Bogieblog

Pillows and Rugosas Have Nothing to do With Each Other

Yesterday when we got home from the dump run, there was a package on the front porch. Pillows from Cop Car!!!

They go great with the Livingroom furniture!

Also yesterday (it was a busy day), I cleaned out the rugosa roses. I hadn't done that for a couple of years and there were a lot of dead canes for two reasons. The summer of 2011 I poisoned them - on purpose. the canes were invading past the rock wall, into the path to the dog pen. I spent years trying to dig out roots and canes, but to no avail. I finally got out some vine and stump killer to kill the canes closest to the wall. Then last winter was very rough on them (mild, but no snow to protect them), and which killed more plants.

In the picture you can see I really wiped out the closest portion - the portion further away was not done until today. Poor things will not bloom this year, and will loook like azz for at least a year, but they will eventually come back and be beautiful again.

Big John Comes Home

We have had a fairly dry spring, so WS's equipment was delivered earlier than expected. Cop Car gets a gold star for guessing/deducing the brand of the equipment WS has purchased - it is a John Deere (nicknamed Big John). However, she is sadly mistaken by thinking it is a tractor.

And in Other News at the Bogie Stead

Last week we had some nice days. Wednesday and Friday were nice enough that I rode to work. We also didn't bother to light the woodstove the evenings of Tuesday or Friday - which brings to a total of 3 (or maybe 4) days that the stove has been out since winter started. The nights are still usually cold - in the 20's or 30's, so an evening fire is still the norm though.

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Friday morning I was amazed that there wasn't much traffic once I got toward the MA state line and all the rest of the way to work. I briefly thought there was a holiday that I didn't know about. Of course I hadn't seen the news (I leave before the news comes on) and since I was riding the bike, I couldn't listen to the news while on my way so I didn't know about the drama in Watertown (and MIT before then). A couple of people couldn't come in to work as they were in the shut down area as they hunted for the Boston Bombing suspect.

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Went to get the Jeep inspected yesterday. After an hour, the counter guy said that we had a "Huge problem". I looked at him and he went on that my vehicle passed inspection with "flying colors". So I asked him what the issue was. Apparently they ran out of 2014 stickers and couldn't get them until Monday. I now have to go back next Saturday to get my sticker. Not a huge deal, just an inconvenience, but a bit irritating never the less because I had made the appointment at the beginning of the week, so they knew they needed a sticker for my vehicle.

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WS has decided we need another piece of equipment to help with projects around the house/yard. He has bought it, but can't have it delivered yet because it needs some work (it is very used), and it is mud season here, so getting out to it in the pasture is problematic. I won't say what it is, and let you guys make guesses until it makes its way here next month.

I think I have caught up with my lack of posting the last month or two - but don't get used to it!

Early Spring Showing

I wondered around the yard today to see what was getting ready to bloom. The forsythia looks to be ready to bloom in a week or so.

The lilacs are putting out buds

The shrub in the middle of the driveway, which I can't remember the name to (and googling doesn't help) is really close to blooming (those are closed flowr buds).

And one lone group of crocus surprised me by being in full bloom in the path under the fenceline.

I also saw some things that surprised me - the evergreen cotoneasters were very brown, so I am wondering if they made it thru the winter. Several other shrubs also were not looking very healthy. Although the winter wasn't overly tough (no more so than usual), December did have some very cold nights during which we had no snow cover, so that may have something to do with it. Of course, it is early and if the roots survived, then they will come back.

This is the time of year that I am impatient for plants to start showing signs of life so I can be sure that they made it for another witner.

Photo Op

The other night I came into the living room from the kitchen, and saw a sight that I need to get a picture of; Missy and Prince laying down, facing the dining room with Tory sitting between them, looking the same way.

I got the camera off the microwave (don't ask me why it is kept there, but there it has resided for several years). and was just in time . . .

Only 45 More Days

I decided today was the day to get the tomatoes transplanted into pots. The peppers could wait as they had just emerged a week ago, but the tomatoes had to go now or I would rip their roots to shreds getting them out of the felt matting that is at the bottom of the seedling trays (part of the self watering system). Although the temps weren't ideal, in the 40's when I started, the sun was strong and warmed the deck up well even though I think the top temp was in the low 50's.

After transplanting all 36 cells of tomatoes I asked WS if he would have time to put up the green house. It didn't matter to me, I just wanted to know if I should continue with the peppers. With the tomatoes transplanted, they would take up all available space in the grow rack (with the two trays of pepper seedlings) so I needed to know before continuing.

He allowed how I was a slave-driver, but he would put up the greenhouse for me. So, the peppers got transplanted and then I went to see what WS was cursing about as he was erecting the greenhouse. Upon seeing the greenhouse cover, I knew that this would definitely be the last year to use it. We had to use lots of duct tape to cover holes and pathc ripped seams. We didn't bother with the smaller holes, but the plastic had begun to get brittle, so any rips just become bigger with the stretching of the material over the frame.

Once we got the cover squared away, I got the plants on the shelves and set up a space heater that will keep the area 40-45 degrees at night. Only 45 more days (plus or minus) before it wil be time to transplant into the garden.

I have been looking for a replacement - either cover or entire collapsible greenhouse, but so far the search has been in vain. At least for a 4 x 6 greenhouse that is of a shape that I can use the shelves I already have. A 4 x 4 is a little too small (even if it comes with shelves) and the 6 x 8's I have seen look like they will be really flimsy in the wind unless I buy special shelving for them. I have a whole season to look and make a final decision, but for now, the one we have now will do.

April: The Month for Family Birthdays

Happy Birthday to Cop Car who is a somewhere around legal drinking age now.

 

Also, a big Happy Birthday to Fantastic Niece - her birthday was a couple of days ago, but since she rarely (if ever) reads this blog, won't know that the internet BD wishes were a couple of days late. Her card should have arrived in time anyway.

Mid April Snow

Last week was a decent week weather-wise, even though it rained each night Monday thru Wednesday. Although not overly warm (in the 40's, here at the Bogie estate), the rain got rid of much of the snow and cleared any areas we needed to ride the bikes thru. So, WS called and arranged to pick up the bikes on Saturday.

Naturally, at that point, the Mother Nature decided she didn't like our plans. Thursday it was sleeting when I got home. It did warm up thru the night, so it was just rain in the morning, but the temps were hovering around the freezing point.

Then Friday, it sleeted and snowed until the Bogie estate looked like this when I got home:

Keep in mind, to get the bikes in, we have to take them not only up the driveway, but also all the way up to, and thru the front yard in front of the porch, and about 60 ft to the left of the house (as looking at it in the picture), then turn a circle so we can back into the shed. This is not something that you really want to do in the snow.

Ws was optimistic that we would get enough sun and warm weather on Saturday to rid us of the snow. Me, not so much. We decided we could pick up the bikes, leave them at the shop WS works at, then pick them up Sunday (today) if we needed to. By the time we left yesterday, most of the snow had melted, except the part up the driveway and at the place we would have to turn into the yard.

I opted to not bring my bike home, instead will pick it up later today. WS brought his bike home (after spending some time at work getting some paperwork done) and by the time he got home, the rest of the snow on the driveway had melted. So, his ride in was uneventful except that the ground was really soft at the point he turned into the yard, which made the bike want to wallow. However, WS is experienced enough that it wasn't really a problem, just got the heart beating a little faster for a second.

Hopefully the soft spot in the yard will have dried up some by the time I bring my bike home this afternoon. Slick grass can cause enough issues, don't need that same area to be messing with the bike in other ways too.

Its a Start

Last Saturday was really nice; sunny and in the high 40s (or maybe low 50's) so I decided to start garden seeds. It took a while, but I finally dragged the table out from under the deck (the snow is still about 4 feet high there, and the bottom of the deck is about 5 feet, so it took a bit of doing). I got 36 each of tomatoes and peppers planted. I also planted 3 baskets of greens.

Tuesday evening the greens were up, and Thursday evening the tomatoes were up. The peppers are still sleeping, but they tend to run 10-14 days before gemination.

Last year I had repotted all the seedlings by April 29th and set them out in the collapsible greenhouse. Somehow I don't think that is going to happen this year.

Picture was Friday, late afternoon as I was getting home from work. Maybe by mid May we'll get the greenhouse up.

UPDATE: Strange, the rest of the state is under a red flag warning for wildfires. I don't think we have to worry about that at the Bogie manse!

Coming Home to Roost

Art, the osprey, is on his way home (okay, he lives  here 1/2 time) and our local TV station has a graphic tracking his progress. He flew an impressive 452 miles in 19.5 hours - presumably without a rest since he was flying over the ocean. Here is another article about Art , his solar powered GPS, and the researchers tracking him.

Hoping Art has good winds, and safe passage.