Growing Buckeye Trees

For 3 years I’ve gathered buckeyes off the ground near the fitness center in hopes of growing a tree.

 

Finally, last fall was the first that any got planted!  P dug a big trench for me near the house & deck where they would be protected and I could know if any came up.  It was even hard for P to dig as we had a dry fall (good for harvest, not for digging) and this was like a brick of ground.

 

I did have a day when P was in the field and the dog had something she wanted under the deck and she dug up where I planted the buckeyes.  Most of this digging is on the weed-full side so not such a big deal.  When she moved to the side with my herbs and buckeyes, I wasn’t too happy!

I rearranged the dirt and straw for mulch after she was done with the digging/hunting fit and hoped for the best.

This spring I’ve been watching intently and about 2 weeks ago I knew these were buckeyes and not weeds!  They have jumped up out of the ground.  Now about 6″ tall.

Two are like this and a third one is struggling and only about 2″ tall.  They haven’t done much in the last week as it has been cold and rainy.

I’m excited! The tree at the fitness center is full of blooms right now.  I will nurse them along in this area until they are big enough to be on their own in the big yard.  I assume at least for another winter.

I didn’t do any soaking or turning or starting these inside.  I just put all those in the trench about 4′ long and a good 6″ deep.  Covered them with the clumps of hard dirt and mulch/straw.  I watered them in hopes the ground would settle.

ETA: Here is the mother tree at the fitness center the end of May.

In another generation, someone will be not so happy to have a messy buckeye tree in the yard.  I’ll giggle.

O-hi-O!

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Planting Begins

4/30
ETA: I fixed the goofed up dates… what happens when I’m trying to catch-up…. which is constantly!

The plan was “I’m going to start planting on Monday (4/25).”  But Saturday… and it seemed all was ready for the planter and the monitors and the tractor so…. out he went!  Yeah!!

Monday & Tuesday (April 25 & 26) were full of issues with this and that but… he said on Tuesday, “God is good.”  So we plant as we are able.  Wednesday he pushed hard but the rain became enough in the early evening that we were done.  And have been out since then.  The rain continued to increase and we had nearly 2″ just on Saturday (4/30)!!  I think some cats & dogs rained down as well!  At this point, maybe this Weds or Thursday he’ll get back to planting.

 

The first field he did was here along the lane so I rode along for a bit.  (He hates selfies but look how accommodating he is getting!)  And of course, new additions to the planter and a new monitor to figure out and at the end, he laments why he does a field along the highway first! (where others then see if he misses spots!)

Before he started last Saturday, I helped him set the monitors to sync with the GPS to go with the planter & tractor measurements.  Mostly I sit in the cab, punch in numbers, and coach his measuring.

The dog just continues being a dog.  She loves to roll in this dirt!!!

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Here We Go… spring rush!

P was gone for work on Monday and then Tuesday was to check all the equipment for a good day to run on Wednesday.

He went back to a less expensive fertilizer because of the low market prices and applied that all day Weds, Thursday, and Friday.  Just a bit he is putting in other areas to empty the tank and it is already here for today.

He would like to spray his cover crops but the wind is supposed to get to be too much today so we’ll see.  Yesterday was 70′ bright blue skies!  The dog & I sat outside and I brushed her.  Too bad she’d prefer the shade and I want to sit in the sunshine!  She wins…. she is hard to move and has much more fur than me!

When I got a photo of the tractor back home, I found a sleepy dog on the porch.

Earlier while I was out brushing her, I also checked on the lilac bushes.  We trimmed them after blooms last year, as I learned online to produce more blooms this year, and it looks like it is working!  This area of bushes is packed with little buds of blooms growing!!

We tried winter garlic for the first time with planting in November 2015.  So far … all right.  One of 3 varieties is doing well.  Another has fair population, and the 3rd is all but absent!  Thankfully we marked our rows when we planted.

Friday night supper was homemade pizza.  Not totally healthy but better than take-out!

I make 3 small pizzas when I do this so we have one fresh and now I have 2 in the freezer for that night where all I can imagine doing is heating a frozen pizza!

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March Sunset

Many evenings in March have given us stunning colors in the west sky in the evening.  Finally I grabbed the camera and ran out for photos!  As you know… the photos don’t do it justice!

the 11th ~

 

the 16th ~

And I had a few walks outside…..
The Farmer is working on the planter a bit at a time…. and these wimps think they need a cushion and to keep him company!

He took this photo on his phone another day ~

And while I almost got a photo of the dog & me upclose with P in the background, the dog just doesn’t like selfies!!  So P came to help me…. and we have a family of 3 photo!  This was the best I could get.  Such a goofy dog!

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White Dog or Not?

Is the farm dog white and clean?

Or does she….

go wading/swimming on a 55’F day (real feel was 43′ though)

 

in February?  (whoa!!! Such a heat wave!  When does that happen here??)

 

Or does she mostly go digging and come inside at supper time like this?  (she didn’t stay in the kitchen after photos!)

 

 

 

 

 

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Winter Views

She just loves, loves, loves the cold and snow.  I don’t want to even be out.  P just does what needs done and comes in.  The dog thinks ….. ‘ahhhh….. my perfect life….. here on top of the ice-encrusted snow…. just basking’.

Sometimes she aims her big nose right into the cold wind.  Just loving the cold air!

She does like to come in with me on the below zero days for a few hours.  Her big dog prints after our bit of the HUGE store to hit the east coast. (1/20) So glad we didn’t take all the snow before it got to the east!  🙂

Be shocked…. those mornings when the sun arises so late, I saw a sunrise!  I know people talk about them.  It just isn’t something I aim to see in my life.  😉

And one day I could see a cardinal from the computer all the way to the bushes.  There are berries that grow in there for them.  Another day I saw 2 females in the birch tree closer the house.  I finally found the bird feed and the bird feeder and have it outside.  I hope they find it.

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Christmas 2015

We had a very relaxed Christmas Day of just the 4 of us.  We had brunch foods mostly late morning and then everyone is big and was able to find something to eat when they wanted it.  Waffles, yummy coconut flake & raspberry pancakes, Gpa’s fresh maple syrup, yogurt in my bowl, hash browns, bacon.

No one has been interested in family photos lately so I tried one with me & the dog.  She is fine with photos from my camera but really doesn’t like selfies with my phone!  How does she know it ends up on here?

So I worked on a selfie with me & the dog.  As good as it gets….

Miss K had mercy on me and sat near me…. ♥

P slightly allowed one….

All while the dog got special attention and play.

Later we played a new card game that JP had bought.  Exploding Cats.   It is fun and we enjoyed several rounds.  I was out first in this round.

 

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Harvest 15

Random photos from harvest time 2015….

Not working very hard but the cement is cool and she will see anyone come and then spring into action.  Sometimes she is the guard and other times if P arrives, she’ll be glad for a hello and head pat.  I think on this day she & I had had our hike and she was waiting for me to head to the house.

Too many and too friendly cats… love to hang out with P but often are in his way. This is the first one that has climbed inside machinery!

He works.

We aren’t…. at this time.

I asked P if I the resident lawn mower could make a better path for the dog & me on our afternoon walks.  The waterway grasses were up to my waist.  Not so great for walking.  Favorite lawn mower told me he could bring our yard mower out and I had to quickly say NO, as the boss doesn’t want our yard mower in the waterways.  OH.  So he got the older mower he uses around the buildings.  I think the dog knew he was making us a much better path.  And he told me before he set off that he’d mow higher the first pass and come back with it a bit lower.  😀   Check — favorite daughter-in-law rings in again!!

Moving corn from the big bin to a wagon.  A semi must be due to fill soon and the process goes faster if they fill from 2 augers.

The dog loves to deliver suppers with me.  Here we wait for them to get to us and have a place to stop for rearranging jobs and getting their food.

The workers are here.  At some point P comes in to tell them their missions for the next few hours.

She totally ignores my camera on my phone.  Has JP somehow taught her to not like selfies?

They are getting the land near our walking paths harvested so the dog and I can walk a bit farther!  The sun is setting earlier.  I need to get out before it is dark and cooler.

Our Farm Credit Service provided great lunches one day.  Our agent, Kim, called P the days before so he’d know the date & pick-up location for our area and then took his order.  With the extra my in-laws have had to deal with this year, P ordered 5 lunches.  Boy, were MIL & FIL happy to get a sack!!  Hot pork chop sandwiches (2 each), chips, I got us all bottled water vs pops, and then a bag of candy included a full-size snickers, snack size candy bars, and a tootsie pop!  It was a busy weekend for me so I was glad to swing by on my way home and have packed and hot lunches for everyone!  (normally I don’t feed MIL & FIL)

Soybeans were combined from Sept – Oct 10. Everyone around here had trouble getting soybeans harvested this year.  Hopefully that helped all the farmers to know it just wasn’t them.  That gets frustrating!  October was very dry (which is good for harvest) and we ran from October  12 – Oct 27 before a few days off for rain from the hurricane that came through Mexico.  Corn was finished on November 4.  He had also been working at getting cover crops in and finished them a few hours later on November 3.

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Beautiful Sunset

I was getting supper ready and saw what a lovely sky!!  Out my east window!  With a moon rising!

 

If the sunset is pretty enough to reflect all the way around from the west, the actual sunset must be stunning.  Love my open sky concept!

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Who Loves Winter?

She does.

The snow drift has gotten a lot smaller but it seems she likes that spot for guarding.

She heard me through the window and turned!

She really doesn’t like her photo taken.  And when she is inside, she is usually sound asleep.

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