Garden Progress

Calabacitas
Originally uploaded by Beaver w/ a Toothbrush

We've had some ups and downs at the hovel lately. After Big Mike died, two more of our chickens died the next day while we were at work before we realized that the coop was getting much hotter than we thought. This will be our first summer with the new coop. I was pretty torn up about Lyla and Little Mike dying so soon after Big Mike and I made some immediate changes to the coop so hopefully we won't have any more problems. I'm monitoring it now and it seems to be staying a reasonable temperature.

Then some javelinas discovered that the fences around our gardens weren't all that sturdy and they ate almost everything in our two largest plots. We no longer have ground cherries, peppers, okra, eggplant, pole beans, melon banana, saucer squash, and a few varieties of tomatoes. We still have calabicatas which are doing really nicely, tomatillos, corn, and a few tomato plants. I was excited to see a couple of the stranger things we planted; maybe next year.

The tomatillos were the only things left in the largest plot. They seem pretty happy. I've also started pumpkins, sweet and hot peppers, luffas, and corn seedlings. We bought staples for the bottom of the fence. We're hoping that (and some pepper flakes sprinkled around liberally) will be enough to keep the javelinas out in the future. Although I should mention that the javelinas did us a big favor. They also ate all the weeds.

R.I.P Big Mike

Big Mike, Buff Orpington hen
Fall 2006 - Spring 2009
Thanks for all the eggs!

R.I.P Big Mike
Originally uploaded by Beaver w/ a Toothbrush

Spring Snake Season's Starting

Gopher Snake
Originally uploaded by Beaver w/ a Toothbrush

This is the third snake we've seen on the property but the first that's been close enough to the house and still enough for me to get a good picture.

So far we've seen a red coachwhip, a long-nosed snake, and this gopher snake, based on our best internet-assisted guesses. We also drove over a small rattlesnake on the road the week before last. I thought it was a stick but luckily it was centered in the lane so I straddled it. I noticed at the last second that it was a snake so I swung the car around and shined the headlights on it. That was the first rattlesnake I've ever seen in the wild. It was heading off the road. Since it was facing away and not coiled I wasn't afraid to get within a few feet of it and give it a look. I was impressed.

Yesterday early evening I went outside to go see how the chickens were doing. As I headed down the porch towards the end of the house I thought to myself, "What's that noise? Did I leave something on the around the corner?"

I came around the corner to find two of the cats at the edge of their yard a foot or two away from a loudly hissing snake. I immediately freaked out and started yelling at the cats because I thought this thing was ready to strike any minute. I was a little panicked because at first glance I thought it was a rattler. After a second though I realized that it probably wasn't since it was hissing, not rattling. I still yelled at the cats and jumped in their yard. Pico, the little scardy one ran in when I told her to but Hansel was too curious. He couldn't drag himself away from the hissing snake. So I had to go over there and grab him. After their kitty door was sealed I went in for the camera. The snake settled down right away and didn't hiss at me at all, although I didn't get closer than maybe six feet away. I've been watching where I walk very carefully since then.