The old thread was getting quite large so let's move here.
(You're welcome Sally!!!)
Doug
General Discussions 2008 - Chapter 24
doug , i didn't say it yet , but now , thank you ! .russ , are you any good at plants ? do you ever propagate them ? do you have a greenhouse ? jnette , my mom painted her house chocolate brown , and trimed in dark tan . it looked beautiful , and rustic sitting in the blue spruce and shrubs . i think that dark brown will grow on you . send us a picture . and some pictures of the countryside .hope the fires aren't in your area . hugs to everyone , gotta go pay bills , pick up book at p.o . russ , be sure and let me know ans .to my questions . sally
Sally, Jeanette and Donna;
I'm really having a time, getting the pictures to go where I can find them. It took me a while, about 15 min. to find this. but there is a pic, I promised. Hope it is all in it.. The instructions are pretty much needed in assembling the chimes. But on mine , starting from A 12:00 O Clock position on the top of the platform the chimes hang from is. (1 )-16-1/2 12 o clock, position
( 2 )-20-1/2 2 o clock
( 3 )- 17-1/2 4 o clock
(4)- 21-1/2 6 o clock
(5)-19-1/4 8 o clock
(6)-23-3/4 10 o clock position
Mine being a 6 chime wind chime
All evenly spaced in a circle around the platform.
This to balance it so it will hang flat, or level.
All the chimes are to be the same distance below the platform.
The lower ends are staggered and the clapper is to be some where it will strike each tube somewhere on the lower portion of the tubes.
The sail would be 6" below the longest chime.
I hope this would help, to get yours assembled. If not, Dmail me the dimensions of the chimes in your kit. I will try help. That is the length of each pipe and the diameter. I may be able to figure it out..
Sally; I have a shed with translucent roof and plastic sides. I don't have it heated and only have a box fan to exhaust the excess heat. Not really a real workable greenhouse.
I do propagate some plants, so far only those that are easy. Cuttings, divisions and from seed. No hybridizing yet.
Sorry I'll have to go back and reread your post with all the questions again, as I have forgotten what all you had asked.
Edited to say I have some new string now and will re do This one. I have a small chain that I will use for hanging from the ring to the platform. Will also re string the tubes.
I was anxious to hear it in a breeze.
This message was edited Aug 20, 2008 2:42 PM
Russ, what kind of string did you end up with? I can;t imagine string being stronger than fish line. Jeanette
Jeanette; I am trying twisted mason line. It's a polypropylene & nylon.
The same as is used for seine making. I have used it for trot lines before. It lasts for quite a few seasons.
I'll let it hang outside through the winter. See what happens.
Course it may not have quite the tone to it when it is full of ice sickles.
I may have to drill larger holes in the platform as the string is a larger diameter. Like the next drill size up.
Looks lovely Russ! But I think it would look even better hanging in my garden :-)
My tomato seedlings are still popping up slowly. Almost time to start organising my bales for the new season. They are so expensive, $8.50 per bale. Bringing them home is the other big challenge. None of my friends have a suitable vehicle. Last year my 18 bales were brought home in the back of Jarrods little hatchback corolla, two at a time! It took months to clean all the straw and dust out. I havent found anyone foolish enough to repeat his mistake yet.
Im leaving for mums earlt tomorrow morning. Better make a start on the packing soon.
Lena
Well Lena, That does sound like it would be the best mode of transporting the bales, however I have resorted to the same thing when a small hatch back was all I had. We bought a refrigerator and carried it home in a Chevrolet Vega, LOL it just barely fit.
Now you know one of my favorite colors. I got all the material from scrap. The tubes are from a metal frame of a temporary tarp covered car port, that got bent out of shape in a storm. The heavy plastic parts are from a broken up, large square tub that is used for fat scraps in a packing house. The ring at the top is an old key ring. The support strings were from an old spool of waxed nylon string I had bought a long time ago when I helped our girls make kites.
Even the paint was left over, from when I still overhauled car engines in my repair shop.
I guess that tells on me somewhat. If I think I can use something I have a hard time getting rid of it. Part of my old garage shows it too. but I am slowly clearing out a lot of stuff. and find a use for much of it.
The original reason I had some of those plastic tubs was for a raised garden. They worked but they required constant vigilant care as the soil dried out rapidly. and I was working weird hours. and didn't stay after them. I still have three of them. that I will try using next spring. and use a lot of mulch on top of the soil. I really like the bales but I don't know as I will have as many. as I have this year.
Well time to start my day.
Hope you have a great visit at Mum's
Russ
lena , get a big tarp , the cheap ones , and cover the floor of vehical , leaving plenty of tarp at the back to fold over bales . will save a lot of cleanup work . sally
Very nice looking chimes and bet they sound nice too.
We had quite a change in our weather, from above 100 degrees to below 70 in one day and even some nice rain. There is a bit sun right now but lots of clouds in the sky so as the weatherman predicted i think there will be more showers. My garden loves it and so do I. Must go feed the chickens.
Donna
Sally; That sounds like experience talking. LOL
Thankfull that I have a pickup. Russ
Donna I just got back in from feeding the goats. No rain here for a while now, just a few failed weather reports. Watered my cucumbers last night. Need to water tomatoes but won't do it during the day. Sweet potatoes are retaining moisture fairly well. with all the leaves.
Want chickens too but need a good shed and a protected run for them. I've had experience with some of our larger varmets, Raccoons, Foxes and Cyotes. I lost some ducks to them.
Russ
yes , russ , i have a pickup now , found it at a garage sale . '00 ford ranger , all service records , and the owners worked at home , so no miles , 36,000. they were moving to colorado and asking 5,000 . i snapped it up and didn't tell dh until they drove it to the house . needed a six cylinder , for the gas mileage . also to haul my junk . it has a full bedliner too .fire engine RED . lol sally
:>)
russ , you have dmail . sally
Lena-
Take my advice and do at least part of your garden in hay bales this year- the difference is unbelievable! They hold water better and need much less fertilization.
Hope you're doing well- you've been in my thoughts.
xox Suz
Russ, I really had to laugh today. Of my this years chicks there are 4, one is for sure a rooster and this morning he was trying to crow and sounded so funny, couldn't complete his song. I have a flock of 8 chickens now and the one Guinea fowl. I am afraid the one baby that the persistant setting hen finally hatched is a couple of months old and i am afraid it also is a Roo, and I sure don't need three Roos.
Donna
Donna, if we were closer and I had the place for it, I would love to have a rooster. I really like to hear them crow in the morning. Much better than an alarm.
Jeanette
And hey; If the power went out your two legged alarm still goes off. LOL.
I have a neighbor that will give me maybe four hens. I just need a place for them. I get eggs from him. I'm sure the eggs are fertile. He has a roo running with them. If I had an incubater I could probably hatch some. Another neighbor raises rabbits and hatches phesants and quail. and ocasionaly some ducks. Of course he has to keep records of where he bought the eggs and so on. Don't think they would worry very much about chickens though.
Russ
Russ, if you like rabbit meat I think you should raise them. Their fertilizer is about the best ever. However, chickens are something that you would use the bi-product of every day. I guess both. Neither one would be a real big deal to build coops and hutches for.
Jeanette
Jeanette; I did raise Rabbits when we were in Missouri. We had a big shop, on a corner lot. The shop had been a buggy manufacturing place Then a Studebaker dealership was in it for a while too. Then for years it had only been used for storage. It was 40' x 100', It had a loft in the back and another room in back that had some grain stored in it. I used the front part for my shop. This is in town now, I had 100 chickens in that back room. Mostly roosters. and 10 doe rabbits cages out side in cages in the shade. When I planted beans I dug a deeper trench and put about an inch of rabbit By-product, in that trench and covered it and planted the beans on top of that. They really produced. All summer and clear into November. I also put some in a barrel piped the gas into another barrel and then to a old furnace, I burned wood but added the methane, to burn it off and help extend the time the furnace stayed warm. Then once in a while would drain off some of the sludge for the garden. Was much easier to skip the methane part and just use the raw product on the garden.
Moving back to Iowa I went straight into a position of mechanic on road construction. No time for taking care of any animals.
I have been trying to talk a friend out of a couple cages. with no response. Guess I will have to build a couple myself. I had planed to start some chicks this spring, But I was looking for a deal of straight run, for less $$$ but it didn't pan out. I think with Mark down the road about 4 miles, being willing to give me a couple hens sounds really good about now. I just need to get a little more wire, for an in-closer, and I will be ready. That will have its good points and its inconvenient parts but in any case doable. Just can't take off for any length of time.
Well I need to make supper, Barb still pooped out from having that upper GI this morning. They said everything is OK so we will see what he says later He always calls his patients when they have had a chance to recoup a little.
Hold on Russ, Just a minute. What is wrong with Barb? Why the upper GI? How long does it take to hear from the doc, and what did he mean everything is ok? Were there some things that take longer to read or?????
That would have been an interesting shop. That many chickens in the back, and then rabbits too!! Wouldn't those make a wonderful garden? Did you sell them, was that what you were doing? Or selling eggs? Or just keeping all those animals for pets 'cause you like to buy them feed??? Hee hee
Not sure what you meant when you said you need a little more wire for an in closer? Not sure what you would be building.
When we were kids and had rabbits we just had a cage about 5 feet long out of hardware cloth and then a box in it for straw and mama. In the winter dad put gunny sacks and stuff around it to keep the cold out and that mama rabbit even had little ones in the winter.
My sister had chickens. I know my mom only put up with all this stuff so she could have the "bi-product" for her garden. She sure had a nice one every year too.
Jeanette
The in closer would be for the chickens. We have an abundance of coyotes and fox, around here. The rabbits a cage will do.
Along with eating the bunny's, we sold some for pets, as well as for meat.
We didn't have much money, but we had meat.
When the Roos started crowing, I took a day off and we had a little family get together. Those young roos were in the freezer.
As far as the rabbit (by product ) All I need do is go down to the 4 way stop, take a left and go about 3 tenths of a mile I think right now I could probably pretty much fill the box on my little S-10.
Barb has had a bad cough for 3 - 3 1/2 weeks now. Been to the Dr. three times. Each time a different med. The antibiotics didn't seem to help same with the other pills. The last time he prescribed Advair. It may be working but he had also said maybe we should do an upper GI. To check for anything else. That came out OK no cancer. She does have a hiatal hernia. Then he also wanted a chest X ray, with the barium . that is what we have to wait for the results.
Knowing his practice he will probably call tomorrow some time. One -- to check on her to see how she is doing, and he will probably know then an tell us the results.
Other wise our family Dr. thinks, a bad case of bronchitis with a little asthma mixed in. One disturbing thing is, one of the meds he prescribed could cause a cough.
She really had a coughing spell when the nurse was prepping her, so they know how bad it is.
I think the ad vair is working, however very slow. and he had gone ahead and made the appointment for the upper. So I don't think is as bad as it may have sounded, but we are trying to get a handle on it.
Russ
Lets hope they figure out Barb's problem soon. She doesn't want to go into winter with something like that. Bronchitis etc. are a bear in the winter. Any time for that matter. Just worse in winter.
Ok now I know what you are talking about. Enclosure. A pen inside a pen. Right? Gotcha. And don't you go get those wild bunnies. You need some in a pen for the fertilizer.
Jeanette
Acid reflux will make you cough continually. Before mine was diagnosed I would cough so much I would almost throw up.It seemed every breath. My doctor treated me for it(acid reflux) because he said it was easier and less uncomfortable than the tube down my throat to measure my acid. If the symptoms went away we knew that was it. I have lung disease and I thought my lungs were acting up but he thought my cough did not sound like it was my lungs he was right. Sometimes you sound like a dog barking but more hoarse I guess it is. Would never have beleived it was from acid. I did not experience heartburn symptoms which you would have thought I would have. Good luck. deanna
Thanks D; Barb, is on the purple pill for that. I think the upper GI was mostly double checking. Barb does have what the Dr. calls a stricture in her throat, that he has stretched, in a previous procedure. We were even thinking that might be holding some food right there too.
It probably is bronchitis. She is darn tired of all that coughing. Hopefully
The Dr. has good word when he calls. I might go ahead and put a dab of Vicks in a pan of hot water give her a towel to put over head and breath in those strong fumes a bit, then give her a hot toddy, and put her in bed and let her sweat it out.
I have used that trick on myself before. Any way we will see what his prognoses is and go from there.
R
Russ and Barb, Hope Doctors report was good and you Barb are getting rid of your bad cough, No fun.
Luckily I stay pretty healthy. Just have to be careful not to try to do too much because of angina. Our weather is pretty nice for early fall. Planted more buckwheat yesterday where first plant of corn was, to improve the soil.
Donna
Rand and Donna (and anyone else . . )
I just read a neat piece about using chickens to "till and fertilize your garden". I wonder if there's a way for me to scan and attach it here. Anyway, it's very basic- just moving their enclosure periodically so they can do your weeding and poop their dear little brains out, and then you can just move them to an adjacent area to continue. Not really necessary with the bale method, but good for additional garden areas (for beets, onions, carrots, etc.)
My garden continues to produce beautifully, although the straw side looks a little sad. The fascinating thing about the hay is that at this point the bales are basically GONE! They have given their nutrients and established ridiculously strong and vigorous plants, and now they just aren't there anymore!! (This would, obviously, be something to take into consideration if doing rooftop gardening or using the bales where there is no soil beneath, but the roots must be happily established in the soil because the plants are still gorgeous and producing like crazy!) I'll try to find a way to photograph this sometime soon and post it.
My tomatoes are wonderful, my cukes and melons and squash are prolific, and the acorn squash are CRAZY- there're gonna be a LOT of them!
I miss chatting with all of you- guess we'll catch up when things slow down in the garden. Fall's on its way- it won't be long. We so desparately need rain here- say a little prayer. Our magnificent corn locally is shrivelling up.
xox Suz
P.S. Lena- how're you doing,, sweetie? You're in my thoughts and prayers.
i'm with suz on that getting a good garden . didn't plant all that much , but am loving the tomatoes , squash is gone . got worms and have more than enough in freezer . okra isn't putting out enough , so will plant more next year . me and dh fight over it , it's so good .i can't get over how the tomatoes came out of that tomato wilt , and keep on producing . i will definantly go for the HAY bales next year . kent sure pointed us in the right direction with the bales . love it, and will go for acorn squash added next year . does anyone grow that squash thats about two foot long . dont know the name of it and havent seen the seeds anywhere. but like acorn squash , you can bake it with sausage or brown sugar or however . i sure want some . sally
Sombody has a birthday today.
I won't stand on my head and sing that happy birthday song.
Just say HAPPY BIRTHDAY SALLY.
Happy Birthday Sally!! Take a break from all that digging and have a nice day!
Jeanette
thank you and love to you all .it's the big 70 ! jnette , i'm through with the hard stuff . the bobcat will be here thurs or fri to level up and then i can dig shallow trench for cement footing . so far , 17' x 3' deep x2 1/2' wide .two more ,2 1/2 wide ,13' long 3' deep tapering to nothing , and one more , 2 1/2 ' wide ,15 ' long , 3 1/2' deep , tapering to 1 1/2' deep . the last was the water line . haven't lost an ounce of weight .like i said , love to you all and suz , and lena , my hearts with you both . if i never make another birthday , it has been a wonderful year with you all and daves garden , and all the friends i've made . too many to name . sally
Sally, can't believe you dug all that. I'm surprised you made it thru this last year. Guess you're too tough not to. lol, You should have gained weight. Don't you know that muscle weighs more than fat?
Take a break and go out to a nice dinner.
Jeanette
the dh is grilling pork ribs . i'm cooking brussel sprouts . ate out sat . nite . chinese buffet and bought a bucket of margaretta mix . hear it's good . dh went to get the spirits for it and after eight or so , hrs in the freezer , i'll have two and sleep like a baby . and jnette, muscle isn't flabby .lol . sally
Sally, sounds like heaven. How do you fix the brussel sprouts? One of my favorites. Have a good one. Jeanette
wash, don't add extra water . butter ,(margerine) salt , pepper , sugar . tight lid cook until just tender . i don't add a lot of extra stuff to it , like the virgin taste , might add a little lemon to butter , but thats all . i'll snack on the leftovers for breakfast . what do you do ? sally
I normally steam them and then put a cheese sauce on them and heat them in the oven. Oh, and crumbs on top. My daughter eats the leftovers cold for breakfast. She always was a strange one. Used to do the same thing when a kid.
Jeanette
first time to buy that bucket of margarita mix, put spirits in it and froze to slush overnite. just had to see if it was any good , so stirred it up and sampled a bit of it . very good ! i can't believe i did this , but had a small margarita for breakfast . empty stomach , and gonna have to cut down on the spirits for next batch . whoopee , this isn't your average breakfast drink .shudda stayed with brussel sprouts !next time , i'll try them your way . sounds good . sally
My way on the BS is good for holidays. Your way is good for this time of year. And your new breakfast drink discovery sounds wonderful!! Bet you could market it. lol
Jeanette
wonder where russ is during all this conversation , and lena and suz ? sally
I was wondering yesterday why we haven't heard anything about Russ's canning tomatoes. Wonder if that is why we haven't heard anything. Not sure on Lena and Suz. Think Lena might be in the middle of tests. College you know.
Jeanette