MY GARDEN IS PROTECTED !

[Redbert31]

oh, my trees give all season. so, 200 figs in 2 months is what i meant.
commercial varieties are bred to yield all at once, but
worthless for the home garden.
you need to join the fig forum for good advise as to rooting.
many people get 90% success while i'm under 10%.
just don't get crazy. people pay the price of a S&W for the latest BEST cuttings, with no proof they are superior.
people end up with hundreds of trees in pots because the hobby grabs you.
i'm only interested in trees that are tough n give yummy fruit.
you gotta tell me your zone for me to send the best cuttings for you.

I'm in central Connecticut.. I'll find out what number my area is for the growing season. We are in zone 6a... The coldest it gets is about. -5°F in the winter. I won't have the plants outside after September. They will be in my porch room where I can keep it in about 50-55°F all winter and it will be protected from frost and winds. How tall do they get in the pots, it does that depend on how I prune the branches. I'm going to read up on the basics so you can just tell me the specifics for the varieties that you will send me. I'm getting all excited about this. I also wanted to get a few chickens, but that may have to wait until Logan is well. I have a 4'high fence around my shed like a pen. It's about 15x15 with the shed on the third side. I can maybe empty the shed for them to be able to come inside from the back of the shed if I can build a plank coming down so that they can have access. That's next springs project.

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[susieqz]

oh, pooh. it's 7b.
you can grow any hardy fig inground there, if you winter wrap.
pots or ground, up to you.

 

[Redbert31]

oh, pooh. it's 7b.
you can grow any hardy fig inground there, if you winter wrap.
pots or ground, up to you.

Maybe I can do both... I've never been successful with winter wrap but if I have two of the most hardy type I can plant one outside and winter wrap and the other in a pot in the porch. Do they like sun, shade, or a combination..I have in ground sprinklers, so water is available. Do the flowers attract bees or hummingbirds? That would be a plus [emoji211][emoji211]

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What state are you in.. PM me if you want to keep it private

 

[susieqz]

i'm new mex.
where else could you find a real HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER?
the fig fruit is actually a flower. your trees are all female but need no polination because they are flowers.
i forget the scientific name.
for humming birds, grow honeysuckle, a pretty vine.

 

[les.b]

Guys, I hope that you don't mind my sharing with you here, but it's been a week today, and I'm just feeling like I can talk about it.

You have all met Bella and Lucky, who live at the cabin with me, but there are several older cats who live at the main house with my GF. Last Saturday, March 24th, we lost the oldest of our cats, Sylvester, who was 15. He had been sick, and took a turn for the worse last Saturday. I took him to the Emergency Vets office, and we ended up having to have him put to sleep. Here is a photo of him taken just exactly one year earlier, on March 24, 2017:

This was an awful decision to have to make, but the poor fellow had so much wrong with him that his quality of life was severely diminished. After consulting with the vet, and making the decision, I stayed with him through the whole thing. He was given a sedative, and I stayed and petted him and held him the whole time. I'm not ashamed to say that I was crying like a baby, but it was the right thing to do, and he is no longer suffering.

Last Sunday, we buried him next to his pal, Megs, our Beagle, who died back in 2010. They were inseparable, and now they are resting side by side.

Hope you don't mind me putting this here, susie, but I knew that you are a cat lover like me, and wanted to share.

Best Regards, Les

 

[susieqz]

that's terrible.
what was wrong?

 

[ACORN]

A handsome cat Les. Sorry for your loss. No shame in crying for the loss of someone that you love. Either 2 or 4 legged.

 

[les.b]

He first came down with a severe kidney/urinary disease in 2008, ten years ago, and almost died then. They did emergency surgery then, and he has been being treated for that, and on special cat food for ten years now. He also had gotten pretty heavy, (18 pounds) and had recently developed diabetes. He was being treated, but had went down hill pretty badly recently, and was not doing well. And he was 15 years old. As much as we knew we would miss him, he was suffering, and it wasn't fair to prolong his suffering.

Best Regards, Les

 

[les.b]

I went from crying to laughing!! I ran up to Cabela's today, and when I came back here to the cabin, all I had bought was a couple of boxes of shells. They came in one of those green plastic Cabela's bags, and I laid it on the bed while I got yhe shells out. Mr. Lucky stuck his head in the bag, and the crinkle noise startled him, and he jumped off the bed, and the bag was looped around his head and (he thought) it was chasing him, and he ran around the place, over furniture, under stuff, faster and faster, and of course, he couldn't outrun that darn bag!!! Finally, the bag came loose, but he had in the meantime, scared poor Bella, who had no idea what was going on, and in the process, he had been so badly scared that he had emitted some strong anal juice stuff, that smells something like our dog smells when her anal glands need extracted, only worse!!

Edit: did a little Internet research, and the reason that the stinky stuff smells like our dog's stinky stuff is because, well, it's pretty much the same stuff!! Both cats and dogs have anal glands, which help mark their territory. But when kitty gets frightened, it can squirt out, and I guess, tells other animals that there is something scary going on. Fortunately it doesn't last all that long, and Mr. lucky has already cleaned himself up. What a "little stinker"!!

Lucky... (OK...I was posing him!! But he is a "ham"!!):

Now he has gotten settled down, and cleaned himself up, and wants nothing to do with any more Cabela's bags!! I wish I could have gotten a video, but he was running so fast that all you would have seen was a black streak!!

Best Regards, Les

 

[susieqz]

les, this was the perfect place to post about sylvester.
this thread is about sharing.

i lost 2 kits today.
i left everybody out while i went in n took a nap.
when i called them in, only drifter n two kits galloped in.

pretty odd since i don't call til i know they are hungry.
after i fed the guys that came in, me n drifter went out to look.
since they weren't in the garden i figured they jumped the walls.
i looked outside the wall but, no kits.
i was getting frantic when i heard a teeny meow.
there were kits on the roof.
i called them down n told them supper was waiting, while i prepared to go up after them.

they aren't big enow to use rungs like drifter, but they gave i a good try.
they both got partway down before getting in trouble.
then each would wrap herself around a rung n hung on. they made a cat donut around the rung n just held on.
it was really hard to pry them off the rungs.
terror yields strength.
they were prepared to spend the rest of their lives curled around the rungs. but i pried them off n plopped them on the ground.
they were very happy to get at their supper n are sleeping, huddled as close to me as they can get.

 

[ACORN]

Ha Ha! Had the same thing happen to our tortoise shell Peanut. She tore through the house like the Devil himself had her by the throat. Across the living room over the coffee table up the stairs down the hall back down the stairs and over to my wife, puffing like a steam engine pleading "Rescue Me!" Laughed till we cried.

 

[les.b]

susie:

Thanks for the kind words!! You had me going there for a minute, I thought a coyote had eaten a couple of the kits!! Glad to see that they were just being adventurous and that you were able to rescue them!! Little kits are absolutely fearless, and ready to take on the world. They are lucky to have you and drifter....

ACORN,

I sure wouldn't want to deliberately scare a cat like that, but I just couldn't help but laugh at poor Lucky!! He's only about 8 months old now, so still has a lot of kitten in him, but starting to turn into a cat!! Bella is looking like a real cat now, and weighing in at 11.7 pounds, so she has filled out. But she still has a lot of kitten in her as well. The two of them are a real pair, and run around like a herd of elephants!!

But this bag thing was the funniest I've seen!!

Thanks for the kind words, they help.

Best Regards, Les

 

[Redbert31]

Guys, I hope that you don't mind my sharing with you here, but it's been a week today, and I'm just feeling like I can talk about it.

You have all met Bella and Lucky, who live at the cabin with me, but there are several older cats who live at the main house with my GF. Last Saturday, March 24th, we lost the oldest of our cats, Sylvester, who was 15. He had been sick, and took a turn for the worse last Saturday. I took him to the Emergency Vets office, and we ended up having to have him put to sleep. Here is a photo of him taken just exactly one year earlier, on March 24, 2017:

This was an awful decision to have to make, but the poor fellow had so much wrong with him that his quality of life was severely diminished. After consulting with the vet, and making the decision, I stayed with him through the whole thing. He was given a sedative, and I stayed and petted him and held him the whole time. I'm not ashamed to say that I was crying like a baby, but it was the right thing to do, and he is no longer suffering.

Last Sunday, we buried him next to his pal, Megs, our Beagle, who died back in 2010. They were inseparable, and now they are resting side by side.

Hope you don't mind me putting this here, susie, but I knew that you are a cat lover like me, and wanted to share.

Best Regards, Les

I'm so sorry for your loss... Even though it was the best decision, it's one of the toughest things we have to face in the life of our loving pets. My heart breaks for you, as I have sat on the floor holding my fur babies for the last time, before, during, and after their final journey. What a beautiful kitty Sylvester was, so beloved, and I'm sure he will be missed. Prayers and love to you and your family[emoji120][emoji120][emoji307][emoji307] Linda

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[Redbert31]

i'm new mex.
where else could you find a real HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER?
the fig fruit is actually a flower. your trees are all female but need no polination because they are flowers.
i forget the scientific name.
for humming birds, grow honeysuckle, a pretty vine.

I will [emoji2]

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[susieqz]

les, your story hit home.
i'm bracing myself for death in the near future.
cat mortality is high on the plains.
coyotes, hawks n owls take cats.
i have seen owls that stand more than 3' tall.
i don't think a hawk could take a full size cat, but could a kitten.
it's illegal to shoot owls or hawks, so they thrive, but better stay away from my family.
i'm putting my faith in drifter.
any of those things that came at a kit would get hurt.
but, drifter can't be everywhere.
she is a wonderful trainer, as far as hunting goes, but i don't know
how much she knows how to train.
she knows how to avoid predators but i don't know if she can pass that on.
if it can be done, it will be done, because drifter works hard at being a mom.
still, these teens don't always pay attention.
the only thing i can do is teach them to come in for the night.
since i'm the only house around n there's no traffic except me n delivery guys, i can't refuse them the outdoors.

 

[Redbert31]

I went from crying to laughing!! I ran up to Cabela's today, and when I came back here to the cabin, all I had bought was a couple of boxes of shells. They came in one of those green plastic Cabela's bags, and I laid it on the bed while I got yhe shells out. Mr. Lucky stuck his head in the bag, and the crinkle noise startled him, and he jumped off the bed, and the bag was looped around his head and (he thought) it was chasing him, and he ran around the place, over furniture, under stuff, faster and faster, and of course, he couldn't outrun that darn bag!!! Finally, the bag came loose, but he had in the meantime, scared poor Bella, who had no idea what was going on, and in the process, he had been so badly scared that he had emitted some strong anal juice stuff, that smells something like our dog smells when her anal glands need extracted, only worse!!

Edit: did a little Internet research, and the reason that the stinky stuff smells like our dog's stinky stuff is because, well, it's pretty much the same stuff!! Both cats and dogs have anal glands, which help mark their territory. But when kitty gets frightened, it can squirt out, and I guess, tells other animals that there is something scary going on. Fortunately it doesn't last all that long, and Mr. lucky has already cleaned himself up. What a "little stinker"!!

Lucky... (OK...I was posing him!! But he is a "ham"!!):

Now he has gotten settled down, and cleaned himself up, and wants nothing to do with any more Cabela's bags!! I wish I could have gotten a video, but he was running so fast that all you would have seen was a black streak!!

Best Regards, Les

What a face! He means business... Looks like he didn't like the stinky stuff either! It's amazing how they make you laugh when you need it the most [emoji307][emoji307]

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[Redbert31]

les, your story hit home.
i'm bracing myself for death in the near future.
cat mortality is high on the plains.
coyotes, hawks n owls take cats.
i have seen owls that stand more than 3' tall.
i don't think a hawk could take a full size cat, but could a kitten.
it's illegal to shoot owls or hawks, so they thrive, but better stay away from my family.
i'm putting my faith in drifter.
any of those things that came at a kit would get hurt.
but, drifter can't be everywhere.
she is a wonderful trainer, as far as hunting goes, but i don't know
how much she knows how to train.
she knows how to avoid predators but i don't know if she can pass that on.
if it can be done, it will be done, because drifter works hard at being a mom.
still, these teens don't always pay attention.
the only thing i can do is teach them to come in for the night.
since i'm the only house around n there's no traffic except me n delivery guys, i can't refuse them the outdoors.

Maybe let them stay mostly in the garden till they get a little bigger... Giving drifter a chance to train them as much as she can. The other choice is to keep them inside till they're full grown... And that is YOUR choice... Many cats (all of mine) lived all their lives indoors and were happy and entertained. They had toys and went after spiders and such. You can build them a covered chicken wire run so they can enjoy the smells outdoors and experience the predators visually without being prey. It sounds like you have the room to do it. It's what I'd probably do if I felt they had to have outdoor experience safely. Mice might come thru the holes and they could practice hunting. Think about it.. It wouldn't be that hard to do. Just need these metal posts for corners and every 12' that have prongs that receive the wire from the chicken wire. You can get them 6' high and chicken wire 6' also ( or you can overlap). Then you just cover the top with a chicken wire ceiling. Cover a portion of it for shade or a"hiding place" it would take 1 afternoon to gather and assemble it. Gates are available. You can make it as big as you want and it's easily removed and rolled up when they grow up. This is what people here do for chicken coops where we have foxes, coyotes, owls and some snakes. We do have bears and if motivated, they might be able to get in. They might be interested with chickens because there is feed always with chickens that would attract them, but not with kitties. Bears here don't seem to bother cats or dogs that aren't close to their cubs. Think about it. It would only be temporary or you could keep it for chickens! [emoji239][emoji215][emoji212][emoji213]

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[vonn]

Had three feral kittens at my shop that I was trying to tame but am pretty sure the local pair of bald eagles have gotten them to feed the baby eagles. Have seen the eagles catch a number of critters in a large uncut field next to the building. Mother Nature is a hard teacher.

 

[Redbert31]

Had three feral kittens at my shop that I was trying to tame but am pretty sure the local pair of bald eagles have gotten them to feed the baby eagles. Have seen the eagles catch a number of critters in a large uncut field next to the building. Mother Nature is a hard teacher.

It's the way of nature for sure. I hope susieqz considers this and my directions for making a temporary run to protect drifters kits while they grow and mature in their protective instinct.

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[susieqz]

jeepers, vonn. if that happens here i'll be in jail for shooting an endangered species.
the kits haven't left the garden yet.
training continues.
i've perhaps over stressed the dangers here.
i believe my place is free from coyotes during the day.
i'm not feeding outside, so the kits come in for dinner n
spend nites indoors.