The rain started slowly, quieting the wind chimes and stopping or slowing the whirlygigs.
And it remained pretty steady for the better part of two days.
The rain gauge says a little over 2 inches of rain fell.
All the plants are so happy now!
BTW, the plants in the cold frame are Masai filet bush beans—and once those guys get rolling, they will make filet beans until they are stopped by a heavy frost some time in October.
I am happy too. Even though I’m dealing with a problem tire that is leaking air, I am happy.
Jackpot comes Sunday, assuming “God willing and the creek don’t rise.” So, two more days, which is good as I need to sort that tire.
Glenna from Sweet Pups said they had a terrible storm last night that blew out the electricity and caused all the female pregnant dogs to start giving birth. She has called in extra hands and hopes to leave very soon now. Texas is an hour behind Maine, so it was just after 8 am when she texted this, hopefully, small delay.
I’m enjoying coffee and a leisurely-spent morning as I wait for the big storm that is almost here.
RAIN!
I’ve followed quilter Bonnie Hunter’s blog for years now—and made many of her quilts. This morning she posted so many, many beautiful pictures she took after visiting a local flower farm with friend Martha—who dragged Bonnie out of her normal routine yesterday. (Bonnie runs a quilting retreat Inn that takes up to 12 guests at a time for a week.)
Bonnie has had a series of accidents this past year—and the last one broke her nose, blacked her eyes, and broke her foot/ankle. A swing broke and the upper supportive wooden bar came down and hit her. Her face is healed now, and she’s now in a boot she can take off here and there, and she seems to be feeling better. But I agree with her supportive friend Martha: Bonnie needed a break and a fun outing.
I was reminded while looking at the beautiful pictures she posted, that while I LOVE color and various color combinations, I have always loved red and green together. (I’m not talking about the bright and flat greens and reds that often appear in Christmas art.) Winter brings shades of green firs and red berries. But summer holds red-green combinations too. Here’s a picture Bonne included:
Rich reds and greens AND a Swallowtail butterfly.
I spent some time this morning after reading Bonnie’s daily post ordering seeds from Fedco and included zinna seeds since I have always loved them. The Cosmos seeds I just threw into garden beds and loosely scratched into the ground came up and are starting to bloom now. I’m going to try more of that in that pesky front bed on the hill. But I’ll plant the zinnas next spring more strategically. And I ordered the winter lettuce mix that I seed into my cold frame and cover for the winter.
One task yesterday was stuffing the doggie “bongs” with mashed green banana mixed with our local small “wild” blueberries and then freezing them for when I have to leave Jackpot in his crate for short periods next week—as I attend short events that I could not cancel. He’s too young to leave in the car alone just yet—but that will happen in time. And maybe pretty quickly. That will be a learning curve for him and will depend on how much I can trust him with his potty training.
Ripe bananas contain a TON of fructose sugar, but green bananas contain resistant starches that feed a dog’s microbiome and offer “antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory tannins, along with carotenoids that help prevent oxidative stress.” Blueberries are “an awesome source of prebiotic fiber and are chock-full of polyphenols….”. (Quotes are from THE FOREVER DOG, Dr. Karen Show Becker and Rodney Habib, page 230.) It is possible to overdue with the green banana, so use in small amounts. I froze the extra I had.
I cooked yesterday, so I’m going downstairs to sew.
A Nor’Easter, and it is arriving tonight and will hang until Thursday morning. If we are lucky.
When I woke up this morning I made my bed and dressed—and then realized that it was Tuesday, which is the day I do laundry.
After I had my morning coffee, I unmade the bed and washed things as I would not be able to hang my sheets on the line tomorrow. I love my clothes line. And I love sheets that have dried in the sun.
I FINISHED the LONG, LONG, LONG red wool scarf I’ve been knitting here and there. It’s all ready for winter, and I won’t be fussing about a too-short scarf this year. It’s at least 6 feet long and so yummy.
If you buy things in packages, it would be best now to reread all the labels.
Crickets! As in there are crickets in this package.
I’ve been reading about the “push” to include insects in our food, but I didn’t think it would happen this fast.
Note that the “cheddar cheese” is a “flavored” powder. That’s a fake food with a chemical tasting like cheese. I would argue that grains and too many beans mean too many carbohydrates—all of which turn into sugar in your body. I can’t eat beans, sadly. And I love grains of all kinds. But I now treat them like treats. These “puffs” may taste good, but that’s it nutritionally. This food will do you no favors. None.
Here’s today’s dinner, which I eat at noon.
I grilled a package of drumsticks—it doesn’t take long and they cook while I cooked the rice and the carrots. The rice only takes 10 minutes—and yes it is not an especially good food choice, but this basmanti rice is so fragrant and rich with a buttery flavor. It’s a treat. The okra is from the frozen okra packets I found at the Belfast coop. The cukes and carrots are organic. I so love our local cucumbers in the summer—just cold and sliced with a little salt and dill and a scant drizzle of olive oil. If I could, I’d add a splash of vinegar.
Last night I watched the Dutch movie THE FORGOTTEN BATTLE—a World War II battle that did not include Americans, but did include the Brits and Canadians who, like the Americans, are pushing the Nazis north. The battle takes place in the Netherlands after the Normandy landing and covers three characters who rub up against each other tangentially in the course of the story. It’s really well done—a complex, sensitive story. It is a war movie though—and you know what that means. Battle wounds and some Nazi evil. It’s on Netflix.
I spot mowed yesterday. The front grass needed mowing. There was also one spot in the back and the grass along the driveway.
When I finish mowing, I always love how tidy and pretty the grass and gardens look—even when yesterday the garden plants are falling over from the drought and the grass has huge brown patches. I stood on the front porch for a minute, looking out to the garage, watching the whirlygigs whirl, and hearing the windchimes at my back.
Sweet Pups has an alternative driver, but he was in North Carolina. They will get a new schedule organized this week. Meanwhile Sweet Pups President and driver Glenna is home resting and being monitored by her doctor. She is an amazing person and works so very hard for the dogs she rescues, saves, and keeps in the Sanctuary.
Turkey Tracks and Interesting Information: August 12, 2022
*Update on Jackpot below.
Quilty and Lion friend Sharon Flanagan came for a visit Wednesday, and it was good to catch up with her. Sharon does a lot of all kinds of amazing work in our community.
As we walked around my garden before she left, look what she saw. I’m not sure I would have seen these Monarch caterpillars if she hadn’t looked closer. One of the things Sharon and I share is a love of nature, gardens, and the science behind many subjects/things. I always learn something from her, and this visit was no exception.
I scattered Milkweed pods collected here and there many years ago down in the meadow, but the seeds chose, in part, the front garden over the lower wall as the place they wanted to live. That area has a fringe strip garden that borders the lawn and is neat, but behind it I just let Nature have her way as it is too steep for me to weed and police now.
The pictures below are of two plants. And you can see how the caterpillars devour these plants. Soon they will make a chrysalis and take the next step to becoming a butterfly. I had simply been too busy to go looking for caterpillars on these milkweed plants, though I knew the plants were in that area.
Now an update on Jackpot.
He is NOT coming on Sunday.
Last night the Messenger link between owners of the 26 dogs being transported and the Rescue/Sanctuary, which had been quiet all day as the crew was getting the van ready for departure this morning, told us that Glenna was in the hospital as of 4 pm yesterday. Sheila, who was my first contact at the organization, said Glenna was going to be ok and that she had been reminding Glenna that it was a good thing that she had not started the trip on Thursday. So, it was not an accident, but some other health issue that side-lined her.
So now Glenna is trying to organize getting the dogs to us asap. And we are all waiting. But we are all also hoping that Glenna is going to be ok. It’s clear that she is a very special person—who is gentle and passionate about rescuing dogs in trouble. I have every faith that this current problem will get solved.
My own take is that Glenna lives under a lot of stress. On Wednesday she and the young man in the pictures I posted recently that show Jackpot rescued 8 puppies from a house where the area IN THE HOUSE where they were was literally covered with dog feces and trash. They had to walk through squishy poop to even get the puppies out.
There are videos and pictures on the Sweet Pups FB page and maybe the web site of that event, but I would not necessarily recommend going there to look at it. You’ll want to vomit and the pictures will haunt you. However, note that now those 8 puppies, many of whom now have skin and other medical issues, will have to be spayed/neutered, vaccinated, medicated, and fed for some time.
Turkey Tracks and Interesting Information: August 10, 2020
More on Wasps and Hornets
We moved to Maine in June 2004, and in January 2005 I took a class on creating and keeping a picture journal that I successfully kept for a year and that resulted in two volumes. Now one of the volumes sits on a counter downstairs, above my washer and dryer, as I follow along in the year. I turn the pages every day and really enjoy seeing how 2005 compares to what is happening each year since.
Here’s the page I did on August 10th—about wasps and hornets. And it sorts out the hornets and the wasps.
It does not cover the ground types—some of which are bee forms. And I got stung here years ago when I encountered a ground nest on the back hill.
There is an old wives tale that if you get stung, something in your system needs the venom.
For whatever that is worth. But I haven’t been stung again, knock on wood.
Glenna of Sweet Pups Sanctuary and Rescue has been sending us pictures of the dogs who will be coming to Maine later this week—via a link to all of us on Messenger.
Yesterday, she sent pictures that included High-Top/to be called Jackpot by me.
The running blur in front was one of a set of dogs rescued while living in a brush pile. The bigger dog in back—wait for it and don’t read further without bracing yourself—was being used as BAIT for ALLIGATORS. I can’t even…. What is wrong with people—to have such little regard for another sentient being. The dog had a horribly infected foot, which got even worse after being rescued, but which is now healed. And there is my Jackpot, with his tail curved in excitement over his back.
I love it that the people at Sweet Paws spend time with the dogs. And that the dogs have time to play and run outside. I can’t wait for this bundle of kisses to be on my lap.
Look at this happy face.
Jackpot is looking more like 4 months, not 3, to me in these pictures. And big enough to jump on the bed and not fall off of it in the night. I hope so anyway, as that will make taking care of him at night easier.
He also looks big enough to potty train, which takes time and patience and is helped by the dog being a bit older than brand new puppy.
It’s going to be a long week. Meanwhile the Sanctuary is madly busy with getting all the dogs ready to transport.
I woke to a wet world. I don’t know how much rain I got here yet as I have not checked the gauge, but more is predicted for today. I am crossing my fingers—and know that I’ll need to mow before Jackpot comes.
I’m “clearing the deck” here as much as possible so I can spend pretty much constant time with Jackpot as he adjusts to his forever home. This time will prevent inappropriate chewing and potty accidents as well.
Turkey Tracks and Interesting Information: August 8, 2022
Wasp Pollinators
The Pee Gee Hydrangea is in full and glorious bloom.
Pee Gees can and do grow into tree size. I keep mine cut back to a shrub form, but pruning comes in the fall when the white blossoms have turned to deep rusty red.
What has been totally fascinating to me this summer is the huge amount of different kinds of pollinators on all my flowers and the raspberries. I stopped picking the last of the raspberries as tiny wasps were feeding on the ripe berries. Indeed, I have been hesitant about cutting back any of the plants that are now loaded with pollinators—as I do not want to risk a wasp or bee sting—especially as I live alone.
I am astonished to note that in the hum of insects on the Pee Gee blossoms, there is a tiny wasp who is clearly collecting pollen. Who knew?
Here’s where the now overgrown Pee Gee is in my poor, dry, deer-eaten garden. Serious pruning will occur this fall—and I’ll bring some of the cut now-rusty red blooms in the house to dry in vases.
And here’s a view from the guest bedroom inside the house.
There was a thunderstorm late yesterday, but the rain gauge says only 1/4 inch. There may be more rain later today, and it is now cooler and overcast.
We didn’t get any of the possible rain predicted during this last week, and temps went higher.
We have a serious drought here—with grass and fields turning brown.
I think the drought is part of why the deer is eating my green plants in the garden. She did serious damage Friday night. I didn’t spray when I saw her last week, as I thought we would get rain and was going to wait. That was a mistake, for sure. I sprayed yesterday, so we will see.
I’ve also spent HOURS researching what to feed a puppy. Can I just say that the first ingredient on the Purina Puppy Chow is whole grain CORN, followed by chicken by-product MEAL and soybean MEAL, meat “flavors,” and host of what are likely really cheap chemicals. No wonder dogs today are as sick as people. This food is starchy and a chemical brew. There is NO WAY I can put this crap in a bowl for any living creature to eat. This…. This is a great example of what has gone seriously wrong in this country in my not so humble opinion.
Note: I completely understand why the rescue organization uses this food. They are operating on a shoe string financially and are doing the best they can. This food has got to be better than what these puppies were getting while their mother was tied under a tree and at the mercy of owners who should be immediately tied to that tree for the rest of their lives. I can’t imagine what the mother or the pups were fed, which is why Buster Brown was sick when rescued. The carelessness of some people with regard to pets just does not amaze me, but hurts my heart.
Right now, stop! And google “Maggie’s Song” by Chris Stapleton and listen to it.
Feeding puppies is tricky. I could feed an adult dog real food in my sleep—and have with the last 3 dogs I’ve had over the last 20+ years. Puppies need higher levels of zinc and calcium and an appropriate balance between calcium and phosphorus, for two things. And the need for appropriate omega 3 fats. And whatever recipe one uses, it has to contain balanced nutrition or it can cause problems. Plus, too much of some nutrients can also cause problems.
So, I’ve learned a lot about raw food recipes, where to get things like whole beef and whole chicken ground with bones and organs, and a whole bunch of new ingredients for me that provide needed nutrients (powdered kelp, hempseed, green lipped muscle powder, krill oil, and more).
I am old enough to remember when dry dogfood wasn’t around. My grandparents fed dogs kitchen scraps, and most lived to ripe old ages and looked really healthy. I don’t know what else these dogs ate, but it wasn’t dry dog food. And meds like heartworm preventatives weren’t around—so these dogs had to have pretty strong immune systems. I did just fine with my last 3 dogs—the two rat terriers lived to be 16 years old, and AC’s coat and teeth were awesome.
But I can do better, and I have some recipes with which to start. It is also important to change out or combine protein meat sources to prevent the development of food allergies. I’ve found places that ship the meat proteins I need, and now I’m hoping they will arrive without mishap, still cold, etc.
It’s all a very interesting journey…
Once Jackpot is 1 year, I can use many more recipes that are suitable for adult dogs and that can be sourced easily locally.
I will also use Milk Thistle in a herbal form to help him detox from all the puppy vaccines, heartworm and worming meds, etc. And Slippery Elm is on the way to help with any diarrhea he may get. He’s had a long journey and will arrive tired and stressed.
I finished the “Wyoming Stars” quilt top and am now piecing a backing with the last of the Cotton+Steel bigger fabric pieces.
This block has fascinated me as when used without sashing it makes the most interesting secondary patterns.
I chose to make the block center dark, but when sewn to other blocks a pattern of light and dark squares forms. Also a larger light diamond forms with a star at the center. Then there are the x’s and long diagonal lines that form.
It’s busy, so the dark border contains/stops the business. I think it will need a light binding, and I have enough of one more bigger fabric to use for binding that is a sort of tan neutral.
It’s going to be HOT here today. And there is no rain in sight of any appreciable amount for the next week.
But Jackpot’s journey to me will begin this week, and he arrives next Saturday. The new dog beds and toys are here, and my life is about to drastically change. Again.
Louisa Enright's Blog 