Posted on 03/01/2025 7:23:36 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
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We had some storms last night, but no power outage here. A little while ago we went for our daily walk. The daffodils, jonquils, and crocuses are opening up! It feels like real Spring is starting, though none of the trees in my yard have started leafing out. One neighbor has mowed his yard already!
Hubby’s eye gets a slight bit better every day. I’d say he’s around 75-80% of the way there, but what do I know? I can only guess based on his mood (he’s very consistently in an even mood), and how much he wants to do. He’s expressed an interest in having burgers tomorrow for dinner, so that means he’s ready to take on the smoker again! 😍
Great news on all fronts - Spring bulbs, eyesight, BURGERS! :)
I'll stick with shopping the perimeter of the grocery store when I need to and my garden, pantry, the chicken coop and the freezers the rest of the time. :)
It has been an education, moving somewhere where the closest grocery store is a 20 mile round trip. Advance planning is needed for everything around here, but it's become Second Nature nearly 10 years in. ;)
Slicers: Harvard Square, Grandma’s Pick, Beefy Purple, Belle of the Ball, Chef’s Choice Bi-Color, Chef’s Choice Orange, Bush Blue Ribbon, Celebrity Plus
Paste: Sabelka, SuperSauce, Fresh Salsa
Cherry: Valentine (I'll buy a Sungold)
I've grown most of these before, but I'm most excited to be trying, 'Harvard Square:'
...as well as, 'Cream of the Crop Beefy Purple:'
...and, 'SuperSauce:'
The line of storms should be in our area tomorrow morning & we could have damaging winds .... this sort of weather always makes me nervous.
One daffodil in full bloom here & another about to open ... we have trees starting to show growth, sort of ‘pre-leaf’ stuff. The old roses around the patio have tiny red leaves. Mom is going to cut them down to 18” & we’ll see what happens. Personally, I would like to replace them - the deer eat the leaves off the rose bushes & I would like something unappetizing in their place.
Mom is raking piles of leaves off the fence line. We’re in the country so the only one noticing is mom. I have warned her to use the rake & hoe, do not reach in to leaves & brush with her hands ... unlike the other house, we are now in Timber Rattler territory.
I will be making a trip (45 min so not ‘around the corner’) soon to get cedar planks so I can build some raised beds, at least 2. It will be a while before I can dig up my metal beds & I am getting almost ‘desperate’ for a place to grow some things.
I bought a used gas grill last year from a cousin & haven’t tried it out yet. Mom has some Omaha Steak burgers ... just the thought of burgers is very appealing!
What about Crimson?
Well we just put the hurt on The Crimson Tide.
My brother and nephew are at those games. He’s been on TV a lot. Right behind the benches, 2 rows up.
Celebrating!!
Your warning is b timely. I just literally lost my last beloved chicken, Laura, only two days ago to a bobcat who scaled the tall fence to the pen. I suspect they come in from being attracted to our numerous cookouts and BBQ, and my leaving out scraps for bunnies. Ugh.
So sorry about your Laura. I’m sure that hurts.
We live near woods where many species live. I would probably have chickens if I was allowed. As it is, even my cat is no longer partially outdoors roaming free. We have built a cat enclosure on our deck so that he can go in and out as he wishes, but is protected from predators.
I feed the birds, but anything anyone else gets falls from the feeders. I do not feed the wild animals. My neighbors do, and that’s plenty. We clean up the deck after we bbq. No critters allowed!
IA Summary from Brave Search:
As of Saturday, March 15, 2025, at least 12 people have died in Missouri due to tornadoes that struck overnight, with the death toll rising to 12 by the afternoon. Missouri has recorded more fatalities than any other state affected by the severe storms sweeping across much of the U.S.
Missouri Tornado Deaths: At least 12 people have died in Missouri due to tornadoes, with fatalities reported in Wayne County (6), Ozark County (3), Butler County (1), Jefferson County (1), and St. Louis County (1) [5][6][7][8][9][10][11].
Tornado Damage: The tornado that impacted Cave City, Arkansas, had estimated winds of 165 miles per hour, the very top of the EF3 scale [12].
Stay safe! (Hope you have a basement!)
Good advice regarding the snakes! Perhaps in a few weeks you will have some wild asparagus growing along the fence line!
The first owner of our house was (supposedly) a master gardener, and if so, she left me a great slate to start with. She planted daffodils all along the front fence line, and then has them scattered in the back in a natural way. The ones in the backyard haven’t opened. I don’t even see the blossoms yet. The ones in the front get more sunlight, so are some of the first things to bloom, along with the crocuses she planted. So anyone walking out front gets to see the pretty stuff first.
We live in an HOA where most houses are brick. Ours is a traditional Victorian style, so sort of sticks out, in both color (yellow, with green and cream trim/accents). Not many around here have a front porch (not to mention a porch swing!) so I relish being a bit different from the cookie cutter homes that surround us.
If I could have this house on another few acres, with a navigable creek in the back, I would be in hog heaven. I suppose if that happened, we wouldn’t have as good access to great healthcare and a decent airport as we have here. Our family all lives from coast to coast, so the airport is a necessity these days. So this is probably the best of everything that we need. Especially as we, unfortunately, get older. I fight that as best as I can, but yeah, it’s sneaking up on us. I’ll be kicking and screaming all the way! I try hard to stay in shape so as to keep people guessing my age.
Be careful with your mom and those rattlers! How’s her hearing? Don’t they usually warn you if they see you first? Anywho, a rake or hoe should keep enough distance if the rattler decides to strike.
I bought a new smoker for hubby for his birthday next week. It won’t get here until Friday, so tomorrow’s burgers will likely be the last on this old one (which I love and I’m not ready to part with). Hubby makes the BEST burgers! Those and his baby back ribs are my two favorite things he makes. Of course, we’ve been missing those the last few weeks. Burgers are simple, but his ribs take expertise. He has a method for his ribs.
On Monday I will make a traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal, corned beef and cabbage. Hubby is 1/4 Irish, and I am honorary Irish by virtue of the fact that I was taught by many Irish nuns in my youth. I loved and adored them. So witty and clever and smart! They taught me how to dance the jig, and I know most of the traditional Irish songs, which really endears me to my mother-in-law. I have an old grade school friend with a BEAUTIFUL voice, and I have a recording of her singing “My Wild Irish Rose”, which I send to my MIL every year. Hubby’s father was born on St. Patrick’s Day, so it really warms her and helps her. If I could choose my heritage, I’d probably choose to be Irish in there somewhere.
Ok, someone tell me where to plant asparagus!! Does it grow in semi shade? I have little sun, lots and lots of shade, and a little bit of semi shade. Asparagus would be really cool if I could grow that. (I think 6a or 5b zone, right on the border of the two.)
Spin up all missiles for launch!!
That’s a good policy! Every spring or summer, we get bears on our back porch due to our hummingbird feeders. With 5 rescue cats, we need to be so careful never to let them out. What state are you in?
I did trail maintenance in nearby mountains for almost 20 years & encountered quite a few ‘Timbers’. I can say, for a fact, they don’t always rattle. Most will be in the mountains, but we have nearby rock & brush piles, good places for rodents which is an attractant. Mom’s hearing stinks, even with hearing aids plus the rattling can sound like insects. We had a crew member struck in the chainsaw chaps by a Timber. The crew hsd stopped for a break & this snake did rattle to warn, but it was mistaken for insect noise - when the sawyer took 2 steps, the snake struck (grass & weeds were knee deep on an old roadbed). The chainsaw chaps are Kevlar- the snake struck/hit them and kept on going, right over the edge of the road. Exciting with no harm done, but would have been disastrous if one of the other crew members with no chaps had started to walk off first.
I plan on doing a corned beef Monday as well. We’re not Irish, but my niece was born on ‘the day’ so it’s special to us for that reason.
Central Indiana. I like to say that we live in the suburbs of the suburbs. It takes a good 45-50 minutes to get to the outskirts of Indianapolis from here.
The front side of our house looks like an atypical suburban home. The back is all woods, except for a few parts. Part lawn, mostly botanical gardens. The plot is situated on a hill, so it sort of is like living in a really cool treehouse. Did they make Victorian treehouses? Well, that’s what we’re in.
We have lots of wildlife out back and neighbors at the front of the neighborhood have no idea of the beauty we have here. Fauna include white tailed deer, raccoons, foxes, coyotes, skunks, groundhogs, possums, hawks, owls, and an occasional bobcat. My backyard neighbors are farmers and have chickens and hogs, or should I say, HAD.
There is limited space for me to grow crops though. It’s very shaded all over. Helps on electricity costs, but makes it hard to grow much for eating. I have a small herb garden out front so the HOA won’t come bearing down on me. I’m not supposed to grow anything edible, but I won’t snitch if they don’t. ;) We back up to a creek and farms, so there’s plenty to keep the critters happy.
P.S. I’m not into bears or alligators. Guess I won’t be moving back to Florida anytime soon. Or even Tennessee or Georgia.
You know, this is why I love FReepers! I would’ve thought the timber rattlers might be obvious, but your explanation helps me understand something I have no experience with.
Happy St. Patrick’s birthday to your niece! I love being an honorary Irishman. Woman. ;)
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