[Magdalen] First fruits

[Lynn Ronkainen]

The legion of squirrels in my back 'yard' are unbelievable. Plus the ladies 
two doors and three doors down from me hand feed them peanuts!!! Sheesh. So 
not only do I have little digging holes everywhere, and amid my spices that 
are in a planter, I often find peanuts, still in the shell, buried also!!

The other day a small hawk perched on the back of my garden bench for over 
an hour about 8' from my patio edge (small condo patio) and for two days I 
did not see any squirrels (actually hoping that they had been hawk food...) 
but I understand that they're still out there, but they have not visited me 
or tried to mount the hanging bird feeders since the hawk spend a few hours 
on that bench, so for that I'm grateful : )  Now the Mourning Doves are also 
at 'pack level' quantity - today 12 scattered from the patio (where they 
pick up fallout from the feeders)... I sure wish there was a way to get rid 
of those Texas pigeons...
Lynn

website: www.ichthysdesigns.com

When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I have not a 
single bit of talent left and could say, "I used everything You gave me." 
attributed to Erma Bombeck
 "Either Freedom for all or stop talking about Freedom at all" from a talk 
by Richard Rohr

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From: "Jay Weigel" <jay.weigel at gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, May 09, 2016 1:49 PM
To: <magdalen at herberthouse.org>
Subject: Re: [Magdalen] First fruits

> ​There is still the problem of the myriad squirrels burying the damn
> walnuts, though. They even bury them in our flowerpots. They just don't 
> get
> up to the skybox!
>
>
> On Mon, May 9, 2016 at 2:46 PM, Grace Cangialosi <gracecan at gmail.com> 
> wrote:
>
>> No, with the straw bale method, there's no soil involved, but if you're
>> worried about contamination, you can set the bales on sheets of black
>> plastic.  I think it would be worth checking out.
>>
>> > On May 9, 2016, at 2:29 PM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > But not in soil that has been poisoned by so many walnut trees you 
>> > can't
>> > count 'em.....with squirrels by the dozens too. We've tried the hanging
>> > planters, but so far the best solution seems to be our "sky garden". 
>> > It's
>> > the only place that gets enough light, also.
>> >
>> >> On Mon, May 9, 2016 at 1:55 PM, Grace Cangialosi <gracecan at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> You could also use the straw bale method...could plant as many as you
>> >> like. Just google straw bale planting.
>> >>
>> >>> On May 9, 2016, at 11:20 AM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >>>
>> >>> No tomatoes here (damn walnut trees!) although s/o has read of a 
>> >>> method
>> >>> which sounds promising.....filling a 5-gallon bucket (holes drilled 
>> >>> in
>> >> the
>> >>> bottom for drainage) with good soil from elsewhere), covering the 
>> >>> soil
>> >> with
>> >>> plastic, and inserting the tomato plants through slits in the 
>> >>> plastic,
>> >> then
>> >>> keeping them in a place free of the incursions of walnut--infested 
>> >>> soil
>> >> or
>> >>> marauding squirrels with walnuts to bury. Our upper deck would be a
>> fine
>> >>> place. I don't have my herbs in either; they normally are planted in
>> pots
>> >>> on said upper deck, but I haven't visited my neighborhood greenhouse
>> due
>> >> to
>> >>> the exceedingly chilly, rainy weather. This week, for sure.
>> >>>
>> >>> The greenhouse is run by a lovely Mennonite (conservative--wears
>> "uniform
>> >>> dress" and cap, but drives) lady who employs several of her female
>> >>> relatives, including a look-alike sister, an exceedingly elderly 
>> >>> woman
>> >> who
>> >>> is either her mother or aunt, and a sweet Down's syndrome woman who
>> does
>> >> a
>> >>> great deal of the fetching and carrying and who surprised me last 
>> >>> year
>> by
>> >>> informing me that she was about to turn 53...I had her pegged for
>> *much*
>> >>> younger, not because of the DS but because she simply looks about 35.
>> In
>> >>> fact, they all look much younger than they are, except for granny. 
>> >>> And
>> >>> Arlene (the owner) has just about the greenest thumb I've ever
>> >> encountered.
>> >>> She has the best collection of herbs anywhere, year after year, and
>> >> coleus
>> >>> that just knock your eye out, plus fine house plants and porch plants
>> and
>> >>> occasional oddments of garden plants, besides the old standards in 
>> >>> fine
>> >>> array. AND the best mulch anywhere. People come from all over just 
>> >>> for
>> >> the
>> >>> mulch.
>> >>>
>> >>> On Mon, May 9, 2016 at 12:57 AM, Rick Mashburn <
>> ricklmashburn at gmail.com>
>> >>> wrote:
>> >>>
>> >>>> Alex is the gardener on our house. Looks like we are going to have a
>> >> bumper
>> >>>> crop of tomatoes this year!
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Peace, Rick
>> >>>>> On May 8, 2016 9:43 PM, "Susan Hagen" <susanvhagen at gmail.com> 
>> >>>>> wrote:
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> I had a salad with tiny lettuce thinnings and baby radishes from 
>> >>>>> the
>> >>>>> garden.  The cucumber was from the grocery store but it all tasted
>> >>>>> wonderful.  I weeded the asparagus patch which, sadly, seems to be
>> >>>>> fading out, probably from neglect.  Still, I get a few cuttings 
>> >>>>> from
>> >>>>> it each year.  I do enjoy eating from my back yard.
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> --
>> >>>>> The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among
>> >>>>> you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in 
>> >>>>> the
>> >>>>> land of Egypt.
>> >>>>> Leviticus 19:34
>> >>
>>