Who's in My Pond

I was snipping down the tansy (upper right, looks fern-like most of the time) when I heard a 'plop'.  I hadn't seen anything fall into the pond but  I peered over, searching for whatever might have made a 'plop' ... and saw nothing. Since I was also making dog food, I had to go back inside and give it a stir.  Then I decided I really should do those few dishes in the sink - but wait, first I must empty the dishwasher. Eventually I got back outside, decided the plop meant nothing and went back to my pruning. There it went again - 'Plop'.  I didn't imagine it this time because I saw what made the plop - a frog the size of the palm of my hand, red and dark olive green.  Once in the water, it has plenty of under-a-rock places to hide so that was the last I saw of it.  Realizing that I had just about finished demolishing it's protective cover, I collected all the clippings and gently laid them back where they had been growing, hoping that my little buddy won't leave to find a more amenable home elsewhere. Later in the day, I pulled out my Peterson's Guide to look up my newest 'pet'.  I believe what I have in/around my pond is a Red Legged Frog.  I have yet to hear any frog-song, so I'm guessing it might be a female. BTW: the rather ugly wire fencing is a necessity - keeps out the raccoons.  Aside from eating anything that swims in my pond, the raccoons must have rock throwing contests at night - if the mess they leave is any indication.

Great Weather in January

The breeze is balmy, the sun strong - it sure feels like late spring or even summer.  Naturally, this triggers my gardening instincts.  I planted two small containers of spring salads mix and got some garlic to plant.  As I prepped a 18" X 4.5' bed, I saw dozens and dozens of worms.  It was hard to dig around them and even though I know that chopping one in half becomes two in the dirt.  Since worm castings are one of the very best fertilizers, I decided not to add anything - not even my standard (organic) steer manure.  We shall see what comes up.....

Dirt & Poop

Yesterday was such a beautiful day - bright sun and no wind.  I decided to use the good weather to prep my garden for spring. With spade in hand, I managed to get the last, stubborn corn stalks out of the ground.  Most of the stalks had been sitting in a pile since October, hopefully becoming slug condominiums.  My son, JK, helped me move the stalks into the chicken pen so they could scratch and peck to their little hearts' delight. And eat a few slugs in the process. I pulled a few of the bigger weeds from my veggie patch, noting how quickly they respond to the days growing longer and making sure to pull anything sporting flowers (but its still only January!!).  After some sliced, buttered and toasted zucchini bread for brunch, I still had plenty of sunny day left so I wheeled out the barrow full of half-baked chicken-manure-compost and spread it out evenly over a tarp on the lawn. Already  loose and brown, it just needed a bit more drying and sanitizing courtesy of the sun. Twice I had to drag the tarp back into the full sun and use the rake to spread out the poop - again. My day continued with a mixed bag of indoor and outdoor chores, but I kept chuckling to myself ... "I'm SSOOO glad I don't have a cow!"