I think we need a daily report here.....so many people have so much going on and I get out in the garden and wonder about things. Like, how is Joy's dog and garden; has earthmama sold the rest of the stock; has john killed his mother-in-law yet; you know stuff.

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2001

Answers

Allright - who's channeling through Diane? You actually expect us to believe that sweet little Diane would be snarky like this? And, sure - we believed that was her saying "To Hell with E-Bay" on the other thread. Uh-huh, yeah, right - c'mon, fess up!

Either that, or the rain has gotten to her worse than we thought! (Or maybe she's just been hanging out with us too long! >^..^<

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2001

Ok.It was me.I'm just getting even for her swiping my nudie picture and not returning it even after I sent her the beans. Hey,it pissed me off!

Well,I just got back from an auction.I'm hot, tired ,hungry and thirsty,so I'm typing this while I scarf down some watermelon.

But I got a big grinding stone on a metal frame.Hadn't seen one like that.More furniture! Let's see, what can I use it for?Where can I put it?

I sweet talked a guy there into helping me load it.It's pretty heavy.He was a darling. Nick doesn't have to be sweet talked anymore.He just goes forth and does.

Now, I'm resting.

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2001

I think Joy is spending the day with the new dog (Blanca) at her garden plot. Nice day out for the dog, and Joy gets work done. I'm sure she's gonna be tearing her hair out somewhere along the line. She hasn't had a dog of her own before, the family dogs are years in the past when we were just kids, and her experience with my dogs has helped some, but it is different from it being your OWN dog to care for, train, and worry over.

I posted this over on the Why are we so Boring thread, but my update is that Bun-Boy (the rabbit found on the highway) LIKES it here. He likes me. Ergo, he is probably staying. I am getting the yard fenced against deer in the next couple weeks, that will keep out stray dogs as well (coyotes) but not whatever has been killing the wild rabbits in the yard (and partridges), so I have to construct him some nice portable secure housing like a chicken tractor so that he can have lots of nice fresh air, room to run, and grass to graze. I'm working on how to make a raised hutch alongside the garage, cut a hole through the wall and insert a cat door for him to get into the semi-heated area in the winter and have a inside hutch there too. I figure he can come inside for play time to time....

And the adopted guinea pigs have had babies, 5 that were unexpected, but that I suspected once their mom started to turn pear-shaped instead of potato shaped. They're just darling, and very inoffensive. Their mom is only semi-tame, so I'm working with the babies to tame them up -- IF I can bring myself to give them up that is!!! Cuddling them at night on the sofa is SUCH a hardship...!

Finally the weather has warmed up around here (and how) and I could take the wall o'waters off the tomato plants. It's over 80 today and down into the mid-50's at night, so the tomatoes and zucchini ought to love that. Potatoes and beans are coming up. The shallots and leeks are doing really well, and so are the cabbages I planted (got to plant more greens now that the rabbit lives here and the pig herd increased). I've decided to plant out containers of greens on the porches so I've got it handier to the door for early morning feeding of the new livestock.

The tent worms and I are still battling to see who is gonna win. I've got to get a bigger capacity sprayer if this is going to be an on- going thing. A neighboring town had to get out the firetrucks to hose the worms off the roads -- the driving was getting really slick with all the crushed bodies and were causing traffic accidents. Not that the way the tourists drive did anything to contribute to it...

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2001

Julie was right about what we were doing, and we're going out again this evening. It was so hot and muggy, I about passed out. Should be cooler later. The dirt is dry enough now to work. I still don't have anything planted! (because of all the rain, I couldn't work the soil) And it's supposed to rain again tonight. This year is definitely turning into an "experimental year". Oh well.

The dog is about 1-1/2 to 2 years, and I've decided to keep her shelter name of Blanca. It fits her -- did I say that she's a white German Shepherd? And she's starting to realize that Blanca means HER. She is an EXCELLENT dog -- well socialized, inoffensive, friendly -- which is why I felt okay taking her as a first dog. I am NOT experienced enough to take on a problem dog! We'll have to have obedience classes -- to get her tuned up and me trained. She knows SIT and has decided on her own to sit when I'm putting the leash on (probably part of her training). She is a very happy dog. She doesn't bark, beyond a small Yark! if she thinks she being left behind.

The problems so far have been minor: Trying to get her eating and outings schedule coordinated with the other things that have to happen has been a bit jumbled up, she won't go in the crate (gotta work on that) but seems totally housebroken (SO FAR!); and although she was fine with the three cats she met at the Humane Society, she is growling at one of my cats (the other hasn't been brave enough yet to come and look at the monster dog). Admittedly, the cat has been quite annoyed to see this strange critter in her house. They "met" through a gate and with the dog on leash, so there haven't been any opportunities to do damage. But the cat is puffing WAY up and then singing the kitty war song, which is about when Blanca begins growling. I've told her NO and she quits, but will do it again when kitty sings the war song some more. So this will be "interesting" to say the least!

Blanca had some shade to lie in while I was in the garden, and while she clearly thought that we could do something more fun, or that she should at least HELP with the digging, she was very good about waiting.

I am wondering why I decided to put myself to all this trouble, which goes to show you that I am not really a dog person. I never think the cats are trouble, even when they're really a lot more. My biases are showing. But, I have no doubt, within a month, I wouldn't give her up at all. Right now, if Julie comes down here and desperately wants her, I might agree .. . .. Or maybe not!

Hopefully, I will lose weight with all this walking I am having to do. No fenced dog area right now. Maybe by next year, I'll be living somewhere better, like on a homestead? Or maybe the year after that . . .

My mother does not know about this. She will try to strangle me when she does find out. She thinks we tie ourselves down too much with animals. {shrug} End of report!

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2001

Oh, Joy.... congrats on Blana... she sounds just great. How are all the birds and your Herman adjusting to the newcomer??? You are going to have one happy house when they all settle in...

btw... are you coming to the MREA fair in two weeks??? What about you Julie???

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2001

Ooohhh - you like auctions too, Sharon?? Y'know, one of us is gonna have to talk to Mom and find out why they separated us at birth....

We just got finished with "The Great Chicken Rodeo and Round-up". In other words, moved the chicken house and fence over and let the chickens free range while we were doing it. Hubby was expecting a hassle getting them back in, but it wasn't much of a problem at all. I am using the chickens to clear the ground where I want to put my raspberries this fall - man do they ever pick it clean! Now, if I just had a pig to plow it up for me....NO PHYLLIS - I didn't mean it, STOP, no wait...no pig - you know John will kill us!! (Poor Phyllis has been chasing pigs all week and wants to shoot them all.)

Other than that, I just did a bunch of house work today - to keep me away from the garden as it is still much too wet to plant. Need to go get John and Pop to help me move the top to the grape arbor over so we can get the holes dug and get the dang thing up - I am convinced that it will never get finished! I'm hoping at the very least to get the front flower bed tilled and planted tomorrow; put that's about the height of my garden expectations.

Well, off to try to talk the man into a trip to DQ - wish me luck!

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2001

Uh...Polly,apparently we were quadrupelets;we have two brothers. I found one in W VA and another in Minnesota. Guess we need to have a family reunion? I expect you were from the legitimate sperm, since you are the social one and the rest of us are hermits, so the rest of us must be from the other man who contributed. Looks like she got rid of the 'evidence'. Oh boy, please don't let your dad read this! Oh boy,please don't take me seriously,either.Not too smart to diss one's mamma,is it?

I can't figure out how it is I look exactly like my adopted mother,tho. Odd. You know,to aggravate my mom when I was a smart alecky teen,I'd tell her I was adopted.For some reason that really would get her going. Hmmmm...I wonder....

Hey,our parents were a lot wilder than we ever knew, growing up. Little did I know.....

Yep,been hitting those auctions all my life,since as long as I can remember.That's why my house is decorated in Early American Yard Sale style!

It's a day out for me,and I chat with people there,too. After a while I'll get to know the regulars. I've not gone to enough here yet. The auctioneers crack me up with how they like to kiss up to you. Get you to bid higher! Yeah right,I'm on to their tricks! It's fun. I got another bird feeder too with a boxlot,one of those caged ones,still in the box.

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2001

Cool! I always wanted to be part of a big family - just as long as I don't have to share my room! ;o)

My favorite auction buy was an old rocking chair I got for 50 cents. It's a raggedy old creaky thing, but I bought it to set in the kitchen so the guys would have somewhere comfortable to sit when they came in the house all dirty from working. I had had it for a little while when my Aunt came out to visit - "Well, where did you get that chair?!" said she. I explained about the auction and the great price - and it turned out she had GIVEN it to those same folks a short while before. Dang - I coulda saved 50 cents!

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2001

Blanca is staying in the lower level just now. HARRY (not Herman) is smart, he won't even come to LOOK at the monster (dog). Katrina is the one that is singing the war song. So the birds haven't seen her yet either. Going to delay that one as long as possible. She will have to be better trained before I let her know there are birds in the house.

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2001

I am not allowed to go to auctions any more. The last time I went it took us 5 trips with the truck to get my stuff home :>).....but it was such a steal!!! (Why can't we use 10 old doors???...actually we did...I bought them for $1.00 a piece and we have lovely doors all through the barn) If Gary finds out I am hanging out with a bunch of auction freaks on this forum who know what will happen!!!! LOL

-- Anonymous, June 10, 2001

diane...you still there? Did Gary find out? diane diane DIANE!!! OH NO!!!!!! HELP, AGAIN!!!

Building supply auction.Now they are VERY dangerous.We take two trucks and usually fill both to the brim. Finishing and fixing up homes,then selling them is how we bought this farm. And now I have these two structures and a barn and a falling down outbuilding to work on.We'll probably stop doing this tho.......when we hit our 80's.

-- Anonymous, June 10, 2001

whispering softly...yes, just can't visit when he is looking...i will be around though.

-- Anonymous, June 10, 2001

...singing the kitty war song...

Hah! I absolutely LOVE this phrase! I know *exactly* what you speak of, Joy. I'm gonna think of this phrase whenever my cats "sing the kitty war song". :-D

-- Anonymous, June 11, 2001