Category: Farm

Week Three

This is the third week of our social distancing. We have left the house, other than for walks on our property or rural road only 4 times. Three of those were for groceries, one, a failed attempt to walk in the National Forest where there were so many cars, we returned home.

I had read that the local grocer opened at 9 a.m. for seniors so I left with a list this morning to be there when they opened. When I arrived, the sign on the door said they opened at 7 for seniors. There weren’t too many cars in the lot, so I went ahead. The shelves were not well stocked, but I was able to get most of what I was seeking, using the hand scanner (I sanitized with a disinfecting wipe first) so that I didn’t have to have another person handle the items and so that I could load them directly into a washable bag. I had worn clothing that could all be washed in hot water on my return, had taken a canister of disinfecting wipes to wipe down my car handles, debit card, and hard surfaces of bottles and cans before putting them away. When I got in the lobby, an employee asked whether I wanted a small or large cart, sprayed it down, wiped the handle before letting me take it in the store. Once home, bags were emptied in the utility room. Hard packaging wiped down, other items put on shelves until needed, bags were tossed into the washer. Clothing was stripped and put in washer and a hot shower was taken. After the shower the stall was sprayed down with 1% bleach spray and towel added to the washer and it was run. There are still no reported cases in the New River Valley, but I wanted to keep us safe.

Today’s walk was on our farm. Since my farm walk a couple day ago, a partial skull appeared on the edge of the field. I can’t identify skulls, so I don’t know what critter it belonged to, and it was missing parts.

In the field there were many mysterious holes about the size of a half dollar, I expect skunks looking for grubs. And two ankle breaking size holes that I expect are ground hog holes. One in my path, so I filled it with rocks and took a picture of the other.

There were some wildflowers I can’t identify and the day lilies are up both in the cultivated bed and huge patches of them along the creek where I planted a few corms 15 years ago before the house was finished. The ones up by the creek came from my Dad’s garden and have multiplied and spread.

As long as I can get out to walk or garden, I will be okay. I tried to start the riding mower and it is out of fuel and wouldn’t start. There is no fuel here, I will have to go to the village and self pump a couple of 3 gallon cans. I also have to pump up a front tire and hope it holds air.

The Feeding Station

From fall into early summer, the feeding station is kept full of seed and suet to attract the native and migrating birds to the feeder. This has been a habit for more years than I can count. In the home that our kids mostly associate with as their growing up home, the yard had dozens of mature trees, so squirrels were often feeder raiders and I tried every trick to foil them. Feeder poles with baffles, greased poles, hanging feeders with top shields, nothing worked until… I had the idea to dangle a feeder about 15 feet from a large branch, high enough that I could mow under it, but still reach it to fill, and 10 to 12 feet away from the trunk of the tree. Squirrel proof, but how to accomplish it. By then, Son 1 was at least a young teen and already 6 feet tall, and a Scout so he had bear bag experience camping. I don’t remember what we used as a weight, but a weight was tied to a light rope and after several attempts, he lobbed that weight over the branch. If I recall, it wasn’t heavy enough to pull the rope and fall very far, but somehow we managed to pull it down, tied a vinyl coated clothes line cord to the rope and pulled it over. With his ingenuity and strength, I had a squirrel proof feeder. When asked how we got the rope there by visitors, a sly, “trained squirrel” comment was used more than once. Later as an adult, he built a terrific deck off the back french doors and many hours were spent in the shade watching the birds.

Once here in the mountains, I heard horror stories of feeders attracting bears, so I didn’t hang feeders for a few years, but finally broke down. There is a double shepherd’s crook pole in the back with two seed feeders and a suet feeder, and a single shepherd’s crook pole in the front for the hummingbird feeder from mid April til they leave in October. That one attracts ants and I haven’t been able to foil them.

I love sitting at the dining table or looking our the kitchen window at the birds that come to dine. The usual cast of characters include Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Purple Finches, House Finches, Gold Finches, and in the winter, Juncos that hop around under the feeder for dropped seed. This spring for the first time there are three woodpeckers that come to the suet. I identified them based on what my Dad used to call them, but then when I looked in my bird book, I’m not so sure about that. He called the smaller one a Downy Woodpecker, but this bird is larger than the description and better fits the Hairy Woodpecker description, but the book says they are shy birds, so I’m not sure they would come to the feeder. The other he called a Flicker, but I think it is a female Red Bellied. The third is definitely a male Red Bellied. For the past few days there has been a dove and this morning for the first time, a female Cardinal. I guess we will have to start folding our car mirrors in when not in use or Mr. Cardinal will fight with himself.

Mrs. Cardinal sharing the feeder, though the other birds seem to fear her.

At two corners of my garden are nesting boxes put there for the Eastern Bluebirds. The first year the boxes were there, we had a nest of baby Bluebirds, then the boxes were overtaken by the iridescent Tree Swallows who have occupied both boxes for the past few years. I was pleased to see that the Bluebirds have again staked out one of the boxes and the Swallows the other. I have a third box but the only available post that is already set is too close to the box the Bluebirds have chosen. I have a young peach tree that looked last year like it had died, though it has 4 blossoms on it this year. If it dies, perhaps I will strip the branches off and use the trunk as a post for the third nesting box for next year.

We have a very persistent pair of Barn Swallows that insist on building a nest against the logs on the top of the bathroom exhaust vent. I am as equally persistent in destroying their work before they lay eggs. We have a barn and they can build all the nests in and around it that they want, but I don’t want them on the house. Last year they sneaked around me and build a nest where the logs cross at the back of the garage, but the 6 foot blacksnake I later relocated after it found my coop, was heard and then seen trying to get back down from getting up to that nest.

I liked having it around as long as it was only eating rodents and other pests, but not when it took to climbing the house and getting in the coop.

Vernal Equinox aka First Day of Spring

It dawned clear and very springlike warm. The large flock of turkeys were in the hay field, but moved to the house side of the fence and strutted and swelled doing their mating ritual. A zoomed shot, cropped and zoomed again shows a Tom strutting his stuff. We had some clouds later in the day, even some misty sprinkles of rain. To wet from prior days rain to work in the garden, but not to wet to play with deck pots. Rosemary and thyme were put in pots, one half barrel planted with Mesclun mix, radishes, and Chinese cabbages. Some weeding around the barrels and the back bed.

Exercise yesterday was rock moving. When we rebuilt our deck last year, it is smaller than the original. You can see the original bottom step with the terra cotta pots on it. Daughter in law has built a stone wall from the edge of that step to the base of the retaining wall. There are still lots of stones that were under the old deck. The larger flat ones are being used to create a path to the step and will be expanded to make a small patio for the grill. Several of them were jigsaw puzzled together to extend the first part out a few more feet.

The hens got a spring cleaning on the first day of spring.

Unfortunately, there was only a slight half bale of pine shavings so there isn’t a very deep layer. Since we are self isolated, I don’t know what I will use when it is soiled. Maybe after a few dry days, I can go rake oak leaves to use.

The hay man sent the Southern States truck out yesterday to spread fertilizer and lime on the hay fields. Since winter was so mild, the grass is already growing. Normally, the first yard mowing isn’t done until May, but working in the back today, that part of the yard already needs to be cut. I guess I will have to go down to the village general store and pump a can or two and hope that the riding mower will start.

Though there is a fair amount of rain due in the next 10 days, the temperatures will remain mild to warm. It is a good thing, my favorite WoolX hoodie had a major zipper fail night before last. I want to commend the company. When I contacted them, they sent me a label to return the damaged garment and shipped a new one to me immediately. It isn’t the same color and for that I am disappointed, but I will order another in the gray next fall when they are again in stock.