Saturday before heading to the Longhorn for Barb's birthday celebration, we drove to Wayne's Feed Store and purchased two new catch-and-release traps for the grey fur ball. Late yesterday afternoon, a fresh new snack went into the new trap and it was set behind the TV stand again. I figured it would be an easy catch after two days routine of free meals. Then we walked up the road to our new neighbors home for a little wine and conversation. About an hour later we returned to find the mouse sadly looking up at me from the green trap. With flashlight in hand, I made my way out in the 35 degree night air, and released it deep into the woods. We'll have to be cautious for the rest of this cold winter when using the back porch doors.
Barb and I talked gardening yesterday afternoon after the Longhorn. I'm going to build a raised garden near the porch steps for a kitchen garden to include herbs and shade vegetables, move the rhubarb to a sunnier spot, and get some horse manure from our horse neighbor up the road. Leafy vegetables can be planted in March when the soil temperature reaches 50 degrees so I need to prepare the garden on dry days. It's pouring this morning but the temperature stayed above freezing all night so no slippery roads.
Some months ago I blogged about the neighbor's six dogs running all over our yard, through the flower and vegetable gardens, and leaving their messes everywhere. We've banged pots and pans, sprayed them with the hose while they were going to the bathroom on the driveway, and shooed them from the gardens daily. A few days ago, one left its mess near my birdbath so I scooped it up, placed it in a plastic ziplock bag, and placed the bag on the neighbor's porch. So far we haven't seen the dogs in our yard again. I'm not sure how long this will last. I don't give them that much credit for responsibility. To save my vegetables from being trampled this year, I'll have to fence in the garden. It irritates me that we have to spend our money to solve their problem. But, that's life and if this is the biggest problem we have, we'll just take it one day at a time.
On a lighter note, if the robin is a harbinger of spring, maybe the winter weather will go easy on us this month. Each day the birdbath is visited by Tony Soprano, one large robin with a fat yam-colored breast. He lands on the bath rim scanning the feeders and ground for other birds that might venture near his water. No birds visit the bath while he's place. It's unusual that he flies in daily as we have no lawn and robins are mostly seen in open areas. After sitting awhile and bobbing for his drinks, he flies away. We're seeing more cardinals again than in past years and the Carolina wren is singing earlier than other years. Signs of a less severe February?
Barb and I talked gardening yesterday afternoon after the Longhorn. I'm going to build a raised garden near the porch steps for a kitchen garden to include herbs and shade vegetables, move the rhubarb to a sunnier spot, and get some horse manure from our horse neighbor up the road. Leafy vegetables can be planted in March when the soil temperature reaches 50 degrees so I need to prepare the garden on dry days. It's pouring this morning but the temperature stayed above freezing all night so no slippery roads.
Some months ago I blogged about the neighbor's six dogs running all over our yard, through the flower and vegetable gardens, and leaving their messes everywhere. We've banged pots and pans, sprayed them with the hose while they were going to the bathroom on the driveway, and shooed them from the gardens daily. A few days ago, one left its mess near my birdbath so I scooped it up, placed it in a plastic ziplock bag, and placed the bag on the neighbor's porch. So far we haven't seen the dogs in our yard again. I'm not sure how long this will last. I don't give them that much credit for responsibility. To save my vegetables from being trampled this year, I'll have to fence in the garden. It irritates me that we have to spend our money to solve their problem. But, that's life and if this is the biggest problem we have, we'll just take it one day at a time.
On a lighter note, if the robin is a harbinger of spring, maybe the winter weather will go easy on us this month. Each day the birdbath is visited by Tony Soprano, one large robin with a fat yam-colored breast. He lands on the bath rim scanning the feeders and ground for other birds that might venture near his water. No birds visit the bath while he's place. It's unusual that he flies in daily as we have no lawn and robins are mostly seen in open areas. After sitting awhile and bobbing for his drinks, he flies away. We're seeing more cardinals again than in past years and the Carolina wren is singing earlier than other years. Signs of a less severe February?
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