Ducks ALIVE in 2025!

[ducks4you]

I want to say that we should CELEBRATE every little garden victory this year!!!
I am working hard to tell you'all about what I did, even if it's a little gardening job, instead of what I intend to do.
My 2024 gardening job intention list is long, indeed.
I should add, however, that the smallest Apple Blossom amaryllis surprised me and grew a 2nd leaf, so it wants to live.
ANYTHING green in February is appreciated.
NOW, with Mardi Gras on March 4, 2024, what to give up for Lent....

 

[ducks4you]

Busy year.
I should tell you all that I resigned as the town's mayor. After I made sure that there was tax money for next year, I decided that 2 years of people arguing out of order, and screaming at only ME, was enough for one person.
Good news!! More time for everything ELSE in my life...like Gardening!!!



I now have time to deal with cleaning up, throwing away and repairing around the house and garden.
After 3 years of service my green flexible garden bucket developed a crack.
I considered using flex glue on this, like I did with the 13 ft gate on my deceased mare's stall, which merited this treatment, I decided instead to use gorilla tape and see how it will last.

 

[ducks4you]

Ponies are turned out with their shelter, they have extra hay, small new 30 gallon water tank is full, so I am still in my jim jams!
Here is a sample packet of late Italian garlic, 3 big cloves, SeedsNow ships many of their sample seeds in very nice small ziploc bags. The hoarder in me has been saving them. If I can send anybody seeds in the future, these are perfect packages.
This package had holes punched in it to prevent mold. Most of them do not.

 

[ducks4you]

Since the soil can be worked, early, and for some Strange reason, so I did 15 minutes work in my 3'x6' bed east of the Inner Sanctum. I pulled/dug out 4 burdock stems, then hand raked up about 2 ft worth of it, then dug a hole and filled 2 old black rubber pony water buckets that had ended up over there. I am not sure if they leak, or what they issue Was, just that they looked like good planters. I had time to dig and partially bury one of them. I planted the 3 Italian late garlic cloves in it, and I had grabbed 3 regular sized canning screw tops that I put in the soil on top of them, to mark where they are now planted. I want them to get some cold treatment, and, if we get too much rain I can always transplant in the Spring.
I hope to eke out enough time tomorrow, beFORE the snow/ice storm on Wednesday, and plant the garlic bubules and seeds that are now stored in a cleaned out and used cake frosting container.
I didn't want to plant any of those on top of the Italian garlic, and the screw tops will help.
Pictures tomorrow, then it will all make sense.
I don't think this is too weird. After all, I was mowing mid March 2024 bc it was that warm.

 

[ducks4you]

I should point out that MANY jobs have gone undone in the last few years. Bad knees will do that to you.
I have a big collection of canning screw top Lids that need to be recycled, for instance. I didn't know for the longest time that you were supposed to take them Off of the jars after canning, unLESS it was a jelly jar that you opened to use and store in the fridge.
Since the humidity in the basement rusts them, I have been gathering up lids for recycle.
I have a LOT of recyclable metal, but I need to make a play date with youngest DD, since I found out that the recycle place in town in open Saturday mornings.
We can get rid of a lot of metal in various places, in used pony grain bags, underneath my canoe, and now in the old popcorn tin, that itself needs recycling, but makes a good receptable for used canning lids and rusty canning screw tops.
I have 2 Lowe's gift cards. Asap, I intend to stop in at my local Lowe's and ask a cashier to check them to see if they still work. If so, same day we drive the Ram Cummins diesel in to recycle, DD and I can blow a small sum there this Spring. I owe youngest DD Big time for all of the pony care this winter, and she needs to replace a board in her attic, which is essentially a third floor of their house, albeit unheated. Before the new roof, which was pricey bc it has asbestos it smelled funny. Now, it smells like wood, and the roofers rebuilt a brand new window with a screen that opens so that they can put in a big window fan there next summer. This attic even has a full set of wooden stairs that match those from the first to second floor of the house, and a door from a bedroom that leads you there.
Old houses can have some cool stuff in them like that.
This board has a big crack and it is right in the middle, where you have to walk, so better to replace than repair.
I am Sure to buy some gardening stuff, too.
This will be a small Spring adventure...