it....my husband has thought all this time that the honeybees have been consuming all of my time but I have to admit it.....it's BLOG addiction!!!!! I surf and surf from one blog to the next and the next......never quite getting enough.........until something makes me look at the little clock in the lower right hand corner of my computer exclaiming the TIME!!!!! Oh! My gosh! It's THAT LATE ALREADY?????

Then I think I might have time to tweak my blog site and make it more attractive....but NO.....I'm too burned out...my brain is fried......I can't think anymore.....all I CAN think about or WORRY about is Penny's roo over at backtobasicliving......or what farmgirlfoodie is cooking up next.....or how "little Bella" is doing now that she's came into this world(passionandparidise) and the list goes on and on....not to mention the ones I joined this morning BEFORE therapy:O)
Ahhhh...but alas! I've made it to the end of a session......I feel sooo much better now. I can breathe......the guilt is gone......
Along with ALL of my troubles......euuuu.....well I guess I have to book another session.....I have the other side of the sidewalk to do next:O)

So until next time......How does your garden grow????

TTFN!

Julie

Get Liberty

2009-07-30T21:01:00.000-04:00

Get Liberty

"Heart Attack City"

2009-07-28T20:05:00.003-04:00

Me and my husband were sitting on our patio discussing the events of the day and our "bee" trouble that I found today. (Read my BEE blog) When all of a sudden I heard an awful sound....one that makes my stomach turn into a knot....something had one of my chickens! The scream and squall is a horrible sound! "Heart Attack City" They were out "free ranging" and we had left a trap loaded BUT NOT baited for months now...due to raccoon raiding that took seven of my prize hens in 2 1/2 weeks. We haven't had any trouble in months so hadn't bothered to bait it....but forgot about it...for goodness sakes! the chickens have been out since then but today HAD to be the day! Anyway, the one you see in my lap up top is Grey, he was my incubator hatch, that hatched back the first day of April. He is a roo.

It broke his leg :o( My husband is such a sweet guy;o) He helped me....usually he will get me things and leave me to the gory things but he actually helped me....I was impressed!

We mended Grey's leg with splits, bandage tape, gauze and of course trusty ole' duct tape! But in this case my husband grabbed the "shiny"silver duct tape to match Grey ;o)

Everything seems to be working okay, but it was broken pretty bad. He'll have to wear his make shift cast for quite some time and he'll probably have a bad limp :o) I'm just glad it wasn't his neck....

Now this pic is my husbands idea solely! Trust me the bottle was empty! He said I should put it on my blog and say it was Grey's anesthesia:O)

Well...my day didn't end there...I went to collect the eggs in the chicken pen, they were still out roaming and.....I ran into "Heart Attack City"! I backed out to find my husband and he was under his car changing the oil. I told him what I found and he told me where a stick was! No offer to help....and I didn't want to ask when he was so busy....so being me, I got the broken hoe (the one he used to get the last snake out) And you know what???that hook works wonderful! I felt like a snake handler!:O)

That was one BIG snake! It was heavy too!

Probably 'cause it was full on eggs. That's an egg in it's throat. And the snake is a garter snake or rat snake. I got it out of the pen only for it to go back in around the back way..after trying to steer it away.... it ended up going back out again on it's own...whew! time to renew the mothball treatment. If you want to keep snakes from around certain areas, you can use mothballs. Just please be careful of them because it contains a chemical that is NOT good. So don't use them around areas that you may plant one day. I throw them under the house and porch but ALWAYS leave a way out for the snakes, you don't want to encircle or trap them in. (Some snakes burrow into the ground and you don't know they are there). I usually space them out a few feet. But around my chicken pen I put about three or four into a small jelly jar and punch holes in the top then lay them on it's side (that way the smell can still come out without the chickens getting into it or the rain). I space these out every couple of feet or so all the way around my pen.

Well....that was my day....how was yours???

I wonder what I'll dream about tonite????....Bees..chickens....or snakes??? Ahhhh nature and living with it....makes for a very interesting life!

I am also having a BIG pain in the neck with this blog setup! It will usually be okay until I publish it then it looks wacky! So pardon my progress, I'll figure it out or move to another more user friendly blog source.

TTFN!

Julie

It's a jungle around here

2009-07-24T06:38:00.003-04:00

This is just ONE of my garden plots:o( The weeds have taken over. I have not been on my game this summer! Summers past a garden of mine would not have looked like this. My husband consoles me by saying summers past we didn't have bees:O)
Sooo last Saturday I got down to business and started to DEweed my little garden. Did I mention in the 10 things about myself that I get side tracked EXTREMELY easy?? Needless to say it's almost a week later and I'm still not finished.....I'll post "after" pics when I get it completed.
These little creatures are some of the reasons I got side tracked. Have you ever seen a beetle like this one before? Last year when I was deweeding (this same garden actually) my little chihuahua came running to me biting at her tummy and one of these things was attached to her skin pinching her with those things at the top of it's head. Talk about freaking out!!!! This one was on another mission though. It went on scurrying through the grass......it must have gotten lost because I kept seeing it from time to time trailing through and over the grass.
I found a little green lizard egg. See how tiny it is. I put it next to a dime for comparison. I also put it in an aquarium complete with it's surroundings. When it hatches I'll post pictures before I set it free. Did I mention I used to keep these things when I was little? My mom wouldn't let me bring them in the house so I set up an aquarium on the porch. One day I was holing a male and he blew up the little pink pouch under his neck....I ran my hand across it to see how it felt and it paper cut me just like a blade of grass. To this day I can't figure that one out. I've wanted to try it again to see if it was my "childhood" imagination but.....I think I can live without that knowledge for now.
I found this little Caterpillar nestled down in this clump of grass. Don't know what kind it is or what it will grow up to be. I was going to put it in the aquarium with the egg but when I came back to get it it had crawled away.....
And last but not least is this beautiful and unusual little spider. I've never seen one like this before. The angle that it was hanging and the sunlight made it hard to get a good shot at. Before I loaded these pics into my computer they looked really good on my camera. See if you can click on the pics to get a better view. My husband says he has me a new one on order......I can hardly wait...this one is covered in bee propolis and the lens won't even close anymore.

What's in your yard and garden????

TTFN!

Julie

Honest scrap award

2009-07-20T09:41:00.007-04:00

Okay....I maybe the only blogger in the world to take this long to get an award back out into circulation...I truly apologize to Penny over at backtobasicliving.com that honored me with this award. You really should check out her blog if you haven't already....she's packed full of outstanding information, what she hasn't got posted, she'll help you find!

Here are the instructions that came with it:

“The Honest Scrap” award is not one to hold all to your self but it must be shared!
*First, the recipient has to tell 10 true things about themselves in their blog that no one else knows.
*Second, the recipient has to pass along this prestigious award to 10 more bloggers.
*Third, Those 10 bloggers all have to be notified they have been given with this award.
**Those 10 bloggers that receive this award should link back to the blog that awarded them “The Honest Scrap" award.

Okay first on the list: I am going to try to get to ten things but not sure I'll make it ;-) So here goes.....

1= From as far back as I can remember I never liked wearing a shirt.....I remember crying something awful when I turned "the age" that it was inappropriate for a little girl to run around without a shirt. I know some of you can't even fathom this but back in my day there wasn't a lot of people around where we lived and it was extremely hot and we had no air conditioning. So it was perfectly okay for me to go without a shirt...my mom kept my hair short so if anyone did venture up to the house they would think I was a boy. I never understood why it was okay for boys to go without shirts but not me which brings me to the next truth...

2= I was raised around boys all my life and used to cry night and day because I was born a "girl". I could do everything they could do & sometimes better. I was what was called a "tom boy" to this day I still take pride in the fact that I can do most things for myself....granted now..I'm still a "girl" and I do know my limits:-) But I can work on my car and have helped my husband change out motors, transmissions,etc. He likes the fact that I can "fit" in places he can't...so see...I come in pretty handy;-)

3= I almost lost our first born son at birth...it was a long and enlightening experience that was always "two steps forward one step back". I still cry when I think back about it. But he is a vibrant 27 year old and just by looking at him you'd never know he'd been through an ordeal....he does however still carry the battle wounds and scars. He could take better care of himself but that's just mom talking here.

4= During the time of our son's battle I met a little boy at the "Ronald McDonald House" a remarkable foundation that helps families with a place to stay temporarily when their child is in intensive care at a hospital. (We were four hours from our home)..anyway I met a little guy that was amazing! ...he was an only son with two sisters one older and one a new born. He was three, he needed someone to "play" with and I needed someone to take my mind off of not being able to be at my newborns side or to be able to hold him,so we made a friendship. He had an imagination that was out of this world and he kept me busy. It's amazing how smart little ones are when they grow up in a hospital. My friend had leukemia and as I type this I can't fight back the tears... when we first met I couldn't remember his name and he got so frustrated with me....I told him if I ever got it I would never forget it...his mother and I became real good friends and on their way to the hospital a couple of times a year they would stop in and stay with us...when I found out I was pregnant with my second son I called his mom and asked if I could name him after her son....when my son was four months old "our" little guy passed....he was six years old.

5= I have three wonderful sons and I'm still surrounded with the male gender;-) I was delighted when my third son was born. I still love wildlife and all of the strange creepy crawly things that "ordinary" girls scream at.

6= I've been to Korea.

8=I am a thinker, wonderer and a worrier all rolled into one at the same time. I constantly think,wonder and worry about who or what crosses my mind. And the thing about it is I go way back into my childhood...which is a loong time ago! I think,wonder and worry about people that don't even know I exist!

9= I love adventure! I'm always up for doing something different even though I'm perfectly content being a home body. My husband and sons surprised me with a skydiving trip a few years ago(just me) (made me wonder);o) but it was something I'd always wanted to do. At first I was unsure about it even though I love roller coaster rides I didn't think I would be able to handle screaming for that long;o) But to my amazement it was the most peaceful thing I think I've ever experienced.I didn't scream at all! If I knew someone that had a plane I would do it all the time! There was not the stomach turning or gut screaming effect that roller coasters have..it was so serene...if there is such a thing as reincarnation I want to come back as a bird that soars......my luck I'll be a vulture...the cleanup crew;o)

1=I've always wanted to fly in one of the planes that do stunts in the airshows.

Okay so there you have it.

Thanks go out again to Penny over at backtobasicliving.com give her a visit, she also has a really great "homemade line" on her site called Penny Lane.

TTFN!

Julie

To be continued.....

2009-07-01T16:14:00.010-04:00

Due to the acknowledgement I want to give to the honeybees, from now on when I post about them it will "bee" in my new blog:

http://bizzybuzzinhoneybeezness.blogspot.com

In the meantime sit back....relax.....and enjoy something cool to drink;-)

And to all beekeepers out there please remember your bees need fresh water daily as well;-)

It's wise to put it near their hive so they won't be drinking out of you or your neighbor's swimming pool......people tend to freak out when they see bees especially when they are buzzing around their swimming pool;-)

More in my new BEE blog........http://bizzybuzzinhoneybeezness.blogspot.com

to be continued......

TTFN!

BEE COOL!

Julie

Honeybee wall removal

2009-07-01T08:12:00.003-04:00

As I said before we have learned allot about bees from the internet BUT we have learned even more by diving in head first and by doing it (knowing of course some of what we might be up against). My husband found a pdf file on the "net" that gave instructions on how to make a bee vac. He and a friend made one and it worked like a charm! The suction is very low and in the back we put a soft foam so the bees wouldn't fly and hit the back of the box. If you want the instructions let me know & I'll get them to you or post them to give credit to the guy that had them on the web. We've made another one since then with some changes of our own.
One of the things that kept going wrong was the hose kept clogging up because of the honey so we had to have two hoses. When working with bees it's best to always be prepared. When I say it clogged because of the honey my husband had to cut the comb because the bees had built several layers of comb one behind the other and in order to vac the bees we had to cut the comb in sections as we vacuumed them, therefore when the honey dripped down it got on the bees that were below and when they got vacced in it clogged the hose.
As you can see the bee vac can be used by both female and male ;-)

We got the bees out safely along with the honey and comb and all with only two stings and that was on my back side when I went to take off my suit two little girls had crawled on my back and

I didn't know it until I rolled them.

This was our first ever wall extraction and it was the most pleasant experience. But, boy was it a sticky, sticky mess!

We got the hive home and into their new home. I took the comb we retrieved out of the wall, cut it to fit the inside of empty open frames and tied it with string (not a good thing) the best thing to secure it in with is small wire, but I didn't have any and was in a hurry to "fix" it up before night fall. But even though the string wasn't a good thing it did hold up pretty good...long enough for them to propolise the sides, top and bottom to hold it in. Then they chewed the string off and carried it out of their entrance, all in a matter of a week or so. Honeybees are amazing creatures! I don't think we really grasp the concept when we say we're "busy as a bee". This hive we call our # 2 hive because it was our second hive. It has gone through so much though since we rescued them in March of this year (2009). The day after we brought them home we got a call to please come get a swarm of honeybees. Boy, news travels fast! My husband got these on his lunch break and called me to come get them to bring them home. This happened for the next three days. So within a week we had 5 hives, three of them were swarm hives. Anyway, getting back to hive #2 I believe they were robbed within a day or two of setting them up because I saw a large amount of dead bees on the ground around their entrance and the number of bees had dropped drastically. That was their first battle. The next was they lost their queen, then a worker decided she would take over the role and every time I would put eggs in for them to hatch their own queen she would chew the sides of the queen cell and kill the queen. I'll post all of this next time because I have pictures. This blog wouldn't let me post but four pics at a time. So to be continued........

TTFN!

Bee Busy as a BEE ;-)

Julie

My honey day.....at last

2009-06-29T23:04:00.002-04:00

I can't believe we have been official beekeepers for 14 months now and just today I finally harvested our first bit of honey! I have been waiting on this day for 14 months!;-) To make it worse I had to fight with the extractor. I had thoroughly cleaned it and fought like a wet settin' hen trying to get it put back together again. Finally everything is ready for me to get the frames from the hive. I suit up....but before going to "the" hive I stop in to check on our two "newbee" hives that we rescued last week. Both of them are only about a frame a piece, but I can't help it, me and my husband can't see or stand to hear about someone spraying them to death, so we rescue them no matter how small the swarm is, besides when their queen hatches (if they don't already have one) they'll be growing before we know it. I have pics of them too that I'll post. ANYWAY....they are fine so I head for "the" hive take the top off everything is looking great, I was just in them yesterday telling them what the plan was, and started hearing pops on my hat.......I wasn't really seeing them swarming me then after a few minutes it dawned on me....it was starting to rain! I could not believe it!!! So I grabbed a frame (when I say grabbed...I mean I carefully pulled it up) ;-) Brushed of the bees and ran it inside so I could get back out before it started raining to hard, I carefully pulled another frame and brushed the girls off set it down pulled another one making three. Put everything back like it was and made my way back inside to harvest. I wanted to make sure I had enough time to extract the honey and be able to put the frames back in the hive before it got to late in the evening. Mission accomplished. The girls were happy and so was I. We have been sooo "bizzy" with saving swarms for people that want to see them die or "bee" anywhere except where they are, that we haven't been taking any honey for ourselves but just giving it to the "newbees" to give them a better start. I actually only took three frames from one of our swarms that we rescued the first of April. They have been without a queen for a few weeks now but a new one should be hatching out any day now. A couple of weeks ago I put a frame of eggs and brood from one of our other hives in with them so they could produce their own queen, and so far so good. I had done this in a couple of our other hives that lost their queen as well and it has worked wonderfully. This way we don't have to worry about them excepting or NOT excepting a purchased queen.

Getting back to the hive I harvested from.....They have the brood box and shallow box (honey box) full of honey and pollen, so I needed to pull some frames and extract the honey so they will have some room for brood when their queen hatches, mates and begins to lay her eggs. After I harvested the honey I put the frames back in their box to be filled again. This time things will be faster and easier because they've already pulled the cells (comb) out. The first picture is of one of the frames of capped honey. This second picture is the cap being cut off. You can purchase a heating knife but I'm not usually near an outlet so to me this would've been a waste of money when a bread knife or serrated knife works just as good. The honey looks so golden here but when it ran it was so clear.

Here is a picture where it came off in such beautiful sheets, I was thinking if I could rinse it very carefully I might could roll them up and make candles(?) We'll see. I'll let you know how that thought comes to life.

This is the finished product. The pics make it look darker than what we see it, maybe because it's dark outside and the lighting isn't that good for these pictures. Anyway....it tastes soooo good! I know I won't ever buy honey again. This is better and healthier than any honey you can buy in the store! We were reading allot about store bought honey and what they do to it before it gets to the store is not good. That story is for another day.

I got 18 4-ounce jars plus 2 pint jars and an 8 ounce jar out of just three frames. Not bad for our first harvest. In this bottom pic (between the two jars up front) that's a honey comb that I took out of one of our hives a while back. We were waiting on a shipment of frames to come in because we didn't have enough for one of our hives and they started building their own;-)

We have learned allot about bees over the internet, but most of the info is from colder climates. I'm here to tell ya that the heat can take it's toll on a hive and plastic frames. Our poor girls have battled so much here in the deep south. Last year we only had one hive and battled small hive beetles all summer long. This summer I almost lost "our wall" rescue hive to wax moths. I have pics and will post them next time. I have sooo much to write about and soooo many more in pictures. I will try my best to be more diligent in writing more to this blog.

Until then TTFN!

BEE HAPPY and BEE SWEET

Lots of HONEY you'll need to eat;-)

Julie

Memorial Day in review?

2009-05-27T05:28:00.004-04:00

I Hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day. It's nice to have a three day weekend but when it falls on a day of remembrance sometimes we tend to let the day drift by without remembering why we really have that "extra day" off of work. What's just as sad is the amount of people that don't even realize for whom or why we have Memorial Day. It's not just a day for the recent men and women that died in battle for our country but for all of the wars past and present. I pray each day for our soldiers here and abroad and for their families. It takes a lot to be a soldier. To leave home and go to foreign soil, to help another country while still holding on to ours. I remember when my husband would have to go away I would get comments from people that "they could never leave their family like that". But looking back now, the person that said that to me doesn't have a giving heart like my husband had or still has. Yes, it takes a special person to be a soldier. It also takes an equal person to be here at home making sure everything will be alright for when that soldier returns home. And it takes a country to be here for the family if God forbid the soldier doesn't make it back home. Sometimes I feel like our country has lost the enthusiasm it once had, the proudness, the unity to stand undivided, or even if it is divided, just to stand.

This is why I don't throw things out:-) This little peep was a late bloomer, the other babies hatched out over a week ago. The twins had given up on hatching the rest of the eggs (4) because the babies that were already hatched were too much to keep up with for one little hen. This little one stayed in the bator over night after hatching. I put her out with the other six siblings the next day. She was wobbly at first and I was afraid that the moms wouldn't take her in. They pecked at her off and on for a bit but it wasn't hard pecks it was more like a cleaning peck. Anyway, by afternoon you could barely tell her from the rest of the peeps.

We have been having a lot of rain. But we did have one day with some sunshine, that was a yard and bee day. (I'll get into our bees in another post).

As I was cutting grass out by the patio I saw the grass moving and I was hoping it was a glass snake. I love seeing these in my yard. They are really lizards and eat insects. When frightened or captured they will break off or shatter their tail, in an attempt to escape, only to regrow it. Hence the name "glass". I presume they are also called snakes is because they are long and slither like a snake. If you google glass snake it has some interesting things to say about them.
This one posed really well for me to snap some neat pictures. They remind me of a zucchini squash with their colors.
These girls are doing a lovely job! I am so thankful! I would much prefer a hen to raise biddies than for me to do it from an incubator. They seem to grow so much better. I love to hear them call the babies when I go out to feed them, it's such a sweet sound with their low cluck,cluck. Then when they get something they start a fast low clucking sound. Come to think of it that's how roos call to the hens when he finds a treat to eat ;-D

Bee Natural/Bee Youself/Just Bee

TTFN!

Julie

The nature of things

2009-05-21T08:21:00.006-04:00

When I decided to start this blog I wanted to write about things that I care about. Things that I know other people care about as well. I may be a little on the extreme side from time to time. Or as I've been told many times.........I think a little to deep. Taking that into consideration I may spark a bit of insight with the way you think or you might just think I'm a nut. That's okay just remember you're probably not far from either thought:-)

I love life and that includes everything. Most people don't like the fact that I also like snakes, frogs, worms,bees and pretty much every creepy crawly thing that's around. BUT, don't get me wrong....just because I like these things does NOT mean that I will randomly pick them up or let them freely crawl on me:-) I just mean that we should respect them and let them Bee. They have just as much of a right to be here as we do, besides everything is here for a reason........right? Just think about this for a while. Why did God make that?????(pertaining to whatever it is you want to annihilate at the time)

My husband knows how I feel and he has come to except me and my way of thinking over the years;-) an example of that was the other day he came to me and told me that something awful has happened and that I should come look........I went into panic mode and started my questioning routine. Is it one of the chickens????? "No, but I think right now it's worse".....Worse what could be worse???? Then I did panic.....one of our Son's????? The dogs????

"No...no....just come see"

(pause time) Most of you might think "why didn't she think of Her Sons before the chickens"....well our "young men" are grown and out on their own now and given the circumstance of the way my husband approached me, he had no phone and we were both outside working in the yard.......so thought #1 chickens;-)

(I apologize for the side ways picture. My picture program won't let me rotate.)

This poor snake was climbing the tree and got tangled in a piece of netting my husband had hanging in the tree. He was going to cut the lead out of it. The snake was already dead when he found it.
He seems to think it was this snake, but I don't. I went to collect eggs a few days before the "snake in a tree incident" and when I went to put my hand in the last laying box something caught my eye and I quickly drew my hand out and screamed....yes screamed.....after all I am a girl. With my heart pounding I ran to get my husband, not to kill the snake, just remove it. It was curled up with an egg in it's mouth. (I want to pause here for a minute) I'm a person that believes everything happens for a reason.......here's an example....a few days before this, my husband (Joe) was using my hoe and it broke leaving just a hook.....now how convenient was that! I grabbed the now hook and gave it to him and it worked perfectly! As you can see the snake got to keep it's now egg in the throat meal and was set free....to probably be back another day, unless........ it was the one that got tangled in the net;-( Most of the snakes around our place are non-poisonous, but I usually don't take chances....I just run;-) They are just as scared because they usually take off the other way too. I try to explain to people not to kill them because they do help us...they eat things that we don't want in our house eating our food. Also the owls, hawks and other birds of prey feed on the snakes as well. When we kill off everything that we are afraid of or don't like it throws things out of balance. I have lost allot of eggs and chickens to predators but it is my responsibility to protect them as best as I can without harming the wildlife. After all we moved into their territory and took away their hunting grounds and food. While I can't or won't watch it happen............I understand.

But what I won't tolerate is someone letting their dog or cat run loose to come in my yard to kill.(I have actually lost more animals to domesticated animals(other peoples dogs) than to wildlife)I will and have gone to battle over that. But that's another story.

It's raining today again......most people are fussy about it but not me. I've got so much inside work to catch up on that I needed another day of rain. I tend to go from outside to inside getting so sidetracked in both places that I don't get what I want or NEED to, accomplished on sunny days.

A prime example is I figured out this picture posting "where I want them to go thing" even though I still don't think it's user friendly but that's just me.

I'm also rendering bees wax today, along with some deep cleaning on this old house.

I still have a lot of wax to render so I'll close for now.

TTFN!

Bee Natural/Bee Yourself/Just Bee

Julie

The Joy of Having a Sister

2009-05-20T21:34:00.003-04:00

The twins are raising their peeps wonderfully! I can't believe how sweet they are to each other and the babies love both moms equally. Six have hatched out of the ten, I brought the other four in and candled them, two look like duds, one has a peep in it and the other is still to early for me to tell. (I have raised chickens off and on for over 20 years and still can't get the hang of candeling. I have a fear of throwing something out that "just maybe has a chance". I'm like that with plants and flowers too) anyway.......I put them in the incubator so when the one I 'm sure of hatches I'll put "her" out with the others.

The reason I believe that the peeps are hatching out at such a time distance from each other is because some of the eggs were bigger than mom herself and they kept rolling out from under her some of the time, no matter how much she kept tucking them under. Sometimes the eggs would be cold when I tucked them back under her and fluffed up her nest to hold them in. It doesn't seem to hurt the peeps when the eggs go through a bit of coolness, it just slows down the hatching a bit. But, I do know that if they get too hot it will hurt or even kill the baby chic.

Maybe that's why her "sis" decided to help out ;-)

When I thought about starting this blog I wanted to post alot about nature but I have to figure this setup out, the pictures don't want to go where I want them to go. So come back to visit who knows maybe next time I'll have something exciting or unexpected to see.

TTFN!

Julie

Two Moms

2009-05-17T19:31:00.003-04:00

I call these two The Bobbsie twins, they have always been together. So, I guess it is only natural that they would want to be moms together. The box that they nested in is to high off the ground for babies, so my dear sweet husband helped me put together a pen for them. Actually, it was the transition pen that we had put together for baby peeps that I finished hatching in the incubator.(another whole new story) I spent most of last week putting up a new pen to move them in, so now I have a nursery pen as well as a transition pen. I hope I haven't lost anyone;-)

I was really afraid that the twins would object to the move but as you can see they took to it very nicely. Grey and the other baby peeps are not adjusting so well. Grey is the oldest of the peeps and she is very protective. She's always the first one to come running when she hears me and the first one to check to make sure everything is okay. You can see her coming down the flank when I went out to check on them before coming in for the night.

I'm not sure what kind of bantams the twins are....I traded some of my big hens for four bantams last summer. I've never been fond of bantams or so I thought. I've always had large chickens but I have to admit I have really enjoyed these hens.

Well, I'm still learning how to do this posting and blogging thing. The pics didn't post in the order I had written about them, so if you have questions feel free to ask:-)

I have alot more pictures to post and things to write about, it's supposed to be rainy this week so maybe I'll get some computer time in........well, in between clouds :-)

TTFN!

Julie

Happy Mothers' Day

2009-05-09T21:40:00.000-04:00

I would like to wish every female out there a Wonderful Mothers Day. Even if you don't have human children I feel quite sure you're a Mom to something! Being a woman we are born with an instinct to care, to love, to nurture. It takes a very special person to care for life, to love life, and to make sure that things are okay. So if you have a yard full of animals (pets) or plants or anything that has life running through it's veins and you take care of it you are a Mom. So to all of us females I wish us all a very Happy Mothers Day. (And for you Fathers out there, don't fret your day is coming;-)

Speaking of things to care for I still have a few to see to, so til then.....

Happy Mothers Day!

TTFN!

Julie

Welcome

2009-05-08T12:19:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my blog page, my name is Julie and even though I've read countless blogs I really don't have a clue of what I'm doing;-) I do know that I have a lot of ideas, experiences and thoughts to share. I am a work in progress and so is this blog so please bear with me. Any suggestions/comments will be considered but please be kind.......remember I'm a newbie;-)
A little about me:
I've been married now for a bit over 31 years to my soulmate, he & I have 3 wonderful sons.
We have a small plot of land here on this earth & there is always something more to do. We have honeybees, chickens and dogs to fill our time, when we're not busy with the yard & house.
I love life and all that nature has to offer me, I am also very thankful for what it has given me.
I'm sure you'll learn more about us (me) as the blog grows.
Until next time......TTFN!
Julie