Radogast's Non-420 Garden Creation Thread

[SweetSue]

I was wondering how the crows were taking to her being out of order. I can't believe it took me so long to stop and check up on her. By now she should be well on the road to mending?

 

[Radogast]

I was wondering how the crows were taking to her being out of order. I can't believe it took me so long to stop and check up on her. By now she should be well on the road to mending?

Crows are now more used to my face than her face, but they respond better to her voice.

My wife got her cast off on monday. She can now crawl upstairs on her knee without assistance, is mostly in a wheelchair to move around downstairs and starting on home visit physical therapy twice a week. The foot is nowhere near flat on the floor and she can only put enough weight on it to feel texture (a novel sensation after 2 months in a cast.) She can tolerate very gentle foot massages.

Physical therapy goals for now are to rub her ankle, leg and foot with rabbit fur and try to build up to coyote fur

We had some dramatic bird vs squirrel action this morning when a pair of red tailed hawks flew below the canopy at about the 25' level and perched in the far back yard. One hawk caught a squirrel on the ground after swooping down and hopping twice. I'm going to check for feathers tomorrow. The crows had been harassing a single rough legged hawk every time it stopped in the back yard, but they left the pair of red tailed hawks alone.

 

[Radogast]

It is officially winter when the bluebirds show up outside the kitchen window,

 

[MassMedMan]

Nice snap!

 

[Ranger275]

Dear Radogast,
I've missed your wise words. Been in flux: 4-5 months in WA, a couple in CA and a couple in GA. Been trying to put together a photo-manipulation grow and meeting diverse resistance. I find it difficult to work w/people for whom their word is not their bond. It pushes me to a place for which I'm ill-suited. You understand this, yes?

Your Clan has Eyes. What do you see? Time to push? Listen? Act? Trust? Twist in the flux, or call it the Dance?

Love and Respect

 

[Radogast]

Dear Radogast,
I've missed your wise words. Been in flux: 4-5 months in WA, a couple in CA and a couple in GA. Been trying to put together a photo-manipulation grow and meeting diverse resistance. I find it difficult to work w/people for whom their word is not their bond. It pushes me to a place for which I'm ill-suited. You understand this, yes?

Your Clan has Eyes. What do you see? Time to push? Listen? Act? Trust? Twist in the flux, or call it the Dance?

Love and Respect

Wonderful to hear from you Ranger 2 7 5.

You haven't missed much in my garden, the 90-100% failure to thrive of hundreds of bulbs and seeds really dampened my enthusiasm. Then 2.5 months ago, my wife and I went out to chat about clean-up, winter prep, etc. She took a seat in a hammock swing to chat. The cable broke and she snapped her ankle breaking parts of 3 bones. She is still not able to put weight on it. With pre-surgical complications, it's a mess but getting better every day.

So, sorry not much to see in the garden except the back porch birdfeeders. The woodpeckers, cardinals and blue birds have been present for 1-2 hours before noon and providing entertainment. The brook hasn't flooded and the snow hasn't fallen, so I'm starting to forgive the forest and consider how we can get along better.

I haven't thought much about timing, but Winter Solstice always signals the New Year's switch from decreasing to increasing sunlight, decreasing to increasing life force. I also notice December 24th is the 13th Full Moon of the year, which sounds like a very auspicious shift in energy to me. Possibly time to surf a wave. I'll check in with the living and dead and see what they say.

 

[Radogast]

Talked to my wife. In general, the astrologers are excited (the crows called excitedly and the trucks on the other side of the woods are going beep-beep-beep as I typed that.)

There is something special in the alignment of planets thats say NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT! I don't have a direct connection to the wisdom of astrology, so I will take their words for it. - If feels like the steps we take RIGHT NOW will send us along the path. More than ever, today is the first day of the rest of your life.

Dang! typing that has me buzzing, the spirits are swirling and laughing like Halloween. I know I have to listen to that message myself - I'm going to make choices about my path today.

Thanks Ranger275 for asking a question that kicked me into gear. Life's getting real !

 

[SBG]

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Merry Solstice. to all and yours.

SBG
TTFN

 

[Radogast]

Grilling burgers in New England, Christmas Eve.

 

[Radogast]

Bluebirds Square Dancing on the porch



It warmed up to 47 degrees this morning and 4 bluebirds were Square Dancing on the deck.

A 5th bluebird joined in and the dance went all pentagram witchy.

 

[MrsMifflin420]

Newbie here...hey hey! Have lots of beautiful flower pictures but can not figure out how to put them up. I am still new here and have not quite figured out how to navigate myself thru here. Any one who wants to educate me...is welcome!

 

[Radogast]

Newbie here...hey hey! Have lots of beautiful flower pictures but can not figure out how to put them up. I am still new here and have not quite figured out how to navigate myself thru here. Any one who wants to educate me...is welcome!

Welcome MrsMiffin

I sugest you take a visit over to Cannafan's Beauty of the Changing Season The Beauty Of The Changing Seasons <==== Click here.

She gets a lot more traffic than I do and we like flower pictures.

One thing you will need to do is load up your flower pictures in the category OFF TOPIC .
is very careful not to offend governments in multiple countries, so any photos not of cannabis (marijuana) plants need to be labelled either OFF-TOPIC or Grow Room setup and suppllies. "OFF-TOPIC" is near the bottom of the list item where you see "Member Galleries" when adding photos.

Welcome to 420 magazine online.

 

[Radogast]

Since this is my only OFF-TOPIC thread, here is Bruce. He lives on the kitchen table.


Bruce gets very happy during breakfast because the rats snuggle against his vase to eat their sausage and eggs.

When there is cannabis smoked at the kitchen table, Bruce comes to the surface, gulps in flavored air, and blows bubbles.

 

[Radogast]

Wednesday was snow free. Yesterday snow came back.


Goosedown snow bagan to fall

The brook did not freeze

After the first inch or snow, the tree outlines were quite striking.

This dove chose to huddle in place (as did we - the power was off for 1 hour.)

Juncos love snow. They came to dig for seeds that they had ignored when free for the taking for 2 hours before the snow.

These branches were 6 ft off the ground before the snow - I only lost one major branch that fell in the driveway.

Today is sunny and more sparkly than I can photograph.

I am ready for the snow to leave.

 

[Radogast]

Yesterday was for the birds

Started out with the usual lineup of woodpeckers, sparrow, jays, and ..

Bluebirds, I wish my photo camera had brightness controls.

After breakfast there was a murder of crows yacking it up in the front yard with me. And a second murder of crows talking with my wife in the back yard. Odd enough. Around 9AM, I peeked out the bedroom windows and saw 40-50 crows bathing in a 20 yard stretch along the stream.

A gathering of the crow clan

About 15 minutes later, a Bald Eagle flew about 5 feet from the bedroom window. I've never seen a Bald Eagle on the island before.

 

[Radogast]

We were 90% snow free for a day, followed by a dusting of snow.


Footprints: a man, a woman, a murder of crows, and a scurry of squirrels

I'm not planning on mass planting seeds this spring. For two years in a row I started over a thousand seeds, with little to show for it. Last year I planted over 600 bulbs, less than 50 came up. The former lawn was drenched in round-up and other selective herbicides. I though it had cleaned up enough after being chemical free for 2 seasons, but I was obviously wrong. I won't be planting seeds until after a nice crop of weeds has replenished the soil.

 

[OEF Vet 11B]

I dream to buy land and do the things you are. I want some hens and rabbits for meat/egg and plenty of room to grow and abundance of veggies herbs and fruits. I am envious! Can't wait to see what the changing weather brings!

 

[Radogast]

I dream to buy land and do the things you are. I want some hens and rabbits for meat/egg and plenty of room to grow and abundance of veggies herbs and fruits. I am envious! Can't wait to see what the changing weather brings!

Thanks for the kind words OEF Vet.

I wanted to raise rabbits for both petting and eating - the family resists eating any animal with lush fur.

I was almost ready to go with chickens, but state law was a minimum purchase of 12 chicks and the chicken run was part of a vegetable garden plan. Last year the state raised the minimum chick purchase to 24 (ducklings stayed at 12) and I abandoned my vegetable garden plan due to soil that is still toxic from overfertilized lawn.

I am so tired of dealing with New England Puritans and their nanny state that the wife and I are seriously talking pulling up roots and heading west.

I had a lot of permaculture based gardening dreams 3-4 years ago. I don't know if they will ever happen. Plants grew A LOT better in California. There are natives who garden successfully, but the growing season in New England is brutally short. It's even hard to keep house plants alive.

 

[OEF Vet 11B]

I've been reading a lot about a sustainable lifestyle. I want to try it. My wife not so much. I'm in the NOrth east area and I can tell you as soon as I finish up my bachelors (I'm a few years behind after serving) I'm applying to jobs everywhere but here. That's crazy that you have to have at least 24. It's like they're pushing you to be a farmer or buy your meat no inbetween. I feel like I'll find ny freedom working outside and living a meaningful life. Sadly it takes a lot of money to live that kind of life... at least to start. I posted here but I'll ask you personally since we seem to be in the same kind of area. I'm in zone 5b almost 6 I think are you? I'm looking for some things to grow outside in pots. Maybe 5 gallon smart pots? I have been unsuccessful at germinating anything other than cannabis.

 

[Radogast]

I've been reading a lot about a sustainable lifestyle. I want to try it. My wife not so much. I'm in the NOrth east area and I can tell you as soon as I finish up my bachelors (I'm a few years behind after serving) I'm applying to jobs everywhere but here. That's crazy that you have to have at least 24. It's like they're pushing you to be a farmer or buy your meat no inbetween. I feel like I'll find ny freedom working outside and living a meaningful life. Sadly it takes a lot of money to live that kind of life... at least to start. I posted here but I'll ask you personally since we seem to be in the same kind of area. I'm in zone 5b almost 6 I think are you? I'm looking for some things to grow outside in pots. Maybe 5 gallon smart pots? I have been unsuccessful at germinating anything other than cannabis.

I am in 5b with only 3-4 hours of direct summer light due to 50 ft trees

My success has been with herbs and flowers:

Catnip(repels bugs, smokable, might have survived the winter outdoors),
mints (chocolate mint is great in tea, perennial indoors under the edge of the veg light)
rosemary (grew well outside, grew well under the edge of veg lights, died in the north facing bedroom window)
thyme (lemon thyme leaves are a good rub on mosquito repellent)
Lemon Verbena (medicinal)

Raspberry vine - first year grew very well
Hollyhocks (poisonous)
wildflowers
English Ivy
Coral Bells
Rhododendrons
violets, marigolds and other 'color' plants from stores
bulbs (failed for me but are usually reliable.)

White Clover grows effortless from seed in any disturbed ground - good for underplanting anything else.



Surviving but not thriving:
Blueberry bushes
grape vine
apple tree
Beans grew - easy to start from seed, but the version I grew only yielded 10 beans per plant (probably due to shade)
strawberry
Heather
Morning glory (grows well from seed)
Chili pepper