Ducks 4 in '24

[heirloomgal]

My sweet mare died on Tuesday evening. Looks like her heart failed and she fell over in the stall.
"Warrens Cindy," (1998-2024, RIP), aka "Moon Eyes"
THEN, no rendering in IL since 2019!!!
I was blessed. Guy I Knew, Contractor, was willing to bring his ginormous backhoe and bury her on Thursday. $200.00 which was unbelievably inexpensive. Job done, BUT, he hit a tile. He promises to be back sometime in the next week to repair. I had already moved the 2 boys to the north pasture, 3 acres uneaten for the last month, so plenty of food. I moved the small water tank there, just about to refill it.
It is WICKED hot today and tomorrow, then high of 77 on Wednesday and nearly a week of that and low 80's.
Guess it's good that I Didn't cut down the trees west of the west fencing. Good shade there.

I'm so sorry to hear about your mare @ducks4you

 

[flowerbug]

i'm also sorry for the loss of your friend and companion of many years. i'm glad you were able to bury her someplace close.

 

[ducks4you]

Waiting on the contractor to come and fill in the 4 ft deep hole.
I bought hay for 24-25 for Three horses, now have only two. It will keep, unless a tornado takes my barn and the bales get soaked. Hay loses some potency for about one year, then pretty much no more after that.
Lovely Christian couple, actual SHE has taken me on as a project, and keeping me accountable for Village business, etc. HE is a tractor guy, showed me a photo of him driving an old John Deere in a recent parade that he rebuilt.
They came out Sunday PM to look at my tractor problem. He pulled apart the safety lock button and, after three hours came to the same conclusion that DH, me and two others came to--pin isn't long enough to hold the locking mechanism for the shovel/bucket. He also said, "all you have is a glorified lawn mower."
THAT was what I was saying!
So...as soon as the tile is repaired and ponies are back in their full pasture, I need to dress up and go in to make my demands to the store that sold this $25K machine, that is, that 4 years ago store sent two clowns out to repair this (at that time) a $65 piece, then ridiculed me when I asked to be shown how to operate my tractor.
I want a mechanic to replace the piece (or maybe they installed the Wrong one, since they sell smaller tractors--maybe it goes to a subcompact??) and walk me through putting the shovel bucket off and on.
I want NO CHARGE for this service, since I already paid for it FOUR YEARS AGO.
We have 3 more payments--it was zero APR--and we own it, and I don't think I will get anywhere After that.
They should make it right.
If not, I will be happy to NOT recommend them. I imagine my tractor friend can help me find or make a part that works, it that is the case.
Most of the dealer's customers buy $1 Million dollar machines, so I am chump change.
My tractor friend is NOT impressed with Kubota after this experience.
If I had had the same guy that delivered my Kubota riding mower I would have been happier. THAT guy asked me if I wanted to be shown how to operate it. I have driven a riding mower since I was 12yo, but I said, "yes."
I learned some things that have been very helpful.
Here is the $65 red pin. It is ~ 1/2 wide. You can See that the tiny pin doesn't make it into the slot.

 

[ducks4you]

Just about to go garden. Did a bunch of little inside jobs--made the bed, did the dishes, received the 2 pack of high yield toners for my dual tray Brother printer, installed one and stored the other, also wrote on the plastic packaging contents and month/date, put away the Village debit card back in it's proper place, since I used it at Harbor Freight recently to buy a shelving unit for the new printer, now it is living in my office desk drawer in my 2nd floor home office, pulled the packaging tape off of the cardboard box so I can use it outside, used a Sharpie on an old credit card, but into pieces and deposited in several different house trash cans so that nobody can piece it together in the trash since each will be thrown away at different times--stuff like that
We'll see what I get done today. I will report back.
HIgh of 76 today, so perfect weather!

 

[heirloomgal]

Just about to go garden. Did a bunch of little inside jobs--made the bed, did the dishes, received the 2 pack of high yield toners for my dual tray Brother printer, installed one and stored the other, also wrote on the plastic packaging contents and month/date, put away the Village debit card back in it's proper place, since I used it at Harbor Freight recently to buy a shelving unit for the new printer, now it is living in my office desk drawer in my 2nd floor home office, pulled the packaging tape off of the cardboard box so I can use it outside, used a Sharpie on an old credit card, but into pieces and deposited in several different house trash cans so that nobody can piece it together in the trash since each will be thrown away at different times--stuff like that
We'll see what I get done today. I will report back.
HIgh of 76 today, so perfect weather!

When does the puppy arrive?

 

[ducks4you]

I have to wait until around Christmas. Same breeder takes the puppies to a really good Vet and gets shots, etc., and I got a copy of Eva's records, should be same.
He takes at least a Little bit of concern to breed healthy puppies, so the $ and the wait are worth it.

 

[ducks4you]

FINALLY got my last cherry tomato transplanted, in the west and north bed by the garage. I dug out and threw away runners from the sawgrass trying to take over, plus the bindweed. I CAN burn it, but if it sits, it spreads.
Cherry tomato plants in this bed will still gets lots of sun.
You should take pictures of your garden during the winter to find out how much MINIMUM sunlight each part of the garden(s) get(s).
Yesterday, I did a bunch of little inside 5 minute jobs, starting with replacing the toner in my Brother Dual Tray printer. They ALWAYS come in the box with a partial toner, and I think the original one only lasted 500 pages.
I bought a 2 pack, High Yield toners, delivered yesterday morning, so I can now print ~16,000 pages before I will need to repurchase. $175, but Staples gives me "rewards" to spend later. Funny, that will be my check from my last signing.
Village just bought a new b & w printer, and That High Yield toner goes 10,000 pages, just by comparison.
Unless your print rarely, I would advise against an inkjet. Inkjets run through your wallet.
WhatEVER you use do NOT buy ANYTHING refurbished!!!
I worked at an office a few years back, and a previous employee ordered refurbished ink, and somebody installed it and had to wash green ink off of her hands and off of the printer.
I have used a refurbished toner, ONCE, and I had black dust E V E R Y W H E R E!!
It's always nice when the printer goes from "Please Wait" to "Ready."
Sharpie'd out a Capital One Credit card that I never activated, cut into 5 pieces and distributed to 5 different home trash cans so that no 2 pieces can be picked out of my garbage.
Did some clean up in my office and filled a regular trash bag--I have an old rectagular toybox (of sorts) where I throw away paper, then burn.
Made the bed, organized more stuff...
Didn't get outside until 1:30PM
Checked on my cucumbers, and the cheapo "Muncher" seeds, the 2/$1 that I bought at Dollar General, came through! They ALL sprouted--go figure?!?!?
Looks like another week to harvesting about 4 of the others...roll the dice to see what they are.

 

[ducks4you]

Yesterday I took my reciprocating saw to the first panel of fencing by the street. The "trees of paradise" had gotten 7 ft tall and we couldn't see somebody coming down our quiet street--even almost hit somebody the other day.
Took an hour, had to cut on both sides of the fencing including bindweed, I still need to pick it up and move it to the north pasture pile, but we can, again, see.
Guy who buried my mare sent his brother and nephew this morning to repair the tile, that is the clay pipe, buried 4 ft down, that he hit digging the first burial hole last week. All fixed. Water is running from the street OUT to the corn field west of my property.
While I was waiting I watered all of the cucumber plants--four cucumbers coming along, 3 inches long--and the last 13 beefsteak tomatoes, then mowed down the general weeds in the 55 ft x 65 ft training area, AND I used my fiscar pruners to cut and remove the overgrown bindweed around my satellite dish so that I wouldn't yank any wires, weeded the support for the village light pole a few feet away. Bindweed had grown 15 ft upwards on the support, but I left it. Not connected anymore it will die and dry up--not worth spending my limited energy and knee on it.
DD's just bought a new push mower bc theirs had the cord for the self propel pull out, and left me the box.
Cardboard box is now full of bindweed, and a couple of armfuls of sticks that were left after the limb in the south yard was removed.
I have a few phone calls to make, thus why I am online right now, then out to load up my push mower, the reciprocating saw, and the extension cords to cut down burdock and other weeds along the fencelines, specifically on the west fenceline. Ponies go back on the turnout around the barn, but I will kick them off of the north pasture.
I intend to do an initial first burn maybe tonight, tomorrow morning, then more burdock and cut vegetation to go onto it.

 

[ducks4you]

Here is the cheapo cucumber packaging.

 

[digitS']

Well, packet says "American seed."

When Beit Alpha cucumbers first showed up in the U.S., Muncher was the only open-polinated. Convinced that they were something special, I tried a hybrid type — almost had zero production off of them. The hybrid was wonderful but so few I would have been discouraged from having this type if I hadn't grown Muncher first.

There are more OP Beit Alpha seed available now but that variety works for me . Some years, Lemon cucumbers from a Spring planting won't be ready for harvest until September. The same may be true of the Japanese varieties that I've tried. That's a long wait and unnecessary. There are American slicers and that Muncher able to show up in the kitchen much sooner.

Steve
& those tiny cucamelons have had to be grabbed just before the first frost!