Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Geese and Gardening

Life in Hickory Hollow...
This past weekend we had beautiful weather! Beautiful weather for getting out and getting some projects completed. We have had to do a bit of work in the garden, actually a lot of work. The soil is just not rich enough for anything to grow very big. We bought bales and bales of peat moss and tilled it in the soil. This fall it is going to get a manure and lime treatment. These cute geese were hanging out by the pond all Sunday morning. I crept up pretty close to get these pictures to share with you.

Visitors...
We have also had a couple of unwelcome visitors. Doug had to shoot a big snake down at the pond shortly after I had taken these pictures. It was about 4 feet long and as big around as a man's wrist. He couldn't tell if it was poisonous or not and we couldn't risk the kids getting bit. Now, I am not a big on guns type of gal, but I was pretty relieved that we owned one and my husband knew how to use it. I am absolutely, positively, skin crawling, jumping, yelling scared of snakes....even little garter snakes!

Another unwelcome visitor has been the deer. Humph...they are not so cute anymore...they have tried to prune all my Cleveland Pear trees that line the driveway into topiaries! I am not thinking they are cute in the least...they have also eaten the new leaves of my raspberry and blackberry bushes and have tried even more topiary art on the fruit trees.
BAD Deer....very, very BAD DEER!

The Stone Nest...
We have a Killdeer couple that have made a nest of stone, smack dab in the middle of the driveway. There are 4 little stone colored eggs in the middle. The comical act of these two was pretty funny about 2 weeks ago...they pretend that they are injured to lure you from their nest. We call it "hurt wing". Here we are a few weeks later, and they aren't so cute...and they are getting a bit aggressive. We have been driving out and around the nest so we won't disturb them. Now as we come down the drive they run at us! We pull over to the side and ask her everyday if she could just get on with it, so we can have our driveway back! I will let you know when the BIG day arrives...personally we can hardly wait!
In the Garden...
So far in the garden I have planted 9 Big Boy tomatoes, 9 Celebrity tomatoes, 2 Brandywine tomatoes, 4 Cherry tomatoes, 4 banana peppers, 4 green peppers, 4 jalapeno peppers, 4 Italian Basil plants, 4 Siam Queen Basil Plants, 3 rows of Blue Lake Green Beans, 28 cucumber plants (yep, you read that right, 28 plants germinated from the seed), 4 cantaloupe plants, 4 watermelon plants, 4 zucchini plants, 4 yellow straight neck squash plants. We are getting ready to plant corn later this week. My potato plants are up, but not just real big. I have been Miracle Growing everything, and they look a bit better. I am hoping to be able to can spaghetti and salsa this fall! I will take some pictures of the garden later this week to share with you.

and the Chicken House...
We have really been working hard on the chicken house...Doug put on a new roof, and I have finished painting the outside. It is soooo cute! I even added a hanging basket and potted up some plants to sit on the little front porch. I will share some of those pictures with you too! I am hoping to be able to finish the inside with the wallpaper this week. Doug and Tyler are almost finished building the nesting boxes! I think I have decided that we will get 8 hens. I am going to get a couple that lay the pretty pastel eggs. If you are in the neighborhood in the next few weeks, come on by for a slice of quiche made of farm fresh eggs!

Thank you everyone who so diligently follow this gal, who doesn't quite so diligently post! My goal is to post at least once a week this summer. We are really working hard to get our place up and going so we can have bountiful harvests later this summer!
I seem to be over the bloggers block...now I just need to find a bit of time, to visit all my blogger buddies!
~Jill~
P.S. I am addicted to watching the Bachelor/Bachelorette shows...why, I don't know...it is so silly, but this girl loves a good romance, I guess now matter how fake it is...anyway... I like the pilot so far for Jillian!

14 comments:

Cottage Rose said...

Hello Jill; Wow you have really been a busy family. I did not know that your garden was that huge, I just have a postage stamp one, just right for one.... I can't wait to see the chicken coop it sound really great, not get some rest... so you can do some blog surfing........ lol

Hugs;
Alaura

The Mama Monkey said...

OMW I don't "do" snakes either! Humm...kind of sounds like you are back in CO with the wildlife! LOL Can't wait to see your finished products outside!

Did I tell you we were extended here for another year? I can do it...

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

I love reading about your life! Thanks for sharing...it helps me know you even better! Love the pics!

Nancy Rosalina said...

Wow Jill, What a busy lady you are! But I am sure you are enjoying it all! About that snake...YIKES! My SIL found one in her pool this weekend...and she was in the pool too...she managed to get it out and chopped it up...OH that is so GROSS I told her! I don't like snakes of any kind...I think they are the uglist things ever!
Nancy

Ashley ~ said...

Your place is absolutely beautiful*! Love the pond*! _Ashley*

Melissa Miller said...

Hi Jill,
Thank you very much for paying such a kind visit to my blog.
I see you are really busy and I do appreciate you taking the time.
You're always welcome!
Please follow along if you would like as well.

Your garden and hen house sound lovely. Can't wait to see the pics of the babies from the stone nest. I have not heard of that kind of bird before. I'll have to google it.

Have a blessed and wonderful week my friend.
~Melissa :)

Bluebell said...

Gosh you have a very exciting life with all that wildlife doing things they should'nt like eating your pear trees and nesting in inconvenient places. I'm with you on the snakes definitely not cuddly.

Stacey said...

Jill, I really enjoyed this post telling the wonderful realities of country life. When my mom and dad first moved to the country they got a bunch of geese. In no time at all the coyotes were grabbing them one by one. And snakes were plentiful!

It's still very worth it to live in such a beautiful place!

Kim's Treasures said...

I am glad your hubby got that snake for you! I would have been going crazy!

Your garden sounds huge! It is going to be wonderful!

The chicken house sounds so cool! I can't wait to see it!

I have bunnies and muskrats that give my plants a good prune every year. Pesky critters!

Have a wonderful night!
Kim

Unknown said...

You have been busy! I figured as much. Can't wait to see that garden and chicken house!! Sounds like you are living the life! :)

~Liz

joyh82 said...

That is quite a garden. My dh has planted most of what you have minus the watermelon and cantaloupe.

Dianne said...

I'm looking forward to seeing pics of your chicken house! Mine is finished and the chickens have moved in and, nope, they're not very good housekeepers! Anyway, pics of their house are on my blog...

Betsy said...

I am trying to keep plantings in my garden, I think the moles keep plucking out the squash.. Do you have that problem with moles or voles? If so what do you do to keep them out of the produce?
I love to read your blog and and look forward to hearing more about your garden.
Thanks,
Betsy

Linda ★ Parker's General said...

That'll keep you busy!
My husband loves to work the garden and I gladly let him as I get a rash from most everything out there. I love the veggies but their leaves just don't agree with my skin.
Good luck with the chickens. I would so love to have a chicken coop with the prerequisite chickens. We always buy our eggs from this Amish family down the road and I ogle theirs every time we go.....

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