FAO Billy & Charlie - Page 2

 ct.net.au:


 squirrels prefer hickory, actually. they only go for my
walnuts if i leave the box outside after i take the hulls off.
 however, in the 9 autumns i've been here & with a few dozen
hickories, i've only managed to score *one* nut for myself.
the squirrels eat them off the trees. almost all i ever see
are the hulls & a bit of shell :p
 where are you that you have almost climax forest? i have
pasture gone to pine to hardwood over the past 70 years (this
place was a grain mill in the 1800s, then a dairy until the
30s. then it became a Boston professor's summer home until the
mid-60s, when it was reformed into a small sheep & maple syrup
producing farm). i wouldn't call it climax, even though most
of the softwood is gone.


 there is already a recession, no matter how much the gub'mint
is loathe to say the "r" word. i think it will get worse
before it gets better & i can see the next president in a
really bad position... i am hopeful there will not be a
depression, but i would not rule it out.
 i'm trying to decide if i should pay off my mortgage, so i
will be clear in that event. i'm also trying to decide if i
should buy more adjacent land, to aid in self-sufficiency.
this house was built before modern 'conveniences' & it can
work without them if needed. i consider myself lucky in that
regard at least.
 lee
--
Last night while sitting in my chair
I pinged a host that wasn't there
It wasn't there again today
The host resolved to NSA.

 ct.net.au:


 i did, it was delicious! :) i want to plant more hickory. it
*might* improve my chances of getting another one to eat
myself...


 i have 2 black walnuts, one in my yard (as it were) & one in
the former peach orchard, now pasture. the first is around 35
years old & bears heavily every other year. the one in the
pasture is about 15 years & just started bearing about 3 years
ago (it had 3 walnuts). it also seems to bear alternate years.
oddly, it's heavy years are the bigger trees lean years... so i
end up with about the same amount of walnuts.
 i think it depends on the type of chestnut, if the squirrels
will eat them. they will eat my American chestnuts (if they can
get them. i'm pretty zealous about grabbing any good ones). i
don't know if they can, or will, eat buckeyes (those are horse
chestnuts, right?). i'm trying to get seedlings from my
chestnut, as they are only slightly self-fertile. you get much
bigger yields if they can cross pollanate. i'm almost thinking
of getting some of the American/Chinese hybrids, just to help my
poor tree out. it had blight, but was drasticly pruned &
survived. i'm hoping it's offsping will be resistant.
 

the buckeyes aren't native, i don't think. they're nice lumber
trees though. bays are hardwoods. even birch is a hardwood,
although it's softer than pine (softwoods are generally
conifers, & hardwoods are deciduous).
  if you have some relatively open areas on your lots, look for
antique apples to put in. most of the antique varieties don't
need as much fussing as the modern ones... or small fruits, like
highbush cranberry, maybe. i'm all for edible landscaping.
 that looks like a pretty nice area from the yahoo arial map
(which tend to be clearer than google, but not always). lots of
treed, hilly country to escape into if needed ;)

 well, unless you look at farming lifestyles pre-WW, when
families were extended (grandparents, parents, children &
frequently unmarried siblings of the parents) all living &
working together.
 i'm a bit younger than you (1954), but i was a child of
depression era parents. kids born mid-60s or later tend not to
understand the make, save, repair or do without mindset. i do
know that my child is the only one who attends school in patched
clothes...


 did you get a drop spindle? i really need to try that again.
way more portable than my wheel.
lee
--
Last night while sitting in my chair
I pinged a host that wasn't there
It wasn't there again today
The host resolved to NSA.

 ct.net.au:


geez! i could mail you mine & get it there ( & back) before
you get to the top of the list!
 

once you get them figured out, yes. until you hit that point
they can be pretty aggravating ;)
 i could send you a sample bottom whorl spindle to try out.
i've been meaning to try a top whorl myself to see what the
difference is (most likely it'll mean i need more spindles).
 otherwise, look for a nice 2-2.5 ounce spindle. spin it
between your fingers to check the balance. if it's wobbly, you
don't want it.


i'm resisting starting seeds. while daytime temps are hitting
the 40s now, it's still freezing at night (perfect sugaring
weather!). i do have crocus & snowdrops blooming. no
dandelions yet. Boo did find a salamander (red backed) this
morning, so spring *is* coming.
 
 our last frost date is near the end of May.
 

 i plant dill with my carrots. i plant both pretty thickly
because i need extra for the black swallowtail caterpillers.
 and i stick lemon marigolds where ever i can fit them in.
lee
--
Last night while sitting in my chair
I pinged a host that wasn't there
It wasn't there again today
The host resolved to NSA.

 

Guess you folks know of Rodale's take on companion plantings.

Bill

<http://www.seedsofchange.com/enewsletter/issue_55/companion_planting.asp

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA
MaCain in 2038 !!

 


Funny thing, I was looking for Izzy's quote but couldn't remember the
author or enough.

Keepin' the Faith
Charlie