I Love To Go A Gardening
Growing Our Life in Northern Michigan
Miraculous Provision
Our weather has been chilly lately with highs in the 50s and lows dipping into the 30s. We’ve also had several days in which dark clouds lumbered across the sky bringing quite a bit of rain. We have frost warnings out for tonight. The temperature is supposed to warm in the next few days but we are definitely entering into jeans, sweatshirt, and jacket weather.
Thursday was the last day of EJ’s “weekend,” which falls during the middle of the week instead of at the end. We had planned to do some grocery shopping–and maybe get a new router. Earlier in the week, we stopped in at our local Internet provider to sign a form and to return a device they had accidentally left behind when they put in our [free] fiber optic Internet. When our fiber optics was being installed, one of the guys said that our router couldn’t take full advantage of the faster speed so while we were at the Internet provider, we asked the employee at the desk if he could recommend and write down the best type of router for us, which he nicely did. Another customer was in the office and she overheard EJ mention our address and exclaimed, “You are our neighbor!” Apparently, she recently moved into her grandparents’ house after they died. They lived next to her Dad, who lives across the street from us. We had a nice chat with her and the other office staff. It’s nice to have a local Internet provider because we get to know the staff instead of getting voicemail from a distant company.
Our shopping plans were diverted by a phone call. EJ’s friend who lives about 2 hours directly east of us had been downstate visiting his daughter and her family. He had just left her house to head back home when his car stalled out. He didn’t realize that there was a leak in the oil pan so he tried to restart it and the engine seized up–as in, it’s now a hunk of useless metal. (I think I got that right. I’m not a car person.) His daughter lent him her extra car. He was driving home when the engine of her car caught on fire. He called EJ from a motel in a town about an hour away and asked if EJ could take him home. Of course, EJ jumped in the truck and went to help him. He and his friend are long-time friends and they help each other out.
EJ was returning home after taking his friend home, driving up our driveway, when suddenly the back end of his truck locked up. Apparently the truck frame had rusted through and parts were missing. EJ said that pretty much the only thing holding the frame together was the bed. (Or so I understand. Not a car person.) The truck is now undriveable. We are so very thankful that EJ was able to make it home ok.
We had known we’d have to get a new (used) vehicle soon, but we were hoping we’d have a little more time to save a little more money. We are trying hard to get out of debt and we have more medical bills coming our way, so we wanted/needed to avoid a car payment. We started looking at vehicles on the Internet on Thursday evening, mostly searching FB Marketplace. We needed a 4-wheel drive truck so we could haul things like poultry feed and make it through deep winter snow. We found several strong possibilities, most located at least an hour away, but they sold very quickly so they were crossed off our list.
Our undrivable truck is (was) our only vehicle so our difficulty was getting transportation to pursue vehicles for sale. In the past, EJ’s friend has lent us a vehicle when we had car problems but, well, he has his own vehicle problems. Our son, JJ, agreed to drive his Dad to check out vehicles, but he had a limited time to do it. EJ works weekends and JJ starts a new job Monday so we didn’t have much time to look. If we couldn’t find a vehicle on the weekend, we’d be stuck.
Thursday evening, we asked God to help us. We felt no anxiety about our circumstances. We’ve been in “tricky” situations before when we had a great need and few resources, and God has always helped us. We have many stories we could tell of His miraculous provision.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)
Do not worry then…for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. (Matthew 6:31…32)
We began to see our prayers being answered on Thursday evening. (I have no idea how anyone makes it through the difficulties of life without God.)
Miraculous Provision #1: Thursday evening EJ contacted one of his co-workers, whom he has helped several times in the past, to see if he would be able to give him rides into work. The guy usually drops his son off at his job so they had to rearrange their schedules a little but they were willing to give EJ rides until we got a new truck.
Miraculous Provision #2: Friday morning EJ’s friend–the one who ruined two cars on his way home–messaged EJ that he had rented a car and was driving over to help us. That’s amazing and far beyond what we had imagined.
Miraculous Provision #3: EJ took Saturday off from work. We figured we’d do research Friday evening and the guys would drive around to check out possibilities beginning Saturday morning. Friday evening while EJ was on FB Marketplace, a new listing for a vehicle popped up. It looked promising and was only $1,900. EJ immediately messaged the seller, who said we were the first to contact him and gave us directions to his house. The seller lived quite close, so EJ and his friend immediately jumped into the rental car and drove off. They came back with a new truck. It’s older than our other one and has a few minor things that EJ will need to easily fix but EJ said the truck is strong and solid and he is very happy with it. Tuesday morning on his day off, EJ will get insurance on the truck and transfer the plates so he can drive it. Until then, he will continue to ride to work with his co-worker.
We are thanking God that:
- EJ made it safely home after rescuing his friend.
- EJ’s co-worker is able to drive him to/from work.
- EJ’s friend rented a car to help us search for a new vehicle.
- We quickly found a decent truck at a price we could afford.
Here’s a photo of our old and new trucks. The new truck is white. The old one is blue.
The Mystery of the Fifteenth Chicken
EJ needed to get a blood test in preparation for his medical tests so we left early Thursday morning for the lab to get it out of the way. We think he was probably the first one there because he was in and out very quickly. We had some grocery shopping to do and we wanted to stop at the thrift shop. The thrift shop didn’t open until 10 a.m. so we stopped at a small park and walked along the shore of the bay to–I won’t say “waste time” or “kill time” because it wasn’t a waste of time to enjoy the natural beauty. The clouds were very dark and so low that it looked as if we could stand on our tippee toes and touch them . This is one of the photos I took:
EJ said they looked like snow clouds. I shushed him because snow will come soon enough. However, it has been feeling like autumn lately. There were frost warnings last night.
Every evening I go out to shut the chickens securely in the coop. I always count them to make sure that they are all there before I leave and shut the door. We currently have 6 chicks and 15 adult chickens
Earlier this last week, I went out to the coop and after counting the chicks, I began counting the adults: one two, three…twelve, thirteen, fourteen. Where was the fifteen chicken? I recounted in case I missed one. I still reached only fourteen. I looked in every possible place a chicken could hide. I couldn’t find the missing chicken. I went outside and checked around their pen. Nothing. I checked for signs of foul (or fowl) play. Nothing. I looked outside the pen because occasionally–although rarely–a chicken escapes the pen. Nothing. I went back into the coop and recounted again. And again. And rechecked possible hiding places. Nothing.
Finally I gave up. Either I just wasn’t seeing the chicken or it had escaped the outside enclosure and, sadly, was likely to become a predator’s dinner. Nothing I could do about it. I went back to the house and to bed, but worried and dreamed about the missing chicken all night. I take my guardianship of the flock seriously.
The next morning I went out to feed the chickens and opened the doors of the coop so they could go in and out. I counted them again several times. Still fourteen. Throughout the day, I occasionally went out and counted the chickens. No fifteenth.
If I were Nancy Drew, I’d write a book titled “The Mystery of the Fifteenth Chicken.” Nancy Drew can create a huge mystery out of a seemingly small event and I’m sure she could find a mysterious cause for why the chicken was missing. Since I am not Nancy Drew, I am only writing a post about it rather than a book.
That evening when I went out to shut the chickens securely in their coop, I did my usual count: One, two, three…twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen. Wait! What? Confused, I counted again: Fifteen adult chickens. I went into the house and dragged EJ out, asking him to count the chickens. He verified that there were, indeed, fifteen chickens.
I felt like I was losing my mind. Where had the fifteen chicken been for 24 hours? And why was she back?
We sometimes jokingly theorize that cats have the power to teleport, since they seem to be able to appear to be in two places at once. I suggested to EJ that maybe the hen can teleport like cats and went on a grand adventure in time or space. He said he doubted that was the case.
Even though I am not Nancy Drew, I deduce that the little chicks had been huddled together, making it difficult to accurately count them. I suspect that one of the hens had been in the same area. I’ve been seeing a hen up in the chicks’ normal nesting area lately. I’m guessing that I was actually counting five chicks (with the sixth one hidden in the huddle) and one hen. I’m just not sure why, despite my many recountings over 24 hours, I never came up with fifteen adult chickens. I mean, the chicks don’t always huddle together all day long.
Whatever the case, wherever the hen had been, wherever she has returned from, I’m now back to six chicks and fifteen adult chickens. With that I must be content.
The Pond
We’ve had some very hot days in August, but the weather is cooling. In fact, it feels very autumnish. EJ remarked that autumn seems to be coming very early this year; I reminded him that we say that EVERY year.
EJ had a follow-up appointment with his doctor on August 13th. EJ’s symptoms are unusual so the doctor told him to get an x-ray in case it’s a spinal problem. (EJ injured his back decades ago and has chronic pain.) An appointment is not required so we just walked down to the radiology department for his x-ray. We had enjoyable conversations with the other people waiting. While EJ was being x-ray, I got to chatting with an elderly lady sitting next to me. She told me that two of her sons had been born at that hospital. Then she went on to tell me stories of her family history: Her great-great grandfather (I think. I might have lost count of the number of greats.) moved to the area from Pennsylvania with his wife and his six children. He used to own a 30-acre pond called Rugg Pond. The elderly woman told me that her mother was 9-years-old when her mother (the elderly woman’s grandmother) died and the girl went to live with her 80-year-old grandmother. There are still descendants in the area.
It’s really interesting listening to elderly people share their knowledge of the history of an area. I was interested to learn more of the history of the pond so when I got home, I asked Grok (X’s AI) to search books, newspapers, blogs, and other sources for the history of the pond. Here are the highlights:
The area around Rugg Pond has roots in 19th-century settlement and logging. The nearby ghost town of Rugg, originally established in 1867 as Rapid River (named for the township), was renamed in honor of pioneer Rolando Francis Rugg (1843–1908), a Civil War veteran who homesteaded there in 1876. Rugg, born in West Auburn, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, to David H. Rugg and Anna Eliza Lacey, moved to Michigan after the war, where he served as Kalkaska County Sheriff from approximately 1893 to 1897 (sources vary slightly on the exact terms, listing 1892–1896 or 1893–1897). He was described in contemporary accounts as “one of the ablest and most popular men” in the county, and his family background included ties to Ruggtown in Pennsylvania, a small settlement named for his relatives involved in local business.
The pond itself is named after the Rugg family, with Rolando F. Rugg as a prominent local businessman and figure in the area’s development. The town of Rugg grew along the Pere Marquette Railroad during the timber boom but declined after the harvest ended, becoming a ghost town by the early 20th century…
The modern history of Rugg Pond begins with the construction of its dam in 1904 by Ambrose E. Palmer, founder of the Kalkaska Light and Power Company. Local farmers assisted by hauling rocks and sediment to build the structure, which created the impoundment to generate hydroelectric power for the village of Kalkaska and surrounding areas. A powerhouse was erected at the site, and the dam initially served as a vital early source of electricity in northern Michigan. Historical photos from around 1905 show crews building the dam, highlighting its role in the region’s industrial growth.
Ownership changed hands over the decades: In 1950, it was acquired by Consumers Power (now Consumers Energy), and in 1953, it was sold to the County, which has managed it since as a natural area. Power generation ceased long ago, and by the 2020s, the dam faced sediment buildup and condemnation, leading to public discussions about its removal to restore the river’s natural flow. In 2025, Kalkaska County received a $1 million grant for the removal process, with tours held for potential contractors. A historical marker at the site commemorates the dam’s role in early hydroelectric power.
Rugg Pond is linked to American author Ernest Hemingway through local legend. Hemingway, who spent summers in northern Michigan as a youth, reportedly spent a night fishing from the Rugg Pond dam powerhouse in June (likely during the 1910s, based on his known visits to the region). This story appears in county histories, Wikipedia entries of the county, and the JFK Library’s Hemingway Reference Collection, which includes a photograph of the powerhouse remains as the site of his overnight fishing. While not directly mentioned in Hemingway’s fiction (such as The Nick Adams Stories, inspired by Michigan rivers), the tale aligns with his documented trout fishing in areas like the Rapid River.
The elderly lady told me about the plans to remove the dam and said she wasn’t sure how that would effect the pond if they did. On the way home, EJ said we should take some photos of the pond before they destroyed the dam so we stopped in at Rugg Pond this week. Here’s one photo that EJ took:
EJ took Monday off so he ended up with a four day weekend. (He works four 10-hour days and gets three days off.) and we did a few tasks around the house. I searched FB Marketplace and found an entry of straw for sale that met our criteria: relatively inexpensive and nearby. We went on a beautiful 20-mile drive to pick up 8 bales from the young guy selling it. The next morning, EJ unloaded the straw and carried it out to the coop, and I arranged it. We decided we could use more straw, so we messaged the guy that we wanted 8 more bales. He said he had 10 bales left and asked if we wanted them all. We replied that we’d take them if we could fit them in the truck. When we got to our destination, the guy said he had miscounted and actually had 12 bales. EJ said we’d take them all. I didn’t think we could fit them all in the truck–I thought our max was 8–but EJ moved the spare tire into the back seat of the truck and with careful arrangement, got them all to fit.
The next morning EJ unloaded the additional bales. I put several more in the coop–it insulates the coop in the winter. With the remaining bales we built a straw “castle” in the garage for Theo. We arranged the bales around an old cooler so Theo will have a warm shelter this winter. I’ve already seen him sleeping on the top of his castle so it appears he approves. In the Spring, EJ will dismantle the castle and use the straw to mulch his garden.
We get out of bed each morning at 4 a.m. This morning Hannah wanted out at 4:30 a.m., so I put her harness and leash on her and we took her out. During the day I fasten her to her tether, but I always put her on her leash at night so I can quickly pull her in the house if there are wild critters around–like skunks, coyotes, bobcats, or bears. EJ sat in a patio chair on the deck while I stood and held Hannah’s leash. All of of sudden, EJ exclaimed, “AHHH! Jeez!” He had glanced to his side and saw a white face in the bird feeder tray that was only a couple feet away and it startled him. A young possum was calmly sitting in the tray. We pulled Hannah into the house. She had noticed a cricket singing on a bush but she never saw the possum on the tray. It was dark but every now and then I shone a flashlight through the window to see if the possum was still there. It remained on the tray for a long time and I was getting concerned that maybe it was injured and wondered how I would deal with that situation. I’m glad the little possum was gone before it got light outside. I’m surprised it didn’t run when we went out on the deck. EJ theorized it was just a teenager possum doing dumb stuff.
We suspect this is the same young possum that almost got sprayed by a skunk, as seen in this video I put together with footage from my trail camera: Skunk and Young Possum
My trail camera also recently caught footage of a raccoon fight. Raccoons look like a cuddly stuffed animal until they get angry. Their conflict makes an exciting video, but it’s kind of unnerving and I’m glad we don’t see serious conflicts too often: Raccoon Fight.
Wired
We love going to thrift shops because we can find all sorts of treasures. Sometimes we enjoy comparing prices of items we bought at the thrifts with what they cost brand new. For example, I have three pairs of crocs that I bought for less than $5 each. The same shoes brand new at a store cost about $60. It’s always a bit of a shock to see the difference between retail and thrift shop prices.
Several weeks ago EJ bought Christmas lights at the thrift shop. He knows that I enjoy using Christmas lights to light the chicken coop. The last string of Christmas lights I tried to use were too delicate for the coop and they didn’t last long but these lights are encased in a heavy tube which I anticipate will work very well. Last weekend I hung them in the coop. The warm light looks very festive.
Today I let our Canadian chicks (Partridge Chantecler) out of their fancy coop. I felt they had grown big enough that they wouldn’t freak out like they did when I tried to release them a couple weeks ago. I’ve gone out several times to check on them and they seem to be doing very well. (Video)
Our internet connection had been “line of sight,” meaning our wireless dish pointed at a tower. As long as there was a clear view to the tower, all was good, but if (or rather when) trees grew up and blocked it, our connection would not be good. Fiber optics would be better but since we are far from the road (500ft?), installing it would have been expensive. However, our Internet Service Provider is installing fiber optics to its customers for free with no increase in the monthly payment. I think that’s amazingly generous–and also increases our loyalty to the company.
The ISP guys came out Tuesday to put in our fiber optics. I thought it was very interesting watching them do it. They used a machine to both dig a trench in the ground and put in the fiber optic cable as it drove along. It sort of reminded me of a sewing machine. (Video) Later, the same machine drove back over the trench, which closed the seam. It only took a few hours to lay the fiber optics and to hook us up. Our Internet is now faster, although one of the guys told us that we actually need a different modem to take full advantage of the faster speed. I’ll look into it as soon as we can find some extra money.
I’ve always thought it was interesting to learn about different types of jobs. I’ve sort of become a collector of knowledge about jobs that people do. I find there’s always more to a job than what it first appears. For example, years ago we went on vacation near Port Huron, Michigan. Everyday we packed a picnic lunch and drove from our campsite to the river to watched the big boats go by. It was very enjoyable–but I was quite ignorant about the big boats. Now that our son works on a Great Lakes bulk carrier, I have much more knowledge about what it’s like to work on the boats. It’s even more fascinating when I have more information.
EJ has been struggling a bit with his health. He didn’t want to go to the doctor because most of the time he simply orders expensive tests or give him another pill to take. We believe the bills have actually adversely affected his health so he didn’t want to take anymore. So we have tried to tweak our lifestyle instead. However, Thursday he felt a pressure in his chest so he finally gave him and called his doctor’s office to schedule an appointment. They couldn’t get him in until next Wednesday which, if he was having heart problems, was a bit too long to wait. The receptionist suggested we could go to the walk-in clinic, which has just opened. So we did. The doctor who examined him didn’t find any indication that it was a heart problem, but since it was “inconclusive,” he recommended he go to the ER for tests.
EJ’s doctor’s office and the walk-in clinic are both located inside the local hospital, which is convenient for getting tests done quickly although last time he went to the doctor and was sent to the ER for tests, our portion of the bill that insurance didn’t pay was $5,000. Personally, I think medical costs are out of control–but don’t get me started on THAT rant. Anyway, the ER staff drew blood and hooked him up to a bunch of wires that made him look as if he was hooked up to the Matrix. After several hours of waiting, the ER doctor informed us that EJ’s test results were good and there is no indication of any heart damage, although his symptoms are odd and a bit concerning. I’m glad that EJ wasn’t suffering a heart attack but it would also be nice to know what is causing his symptoms. We will go back to trying to tweak our lifestyle…with a huge bill and no conclusions.
Chicken Littles
Our weather has been extremely hot lately. For those who don’t know, “extremely hot” is 90 degrees in Northern Michigan. With high humidity added in, it’s even worse. I honestly don’t know how Southerners can endure their hot weather.
Fortunately, thanks to the repairman, our central air conditioning is working. It’s almost working too well. It’s now cool enough in the house that I am wearing a sweater and I’m covered up with a comforter. But I love it. When I was a kid, it used to drive my Dad crazy when he had our window air conditioner running in the living room and I wrapped myself in a blanket. “If you are going to do that, I might as well turn off the air conditioner,” he’d grumbled. He didn’t understand that sweltering on a hot day was unendurable, but cuddling in a blanket when it’s cool (even if the cool is due to an air conditioner) is cozy. Fortunately, EJ understands completely. We are alike in many ways.
I don’t know how other people introduce new chicks to an adult flock, but I usually keep the chicks in a cage in the house until the weather is warm enough and they are big enough to put in the coop. When I first put them in the coop, I keep them caged in the “fancy coop” that is inside the large Coop. The fancy coop is 4 feet by 6 feet so chicks have room to grow and run around. Keeping the Bigs and Littles separated allows both an opportunity to get familiar with each other. I also can give the chicks “chick starting” feed without the adults eating it all. Once I feel the chicks are big enough to hold their own, I let them out to join the adults. Usually my system works well.
Yesterday I let the chicks out to mingle with the adults because I thought that maybe they were big enough. Also, I wondered if I was being overly-protective and careful because EJ’s co-worker’s chicks got out of their cage a couple of weeks ago and everything went ok with the adults. However, I discovered it was a big mistake to let our chicks out. They weren’t ready for the adult world. The adults crowded into the cage, ate the chicks’ food, and bullied them to put them in their place. The chicks freaked out like Chicken Little running around shrieking that the sky was falling. I figured it would take them a little while to adjust so I checked on them periodically to make sure they weren’t being over-bullied but didn’t interfere too much.
Then the chicks disappeared. They found hiding places. They were little enough that I feared they’d squeeze into tight-fitting places and not be able to get out of them. I decided to put them back in their fancy coop for a few more weeks, but first I had to find them.
I listened for the chicks. Adult chickens cluck; chicks peep. I heard peeping and tried to following the sound, but it was difficult knowing where it was coming from.
I found the first chick hiding in the corner squeezed between two bales of straw. She escaped me when I tried to lift her out and I had to chase her from the top of straw bales to the top of the platform to the top of the dog house and back again. I finally caught her, put her in the fancy coop, and closed the door.
I searched in, behind, and under bales of straw, behind the dog house in the coop, and any other small place I could think of. Nothing there. But I could hear peeping.
I found the second and third chicks outside and herded them one by one into the Coop and into their nice safe fancy coop.
I concluded that the other chicks must be under the Coop because I couldn’t find them anywhere else. I went into the house and changed into my torn, raggedy work jeans and then laid on the ground and shone a flashlight under the Coop. After moving to several locations, I finally spotted some chick legs underneath the Coop. I got my long staff and gently herded one out. I guided her squawking into the fancy coop. It’s harder to do than it sounds because chickens don’t like to be herded and she sometimes got around me. After number four chick was safely caged with the first three, I went back and got number 5 out from underneath the Coop and into the cage. Then I got number six out. She didn’t want to go so I had to corner her, grab her, and carry her to the others.
I recounted to make sure I had them all. Yup. All there. They will stay there for a few more weeks. The chickens–both adult and littles–calmed down once they were separated again.
I was drenched in sweat by the time I finished rounding up the chicks. I went into the house, changed into shorts, and enjoyed the coolness while cozily wrapped in a comforter.
July Relief
July is nearing it’s end.
We’ve had very hot days this month and cooler days so we alternated between shorts and tshirts and jeans and jackets. Our Michigan weather is why I don’t store “out of season” clothing: I never know what type of clothing I will need to access from one day to the next.
We’ve spent July trying to get stuff done.
We needed new straw for the chicken coop. It provides bedding/nesting material as well as insulation in the winter. We searched Facebook Marketplace for straw for sale that was relatively inexpensive and close to us. It’s not all that easy to find. We finally found–not straw–but hay and bought 8 bales which is all that fit in the truck. The hay was loosely tied which we had to retie because it’s not as easily stacked and the chickens can scratch it apart. We need more straw so we will keep searching.
We’ve had a flock of six turkeys frequently visiting over the last couple weeks. The turkey with the longest “beard” was apparently wounded at some point because he limps. We called him Chester. We never intended to name the wildlife that visits our property, but it’s easier to refer to animals by name–Chester, Esmeralda, Bucky, Duke, Tulsi–rather than “the turkey that limps,” “the female turkey with a nest nearby,” “the little–or bigger–buck,” or “the squirrel with white at the tip of its tail.” We haven’t seen many turkeys on our property since we adopted Hannah Joy because she scared them away with her barking so I was very glad to see them. Others might disagree, but I think turkeys are very pretty: The pattern, textures, and shades of their brown feathers are beautiful. Here is a video of Chester displaying his beautiful plumage:
We’ve observed several different types of wild birds–doves, tufted titmouses, chickadees, crows–with young newly leaving their nests. We identify the young because there’s suddenly a flock of each kind flying overheard or visiting the feeders. Sometimes the young ones will rapidly flap their wings to beg their parents to feed them. Little birds often expect their parents to feed them for a few days after they leave the nest.
Our coffee machine died a week or so ago. I told EJ that it was a “Level 1 Coffee Emergency” but it actually wasn’t because we had another coffee machine in our pantry/storage room. We buy “like new” coffee machines at thrift stores for $5-$10 and always make sure we have an extra one on the shelf in case the current one dies. Our last few coffee machines have been Cuisinart, which is a good brand. Of course, they never come with their instructions so we have to figure them out through trial-and-error, but it usually doesn’t take too long. Our newest machine also has the ability to grind coffee beans–if we had any coffee beans to grind.
A few days ago our Internet provider called to inform us that they are installing fiber optic Internet for free with no increase in monthly payments. They asked us if we wanted it. Well, duh. Currently our wireless dish connects to privately owned towers that use “line of sight”–meaning that if trees grow up and interfere with the “line of sight” between our dish and the tower, our connection will be bad. I think there are around five privately owned towers between us and the provider, which makes it worse. We figure it would cost us about $1,000 to pay for fiber optics installation because our driveway is so long. So, yeah, we want it. For free. Fiber optics will be faster and more secure. Yay!
The woman we talked to on the phone from the Internet provider told us a two-foot deep trench (done by machine) would be dug from our house to the connection point (or whatever you call it) at the road. I wondered exactly what route up to the house the trench would take. I wouldn’t want it to be on the east side of the driveway where we released the beetles to eat the toxic leafy spurge plants spreading over our property. I hoped they wouldn’t be coming up the side of the driveway and destroy our erosion control efforts. A guy came on Thursday to walk and measure the route with us. The route he chose was the one I thought would be best, causing the least impact. So I’m relieved. Whew.
For several years we’ve struggled with our heat-pump heating system. The system draws heat/coolness from the earth to heat or cool our house. When the temperature drops below a certain point, it switches to auxiliary heat, which uses propane. In the winter, our heat-pump worked fine but when the system switched to auxiliary heat, it never heated the house. In fact, if we set the thermostat to 68 degrees, it would drop to 65, 63, 58. Last winter we used portable propane heaters to supplement our heat. In the summer, the AC worked briefly and then didn’t so we put in a window AC. We’ve always called the company who originally installed the system to make repairs. However, every time they came out to repair our system, it cost us a lot of money and the repairs only lasted for a season or so. Disgusted, we finally decided to switch to a different company. I was dreading expensive repairs, but dreading even more trying to make it through another winter with inadequate heat. I figure it’s best to just brace for the worse and get it over again so we put aside some money and EJ called the new company this last week.
The repairman came yesterday evening to look at our heating system. Although EJ has faithfully changed the filter every year, the guy said there was a second filter that EJ had been unaware of and hadn’t changed. Also, the coolant in the AC unit was low. Also, caps had been left off in a couple places. (Caps to what? I do not know.) He also tightened up the bolts/screws on the AC unit that the previous repair company had replaced a few years ago. The unit rattled even when new. What I want to know is why the previous company never noticed, checked, or informed us of the second filter? Surely they could have seen it hadn’t been replaced. And why hadn’t they put in enough coolant? And why did they leave the caps off? And why hadn’t they tightened up the bolts when they put in the new AC unit? I’m glad we are rid of that other company. EJ said this new guy explained everything he was doing to him. He seems more competent and I have more confidence that we will be warm this winter.
Unlike our previous furnace company, these repairs cost us very little. Whew! It’s such a relief. Now we can start saving for a new secondhand truck. Because the furnace repairs didn’t cost as much as we feared they would, we start off with a little more than expected in our truck fund. We are in a race to get a new truck before our current truck falls apart.
Chick Graduation Day
It’s extremely hazy today. I’m guessing it’s due to smoke from Canadian wildfires? The air quality is very bad so EJ asked me to stay indoors as much as possible. I have the air conditioner on so it doesn’t get stifling in the house with the windows closed. Meanwhile, EJ, who is actually the one who struggles with asthma, is at work breathing bad air. He says he is keeping his inhaler nearby.
We were so busy during EJ’s “weekend,” which occurs Tuesday through Thursday, that I don’t mind an extra quieter day indoors.
Early Tuesday morning I put on my most raggedy work clothes and EJ and I went out to rearrange and clean the coop. We wrestled out of the Coop one of the two dog houses that were left here by the previous owner. The dog houses are well made, sturdy, very heavy, and not easy to move. EJ said they are made out of large shipping crates. The chickens enjoyed roosting on it, but they still have other roosting places. Then we moved the fancy coop towards the front of the Coop (which is a 10 x 12 shed). The fancy coop is one we bought from a home improvement store when we started our chicken flock. It never seemed big enough or sturdy enough to keep out predators so we’ve always put it inside–first in the garage and then, later, the Coop.
Once the heavy lifting was completed, EJ worked at installing a window in the coop to let in a little more light. It’s a long narrow window that he took out of an old door and turned sideways. We repurpose things as much as possible.
While he did that, I finished cleaning and rearranging the Coop. It was Graduation Day for the little chicks, the day I brought the little chicks from their cage in the house into the fancy coop. We moved the fancy coop toward the front of the Coop to provide more light and air flow to the chicks. I’ll keep them in the fancy coop until they grow big enough that they can’t get into hard-to-reach places, escape under the gate, or tempt predators. It also gives adults and chicks time to adjust to each other before the chicks join the flock.
The Coop was the major project but during our weekend, I also did laundry, gave the house a thorough cleaning, and restored order to the pantry/storage room after we went searching for paint for EJ to use around the new coop window. We also mowed the lawn–both of us mowing half. JJ came to visit and EJ fixed (refreshed?) his truck’s air conditioner for him. EJ and I did other things as well, but it’s sort of a blur and I can’t remember everything. We were pretty busy from morning till night and we went to bed exhausted each night.
Next weekend we’d like to buy new straw for the coop. EJ has been searching online for local people selling it at a decent price.
JJ returns to his boat in a few days so he’s bringing his cat, Astrid, back to us tomorrow to cat-sit again for the month that he’s gone.
JJ knows that The Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite books so a few weeks ago he bought me a nice quality map of Middle Earth. It’s printed on canvas. I hung it in a place of honor under the map of Upper and Lower Earth that I bought myself a few years ago. Both maps are really cool. I suggest my Michigan readers especially look closely at the top map in the photo for a good laugh. Enlarge it if you can so you can read place names.
Meet The Beetles
I hope everyone in the USA has a wonderful Independence Day tomorrow!
The employees at EJ’s company voted to work on the 4th so they could stay up late with family to watch fireworks, etc. It would be a short night indeed for them to stay up late and get to work at 6 a.m. the next morning. EJ usually works ten hour shifts Friday through Monday so he will have a break this week: work one day, get a day off, then work two days, then back to his normal schedule. It makes a nice short week. Saturday is supposed to be very hot so it will be nice for him to be able to not have to go in to the factory.
In my last post I described our battle with a toxic invasive plant called “leafy spurge.” (Read it here: Plants vs Beetles.) In my research into the best methods of getting rid of the evil plant, I found a company in Montana called Weedbusters Biocontrol that sells flea beetles which eats only leafy spurge. (They sell other noxious plant bugs but I’m only concerned with leafy spurge.) Even with the cost of sending the beetles by two-day air, they were the least expensive, least harmful to the environment, least effort, and best option for us so I ordered one release of a 1,000 beetles. It was a pleasure doing business with the company. Bob patiently answered my ignorant questions and our beetles arrived today in very good condition.
Our property was originally 10-acres but was split into two five-acre properties at some point in the past. We share our driveway with our other neighbor and often our packages get misdirected to him. Also, delivery people understandably refuse to try to make it up our long, winding, steep driveway in the winter because of deep snow and often icy conditions. (We get stuck in the driveway at least once a winter and have to dig out.) Because of this, we have a large box at the bottom of the driveway to put packages in. We ride or pull a sled down to retrieve packages in the winter if they are bulky. The box is supposed to be used only in the winter, but delivery people often leave packages in (and a few times ON) the box even in the summer. Bob from Weedbusters nicely sent me a tracking number so I would be notified when our beetles arrived. It was good that he did because although the deliveryman didn’t deliver the package to our neighbors, he did put it in the box on this hot day. However, I watched the delivery progress very carefully so we knew when the delivery was made and we were able to walk down to get the package minutes after it arrived.
As most of my readers know, throughout the shipping season our son JJ works one month as a deckhand on a Great Lakes bulk carrier and then gets two weeks off before going back on the ship. He never knows exactly where he will dis/embark: Detroit, Buffalo, Duluth, Chicago…it’s wherever the ship happens to be at the time he’s scheduled to get on/off. This time he was scheduled to get off in Gary, IN, but because of delays they let him off yesterday morning at the Soo Locks, which is much closer to home. Since he was driving close to our house, he stopped in for a visit and a nap before heading to his home, which is about 45-60 minutes away.
We are able to message/phone JJ while he’s on his ship and I told him about our leafy spurge problem and our solution. When JJ learned that we were getting 1,000 beetles to eat the plants, he fluctuated between exclaiming that it was “insane” and “cool.” He really wanted to be here to see the release, but after being away for a month, he was tired and just wanted to stay home. So instead I videoed the release for him. He thought it was awesome. Here’s the video we made for him:
Our local Conservation District offices didn’t know about beetles that eat toxic plants so after I learned about them, I contacted them to share the information and Weedbuster website with them. I was told leafy spurge is a problem in our area and I think the flea beetles are an awesome option.
Plants Vs Beetles
Every Enchanted Forest has it’s villain, whether it’s a witch, sorcerer, giant spiders, dragon. Ours is a plant. A very evil plant.
The first couple of years after we moved to our Enchanted Forest, we were busy fixing serious erosion along and across the driveway. It was so bad that I used to joke that we’d need a donkey to make it up the driveway. We had several dump truck loans of gravel, stones, and dirt brought in, which we spread out with shovels and rakes. We planted plants and built a series of small rock dams along the sides of the driveway to slow the rush of rainwater that washed away soil. It was difficult work.
[FYI: Although we were eventually successful in controlling the erosion at the sides of the driveway, we often get some erosion ON the driveway after a heavy rain. This morning we got a deluge of rain so I’ll be out filling in the eroded gullies soon. If I can, I’ll wait until the weather isn’t so very hot and humid.]
After a couple of years, we were glad to spot a couple plants with greenish-yellow flowers growing along the driveway. It meant that our erosion control efforts were working! But a couple years later I was happily trying to identify the wildflowers growing on our property. It was then that I learned that the greenish-yellow plants were an invasive species called “leafy spurge.” It spreads quickly, is difficult to eradicate, kills native plants, and is toxic. I was trying to figure out how to get rid of it when I was distracted by the 2020 lockdowns, EJ’s stroke, and other life experiences.
A couple of days ago, I happened to notice that leafy spurge was growing along both sides of our long driveway and spreading. Oh, bummer! I began trying to pull it up–although there’s a lot of it–and then went back to research. I had forgotten just how evil this plant is. I hardly slept Thursday night because I was anxious about how much effort and or expensive it would be to eradicate leafy spurge. I imagined “Cha-ching!”
I emailed our country Conservation District office Thursday night and then called them Friday afternoon. The woman I talked to said they had researched leafy spurge ever since they read my email. They gave me tips and also referred me to the nearby county’s Conservation District office because they have an invasive species specialist. They also suggested that I report our invasion to a Michigan invasive species site, which I did. Basically the advice I received from everyone was:
Mow the leafy spurge, which won’t affect the deep, deep roots, but will prevent the plant from developing seeds. Problem: The rock dams and steep hills on our property make mowing mostly impossible. We can’t mow over rocks. In addition, mowing can spread leafy spurge so we’d have to make sure we thoroughly cleaned up the site afterwards. The plant also gets on the mower, which also spreads it.
Dig or pull up leafy spurge. However, if we didn’t dig up ALL the root–which goes 10-15 (some say 30) feet deep–it will spread. In fact, if we pull up leafy spurge and drop it on the ground, it can replant itself. When leafy spurge is dug/pulled up, we’d have to take it to a waste removal place or put it in a plastic bag until it’s completely dead or it will replant itself.
Use herbicides. We have tried never to use herbicides because it is toxic. It adversely affects the wildlife and can contaminate ground water. Also, herbicides kill ALL vegetation, which means we’d be back to square one with our battle with erosion.
Also, a person has to be careful to protect himself when using chemicals. We could hire a professional, but that would be expensive. Plus, I’ve read that often leafy spurge has to be sprayed several times a season and/or over several years. Cha-Ching!
Rent a goat or horse. Yes, you heard me correctly. Goats and horses eat leafy spurge with no adverse effects. There’s actually an organization called “Goats on the Go” which rents out goats to eat noxious weeds. They bring fences and everything. It would be fun to have goats visit, but unfortunately, there are no rentable goats in our area. I know because I checked the website. It’s just as well. I’m sure that renting goats would be more expensive than we can afford.
Ok, so we were running out of options. It looked as if we’d have to use herbicides. Then I remembered that there are some insects that eat leafy spurge. In fact, I’ve spotted spurge hawk moth caterpillars on our spurge plants in the past, but I haven’t seen many/any in recent years. What if I could order more of the caterpillars? They eat the leaves of the plants. I researched online and didn’t find any places to buy the caterpillars, but I did learn that flea beetles eat the ROOTS of leafy spurge, which seemed much better than eating just the leaves. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t trading one invasive species (plant) for another (beetles) so I asked my Conservation District people about it. None of them were aware of insects being used. Neither were experts at MSU, which I also contacted. So I went online and after some searching, I found a place in Montana that provides leafy surge flea beetles. This is what they say:
“All the leafy spurge insects we handle are approved for release in the United States by the US Department of Agriculture. They are also host specific, meaning they only feed on spurge, nothing else. There is no danger of them feeding on native plants or crops. Once established on a site, the insects reproduce rapidly and spread to other weed infested areas (Aphthona lacertosa females lay 28 to 130 eggs). One release of insects can grow to over a million in just a few years. They are adapted to cold climates and do not die off in the winter. There is no need to purchase additional insects in following years. Because the insects’s only source of food is spurge, as the density of the weed decreases the insect’s population also decreases, a classic predator-prey relationship. Eventually the weed and the biocontrol come into equilibrium with each other at a low population in the environment. Since the insects spread to many acres and achieve permanent control of spurge, the cost of control is very low, possibly less than a dollar per acre for a large area. This makes biocontrol a very attractive option compared to the high and recurring cost of chemical control. All of these factors make biocontrol “The Smart Choice” for control of leafy spurge.”
They sounded perfect: We wouldn’t have to handle toxic plants, we wouldn’t have to use toxic chemicals that kill EVERYTHING, we wouldn’t have to hire professionals, and we wouldn’t have try to find goats. Late yesterday I called Weedbusters Biocontrol in Montana. Many states (including Michigan) require federal paperwork be filed for permission to ship insects across state lines. I will place my order for 1,000 flea beetles for $135. That is much cheaper and safer than any other method.
After all my research, I now feel like the leafy spurge expert in Michigan.
Merry Month of May?
The month of May has ended up being a bit more busy and stressful than I expected.
A friend from Iowa had planned to visit during May. She’s been wanting to visit for a very long time. However, that plan fell through and I’m not sure if a visit will happen this year. We shall see. At the moment, I think we are over-stressed by visitors.
Whenever our close friend (a different friend) has medical appointments in our area, he often stays overnight with us. He lives about two hours away with his very large dog, which he adopted several months ago. The dog is easy going but changes the dynamics in our household in major ways. I’ll get to that in a moment. Our friend had major surgery in early May. The original plan was that he stay with us a couple days after his surgery and then his daughter, who lives downstate, would drive up to take him home. However, just before the surgery the doctor told him that he wanted him to stay in the area for two weeks afterwards—until his follow up appointment—to make sure he was recovering well. So our friend’s stay was extended. With his pre-surgery appointments and then the two weeks after his surgery, he ended up staying about 3 weeks total.
We were very glad to help our friend. He is more “family” than our biological families. However, we did have a struggle with some boundaries, the most major of which involved the animals. Although his dog Cletus is easy going, our Hannah was starved by her previous owners so she’s very obsessed and protective of her food. We understand her abuse issues, we give her love as well as structure/correction so she’s a loving dog. However, whenever our friend fed Cletus, Hannah fought to get to it because [obviously] it belonged to her. We didn’t let her have it, knowing she’d get protective if she thought it was hers. When our friend accidently left Cletus bowl in the car and—gasp—poured Cletus’ food in her bowl Hannah went ballistic. She ended up attacking our cat, Timmy, who she felt was too close to her bowl at feeding time. This had never happened before. Timmy seems to be ok, but we isolated him and Clara in an unheated hallway/storage room that connects the main part of the house with the garage. There is a pet door between the areas so usually the cats can access both areas, but we shut the door to keep the cats safe until the friend went home and we could work with Hannah—without distraction or chaos—to make sure she re-accepted the cats. (We are still working on it.)
Meanwhile, we asked our friend to please make sure the dogs are fed separately so Hannah doesn’t get aggressive about food. He listened for a few days, but then didn’t, and didn’t listen to our other instructions regarding Hannah and Cletus, which caused Hannah to misbehave, which caused us to correct her, which caused our friend to say, “She’s ok,” except that if her behavior was “ok” we wouldn’t have been correcting her. I think our friend started thinking he needed to train Hannah (because obviously we weren’t doing a good enough job), not realizing that his ignoring our instructions and challenging our correction were what was causing the behavioral problems. We don’t want/need our friend to train our dog; we just need him to follow our instructions. It’s been frustrating and stressful.
Our friend will return for another overnight stay for his second follow-up appointment next week. We are struggling with how to be compassionate and also firmly set necessary boundaries that we absolutely need respected. I’m not looking forward to it. Sigh.
In addition, this year we are watching our son’s cat while he’s off working on his Great Lakes bulk carrier. His normal schedule is to work a month and get 2 weeks off throughout the shipping season. We had Astrid for a month and then JJ retrieved her for his two weeks home. He returns to the ship next week and we will get her back again. Astrid is an “only cat” and she never got used to having other cats around her, especially Clara who kept trying (unsuccessfully) to make friends with her. Astrid hid herself behind a picnic basket on the top shelf in the storage room in what we began calling her “fortress of solitude.” She came out purring whenever we entered the room so we could pet her, but she always hissed at the cats. I was hoping to integrate her into the main part of the house, but we don’t want to risk that with Hannah having behavioral problems. Sigh.
Last week the 8 chicks we ordered arrived at the farm store. We set them up in a cage in the storage room that the cats were in. We had a heat light for them but I think they were still too cold and two of them died—the first chicks we have ever lost. 😥 So we ended up moving the cage into a bathroom where we usually put new chicks. Besides being in the heated part of the house, we have a space heater in there for more warmth. The surviving 6 are doing well.
May had it’s happy moments too. All winter/spring we’ve enjoyed watching a doe and her last year’s triplets on our property. I think our property is their home area because they visit several times every day. This morning the doe gave birth to her new fawn. All morning I’ve watched her defend her fawn, patrolling the area and driving the triplets away from the area–as well as Theo, our outside cat. I think that the doe was waiting for her fawn’s legs to strengthen because after several hours she walked away with her little one following behind.
The doe was out of range of my wildlife camera and I was tempted to reposition it, but I didn’t want to risk her driving me away also so I waited until she and her fawn had gone away before I went out to move the camera. I was able to video them with my phone before they left. I had to set my phone camera to its highest magnification so it’s a little blurry and jiggly, but you can still see them.
Doe with newborn fawn
Fawn following after Mama
We also have a Mama opossum visiting our orchard at night. Her belly appears extremely “swollen,” no doubt because her pouch is filled with young ones. Opossums are very interesting. They are the only marsupials in North America. They give birth to a litter of 1-13 undeveloped young (known as “joeys”) after a gestation period of about 12.5 days. They are blind, hairless, and about the size of a honeybee but they must crawl into the mother’s pouch and attach to a nipple to survive. The joeys remain in the pouch, nursing and growing, for about two months. After two months, they begin to emerge from the pouch and will eventually ride on their mother’s back. They become independent in four months.
There is also a female turkey with a nest nearby. She often wanders browses through our yard. She comes so frequently that I decided to name her: Esmeralda.
I love watching the wildlife. Some people find delight and reduce stress by traveling, doing art or crafts, playing music, dancing, baking…We find delight and reduce stress by enjoying the beauty around us and observing wildlife. Which is why…
…Our friend lets Cletus roam freely and chuckles that his dog loves to chase wildlife off “his property.” Only our property isn’t his dog’s property. We didn’t make a big issue of it while our friend was recovering from surgery. We just asked him to not let his dog outside if he saw wildlife. However, when he returns next week, I will insist that Cletus not be allowed to roam as freely as before. I don’t want him to chase or threaten the wildlife at any time because we have specifically made our property “wildlife friendly.” I especially don’t want the wildlife threatened at this time of year when they are giving birth and raising their young.
Sigh.
“Don’t Worry. He’s Friendly.”
Our son, JJ, is a deckhand on a Great Lakes bulk carrier. Last Spring he slipped on deck and badly broke his leg. That ended the shipping season for him. He had to have surgery to insert a plate in his leg and recovery took months.
JJ returned to his ship last Wednesday. The day before he had to leave, he brought his cat, Astrid, over for us to take care of while he was gone. This was the first time we’ve watched Astrid. Usually JJ’s roommate takes care of her, but JJ felt we’d do better at providing her with emotional care in addition to physical care. I knew that it’s stressful for an animal to go to an unfamiliar place, JJ said Astrid has never been around dogs, and Hannah isn’t overly fond of strangers, whether human or animal, so that would be an additional stress. But I had a plan to slowly, carefully, and calmly introduce Astrid and Hannah.
It didn’t go as planned.
It was unfortunate that the day JJ brought Astrid here, our friend TH arrived with his dog, Cletus. They stay with us whenever TH has medical appointments in our area. He warned us ahead of time that he was coming, but his message wasn’t clear and his arrival that day was unexpected. Despite Cletus’ huge size, he is a gentle and easy going dog. However, his presence could bring additional drama to a cat who is already stressed and scared and to our Hannah who views strangers as a security threat. I explained to TH the need for us to introduce Astrid and Hannah carefully–without Cletus there. When JJ arrived, EJ and I met him in our short hallway, which is a contained space that we can close off from the rest of the house. I had Hannah on her leash and JJ held Astrid in his arms. The plan was for Hannah to see us give lovings to the cat so she’d understand that the cat wasn’t an intruder. This plan has worked before. Then TH opened the door and let HUGE Cletus in to the already crowded hallway. I knew that if Astrid freaked out and leaped out of JJ’s arms, Hannah would go after her, and we could have a bad situation. So I ordered, “Get Cletus out of here!” TH said, “It’s ok. Cletus likes cats.” I exclaimed, “This isn’t about Cletus! GET. HIM. OUT. OF. HERE!” and I herded Cletus out the door.
I felt frustrated because I had JUST explained the plan to TH. Don’t get me wrong. TH is a very nice guy and he loves Hannah and she adores him. I just don’t think TH fully understands Hannah’s issues. This nonunderstanding leads into a pet peeve of mine: That people often don’t seem to understand that interactions between animals can be unpredictable. I sometimes want to tell people, “Not every animal is like YOUR dog. Just because YOUR dog is friendly, don’t assume the other person’s dog is friendly. Also, just because YOUR dog likes cats, doesn’t mean the cat is ok with the dog. Always, ALWAYS, ask the owner for permission to approach their pet and respect their wishes.”
Before Hannah, we had Danny. Danny was gentle and easy-going. He LOVED people, especially children. When we lived in a small village downstate, I would often walk Danny through the village and he’d drag me over to be petted by everyone he met. However, he didn’t like every dog. If we encounter others walking their dog, I’d give them a wide berth to avoid any possible problems. At one place dogs would rush across the street and start circling us until the owners called them back which was a bit scary. A few times, we’d meet someone who’d walk straight for us, calling out, “Don’t worry! My dog is friendly.” Once when this happened, Danny and their “friendly dog that I shouldn’t worry about” got into a huge fight and it was tricky getting their leashes untangled and them separated.
Our Hannah was abused. She’s very lovable, but she has issues. We know her issues and are very patient with her. We set boundaries for her because if we let her get away with a little thing, she tends to push the boundaries. For example, when we ate popcorn in the living room, EJ used to throw her a few pieces. He had to stop it because she felt that she had a right to popcorn and a few times she plunged her head into my bowl and started gobbling it down.
We are careful about introducing Hannah to strangers. The first time TH brought Cletus over after he adopted him, I was careful to introduce the two dogs. TH had said Cletus would be fine, but we had to help Hannah. Their first encounter was rather noisy, but it went well (better than I expected) and Hannah has grown calmer with each visit. Now Cletus and Hannah are fine with each other.
We are careful when, where, and how we feed Hannah because she quickly develops bad habits that are hard to break. During Cletus’ first visit, Hannah tried to steal his food and I stopped her. TH said, “Don’t worry. Cletus doesn’t mind if she eats his food.” But it matters that Hannah doesn’t do it. She was starved by her previous owners and is very obsessed and protective of food. If we let Hannah steal Cletus’ food, she’d become very difficult to deal with. In fact, this last visit, TH forgot to bring Cletus’ dish in from the car so he just poured his dog’s food into Hannah’s dish. Hannah went ballistic and frantically tried to eat the food before Cletus did. Hannah’s bowl is her bowl. As I said. we have to be careful with our Hannah.
I repeat: Don’t assume other dogs are like yours. Always ask the owner’s permission before you approach or do anything with their dog. Respect the owner’s wishes. Always. They know their dog better than you do.
It can take time for a cat to get used to new surroundings. Right now Astrid is staying in the large storage room/pantry off the hallway that we can keep shut off from the rest of the house. We go in often to give her lovings. The other cats have access to that area. Timmy ignores Astrid while Clara is trying very hard to make friends with her. Astrid is an “only cat” and isn’t ready for friendship, but she’s hissing less at Clara so I’m sure they will work it out. Once Astrid feels more safe and starts exploring, we will work again to introduce her to Hannah.
I take videos and photos of Astrid each day to send to JJ while he’s on the boat. He enjoys seeing how his kitty is doing.
Michigan’s Storms
EJ’s shift changed a couple weeks ago from 2nd shift to 1st. We are adjusting well enough. First shift isn’t as physically difficult for EJ as working nights was. The hardest change has not been the change in hours but the change in days. Previously, he worked 10 hour shifts Monday through Thursday with Friday through Sunday off. Now he works Friday through Monday with Tuesday through Thursday off. That means that Friday is his Monday, Monday is his Friday, and our weekend is now mid-week. It’s very difficult to remember what day it actually is.
EJ now wakes up at 4 a.m. and leaves at 5 a.m. I had not intended to get up with him, but his alarm wakes me as well as him so I spend the early mornings with him and then go back to bed for more sleep. I like EJ being home at night.
Meal preparation is easy for me. EJ fixes himself a big breakfast; he can cook well and he really doesn’t want me to fix it for him when I’m only half awake. He wants only a light supper so I just make oatmeal, pancakes, etc. With EJ at work until late afternoon, I can get all my household chores done without interruption and without worrying about waking him with noisy tasks. So that’s good. So is being able to spend mornings with him on his mid-weekends.
Last week our weather was rather wonky, with sunshine, heavy rain, sleet, snow, and high wind–once all within 24 hours. However, we are thankful that we didn’t get the huge ice storm that hit northern Michigan. It barely skipped us and devastated areas to the east. I’ve heard that it’s being called one of the most severe weather events in the region in more than a century. There are many downed trees and thousands of people are still without power. We drove to town yesterday to run some errands and saw more than 30 utility trucks headed into the devastated areas. Many people shared photos and videos of the storm damage on X. Click on the link below to see a video of the ice snapping trees.
Michigan’s Ice Storm: Snapping Trees
While northern Michigan was getting ice storms, apparently southern Michigan was getting severe thunderstorms with (I think) a few tornadoes.
I’ve praying for the victims of these storms.
Early Adjustments
March’s weather has been bi-polar with huge differences in temperatures. Last week the temperatures reached up to 70 and all our snow melted. The next day we had several inches of new snow. Up and down. Up and down. Yesterday we woke up to a couple of inches of snow. Today the temperatures are in the upper 40s and the snow is melting. Tonight it’s supposed to get cold again with rain and snow.
I didn’t take Hannah Joy for many walks over the winter because either it was too cold or too icy. However, once we started getting warmer weather, she began demanding we resume our walks. She gripes at me until I take her out and then she starts walking toward the driveway. If I try to reel her back in, she digs in her feet and refuses to budge. If the driveway is clear of ice and snow, I let her have her way most of the time. Early this afternoon I took her for a walk and I saw a robin! Robins fly south for the winter and in Michigan their return is an early indication that Spring is on the way! Yay!
Today is our son’s birthday. Next week is EJ’s birthday. We celebrated both last weekend. JJ plans to go back to working on the Great Lakes bulk carrier and he isn’t sure exactly when he will get called up for his stint. He was off work just about the whole shipping season last year because he broke his foot when he slipped on deck and needed surgery. Thankfully, he has good insurance so he did ok.
The last couple of weeks has been a bit tough because EJ’s back pain has intensified. He injured his back years ago–before we met–and has suffered chronic back pain ever since. It appears that now arthritis is settling in his back, which sometimes gives him bouts of intense pain. He ended up coming home from work early several times because of his back pain and also because his blood pressure shot up. I suspect his blood pressure went high because of the back pain. He went to the doctor a week ago, but his blood pressure was ok when they checked it so the doctor did not change his medication other than telling him he could take two pills if necessary.
Today EJ started to work first shift because his company is eliminating second shift. (The doctor said working first shift might actually help EJ because working nights is hard on a person’s body.) Today was EJ’s first day on the new shift. There are advantages and disadvantages to each shift. It just requires reordering our schedules a bit.
At this company EJ works ten hours and gets three days off. On second shift, he worked on Monday through Thursday and got Friday through Sunday off. Now he will work Friday through Monday and get Tuesday through Thursday off. This means our “weekend” will be in the middle of the week. I think it will be difficult to remember which day it is for a while. But other than that, I kind of like his daytime shift because I can get most of my tasks done before he gets home from work. When he’s home during the day, I like to spend time with him.
Our meal times have changed. Before, we had our big meal at noon before EJ went to work. Now, our big meal would be in the evening except EJ said he’d prefer a really big breakfast and a light lunch and supper. I don’t want a big breakfast so I’ll still make my big meal at lunch. If EJ chooses–and depending on what sort of food I make myself for lunch–he can have leftovers at supper or incorporate them into his breakfast the next morning. Otherwise, he says he prefers oatmeal or something for supper. That works for me. By evening I’m usually tired and just want to relax.
Bedtime is the real trial. EJ now will go to bed earlier so he can get up at 4 a.m. He makes his own breakfast whenever he’s on first shift so that I (hopefully) can continue sleeping. The last time EJ worked this shift, he got into the habit of putting a little bit of egg in Hannah Joy’s food dish. Hannah didn’t forget this. As soon as her super-sensitive ears heard EJ cracking an egg in the kitchen this morning, she leaped out of bed and frantically scratched at the bedroom door. I didn’t sleep well last night and knew I wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep after I let Hannah out of the bedroom so I just got up and spent time with EJ. After he left for work, I went back to bed hoping for more sleep. I left the bedroom door but Timmy the cat kept coming into the bedroom meowing loudly and I heard Clara the Impossible Kitten racing around playing. Hannah tends to bark shrilly at the cats if she hears them which is why we shut the cats out of the bedroom at night and turn on the fan to block out their noises.
I’m a very light sleeper so getting enough sleep has always a problem for me. It’s going to be worse on first shift. I’d happily synchronize my schedule to EJ’s except that I can’t go to bed until sunset when the chickens decide to go into their coop for the night. I can’t force the chickens in earlier because they refuse to be rushed. I’ve tried in the past, and I’ve spent a lot of time chasing them around the coop until I’m able to get them inside. In winter months when the days are shorter they go in sooner so I can go to bed when EJ does, but in the summer it stays light outside until 10 pm. so I have to stay up.
Partridge Chanteclers
Friday EJ and I got to go to the farm store. I say “got to” instead of “had to” because it’s fun rather than a chore.
We’ve always gotten Rhode Island and New Hampshire Red chickens but last Spring we decided to get a couple Buff Orpington chickens. They are a pretty golden color so I call them “the blond chicks.” Last autumn EJ and I discussed trying to find another winter-hardy breed of chicken, hoping they would lay eggs during the winter. I did some research late last week and we decided to try to find Partridge Chantecler chicks. I read that they are a cold-hardy, breed of chicken that was created in the early 1900s by Dr. J. E. Wilkinson of Alberta, Canada. He wanted to develop a breed that could withstand harsh Canadian winters. They lay about 200 eggs per year, tend to go broody often, and are noted for being calm, gentle and personable if handled regularly as chicks. They are also good meat chickens, but we want them for their eggs rather than their meat. There is a white Chantecler, but we ordered the Partridge ones. I think they look a lot like the Reds, but the roosters have smaller combs.
We read that Partridge Chanteclers can be challenging to find. I found a couple places in the USA that sold them, but the minimum order was around 16 chicks, and we really only wanted four of them. Since we were planning to go to the farm store any way for other things, we decided to ask them if they could order six chicks for us.
As soon we entered the farm store, we heard chirping from further in. “Chick Days” had begun! Chick Days is when farm stores sell live poultry of various kinds in their store. It begins about now and lasts until…well, for months. We always take time to enjoy looking at the cute chicks running around in multiple large horse tanks set up near the back of the store. They didn’t have any Partridge Chantecler chicks at the store but I asked an employee if we could special order eight chicks. She said “Absolutely.” She told me that we were the first customers to order this breed this year and it was good that we came in when we did because the breeder was only selling 75 this year and they go fast. The store had to order a minimum of 25, but she increased it to 30 because (we laughed together knowingly) of chicken math. Chicken math is when you end up buying more chickens then you intended. A person might also find themselves buying other types of poultry–ducks, turkeys, etc.–as well. The employee said our chicks will arrive at the store in May. She will reserve our chicks for us and easily sell the others. I gave her my contact information after asking EJ if he was sure we didn’t want to order ten. It was tempting, but we held at eight.
While I was busy ordering our chicks, EJ got to talking to another customer who was waiting to buy chicks. They laughed about chicken math and then the man told EJ that he breeds show goats. He described his goat farm, which was very interesting. EJ ended up friending him on social media. We don’t plan to ever buy goats, but it’s fun to friend people we’ve met.
On Sunday we drove to the local hardware store to refill our 20 lb propane tanks for our little heaters. Although we’ve had a lot of warmer weather (in the 40s), there is still a lot of snow in the driveway so driving up and down it is an ordeal. To be honest, I keep my eyes closed so I don’t have to watch us careening down/up it.
However, I did not close my eyes when we returned from the hardware store because there was a bald eagle eating something right in the middle of the driveway! It majestically flew away as we approached. It would have been nice to get a photo/video of it, but I didn’t want to miss the experience by trying to get out my phone. I love bald eagles and it’s always a delight to see them.
The Dark Side of Sunny Days
This week we’ve had blue skies, ranging from cloudless to mostly, partly, or somewhat, blue skies. It varied. The point is that we actually could see blue instead of gray skies. We’ve had some cloudy gray skies, but not as much as usual. It was also very warm with temperatures into the 40s–even as high as almost 50 degrees! It was very pleasant to see blue sky, to feel the warmth of the sun, to hear the drip of melting slow, and to watch the mounds of deep snow shrinking. It was the tiniest whisper of Spring’s approach, but sometimes whispers are enough to bring hope.
However, there is a dark side to warm, sunny days in the winter.
What was once a firm path on the snow is softened by the sun so I take a step or two and then my foot plunges into deep snow. The snow paths are now littered with foot holes. The cooler temperatures of the night forms a hard slippery glaze on top of the snow. So walking actually involves a step, slide, plunge, slide, slide, step, plunge, step, step, step. It’s very random like hidden traps set in the snow. Walking becomes very difficult so I think that I must look like a drunkard tottering with an unbalanced gait down the paths.
Tuesday morning when I took Hannah Joy outside, I slipped on a patch of ice. My feet went up in the air and I landed right on my back. Ouch! I imagined that I looked like a cartoon character slipping on a banana. The last time I slipped on the ice was in January 2018. I remember because we had only had Hannah for a month. I broke my wrist and had to have a plate inserted in it. Fortunately, I didn’t break anything this time.
I’ve taken to carrying a 5-6 foot staff with me to help me keep my balance. I don’t know exactly what to call it. I think of it as a stick because it’s long and narrow, but it’s actually a 1 inch square board that was leftover from making a shipping box. EJ actually has a staff that he made from a long tree branch. He uses it whenever we go for a walk, no matter what season. It reminds me of Gandalf’s staff. Once in a while, EJ will ask me to hold it for him for a moment while he does something or other. I can never resist raising it up to plunge it down as I thunder, “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” But after the first few times that I did that, EJ started telling me as soon as he hands it to me to just hold it because I don’t have the authority or security clearance to use his staff of power. Bummer. I still try though.
When EJ drove home from work in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, he got stuck coming up the icy driveway. He almost made it all the way up but then the truck slid back into deep snow. He said, “Screw it”–or words to that effect–left the truck stuck in the snow and walked up to the house and to bed. After he woke up the next morning, we went down the driveway with shovels and shoveled out the truck. It took us about an hour to free the truck and get it up to the garage.
Every day that the temperatures are warm, which has been every day so far this week, I hope that all the snow in the driveway will melt away. There are some growing bare patches, but there was an awful lot of snow in the driveway, even though our neighbor regularly snowblows it for us with his tractor. EJ hasn’t got the truck stuck again, but he says the drive down and up the driveway is “more interesting than I like.” The truck’s tire tracks have frozen into ruts which the truck insists on keeping in so he says it’s like driving on rails. Our neighbor told us several years ago that the previous owner of our place kept large barrels of salt along the driveway so he could salt it. However, the salt killed the vegetation which held the soil in place so when we moved here the driveway was in very bad shape from the erosion. So we don’t use salt. We use shovels instead.
This week I’ve been setting my alarm for 3:25 a.m. to wait for EJ to get safely home. I don’t want him to get stuck in the driveway, to slide off into the valley, or to slip and fall while walking to the house. Once he makes it into the house, we both go to bed. This means that my sleep happens in two parts. Not ideal, but it will only last until more snow covers the ice or until the snow/ice melts. I was hoping to sleep in a little this morning but Timmy the cat started yowling outside the door, probably sometime between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. I translated his yowls as “I’m hungry, feed me NOW.” I tried unsuccessfully to block out his yowls, but finally gave up and fed him.
A few days ago, I was cleaning up the kitchen when suddenly my dishcloth disappeared. I immediately suspected that Hannah took it. She always sneaks things that she knows she’s not supposed to eat onto our bed so I went and looked there, but I didn’t find it. I couldn’t find it anywhere. I even looked in cupboards, in the fridge, in the wastebasket, and other unlikely places just in case I had thoughtlessly put it there while thinking of other things. But it was nowhere. Hannah remained my prime suspect even though I had no evidence. She has a list of priors.
Last night, during EJ’s first and my second sleep, she suddenly started heaving. Both EJ and I leaped up and dragged her off the bed so she wouldn’t barf there. Up came the missing dishcloth. Sigh. Hannah is like a goat: She eats anything and everything. We do our very best to put things where she can’t reach them, but sometimes she eats things we never imagined she would (like full cans of cat food) or she reaches things that we thought she couldn’t (like my dish cloth on the counter). She not only eats things inside the house, but also outside (like animal poop). Her temporary deafness when she doesn’t want to obey and her eating everything is why I keep her on a leash when we go outside.
It was warm today–in the low 40s. But the sky was gray and it also snowed a little. Not enough to cover the ice so my alarm is set for 3:25 a.m.
I Love To Go A Gardening 