The Beauty Of The Changing Seasons

[Shawnee]

Hi Canna,

I did the same thing you did....in 1977 I hightailed it out of SE Michigan the first of February....went down to New Orleans for Mardi Gras for a month (great fun) and then on to Cali for 15 years. When I got to Cali everyone was in down vests, while I ran around in shorts and a T.

Came back to SE Michigan to keep an eye on my aging parents not even owning a coat. Still scarred from the memory of last winter; thought I was going to die. The utter brutality of it all. Praying that my truck would start to get to work at 6am when it was 27 below zero.

Even worse, I have outdoor animals (horses, goats, barn cats) that I worried sick about. I kept them in the barn for 6 weeks straight! They much prefer to be out.

No way Jose; Oct 31 is WAY too early for the snow that we got yesterday. I think what will save me this year is my first garden grow that I'm about to begin. Something green when all is dead that I can tend and fuss over instead of getting cabin fever.

 

[Lady Cannafan]

Hi Canna,

I did the same thing you did....in 1977 I hightailed it out of SE Michigan the first of February....went down to New Orleans for Mardi Gras for a month (great fun) and then on to Cali for 15 years. When I got to Cali everyone was in down vests, while I ran around in shorts and a T.

Came back to SE Michigan to keep an eye on my aging parents not even owning a coat. Still scarred from the memory of last winter; thought I was going to die. The utter brutality of it all. Praying that my truck would start to get to work at 6am when it was 27 below zero.

Even worse, I have outdoor animals (horses, goats, barn cats) that I worried sick about. I kept them in the barn for 6 weeks straight! They much prefer to be out.

No way Jose; Oct 31 is WAY too early for the snow that we got yesterday. I think what will save me this year is my first garden grow that I'm about to begin. Something green when all is dead that I can tend and fuss over instead of getting cabin fever.

Shawnee, to the seasons thread! I know of all you speak. LOL I remember many a winter that started as early as the end of September here. Stick around here, I created the thread so I can have good warm things to think of and see during the blizzards and being housebound. Great members here and the contributions from around the world have been awesome.

What strains will you be growing? And congrats on your first grow!

 

[Shawnee]

Canna,

LOL, I know, I know about all the great people around here....have been reading all these threads and getting a masters degree in growing, for gosh sake. Your DIY projects have astounded and inspired me, and all of you have provided me with countless hours of busting out in chuckles here all by myself. What an absolute hoot!

I am getting my rooms ready, hanging LED lighting, sealing up windows, etc. I'm even thinking....'what would Canna do about solving this problem? Find something laying around the property that will cost me nothing and move on." HA!

I have a lemon haze clone here, but am listening to what everyone is growing/enjoying and about to make a trip to the local compassion club to pick up additional seeds.

 

[Lady Cannafan]

Canna,

LOL, I know, I know about all the great people around here....have been reading all these threads and getting a masters degree in growing, for gosh sake. Your DIY projects have astounded and inspired me, and all of you have provided me with countless hours of busting out in chuckles here all by myself. What an absolute hoot!

I am getting my rooms ready, hanging LED lighting, sealing up windows, etc. I'm even thinking....'what would Canna do about solving this problem? Find something laying around the property that will cost me nothing and move on." HA!

I have a lemon haze clone here, but am listening to what everyone is growing/enjoying and about to make a trip to the local compassion club to pick up additional seeds.

You go girl! Repurpose, recycle, and spend no money. Which is pretty easy to do when you have no money to spend in the first place.


I spent a lot of time on this site before I had the courage to post my first set up and grow. Everyone was so great and supportive that it gave me the confidence to continue and learn. Gotta love it!

We northerners (and that includes Dennise) shall keep each other sane this winter.

 

[Dennise]

first time I've ever been called a Northerner and didn't want to fight........

 

[Shawnee]

Boy, you got that right sista! When you live alone in a rural area with property and responsibility (animals, machinery), you best put your thinking cap on and figure out how to deal. I'm a do it yourself, learn as you go person.....13 years here now and it's been a lot of bass ackwards learning for sure.

Glad to hear I'm not the only one that has been lurking and researching the crap out of this MJ grow....there comes a time when timidity be damned! Run forward into the fray and participate!! Touche.

 

[Shawnee]

Dennise,

Probably because you got snow yesterday like we did. HA!

 

[Lady Cannafan]

Hey, that's the spirit, Canna. Mrs Teddy gets properly low in Jan/Feb and last winter (our first here) was terrible because she was deeply and unexpectedly homesick too. (We almost went back to London). I think this winter will be much easier however because she's very happily settled here now, has her quilting studio set up and has her meds for the back pain (both conventional and home-grown ).

Well, last year's winter forecast was for 2-3 metres of snow. So that was completely wrong. I don't think anybody knows here. And this mountain weather can change so fast too. I really hope we get some snow, both for the summer water, the local economy and so I can go skiing. Well, better get moving now - I've got 3 tons of logs arriving that will need stacking. *puts on checked shirt and boots and thinks he's 25 again*

Mr Teddy, I know the feeling. I don my black/red checked coat, my wide brimmed leather hat and boots. A few years ago I could tote a wheel barrow full of wood several times before resting. Now I can tote 2 barrows full and I'm done for the day.
Going to go at this a little smarter this year and fire up the old Chevy Tahoe and use that to truck my wood into the garage. Repurpose! It's no longer road worthy, but it can still haul some wood.

 

[Shawnee]

Hi Canna,

I also know the concept of working smart and not hard. 13 years ago when I bought this place I really hustled and put up buildings, gardens, painted and stained etc......knowing full well that as the years went by I would be capable of doing less and less as I got older. I wanted this place to basically run on auto pilot. NOT!

Well, I am getting hay out of my neighbor's barn right now down the road to stock up before winter. He works 7 days a week up north, so I'm on my own as far as hauling it over here with my truck. As you remember, growing up with horses, getting hay is the hardest job on the planet in my opinion. Each bale weighs 80 lbs.

I started out last week getting 7 bales into the truck and I was bushed. THEN, I had to come home and unload and stack, so I'm handling them twice!!! I worked up to 7 bales TWICE a day for a total of 14 bales. Yesterday, I brought over 17 bales. Holy batman, I have 70 bales in the barn so far. Going for 150. Lord have mercy!

 

[Lady Cannafan]

Well, darn. Review of the time lapse in the barn shows something flying into the rafters, but it's just a swishy blur. However, that means I was right. So, I'm hoping there will be nest building up there and I can pinpoint where to shoot that camera at.

Always something to do around here. ;-)

 

[Dennise]

Then today it is 65 degrees........ but wait for ittttt... supposed to snow again Friday.........

 

[Shawnee]

Hi Canna,

Thanks for sending me a friend request; made my day. I was going to PM you to thank, but I have under 50 posts and can't so I have a ways to go. I'm still stumbling around and learning the site.

I got inspired, grabbed my camera, and went outside to take a snap of my resident fox who has moved in with all of us this spring, to my chagrin. I say chagrin because I don't want him to mess with my barn cat. I've looked up on google and read some say don't worry, others say they have witnessed fox killings of cats....so I don't know. I've caught him in the the lean-to just inches from the horses, lounging like he owns the place....I've watched him soaking up the sun and scratching himself right under my window, and also tearing into a fresh caught bird for lunch.

Since he is 'lurking' I've taken to writing down when I spot him and it is ALOT. Anyway, he was along the back of the property so I tried to zoom in but he was going the other way and I didn't get a shot. Actually he/she looks quite healthy and I've never had this chance to observe behavior this close and personal before. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with foxes???

I won't go into when I saw a cougar in the yard 2 years ago....my hair literally stood on end and I had a tension headache for 3 days. Haven't seen him sense, thank god. Holy cow!

 

[Dennise]

I have red foxes here and have never had a problem with them messing with my animals.... I have had a bear in the back of the property a couple of times and will admit I made sure everyone was in the house or inside the fence at least for a couple of days..... High Canna.....

 

[Lady Cannafan]

Hi Shawnee,

I haven't any issues with foxes bothering the cats when I used to have outdoor kitties. However, if a cat is going to challenge the fox...the fox usually wins. LOL Coyotes like cats...for food.

I sure hope you get a good shot of him, they are beautiful animals. And truly funny when hunting vermon in the snow. Check youtube sometime for a fox diving in the snow for a critter. I laughed good and hard on that one. (I will see if I can find it and post it)

I do have bobcats out here, but have not heard of or seen any cougars in our area. I suppose it's possible the way animals are migrating with the depletion of their habitats.
Look forward to what you can sneak a pic of for sure. ;-)

[video=youtube;D2SoGHFM18I]

[/video]

 

[Lady Cannafan]

Hi Dennise! Stay warm this week.

 

[Shawnee]

I used to have 2 barn cats (brothers) for about 11 years. Then, one never came home. I am certain something got him in the woods. It just amazes me that they can survive. There are several wild cats as well that roam the perimeter of the property that I see year in and year out...occasionally they will come into the barn to party with my cat.

I only have 10 acres, but I keep it all cut with pastures and gardens so I can see what's lurking out there....it's always something.

 

[Shawnee]

Superb video, Canna. My fox looks exactly like that....just a tad bit smaller.

 

[Radogast]

Great fox video!!!

With all this talk of owls, I saw my first Massachusetts owl this morning. (I have been here 5-6 years.)
The owl was soaring over a field shortly after dawn. The wings had wide wing tips and they flapped like an owl.
It was too dark to see colors against the morning sky.

I relate today's ability to observe with a chat I had with Coyote on Samhain. Coyote gets a new pipe today!

 

[Lady Cannafan]

Radogast, great that you got a visual of the owl. Amazing creatures.

I know what Samhain means in regards to the celebration of the end of harvest...but could you enlighten me on the connection to the coyote and the pipe?
Excuse my ignorance and I'll probably go "DUH!". LOL

 

[Radogast]

Radogast, great that you got a visual of the owl. Amazing creatures.

I know what Samhain means in regards to the celebration of the end of harvest...but could you enlighten me on the connection to the coyote and the pipe?
Excuse my ignorance and I'll probably go "DUH!". LOL

No way will you say "Duh" that phrase was deliberately enigmatic and obscure

We had a dumb supper in front of the altar on Samhain. My wife and I ate in audible silence and made a supper available to spirits and ancestors who wanted to join us for a little chat. I had three short conversations with entities I did not expect. The third one was with Coyote, that trickster who used to attend a lot of fireside dinners and tell stories and seduce with his native flute. Coyote "told" me that he wanted a pipe, just for him, a long pipe. When I wanted to chat with him, I should smoke the pipe.

I shared this with my wife, and she went out and bought a Churchwarden pipe that was Exactly what I had visualized.
The family also picked up three more pieces of glass, including a Slider / Glass Blunt. I've never seen one before. The small one she bought ($15) holds up to 1/2 gram, so much more than a regular bowl. Click on my Radogast 2: link in the signature for a photo.

Certified off-topic Churchwarden pipe photos (contains mugwort- I slept good )


A Churchwarden pipe as it might be seen with a light from a window.
The light of the bowl far from the face preserves night vision and, hide the face, and is less of a target for an archer.

Me in my winter coat

p.s. After showing Coyote the pipe last night, we had TWO new bird species in the yard today:

Five turkeys, one of which walked down the trail across the log bridge to cross the brook.
Two Pileated Woodpeckers (woodpeckers the size of crows)