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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Summer's Over!!!

Can I hear a few amens?  I was stumbling across the living room this morning at 4:30 (dog toys, mouse bits, gnawed marrow bones - it's a jungle in there) when I saw, out of the corner of my eye, a little green light...blinking at me.  What the?  Once I got a light on and let the dogs go barreling out, I realized it was the 'Icy Conditions' light on my new indoor/outdoor remote thermometer.  I repeat, what the??  Then I looked at the outdoor temperature:  34.1 degrees.  It's September 11, folks. 

So, even though it is forecast to go up to 80 tomorrow, I am declaring Summer officially O.V.E.R.  Just to prove my point, I pulled out the cucumber plants, which were way skeevy anyway.

The Pearlies spent a chilly night outside again.  After noodling it over this morning with my herbal tea and no breakfast (had to fast for 14 hours for a blood test - it's gruesome), I decided that, if the Pearlies were too stoopid stubborn to go inside a nice, warm coop for the night, Mohamed would bring the coop to them. Just call me Mohamed Sweezie Mohamed.  I am going to build an enclosure around their roosting area.  It's just what I need - another project.  On this subject, I had an interesting conversation with my doctor.  She has Guineas and likes them.  But her approach to her limited animal husbandry is, what she calls, the Darwin Approach.  She orders 50 keets from Murray McMurray and, after six weeks, lets them loose.  When they've all been either picked off or took off, she orders more.  I told her that I thought this approach was not a great omen for her patients.  She thinks I'm a riot.  I think I am serious.  My approach seems to be Marshmallow Woman - or, I Am Here For You, Please Make My Life A Living Hell.

Hoops are going up over the Swiss chard, which is healthy and dense.  Like nothing else in my garden.  I am still on a day-to-day watch with Flora, but we seem to be making a tiny bit of headway.  Kay (the Angel in cute acorn jewelry) came over on Sunday morning and we rassled sheep, goats and a camel.  They all got Ivermectin shots and Apria got wormed.  She is definitely a five-man project.  So everyone is done for now.  I just checked my second favorite apple orchard and they have apples, so an apple-picking trip may be in this weekend's forecast.  Everything on the job front is static, so I am taking the stance that no news is good news.

9 comments:

EcoCatLady said...

OMG - I am totally laughing over the Marshmallow Woman thing. I fear I suffer from the same affliction. Yet another reason I'd totally suck at animal husbandry.

I can't believe you've got such chilly weather already? Nothing remotely like that here in Denver. It was over 90 AGAIN yesterday - I think that makes 72 days and counting this season. It's just been a totally bizarre year. The pumpkins are already ripe, but the tomatoes, cucumbers & summer squash are just now starting to produce because everything went dormant during all the heat. Still no rain though... it's been months. Sigh. Maybe fall will come eventually!

Susan said...

ECL - It's either Marshmallow or Door Mat - they're interchangeable. It has been one of the worst/weirdest summers I can remember. Wild that your pumpkins are ripening before your tomatoes!!!

SweetLand Farm said...

WOW! That is cold! You can keep it though. I'll keep the summer weather. Sorry, no amens from me! hehe
I don't think I ever want Guineas after reading some of your posts.

Susan said...

SLF - Yes, you can remind me I was whooping and hollering when I start whining about 4 foot snow drifts against my front door...the funny thing about Guineas is that I am oddly drawn to them and am willing to construct around them.

Kelly said...

Your doctor is crazy! And I am definetly a marshmallow woman! It's started cooling off here in Oklahoma to the 60's in the mornings! Fall is a coming ☺

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

Now if we can just have a 'normal' winter, no extremes, that would be great. But I would not bet on it. I would also bet your doctor is the most hated women in her neighborhood because you just know some of those 50 survive but end up living in some poor unsuspecting persons barn or trees. And they get the pleasure of a feral pain in the arse.

Candy C. said...

Hmmm...I do NOT approve of your doctor's animal husbandry approach. :(
WOW, 34 is chilly, chilly! We have been getting down into the mid-60s at night, which is just fine for us!

Erin said...

wow, that's crazy! We still have yet to even get down into the 50's at night! Guess you better close those windows at night now :)

Unknown said...

It hit the low 40's here yesterday, but 75/80's today. No furnace yet, but had the polar fleece jacket on to work...