I knew Holly and Ric would have some guidance for you and some chicks
LOL. I thought maybe if I had warmed up my hand before I reached under them maybe I wouldn't have been pecked. I don't mean they pecked every time, but sometimes. And as a kid I didn't like that. Heehee
Your neck of the woods part 6 1/22/14
thanks, coleup I've been to the feed store in Gambrills, and also in Glen Burnie, they get chicks and ducks too.. The Campbell ducks sound fantastic.
The nice thing about ducks is they don't scratch like chickens, so they don't dig up a whole row of established plants. How they act toward ripe tomatoes, I have no idea. Chickens however will taste every darn one. The ducks should be good bug catchers and avoid broadleaved plants, preferring tender sprouts and grasses much like their larger cousins geese. Geese have been used as weeders for so long with so much success there are breeds known as weeder geese and cotton patch geese. The newest trend in organic farming is to use ducks for pest control and geese as weeders, since they are compatible it can be a win-win.
We spent a good chunk of today at the ER. We got there before they got busy and got out as the weather started. Doc said it is a pinched sciatic nerve, they gave her an anti-nausea med, then some really good drugs (injection), and a RX for muscle relaxers. She's resting now and I hope a little better tomorrow. It looks like no Philly show this year, but I'm hoping she's well enough for Maryland next weekend. I'll have to see if there's any You Tube postings on Philly.
Ric--
Hope Holly is well enough to go next weekend.
Would you be going Saturday????? I am thinking of going too...Gotta use the free tickets...
My other days this week are pretty booked up. Lots of Dr. appts. around this
time of year...every year...All the annual check-ups due...
Let me know, please. G.
Oh man Ric, that is no fun at all! Poooor Holly!!! BIG HUGS!!!!!!!!!! I wonder... is there such a thing as a wireless heating pad? (ya know, runs on batteries)... maybe it might be worth the investment if she is able to go to the drive next weekend. I hear those "Icy Hot" pads work well.. wonder if that is an appropriate option for her situation. =(
Doc said not to use heat, although 20 mins. hot tub was OK. Sent her home with pain and muscle relaxer meds. She said worse rather than better this AM.:-(
Wow, no heat, really? Interesting. NOT happy that it's worse today instead of better. :( Poor Sweetheart -- wonder if there's a masseuse in your area who's got a dog-sled.
Praying for rapid improvement, Courage and lots of hugs
(((Holly)))
Heh heh, Judy - I mis-read your post for a split second... "...improvement, courage, and lots of drugs". Haahahahaaaa!!! Ooops, that's not what you said!
hugs, drugs, mmm I think she should have both!
I hope Gita is feeling OK- had a headcold at Swap, and worked yesterday, probably hearing "Do you have snow blowers? Do you have salt? Do you have shovels?" all day
Knowing her, she probably made a few BIG signs, directing people to those things. Really pretty signs, too! =)
Sally
We have none of the above---and, yes, people still drive to the store and expect
a big pile of each right there by the door..
WHO on earth would not have a snow shovel by now?????
A couple times, we have gotten in 7-9 PALLETS of salt--and it will sell out in two days.
NO snowblowers--No pellets either. It is a tough go for the unprepared...
Sally--
I am still congested--still runny nose--still coughing with not much coming up.
Got some Mucinex Cough syrup. Waiting for it to do its thing...
Yesterday--I was not even on the floor most of the day. Sat in the training room
at the computer working on class #5 (of 6--at least 3 hrs ea.) on the
"Nursery Certification Module".
One more to go--and I will, officially, "know more".....:o) The tests are tricky...
but they always give you a second chance on Q's you got wrong.
I tend to overthink everything--instead of going with my gut instinct. Then get red X's.
At the HD--training is super important. There are all kinds of classes assigned
that have to be taken all the time. From 15 minute Web-based shorties to longer ones.
You HAVE TO do them all by the dates due or your Supervisor gets in trouble.
I only work 16+ hrs.a week--it is hard to get everything done.
Thanks everyone for your well wishes....G.
Speedie---
Here's the scoop on SIGNS.
NO MORE HAND MADE SIGNS allowed...for anything...
All these beautiful, cut-out from plywood signs of Homer we had--down thew chute!
Certain talented Guys have worked on these for hours...life-size signs.
We are now ONLY supposed to use HD-issued signs.
Someone "up there" is, again, just justifying his job. G.
Wow... please pardon my fankness here but - HOW STUPID CAN THEY GET!?!?! You make the most AWESOME signs EVER, and now they aren't allowed to be put up!? Total DUH on HD's part.
Gita, I TOTALLY 'GET" how hard it is to keep up with training and assignments as a partimers. I'm in the same boat with library. I just spent an hour working at home because , besides the time issue, I had to watch short videos, and the computer (I share with another employee in our work area) has no speakers and the headset didn't give the audio. Instead of fighting it, I just did it at home. (And get this- my co worker came up with adding a keyboard and mouse so we can share that computer, the IT guys and budget do not justify one more computer, even though my co-part timer and I make up one real person...AA Co Library is not the pig in our county. We got new computers and monitors for the public, and the employees got 'upgraded' to the best of the salvaged ex-public ones. Meanwhile, kindergarten kids have SMART boards in their classrooms. No more easel with big printing on big yellow lined paper. It used to be the big treat for my kids to be the kid who got to bring home the day's easel paper, which cost taxpayers about a penny per day.. grrrrrrrr )
And ohyeah justifying his job. My sister told me a similar story some time ago, giving my my own phrase "messing with the salad bar" . She works for a pizza franchise, and the only thing the new guy could really mess with was the salad bar. "Hey people, no more radishes, now its red cabbage" that sort of thing.
Libraries are really getting the pinch. Speaking of which I am going to spend the afternoon listening to a book on tape that I picked up at our local library.
oh Holly, you should know about pinches...ouch!
Prosperous counties can have very nice libraries- see Howard Co MD. We are a prosperous county but library funding has been low compared to other counties of our size. Don't get me wrong, I do not like the idea of trying to make work to justify our government money. I am all for limiting government spending. There is a BIG demand for our public PCs. So many people need to use them to do online job applications, for any job, even the most entry level. And we do a whole lot for people, all for 'free'. JUST ASK> we probably will do it.
Books on CD save me from total mindblowing boredom at my other job making digital files and adding them to records.
Here are my book reviews- I hope it's free to view even if not signed up for Goodreads.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/21853956?shelf=read
and audiobooks were a godsend to my legally blind dad, as they are to many others now. Our branch runs Library by Mail for the county- materials for homebound.
Enough library stuff......got to decide what seeds to put in pots under my lights now.
Sadly, our county library has content best for youngsters under the age of 12. Most of what I want to read (technical or research, not fiction) has to be ordered from university libraries and I pay postage both ways.
I recently sent my favorite niece 2 huge boxes of children's books for her new firstborn son, books that I collected when I was still selling books on ebay, not the usual Dick and Jane stuff like our library has. I probably could have sold them for $300 or more, but family is family.
Our library does have a computer room downstairs and it's always full. I've taken my Mac laptop in there a couple of times when we lost the internet at home and there's usually a free nook with power (no computer) available, and that works for me. Plus B&W downloads are cheap to print, used to be 5¢ a page but I haven't been there in a long time.
Hey Darius. I'm looking for a copy of Five Boys in a Cave by Richard Church for my grandson's BDay. If you have one, I'd rather pay you than someone else...LMK
Sorry Judy, no copy here since I sent all the children's books to my niece. The prices on Amazon for that book are scary!
Darius, your county, like ours , may be courting the next generation of potential users. And enticing kids means parents have to bring them. Our building is small and we can only house what circulates most- we get academic things from elsewhere as you've found.
There's an interesting place in Baltimore called The Book Thing. I am not sure how they sort donations, whether they sell on eBay when they find good stuff, but anything they put on their shelves is free for anyone, just seek and find and take. Whole rooms full. The place to go if you have lots of time and no money for books.
Holly, we missed you and hope that pain relief is coming your way soon!
Sally, the next generation will only know the library for DVD's and movies they can check out. Who reads anymore? I doubt my sister's kid, now 25, has read more than 5 library books ever. Those few were all about vampires when she was in a teenage Gothic stage.
Your description of The Book Thing reminds me of the place up on Baltimore Ave that had been a hangout for a grumpy old critic (before my time) whose name I've long forgotten, but it was a fun place to have a drink or a cup of tea, surrounded by musty books that I think were there for the taking.
darius, I usually can find monographs on almost any subject on line, at any technical level desired, all you need is to download a free ereader and off you go. Papers from most state extension services are almost always available. About the only time I visit our local library is to pick up dvds for travel, out of town only for internet and quiet.
Ric, I do download and read a lot of the extension service pubs plus a few other pubs, but if I'm in deep research mode, they don't have enough info.
Heya! Anybody interested in Astilbes, Phlox (P. paniculata, tall garden phlox), or other goodies from ADR this spring? Bare root, pick up at the spring plant swap or from me the week before. :-)
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1352109/
Ugh, I've been sick all day. Fever, exhausted. Could only keep down toast, Pedialyte, and Advil. All I did was get on line for a few minutes here and there. Couldn't even watch a movie. It's hard to concentrate on something on the screen when feeling feverish.
I was going to take advantage of this snow day and sow a bunch of seeds indoors, but that's probably not gonna happen for a few more days now.
Jill, I wanted to get more lilies this year, but most of them are sold out already! I didn't realize ADR sold out so early.
Oh yuck, ssg, that's NO fun at all.
I'm so sorry, SSG! I've been down with a nasty head cold since late Saturday night, no fever but plenty of body aches with it. I sure hope you didn't get it from me... I had no clue I was sick until it slammed into me toward the end of the party.
There are a few lilies left, as well as those nicely assorted collections... I was thinking about concentrating on the bare root plants this year, although I could go for a few lilies also...
We'll see what people are interested in. Might make sense to do astilbes to go with the NC ferns this year and then do phlox and lilies (again) next year... I'm pretty sure I won't regret any purchase from ADR, so I'm flexible!
This message was edited Mar 4, 2014 8:49 AM
Aaawww Ssg, I'm so sorry you're sick!! Had that a few weeks back, just like you described, it was AWFUL! I sure hope you get to feeling better soon!! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
Thank you all! I'm already feeling better today, and I'm pretty sure I didn't get it from you, Jill! My sinuses were completely clear. :)
I'm just bummed that I lost a snow day!
We are getting a bit long here, so go here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1352152/
This message was edited Mar 4, 2014 10:21 AM