Gave Blood Today

Gave blood today in front of the supermarket. Learned I have type B blood, my blood pressure is well within normal limits, and I am NOT anemic.

I guess it's my way of evening out the score:
Funerals: 3 vs. Life Giving: 3-8 (depending on how it's distributed)

Home Sweet Home & ready to get back to it!

***This post has been sitting on my phone waiting to be posted for almost a week now... gotta check the software to see if it's still working***

I've been doing an awful lot of traveling lately: down to NW Florida for my MIL's birthday, back to NW Flotida for my nephew's birthday, further down to central Florida for my CEU class to maintain my license in natural health, and then up to New England for my Nana's funeral.

...So after about a month of neglect, there is MUCH to do and it's hard to know where to begin!!! The fields have gone from 2-3 inches of flower-ish grasses to a foot or so of tall random weed-ish plants. The house is surrounded by green gone wild trying to climb up the walls. The gates came in and we have all the supplies to put up the fence to keep in the animals that we want to get for livestock in. There's unpacking, more mechanical work on the tractors, shelter building, weeding, planting, mowing, housekeeping and self care in order to fully recover from all the time away!!!! Like the saying goes: So little time, so much to do!

I've gotten off to a good start since my return: went to church a whopping 45 minutes after we arrived home after our 22 hour car trip back from New England. We'd figured since we weren't going to be able to sleep until we stopped vibrating from the car ride. Then yesterday, we did laundry and some spring cleaning to get rid of the 1.5 weeks of cat hair that covered everything in the house. Today we visited a friend who was splitting her Queen Anne ferns and ficus trees and got a few of them for home & the Master Gardener's plant sale later this month. We've successfully managed to separate the rotting food from the good food in the fridge & elsewhere; swept, vacuumed, and mopped; went grocery and supply shopping; caught up with some friends and are moving on to making dinner. Not bad for 48 hours!!!

Farm Shadowing

After a long day of Farm work, I feel accomplished! I learned how to drive an ATV, use a pressure washer, feed and play with horses and cows, use a trailer, safely burn a bonfire, maintain farm buildings, and overcome some of my anxiety about stinging/biting bugs... All while remaining upbeat and cheery! Thanks to Dianne for showing me & Hubby around her farm! We had a great- albeit exhausting- day!!

A Plum Adventure

I have learned an interesting thing about Plum trees: They are VERY prolific in that they will reproduce rapidly to the point where they can take over a plot of land in only a couple of years if allowed to. They are like weeds to some people around here. These are native plums that produce a huge load of fruit most years. Below is how I gleaned this bit of information.

An elderly lady I know has a yard that was being taken over by the "Nuisance Plum Trees". So, a friend and I happily visited her yesterday (garden gloves, shovel and bags in hand) and dug out these "Invasive Pests".  You should have seen us! Oh! My middle aged friend is a hardy woman who doesn't let grass grow under her- if you know what I mean. She is a Do-er. So, together, we stood and jumped on shovels to break through tuberous roots in order to dig up individual trees. While she would use her shovel as a lever to lift parts of the root balls, I would grab hold of the bottom of the trunk and pull to lift it out of the ground. In doing this, I knew exactly when the trees were finally wrestled free from the ground. I knew this because I was usually hunched over, pulling with all my might. When my butt hit the floor, the tree was up and we were ready to move on to the next one. Luckily, I never landed in the many camouflaged fire ant beds I noticed only after about the 5th tree when I looked right next to where I landed and saw the ants pouring out of their mound.

We must have dug up 10 or more plum trees, 3 rose bushes and other plants our elder friend could no longer care for. As a result, we should be able to really enjoy some fruit next summer (possibly even this summer if they get well-established in time). I took 3 plum trees and 2 rose bushes home to plant.

When I got home, I planted one Plum Tree on either side of our dirt road driveway by the house. I'm hoping to train them to grow in an arch so that people know where to turn to get to the house (hard to tell on a packed dirt road). The 3rd, I had no idea where to put it. So, I called a friend who is trying to establish a "Wildlife Habitat" in her back yard to see if she could use the tree. She loved that I thought of her and happily accepted the tree this afternoon.

BTW, you're not supposed to thank others for plants that they give you. It's commonly thought that if you DO thank aomeone for plants they give you, then the plants will not grow. Wierd, eh?

Poisonous Plants to Avoid

 It occurs to me that some seemingly unassuming plants might just be the last thing you touch, smell, taste, etc. Little did I know that some common plants are HIGHLY TOXIC to humans as well as animals/livestock/etc. In doing some research in this arena, I found some helpful sites.

Here are some links to sites with info on toxic plants. 

Cute Killers
Wiki's List of Poisonous Plants
One Person's Running List of Poisonous Plants
Poisonous Plants of the Southeastern United States

So, If you have children, pets or other creatures that may accidentally encounter these plants, keep your eyes on them and make sure they know what they can and can not stick in their mouths.

The War Against Fire Ants

Here in the south is a tremendous hazard to people and crops (I'm finding): The Fire Ant.

Thus far I have learned that the enemy:
A) can survive a hard frost for a day or more.
B) Think they own the ENTIRE property and are spreading out to include the yard and garden
C) will eat lettuce roots causing the whole plant to wilt and die
D) Won't necessarily get the chance to bite you- even if you step on a mound- as long as you keep a quick pace and keep moving your feet
E) will quickly take control of a compost pile
F) are regularly invaded by the opossums who dig into the mound to eat the larvae
G) Are viscous this time of year; any little bump to their mound and they practically fly out to get at you

I will be performing regular experiments to find which natural method of Fire Ant Control and Eradication work the best for me. If you, too, live in the South and have some advice as to how to deal with these pests, I am all ears!

Ant Killer Experiment #1: Orange Oil in Hot Water

Ok. So, there's supposed to be a chemical in orange oil (d-limonene) that breaks down the wax covering the exoskeleton of fire ants. Then the insect is supposed to dehydrate to death and thus end the fire ant occupation of my yard, garden, etc.





So, I mixed 2 oz of Orange Essential Oil with 1 gallon HOT water (though not boiling- I'm testing the oil, not the temperature). 

Then, I found a mound that photographed well:

Then, I shook up the oil/water mix & poured it over the mound. In 1-2 days, the ants should be dead, never to return as the oil makes the location uninhabitable for them.

Now I get to play the waiting game. I hope it works!!!

Here's a link to an explanation of how it works:
The Dirt Doctor