Homesteading

[DeepseekerADS]

Deep, we have an indoor calico cat that needs a home. She doesn't like other cats though.

Thanks, but I'd better wait a while.

I went down there and told them what the deal was. Her son said he was going to commit suicide if I killed his dog. And I just replied that my baby was already dead. I again reiterated - I see the dogs on my land, they're dead.

Got the rest of the 3 long beds done. They came out to about 3'x17'-6", with the last one about 15'-6" long = ran out of compost.

And it's finally raining now. Even though we've been soaking, we need this rain for my garden.

Geez, and to think I used to "work" for a living

 

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[DeepseekerADS]

Get you a pair of Heelers.

I'm not familiar with the term Heelers. Just what breed are they?

Thanks for the advice. I think I do need to do that.

 

[joncutt87]

Heeler is the breed

also called Australian cattle dog

 

[joncutt87]

No problem, I understand the waiting after a loss.

 

[Bullet:Mich.]

The picture of the Heeler posted looks to be a dark blue or could be black. My Heelers are red. Many yrs ago the original King Heeler breeding was started from crossing the wild Australia Dingo Dogs with Dalmatian Dogs. That's where the name Australian Heller came from. It is bred in them when moving livestock they always bite the heel of the animals hoof first and if that don't work they go higher. On a ruff mean bull I have had then go to the nose to get the bulls attention. At home on their farm they are really Territorial.

 

[releventchair]

Heeler's are working dogs. Might fit in there well Deep.
There is a big canine that would keep all creatures of your land.
An Akita is kinda like a cat. A very big cat. Deer or bear be gone. Neighbors dogs be gone. Maybe a neighbor too if they get caught in the house.
More likely they just would not be allowed to leave and you would come home to someone sitting on top of your refrigerator.
Not that an Akita could not reach them there though.
They seldom bark. They always watch. They are good baby sitters too. A big part of their overseas origins was watching kids.
The movie Hachi shows an Akita. Hachiko: A Dog's Story (2009) Director: Lasse Hallström Starring: Richard Gere, Joan Allen, Cary-Hiroyuki .
It will tug on your heart strings to watch it though.
We raised rat terriers and produced champions from some for about a decade. Lady partner raised Rottweilers and Akita's prior.
Been winding down. No more rottie, half the terriers gone. Plenty left, and they give me a heads up if anything's amiss.
Problem is coyotes around here could take one if they do it right.. These dogs would take on Hades with a water pistol as they don't seem to realize their size.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Well, I just sowed the seeds for 78 carrots, 56 radishes, and 4 bell peppers. That completed one bed.

With one bed already planted for potatoes, that leaves me two beds to sow. One bed I had planned for bush beans, but I read that they should be planted in May. So, I'll re-purpose that bed for something else - like I need more that 4 bell peppers, stuff like that. I'll do the bush beans in one of those new rows I put up. The Eastern most I've already thought of solid watermelons and cantaloupes. The third shorter bed, I'll go with tomatoes.

I've gotta think about that one, it's over the spring running through there underground. When I pulled the stakes out just now, they made that sucking sound of too much water. I think I'll dig a trench from the fence there to the creek and get the water flowing a little better, let it dry out more easily.

 

[joncutt87]

you could bury a plastic barrel down there, add a 12v pump and have an in garden water system

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Toy could bury a plastic barrel down there, add a 12v pump and have an in garden water system

That's an excellent idea. I'd put just a tad of thought into a solar pump from the creek. But if I trenched out that little spring, I could do the same thing there

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I actually left the farm yesterday for the afternoon through this morning for a visit to my oldest friend. Prior to leaving I dug that trench to drain the swampy area. Just checked it and it is steady flow, but I still want to see the area drying out. I may have to put more branches on the ditch to ensure better drying. I'll see whether I have to do that certainly by this afternoon.

Going out yesterday, the dogs were out, not caged up. Coming back in this morning, the dogs were out and not caged up. The boy is a dumb-a$$. So, probably my next move should be to go see the sheriff tomorrow. I gave them a chance, and I really don't want to have to kill a dog. Nutty as the boy is, what's to prevent him from sitting up on the West ridge and sniping at me? After all, he said he'd kill himself if I killed his dog....

He'd also cut big trees off the timber company land and actually took a load and sold it to them! And then they came down to check their trees and found he'd sold their own trees to them. I don't know where that will go, they sent a forester up to them to show them where the property line was. I'd already told him that wasn't their property. And this last cutting was the 2nd time they cut the timber company's trees. And Mom told them too last Summer.

Duh......

I guess you have questionable neighbors whether you're in Detroit, or hiding up a holler...

 

[DeepseekerADS]

All the framed beds are sown. Here's the layout of those....



Tomorrow, the long beds....

 

[rockhound]

My first Asparagus is ready to harvest. Tomorrow I will harvest it and have a good meal tomorrow evening. Good Luck. rockhound

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Now that I have my boxed beds sown, I'm wondering just what I can tuck in here and there. Been reading a few articles on "Inter-planting".

I guess when you begin seeing that you have limited space in what you do have, you start wondering just how much more you can sneak in

I have some seeds of stuff I've never eaten before. Might be a way to check them out.

As for the rows, most I've planned work best in a "May" planting, so I have couple of weeks on those.

I'll be trying out some mole repellant and mole / gopher bait today. It's supposed to start raining later today, and the instructions on the labels said you have to water it for 20 minutes to be effective. So, it seems a task to try today.

I've had nothing break into my fence yet (fingers crossed), but seeing that rabbit sitting right on a spot I sprayed the Liquid Fence doesn't give me a comfort level. I'm going to cut me some poles, cable tie them to my posts, and run some fishing line around. It's supposed to deter the deer from leaping the fence.

 

[Bullet:Mich.]

It sounds like you have a real "live one" for a neighbor. Did you plant any Parsnip? They are good for you and they taste great.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

It sounds like you have a real "live one" for a neighbor. Did you plant any Parsnip? They are good for you and they taste great.

The neighbor, I'm holding off today. Haven't seen the dogs up here yet since I met with them. Maybe he hypnotized them so they wouldn't come on my property

Yeah, right.....

And it's funny you mentioned parsnips. I don't have any seed or plants, and hadn't even thought about them - never knowingly tried them before. But I was reading in "The Vegetable Gardener's Bible" this morning about them. I wrote them in my little note pad I carry with me to help this befuddled brain remember things, and I'll be giving them a try. Thanks for double verification

 

[joncutt87]

Parsnips taste like potatoes, but with a nutty note

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Oooooo.... The neighbor thing just got more interesting

The timber company hired another surveyor, again, to fully define the boundaries, one more time. Mom met him down the road and he wants to meet with me. Personally, I've never had an issue with the timber company. I don't mess with them, and they don't mess with me. The only thing, every time I see the elder brother, he asks me if I'm ready to sell. I've always said no.

But I've also cooperated with him over the years. I had this place, my land, surveyed in '83, and I had the surveyor draw a map for it. I gave the timber guy a copy of that map quite a few years ago, been always on the up & up with them. Actually, I really like having them around me on all sides Makes me feel more secure. Back about 15 years ago I toured his son's around, telling them the tales my Granny told me. Very intelligent people!

And then we have the dog neighbors and the dimwitted son......

The story grows!

 

[joncutt87]

Keep us posted

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Spent quite a bit of time with the surveyor, good guy. When he drove up, I was up on the West ridge. They hollered for me and I came down. First thing he said to me was "Square Foot Gardening"! Almost instant friends there. We spent the entire afternoon together.

We toured the lines. There were two small parcels adjoining the lady's land where he couldn't pin down. I told him what I knew historically, and showed him things which will be of benefit to him, gave him a lead on the one property between all which no one seemed to own. He suggested that I might lay claim, don't know about that yet though - a little less than an acre.

And, I knew I owned some land up another ridge I'd inherited, but never had surveyed. He showed me where my boundary was in that area. I own a bit more of that ridge than I thought I did. And I was correct on the Western boundary of that 6 acre plot.

Certainly we discussed the timber company, and we discussed the neighbors in question. The surveyor had worked for the timber people many times, has great respect for them. and it turns out the neighbors have their dog pen, and chicken house on timber company land. Very interesting - to be only a watcher of this storyline.... This could be funny.

As for the dogs, the surveyor told me about the "Dog Law", where it is a felony to shoot someone's dog. Something back a few years ago where people killed their neighbor's pit bull to protect themselves, yet were convicted. So, I guess I shouldn't shoot the dogs. He also suggested I contact animal control instead of the sheriff...

Before he left we went down to my garden. He and his wife had been into Organic Gardening for years. One tip he gave me was to dust the potato plants with enriched flour, and that would kill potato bugs. He also re-iterated the mixing of soil and compost.

It was a good day.... But when I came back up to my hiding place upstairs, the internet was down again. So, I opened a few more books on gardening.

 

[rockhound]

There is another way to rid yourself of pests, rodents, etc., but only as a last resort. This is a drastic measure and not to be taken unless all other avenues have been exhausted. Make a peanut butter sandwich, putting peanut butter on only half of a piece of bread. Sprinkle Drano pellets on that side, then fold over and throw where your pests-rodents are. Good for rats, squirrels, ground hogs, raccoons, opossums, and many other critters. Good Luck. rockhound