After having 70 degrees and above freezing nights, with the grass greening up and trees just starting to leaf out, I was more than a little surprised to wake up to lots of big, fat snowflakes coming down heavily this morning. I’d checked the weather forecast and it was supposed to be fairly warm and partly sunny all week. Ha ha! We barely got up to 41 degrees F all day. Brrrr. (But it did stop snowing before it accumulated on the ground heavily, thank God.
I’m planting cucumbers, muskmelons, and watermelons today. I’ve got them all planted in 4-inch pots and in the greenhouse. Tomorrow, I’m planting our squash and pumpkins. The greenhouse is getting pretty full now! I’ve got to go in and rearrange it so I can fit more. And I’ll be going to Byrne’s Greenhouse for Mother’s Day, for our annual family get-together-plant-buying spree. I can’t wait. Daughter, Randie, will be coming up to stay here for a week. So that’ll be a lot of fun. Plus, grandson, Drew, will be joining us for the first time.
We’ve been seeing the mother fox quite a bit lately. When Will was up, hauling the big round baler up from the pasture, he saw her on top of the round bales next to the driveway. Then, later, when Drew and I were going out, headed for Menard’s to buy more seed starting mix, we saw her, still up there. While we were gone, Will had Sarge out and she came into the yard, to be promptly chased by Sarge. She had something in her mouth, which turned out to be a fox pup. She dropped it and ran off, with Sarge behind her. When he came back, so did she. Will went to check the baby fox and it breathed a few breaths and died! He thinks she got scared when she saw Sarge, bit down too hard on the pup, which killed it by accident. We feel so bad! Yep, foxes kill chickens and house cats. But until they cause a lot of trouble, we have always left them alone and enjoyed their presence. The guys did go out and reinforce the chicken coop, however. Just to prevent “accidents.”
Gas is leaping up in price, forecast to reach $5 a gallon by this weekend. And that’s increasing the price of everything too. I’m so glad we filled up our bulk farm fuel tanks earlier in the year! Hang onto your hats, folks. It’s coming! — Jackie
Dear Jackie, We have foxes here in far north California, too. They are gray foxes and this spring have been very active around our mountaintop. Nearly every night can hear them nearby, chirping, etc. I listened to Glenn Beck recently, and my ears perk up when he talks; this time telling us to get back to taking care of ourselves, with God’s help, by growing our own food/livestock. I’ve taken all your warnings to heart, as well. God bless you and your wonderful family.
We sure aren’t doom and gloom people. But, at the same time, we do watch what’s going on in the world and feel uncomfortable with the way things are going. All the more reason to grow as much of our own food as possible and stock up on what we can’t grow before prices get even worse.
Jackie, I just want to thank you for your weekly posts. They brighten my day so much. We have had such warm weather for several weeks. The strawberries and fruit trees are bursting with blossoms. And, of course, the weather will take a turn tonight! while I don’t have to contend with snow, a hard freeze is predicted. I will throw a light blanket over my small strawberry patch but the fruit trees ( I only have two, a pear and an apple ) will have to fend for themselves. They are planted near the pond so that might help them out a bit. Gasoline hit 4.99 a gallon here in Ohio this week. Sigh! And the prices in the grocery store seem to go up every week. I did start some tomatoes and peppers in pots and I am so looking forward to planting my small garden this year. We only have small spot to plant but that little postage stamp spot produces an abundance of produce for us. So much in fact, there is usually extra to share at the area “free spot”. Once again thank you for your posts, they are always inspiring….and motivating.
Thank you Patricia. I sure hope you don’t get that freeze. We always worry about that when our orchard and the wild fruit is in full bloom. When we get it, no fruit for the summer. Very sad!! It seems that if the flowers are past full bloom, they aren’t affected but when they’re in full bloom and it freezes hard, that’s the end for the year. Not always though, so pray hard.
Thank you for respecting the wild animals! I know of so many folks that want to just kill everything (including snakes, yotes, foxes and so forth). They have a place in the ecological system. It is a delicate balance. We (people) after all have moved into THEIR territory. We need to learn to live with the wildlife (as you have).
I remember seeing several inches of snow in the late 70’s in May in SW Colorado. Snow can happen.
We love our wild neighbors and do everything we can to keep on good terms with them. I even fed a teenage wolf (far from the house), who, evidently, had lost his parents. He was lonely and hung around our dog yard where our two wolf-hybrids lived. I would take dry dog food down 1/2 mile from the house every morning and every evening, it was gone. He eventually went “wild” and we didn’t see him again. No, he didn’t kill our chickens, son David or any livestock.
Snakes? I love them! Not so fond of venomous snakes but we don’t have those here. :)
It has been raining here most of the week. Temps have mostly been in the mid 60s but yesterday 50 was the high and will be again the next two days. It has been getting cool at night and this morning I have 30. Same is forecast for tonight also. I have 58 new chicks and I am hoping they stay warm enough. I have two heat lamps and an electric heater in the shed where I have the chicks. They are in a kiddie pool with pine shavings for bedding, so hopefully they wont stress much. If I decide to raise chicks again Im going to wait until the very end of May to get them. The weather is to unpredictable this time of year. We see fox here occasionally and can hear them along the creek. I had a pair of kits in the yard late one evening a year or so ago. They were quite cute. Your Mothers day outing always sounds so fun. Enjoy your time with family. Sending prayers for a blessed week.
Thanks so much! I think your chicks will be fine. I, too, prefer to have our chicks in late May-June, when there’s warmer weather. Even our calves come in May and June so we don’t have to worry about them freezing their ears or tails off in March. Will has brought them in the house as it was way too cold in the barn. That’s interesting, to wake up to moooo in the living room, by the wood stove.
Yep, Mother Nature is unpredictable. We had two bad wind and rainstorms in one night this Monday. Lots of down trees, house damage, tornado nearby; but we sure needed the rain. Then it rained again last night and now the wind is out of the north and cold temps. It will be 47 by morning. I know that is not cold for you but here in middle Tennessee it has been 87 for most days. Blackberry winter has come and gone so I don’t know what “winter” this is supposed to be! I been making fresh strawberry jam for two weeks now so it might be Locust winter. But I thought Blackberry was the last one. LOL Maybe Mother Nature is giving us a free extra one this year.
Yep, it wouldn’t surprise me if Ma Nature did give us a free extra bout of winter this year. We’ve had crazy weather so far. I’m sure glad the tornado didn’t do any damage for you. Yum!! Fresh strawberry jam can’t be beat!
It is already here – just adding to the pain of tariffs and other economic slow down.
We have foxes here but they are pretty elusive – we only spy them now and then. Back in the late 90s, I was driving to work and a fox was jogging along side the semi-busy road. I said something to our vet and he suspected it had distemper.
Coyotes are the cat predator here. Had one survive an attack and lived another 9 years. We’d see them more often at our other home. They’d eat apples and during a couple of drought years, drink water out of the big tub we put out for the wildlife.
One summer, a mother coyote would bring her pups out into the shaded area of the yard. Six of them so good conditions for breeding from what I read – their litter size depends on conditions. Five would stay close by, the sixth would start wandering away from the group, she’d yip at him (yeah, likely a him) to get back. We watched safely from the house – something most kids don’t get to see.
Scariest is one year, we had two of them who were not afraid of humans.
It’s not too unusual to see a fox or even coyote trotting along a road as they pick up a lot of free meals via road kills that way. Yep, coyotes will sure pick up cats or even small dogs. We don’t let our cats out toward evening as we have them, fox, bobcats, lynx and wolves as neighbors. Then there are owls too. Years ago, I lost a cat one evening, to a Great Horned Owl.
wow! seems everyone is still getting ‘surprise ‘snow before/after their70 degree day! my daughter in Montana, you and other folks. sad about the fox kit. hope she raises a successful litter. as long as the wild critters respect the fences they do a lot of good keeping vermin down .Randie coming for a week ! you must be excited! i too been juggling the greenhouse. hardening off what i can and hopefully getting my cukes and squashes planted tomorrow. we
‘re enjoying calm winds finally and 70 days, supposed to get close to 90 the weekend. my peas came up after 3 weeks! nature and gardening one never knows what to expect. fuel prices :(( we re already 7$ diesel 6$ gas. wish we d put in a fuel tank years ago.
Ouch! That’s going to make farming expensive for most folks this year! And boost the already-high grocery prices skyward. I tell everyone to plant more this year!! Yep, the foxes do a lot to keep down pest critters like rabbits, voles and such.
Wow snow last of April!
Gas prices are 4.79 down here in Southern Illinois area.
I imagine by Memorial day or sooner it will be 5.00.
I’m sorry about the little baby fox.
I’m planting more peppers tomorrow and pumpkins and I’m going to start canning everything in the freezer.
Forecast is for derechos thru here in June and I sure don’t want to lose anything!
Take care
Belinda
I’m still planting squash but that’s the end of the inside planting. I think…. Our gas is $3.79 now but forecast to go to $5 this weekend. Ish!! A lot of folks have prices even higher now. Yep, I’ve got a lot in our 3 freezers to get canned up. If I can just get the time. Today I’ve been planting squash inside. Then I took a break and tilled in the rotted manure Will spread on most of the Wolf Garden. Now, it’s back to squash.
Blackberry winter here today. I was out mowing in the cool wind. Started out with sun but it is now cloudy. Looks to be a cool weekend with some chance of frost so I will cover the lettuce. But it will be hot soon enough so I am not complaining…unless it SNOWS! No moose here, but we do have a resident fox in the barn. And, of course, my nightly racoon visit from Robert and Randy!
Today is cold; high 35 degrees F. But it’s drying out a little so I was able to till where Will had spread manure and we’ll be planting asparagus roots very soon.
Your weather sounds like ours up here in North Idaho. It was 78 and sunny, then two days later it was 48 for our high and snowing. But I wouldn’t change living up north for all the best weather in the world! I would prefer having your fox in my yard rather than the yard full of grizzlies I woke up to in my yard a few years ago. Your fox friend reminds me of Buddy, our bull moose that’s been coming around since he was a calf at his mama’s side. It’s too bad the fox’s little kit died.
I agree. I’d rather have the fox than the bears we had, back in Montana. You always were wondering WHO was out there when you had to do some chore in the dark! Yep, we feel so bad about that baby fox too. It’d be so cool to have a bull moose in the yard. We had them, back in Montana. They would eat out of the horses’ feed tubs. With the horses. It was weird. I kept wondering if the horses would kick the moose or the moose would charge the horses. Neither happened.
Hard to believe someone in Sacramento entering legislation to repopulate our state with grizzlies!!!
Our weather is sometimes crazy here too. The latest I can remember getting enough snow to just cover the ground was the weekend after Mother’s Day, a couple of years ago. It was warm and very spring-like here on our mountain last week, now it’s really chilly and damp again, but eventually spring will take hold; good days are coming.
Yes, those wonderful spring days are just around the corner. Hey, when my folks came to visit us when we lived VERY remote in Montana, up on a mountain, we were going to sit out in an open area and view the Fourth of July fireworks in Helena, 20 miles away. But it snowed eight inches, instead! You just have to laugh and shrug your shoulders!