My favorite recyled project (easy peasy) and other musings.

With the onset, or should I say onslaught, of pickling and canning I find myself with empty gallon vinegar jugs. They are made of sturdier plastic then a milk jug and are great for crafting scoops. If you have livestock then you have endless uses for scoops and can't have too many. They are also useful for pet owners as dog food and litter scoops. Since they are food grade they can even be used for bulk food like flour and sugar. Since the plastic has some flex, they are ideal for filling bird feeders too.

All you need is a clean vinegar jug with cap and a kitchen scissors or razor knife. You can trace your cuts or just freehand. It really is difficult to make a mistake. I start by cutting off the bottom of the jug and then remove about one third of the body on the side with the handle. You can put a bit of tape over the cap, but I have found that the fit snugly enough it is not necessary. Though they are not as sturdy as a metal scoop, you can't beat the price! If you take care when cutting off the bottom, it makes a nice saucer for potted plants. Bonus!

In the mean time while I hatch my purebred chicks in an incubator, a broody hen went rogue and I have baby chicks down in the barnyard. Very interesting to see mama scratch up some good bugs or seeds and then call the littles over to watch and learn.

There have been a number of hazy and humid mornings as of late. The damp has produced some interesting growth in the garden. One of these days I need to educate myself as to what wild mushrooms are edible.

One of the ducks has begun to set. When she takes her break to eat, drink and swim she takes care to cover the eggs with down. You would never know eggs were there until you push back the fluff to reveal the true nature of the fluffy pile of feathers.

I am also hoping to get a taste of the tomatoes that are just beginning to ripen. Seems like every time I bring one in, the Boogie-monster snaps it and eats it like an apple.

Managed to get a load of wax beans canned this morning too. You can tell just how hard our water is by the sediment on the jars.
Way too hot and muggy to get anything of real value done, days like this I wouldn't mind a bit of air conditioning!
Keep cool folks, and keep those pets and livestock cool too!

A PSA to dog owners

A friend of mine lost her nearly two year old Rottweiler this weekend to a condition called bloat. Bloat, torsion or GDV is caused by the animals stomach twisting and restricting blood flow to abdominal organs. This can be corrected by surgery if detected early, but if the stomach is twisted it is always fatal if left untreated. Even a simple bloat, which does not include the stomach twisting, requires swift veterinary attention. During the years I worked as a Certified Veterinary Technician in emergency medicine I was amazed at the fact that so many pet owners, particularly those of the most susceptible breeds, were unaware of the problem. While bloat can occur in ANY breed or mix, it is most common in large, deep chested dogs, daschunds and Pekingese are also more susceptible due to their conformation. The symptoms to watch for are unproductive vomiting and abdominal discomfort. Pain will likeky make them restlist in early stages. Unlike a dietary indiscretion , vomiting of small amounts of yellow foam (bile) will continue. The abdomen will expand from the trapped food, gas and liquid in the stomach and the animal will go into shock. Immediate surgery or euthanasia is necessary once bloat is confirmed by radiography.
Having a Neapolitan Mastiff (Beef) and a Saint Bernard (Drip), I need to keep on my toes. It helps to feed small meals, rather than one large a day, watch their water intake and restrict exercise right after eating. Preventative surgery is available in which the stomach is sutured to the abdominal wall
preventing torsion.












So if you have any of the following breeds, please take the time to research this condition and educate yourself to the symptoms to save yourself some heartache down the road.

• Akita
• Great Dane
• Bouvier
• Irish Setter
• Boxer
• Labrador Retriever
• Doberman Pinscher
• St. Bernard
• English Sheepdog
• Standard Poodle
• German Shepherd
• Wolfhound
• Golden Retriever

Keep those pups cool and give them a big smooch!

Mid-summer Garden

The rain and warm weather has been good to the garden. I actually picked my first tomato yesterday, which is not too bad for Wisconsin. Unfortunately, before I could snap a photo, Boogie picked it up off the counter and ate it like an apple!

During the hot weather I try to keep a few heads of lettuce in a shady spot

As usual there is a ton of winter squash, the Australian Butter Squash is taking over the south garden and the Buttercup is doing well in a new raised bed with some heirloom tomatoes. The soil in this bed is a bit clay and needs more organic material.

I have seen adult Squash Vine Borers flying about, so make sure to protect your vining crops!

Still waiting on a few cauliflower to mature but now I am dealing with cabbage worms, damn those little white butterflies!

Looks like a good year for beans in spite of the fact that my first planting failed completely. Second planting is just about ready for it's first harvest and the third and fourth plantings look great.

The lower or north garden is primarily pumpkins and squash with tomatoes. The idea was to get the vines to grow OUT from the edge of the garden, but they have a mind of their own I'm afraid. I decreased the size of this garden a bit as the trees mature around it one end was just too shaded to produce well.

A new pumpkin.

Lots of both red and green cabbage, I've been making a lot of slaw. The cabbage is very tender thus far and the Boogie-man really likes it. Eggplant, in black plastic for warmth, is flowering.

Rhubarb is done for the season and the plants look big and healthy!

A few VERY early potatoes planted in a hollow stump used like a raised bed.

Coriander and dill are flowering and some will be left to reseed.

Yellow summer squash is almost ready to harvest

The bugs are just fierce and making is very miserable to get out and weed, I try to do a little at a time and stay out of the garden at dusk.
Big or small, HAPPY GARDENING!

'bye, 'bye futta-flies!

I was beginning to feel guilty that these painted ladies were going to spend all of their short lives in a cage eating sugar syrup. I had planned to release them on the 4th, but stormy weather nixed that and rain and winds have continued. Today offered brief relief and even a few peaks of sun, the best I could hope for until Friday. I had been warning Boogie that the butterflies would have to go bye bye since they hatched and I was hoping that he wouldn't be too upset when his friends flew off. He took it very well, just chasing them through the garden for a few minutes, but no tears.

































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The rainy weather also necessitated a trip to use a dryer at the laundry or we would have been out of clean diapers shortly. We spent some time at the park while the dryer worked its magic.

I will not complain too much about the weather here given the temperatures out east, but I am hoping for it to dry up a bit before the garden becomes too much of a jungle!

Parades, bar-b-que, fireworks and a street dance! Happy 4th!

Most of the small towns around here had their celebrations on Saturday the 3rd. This worked out well as today is looking to be overcast, muggy and rainy with a chance of thunderstorms. Boogie and I finished chores and headed out to a parade in the river town of Bagley, WI. These parades consist mostly of local politicians, antique cars and tractors and volunteer fire and rescue squads. The vehicles alone are enough to keep the little guys attention. Boogie handled all the walking really well and was still running and skipping on the way back to the car.

Local business toss lots of candy to the children, though Boogie hasn't learned to be grabby just yet. The older kids were very nice and shared their haul with him and I'm sure by next year he will be a candy shark in his own right. We hit a few garage sales on the way home and searched in vain for a rasp to work on Brighty the donkeys feet, most of the hardware stores had closed early.
At home we had grilled brats that I simmered in apple juice along with cole slaw, home made with cabbage from the garden and Sunchips. There was home made blackberry or blueberry cheesecake ice cream for dessert.










Then we headed back to Bagley for fireworks and a street dance. Boog and I got there about a half an hour before dusk and he was able to play on the slides. They have a climbing apparatus that is about 12 feet high and probably wouldn't even be considered safe in a third world country so the little monkey had to climb to the very top, making Mommie very nervous and himself very proud. Fortunately there was another mommie spotter on the inside to help out.
He really liked the fireworks display, saying BOOM! crackle crackle after nearly each explosion. Then we headed over a few blocks to the street dance with a live band. Boogie danced his little tushie off right in front of the bandstand until 10:30 when I figured it was time to get the little Casanova home to bed. He danced with lots of pretty young girls and they kept giving him glow bracelets and necklaces, what a charmer. I hope he keeps this 'joi de virve' as he matures. It is a pleasure to watch. When we finally got him to bed he took his glow sticks with him and fell asleep with them around his head! Probably dreaming of the brunette in the tight jeans!

Hope everyone enjoys their 4th of July
HAPPY BIRTHDAY U.S.A.