Over the Fence Chat - wk of 4-25

[HilltopDaisy]

Hi everybody. Well, I knew it was too nice to last. We've had a few weeks of awesome weather, warm and dry. It's snowing right now, windy, and there was ice in the water buckets this morning when I went out to feed. At least I was able to get the main garden areas tilled early this year.

I got my bee frames done last week, so now all I have to do is move everything to the permanent spot and set it up. The bees arrive in 2 weeks. I was pleased that while visiting my coworker (who has seven hives) I wasn't the least bit afraid. I have no experience with bees, never been around them before, ever.

All my seedlings are doing well. I have ten types of tomatoes, where in the past I normally would have tried 4 or 5. I hope to compare a few varieties of roma-type tomatoes for productivity and sauce-making, for my personal use.

There are so many things that I could be working on outdoors, but it's cold, and I just can't bring myself to go back out!

[Topaz Farm]

Thank you Diane, I just couldn't think of it.

We planted some squash Sat. and it turned cold Sat. night. :no: The squash plants bit the dust.

It was real chilly Sun. but is warming up to 80 today.

And that is all the news on Topaz Farm. I need to go work with the horses, but it is just a little too windy and besides my kitchen floor desperatly needs moping.

[NativeRose]

About the only thing we haven't had here in my part of Texas is snow. I am almost afraid to say that as it may snow yet. :haha: This has been the craziest April I remember alternating days of 80+ degrees and cold and thunderstorms. Yesterday morning it was 48 degrees and warmed to 80 by the afternoon. There is a 60 % chance of rain today. Tomorrow it will probably be 110 :haha: :haha: Well, such is living in Texas.

Berries are ripening and I have picked a few. I am going out later today and pick some more. I love blackberries. I hope to make blackberry jelly and preserves and blackberry cobbler. Yum!

Hugs and Prayers,
Rosemary

[Topaz Farm]

NativeRose ..I love blackberries. I hope to make blackberry jelly and preserves and blackberry cobbler. Yum!

Oh me too. We do have two blackberry bushes to plant. Do you get any mayhaws around where you are?

[NativeRose]

Topaz Farm Yes there are some mayhaws if we can get to them before the birds. Yesterday when I was at our family reunion grounds I found a blackhaw tree. Hubby and I looked around and found some small blackhaw trees. We are going to go back and dig them up before someone mows them down. I am trying to save some native trees and plants as they are being destroyed by developers and deforestation in my area. Some 100+ year old forests are disappearing daily along with native plants and trees. Most people have no knowledge of these native plants and trees.

[Topaz Farm]

Native Rose I am not familar with a blackhaw tree. Must look that one up. There used to be a sassfrass tree out near my Grandparents. We made Sassfrass tea/rootbeer which ever you happen to want to call it.

[NativeRose]

Good Afternoon All! I guess a lot of you are out and about gardening and such. I hope your weather is as beautiful as mine is today.

Mom and I went out this morning and picked dew berries. I didn't get a lot as many are still red and I will be able to pick them this weekend. It was getting pretty hot out so I will wait until this afternoon to pick some more. As we drove past my dad's big lake the fish were popping. I want to go fishing this weekend.
Camping out sounds fun. I think I will plan a campout.

I went and checked the 100+ year old plum tree and it is covered with baby plums that will be ready in July. I also found another muscadine vine and hopefully it will bear grapes by this September. Near the vine were 5 sprouts of muscadine vine and I am going to dig them up this afternoon and plant them near my garden. The red haw tree has bloomed and it will make a few haw apples. It was so nice out. I saw one huge coachwhip snake and near some rocks two huge snake skins. Yikes they are out and about already.

I am keeping an eye on my little heifer/cow, Honeysuckle Red, as she is making a bag and is about to calve for the first time. I hope she has a heifer as all of our other calves, except for one, are bull calves.

I checked my tomatoes and some have set fruit. I can't wait for fresh home grown tomatoes. Yum!

My you each have sunshine and balmy beautiful spring days.
Rosemary

[Cindy in KY]

It looks and feels like the Rain Forest here. Having rain and cool all week, the ground is soaked, but everything is soooooo green. Not too muddy, just really wet. It didn't even rain last night, and my roof is dripping this morning. Stuff growing fast, you can just pull stuff right out of the ground it's so wet now. I finished planting my new roses, the bunnys ate the leaves off one of them, but it will grow new ones. I've got to put little fences around them. Didn't know bunnys liked rose leaves, with sooooo much grass out there. I mowed again inbetween storms. The pastures are coming on fast now, animals out eating all day. One good thing about the cool weather is that the carpenter bees are hiding, they only like hot days.

Steve got us a load of Hostess in the horse trailor. Got some good stuff, lots of plain donuts, angel food cakes, pies, bread sticks. Been piggin. Animals too.

3 black horses showed up in the cow pasture that borders our pasture, don't know whose they are. Not too funny, as we have 2 mini studs that border that fence too, so hopefully the boys won't see them up close. Hopefully the cow owner will find out who they belong to and herd them back down the road.

Hope you all have a nice day today...

[Topaz Farm]

Good Afternoon

I had to have the vet out to check my 3yo filly, Lena, Thurs. She has a respitory infection, and now the yearling is coughing. But they are both a little better. Lena hasn't had fever since Thurs, which is good. I suspect that the cold nights and hot days had something to do with her getting sick. A couple of days it got up to 90 and above.

May is due Thurs, which really makes her due any day now. We got her pen nice a clean.....finally. Yeah for us!!! They are calling for a thunderstorm tomorrow and shower Tues & Wed. If it rains hard, that means the pens are a mess again.

Talked to the breeder and Gin and finally gotten over her shyness.


Haven't replaced the squash plants yet. The tomato and berry plants are sitting on the porch. The fruit trees we planted are doing OK. In fact, the fig tree has little figs on it.

We also planted a couple of butterfly bushes, one white and one purple. They were pretty good size and already had blooms. Now if the butterflies would just find them.