December 27, 2018
I got my whole garden weed-eated yesterday in under ten minutes. It looks great. I'm ecstatic that I won't have to spend so much time weeding this summer. I'll hula hoe the seed beds and tops of the mounds, but everything else will get mowed to the ground. If I keep on top of it the garden will look great all summer. I also got my seed starting tray cleaned and sanitized, and I've got a fresh bag of seed starting mix thanks to my son's Christmas generosity..
I got the squirrel trap set in the greenhouse because two of the cauliflower plants got striped of their leaves last night. The door was open but there are no deer, rabbit or raccoon tracks, so I'm assuming it's a squirrel. They like peanut butter more than cauliflower so I should know by tomorrow morning. I also got a bale of straw delivered to the barn. The growing season is off with a bang..
December 28, 2018
There was a big beautiful woodland rat in my ground squirrel trap yesterday. In New York City rats are not thought of as beautiful, but here in the country they are just one of many critters that we get to enjoy. They make four foot tall stick nests that thoroughly bamboozle the dogs. They are nocturnal so we don't see them often, and only have to deal with them if they invade our barns or gardens. They have a place in our ecosystem, if only to keep the coyotes fed enough to leave our chickens alone. I reset the trap in the greenhouse because the mate may follow the scent to see if there was any philandering..
I've learned to always reset the traps and leave them for days if not weeks. A gopher will also follow another gophers tunnel when it's discovered. Moles make main tunnels that are shared by many. Possums follow the scent of their litter mates, and you can trap the whole family in five nights of trap setting..
December 29, 2018
There were TWO rats in the squirrel trap yesterday morning. They were half as big as the day before so I'm working on a family. There is a piece of plastic loose in the back corner of the greenhouse, and a slight trail leading to the trap. Come one, come all, I got free peanut butter here. I'm glad I discovered them early in the season because once they spread out they could attack the garden from all sides. I think they are the culprits eating my bar soap. There was also elk scat in the barn..
This is problematic because the barn doors are closed at night. It turns out that it came in on the hay we had delivered. Apparently we have elk living only a few miles away that never meander down to say hello because they are too busy eating the farmers hay. Poor farmer. I would hate to have to shoot an elk. So majestic..
