Ticks!!! Need I say more?? It is an epidemic around here! This is by far the worst year for ticks I have experienced in my lifetime. And it is not just because I have two dogs now. I've had as many as three dogs at a time before and never dealt with anything remotely close to ticks on this scale. We don't even get a winter respite anymore. They go all winter long, and then spring comes... It is no exaggeration to say that at least 20-30 ticks are handled DAILY around here. We may have come up with a positive side however. Until now, our main mode of attack has been simply to collect and destroy the ticks, but it turns out that chickens will gladly eat them. So, we have decided instead to save them in a jar for chicken treats. I guess in some small way the dogs are now actually contributing something to the upkeep of this place by supplying free chicken feed. Seriously though, I'm not THAT thrifty, and we are resorting to chemicals to keep the ticks at bay. Which is the lesser of two evils: lacing your dog with poisons so they can in turn poison the pests or living with the rampant invasion of blood-sucking, disease-bearing parasites? I am so jaded now that I'm not sure even the chemicals will make a huge difference, but we are keeping our fingers crossed. Yet another reason to get a flock of guineas!! :)
One of my main pastimes these days has been greenhouse tending. I've been progressively moving seedlings to larger containers as they grow in a process I like to call "The Greenhouse Shuffle". The tomatoes have been very successful again this year, but I am most excited about the alpine strawberries that have sprouted. Since our greenhouse doubles as a shower, and is fairly small to begin with, it is always a tight squeeze to fight everything in. Joe has made some in-ground cold frames to give us extra seed starting space. The garden is doing good, although some rain would be great. It is hard to think that I would be saying that so soon. We had such a rainy streak this spring, but it only takes a week of hot, dry weather to make all that rain a distant memory. Our rain barrels had seemed endless, but now we are not letting a drop of water go to waste. Of course, the spring is still running good, but why spend time pumping it up the hill if we don't have to?
My camera has been found!! After being MIA for about a month in a half, it turns out it was hiding in Joe's "purse" all this time. Pictures to come soon!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Yay for your camera! Aren't you so glad you found it and don't have to buy a new one? Yes, I want to come see you! Sunday would be fine with me if it's fine with the rest of the gang. I was also thinking of seeing you possibly coming while Joe is gone for a week. We have books due on the 11th anyway, so we need to head back that way. We get our bees on Saturday. Love ya!
Post a Comment