Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Deferred. D*** it... Plants, and a chicken, too.

Went in to give blood today.  I was DEFERRED!  I am NOT happy.  I am just a teensy smidgen anemic.  (.1! Come ON...) So, I was told eat some spinach or some such, get my iron up, and I can donate as soon as a couple days from now.  But I am still irked.  I was there, and couldn't do the drawing.  I love to drink tea, and I am almost sure, with the warmer weather, the tea I have been drinking, by the quart, might have something to do with it...  Getting some iron in the system, and will give you an update later. 

Grumble.

Anyway, enough about that.  I was at one of the local stores, looking at the plants, wishing I could get a few, even though some were looking pretty peaked.  Then one of the clerks came out, and said, "get 'em while you can, they are free..."  After my usual intelligent response, "huh?"  I started grabbing plants.  Didn't even know what a few of them were, but I really thought they were cool looking, so... Gone!  I came home with the back of the pickup full, and Husband looking bemused.

This was a couple weeks ago, and Husband was cleaning out the shop, found a rotting wheelbarrow.  (Let's just say, it has holes in the bottom I could nearly put a fist through...)  He said I could have it, or he'd toss it.  I took it, and with some compost, water, and a nice sunny spot, I present-

The Mobile Plant Unit!

 Sorry about the shade, the wind was blowing, and it kept shading my shot.  It doesn't look it, but the 'barrow was next to the 45 degree grade in back of our place, and I didn't want to tempt fate pushing it up the hill to the sun.


It's hard to see in the photo, but there are 6 of the trees I had worked on getting up and going in spring from the Arbor Day society.  The biggest one there, I had out in the yard... Until the deer ate all the new leaves.  It's now a Rudee kennel decoration, until it gets big enough not to be stripped again.  As are most of the other plants there.  Rudee has a personal jungle.  The blue thing is for the chicken (more below).

A rose bush we also moved because of the deer, as well as it being in a nasty place to try and mow around... It bloomed twice, I haven't a clue if it will do any more, but it does decorate Rudee's kennel nicely.

Sweet Williams.  Just stuck 'em in a box, and let 'em rip...


The window boxes did pretty well, there was some pinky red upright flower, a coleus, alyssum, and black colored sweet potato vines.  I did a lot of bug crushing for those vines, 9 spot beetles seem to adore them... Why can't deer eat 9 spot beetles?  Or the reverse?  Leave my plants alone!

This is a Dahlia and a little variety pot that I wanted on the porch.  Husband made the little cross member for the pots to sit on.  Oddly enough, it has stopped Buzz from running back and forth on there, so that, at least, is a plus.  It's also nice to look at when I sit out on the front porch.   



And this is Junior.  

There were three chicks, and 2 were, well, stomped on, we think.  Anyway, they didn't make it.  This one did, and Momma Bird took good care of it until about a week ago, then just ran it off.  As did the other birds.  Then the other birds started attacking it, and wounded it rather badly.  Husband and I made up the dog carrier as a MASH bird unit, and it is recovering pretty well.  We tried re-introducing it, with no luck, so it is over by Rudee, and we have it so it has a little fenced area to wander around in.  Hopefully, it will get big enough to defend itself, and we can finally put it back in with the others.  That's the goal, at any rate...  Oh, and why "Junior", after the naming contest and all? 

Husband started calling it Junior.  

It stuck.  

Meh...

10 comments:

Andrea said...

Free plants? Hooray! Love the box with the coleus and such...hope I can remember that next spring!

messymimi said...

Stick 'em in a pot and let 'em rip -- that's what a green thumb can do!

Your plants look wonderful, especially the wheelbarrow, and i hope Junior recovers quickly.

stephen Hayes said...

Mrs. Chatterbox has given blood for years but now she can't because she's anemic. The doctors can't determine why.

Dreaming said...

I have longed for a plant wheelbarrow. I think they are so darn cute.
I was deferred once, too. It seems like I felt the same way!

Sally said...

Lovely pictures. Eat your spinach, you know what it did for Popeye!! Are the deer wild or part of your entourage? I think the largest predators we have here are urban foxes who think it's great now that it seems to be very fashionable for people to keep chickens in their gardens. Have a good week.

Cat said...

All I did was try and match red, white and black, if that helps the memory....

Cat

Cat said...

A green thumb, and not having the deer "help"... I think Junior should be okay, just not sure about all the noise and goings on around. And thanks!

Cat

Cat said...

Uh, oh. I hope they find out. That can lead to being pretty punk, from what I understand. I know that a friend was low on iron, and she was just tired all the time. Odd how something like that can be so important...

Cat

Cat said...

If you want one, I saw a cute mini one, get a kid's wheelbarrow. It's fun, but not so heavy to move! And yeah, I guess I am getting cocky, I just always get in to give blood, so I just took this a bit hard... NEXT TIME!!!

Cat

Cat said...

Thanks! Yes, I have to eat it sans Husband, he looks nauseous when I have it. More so if I add vinegar. Poor guy. And no, the deer are no friends of mine, they are the local butts that are on the deer buffet line through our property. Haven't had any foxes, but lost several of my chickens to a bobcat, until we figured out what was happening. Sneaky thing would hide until I let out the chickens and grab them behind the hen house. I don't know who was more spooked when I found said bob behind the henhouse, Mr. Bob or ME!

Cat