Woof!

We went from t-shirt weather to Arctic temps with blowing snow and all the rest within a few days. Going outside almost hurts.

We "get" to go outside tomorrow and move snow. You do not remove snow, you move it from one spot to the next. I love winter, but it would be nice to get back into the upper 30s or 40s for a bit.

I am going through my organic seed catalogues, deciding what veggies and herbs to plant. I also have to figure out what to use for the sides of the raised beds. We get carpenter ants. Treated wood is "pie-son", and wood that is pest-resistant is very expensive. Maybe cinder-blocks? Hmmm... I will have to look at the recycling piles at the dump and see what I can use that will be safe, effective, durable, and not make our place look like the Clampett's place.

I hope it warms up enough for the birds. Poor things! We have a naughty squirrel to relocate somewhere far away from our vehicles. We cannot do that until spring comes. Moving him now with winter still in effect would be cruel. It is not like we can move his nest. When it is warmer, he can rebuild safely. The booger has been eating pine cones inside the motor compartments of our vehicles. We suspect he is the same one who stripping all of the black fiber stuff from the sides inside the motor compartments. Firewall fiber? No clue, but the guy has to move somewhere else.

Deb

I am a bit ecclectic. This blog is whimsical musings about my various interests and sharing things I am learning. If anything, it will be a good sleeping pill, no?

5 comments:

  1. Debbi, consider getting 1 or 2 composite 12' boards, 8 corner brackets each, and making a few 3'x3' beds each year until you reach your limit. They never need replacing. The size is perfect for getting to from all sides. I had 2 at the Harriman house and loved them. Would have done more if we'd stayed. I had one for lettuce and basil, and one for peppers. Perfect.

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  2. Cinderblocks, being porous, may make your beds drier, so if you use drip watering you'd need more line around the edges than the center.

    But set them with the holes up and you can plant sage and other enthusiastic plants in the holes and keep the buggers from taking over the world. They look nice too.

    Eventually the concrete disintegrates though - my dad built a low 'wall' with them on their sides. It looked nice for years until one day leaning on it the whole thing collapsed. Weird. Before that happened though I did notice a rather 'rotted' appearance on the lowest batch and the rabbit loved to chew on it.

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  3. The only problem with composite woods is the chemicals they use in them. My daughter gets hives just touching some varieties, and she works at a lumber yard/hardware store, inventory control yet. (grin) If I can find a variety that does not have anything that may leach into the soil, a good idea. I may set up chick or similar wire if not? I am not sure yet. There is still snow on the ground and it is hard to shop at this stage.

    I love the idea of having cinder blocks doing double-duty! I plan on companion planting, especially with herbs and plants that tend to keep some beasties and pests away. Notice I said "tend"? We have so many, it will be a booger, A lot of people are pretty successful, so there is hope. I so love the fresh produce at the farmer's market. I would love to be able to gather it outside my door. One can dream.

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  4. Our squirrels stuffed the chimney (2 stories plus basment) with leaves and sticks just to see if they could apparently. No critters in there. I could have sworn we had a screen up there. At least we didn't die of carbon monoxide poisoning.

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