today on the World Wide Web there's a poll.
Uphold/throw out? with variations [Can't remember where I saw it]
Contempt? Yes/No [Can't remember where I saw it]
And so not to be outdone, I figured out how to add a non-political poll to the blog (although I couldn't figure out how to add it to a post).
One thing is certain. It is hot enough for the dogs.
Hey...I'll vote! I'm rarely shy about voicing my opinions...
ReplyDeleteBUT...
What's the question?
Fixed. The gadget didn't like being on top. It wanted to be in the sidebar. Thanks!
DeleteSo...I voted! Of course, this year, this month, our "hot" is nowhere's near your "hot", I think. I don't think the temp has been up to 90* so far. Very unusual year...much cooler than usual. Weird year all over the country, I think.
ReplyDeleteActually, I like it, but I have to remind myself it's a weird year! Don't expect it next year...or next month...or even next week!
In the South we say that there are four seasons. Christmas, Almost Summer, Summer, Still Summer. REPEAT.
ReplyDeleteThey all happen or not eventually. Our Almost Summer this year was extremely short by historical standards. The cotton farmers had a real-- statistically significant-- dilemma. When to plant?
Turns out-- at least as far as I'm able to tell-- that those who chose to roll the dice and plant early will be the winners. But who knows? S&^? happens.
Last year one of the Mexican guys at the barn planted corn - black corn, he called it. Got a pretty good crop from it. A bit odd in one sense - they picked the corn over probably 2 months - seemed to me that either the corn had a very inconsistent production period, or they ate the corn at _very_ varying points of maturity.
ReplyDeleteHowever.
Last year, he planted during June. This year he tried again and planted in April (I think). It did _not_ do well. I'm not sure why, but it appeared that germination was a bit spotty, and then all the young seedlings just up and died. Or the birds ate them. Or the squirrels. Who knows! In any case, No corn this year. Then one of the guys decided to take over a row close to the barn (easy to water) and plant some "hundred pound" watermelon plants he had bought. Hah. They were squash. Obviously this particular guy might know horses, but not his veggies. I told him I thought they were squash, but who am I to argue - especially when there might be a language problem! The squirrels didn't care - they relished them and soon they were just a constant reminder that he had been taken by someone...because the squashes were few, large (he apparently didn't relish "hundred pound" squashes) and very scarred with tooth marks from the squirrels, who also ate the leaves.
Visiting my favorite (spell check wants me to spell this "favourite". Odd. We seem to have English spell checkers!) nursery store for squirrel poison, I was tempted beyond reason and bought six packs of Sweet Crimson watermelon (sandia, in Spanish), Cantaloupe, and honeydew melons (both are melone in Spanish - so how do you know which one is which?). I intended to take them to the house except for a few for the barn....
Well. I brought them out, showed them to Edwardo, and the two of them had them _all_ in the ground in about 15 minutes, with the old squash plants tossed out (except for the squashes themselves, which went to the chickens), all the weeds up and out, circles for water retention in and the plants watered. Boy did I feel old! Poof! it was done! It would probably have taken me a couple of hours over a couple of days to get the same thing done! They're all thriving so far, with no sign of squirrel damage. Yet. And if I get one melon of each variety out of the whole batch, I'll be repaid in full - so I'm happy!
As for the squirrels - I've been feeding them poison for about 2 weeks now. I'm using a T tube method...pour into the top of the inverted T, and the squirrels enter though the arms. Consumption continues, and I've found at least 4 dead mice in the general area, so obviously the squirrels weren't alone in their efforts. Dogs and birds can't get at the poison. Nor can rabbits - although we could use a few fewer of those as well.
I also planted some mint where the run-off from where they wash horses with keep it watered. Mint is a weed where God waters, but out here it's hard to keep going. Same with honeysuckle. It only grows where it's watered, so it's an ornamental. Castor bean, on the other hand, is an ornamental in places where it freezes during the "Christmas season", but out here it's a rank weed. And _PROLIFIC_!! You do _not_ want to let even _one_ get started!! Not only are they poison (though I don't know anything that eats it. Well, duh!) but they stink!
Anyway...the upshot is that the usual planting times are out of whack this year. At least in this area. My husband's family has land in Colorado - they planted a crop of sunflowers this year after a loss on wheat last year, then an intermediate crop of corn. Doing different stuff because of different climate conditions. Like I said - weird weather this year.