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Monday, December 16, 2013

WEEKEND UPDATE

It was a gloomy Saturday at the farm.  Having been sick for the better part of the last three weeks, and of course dealing with my Grandfather's passing, we have not been to the farm in three weekends now.

Cold Winter day
The weather was damp and gray and cold...

Garlic and shallots in the raised bed
But the garlic and shallots are growing...

Yellow kitchen hutch
I found these cute metal signs last week and looked for a place to hang them.
I finally decided to put them on the hutch in the kitchen...

Three dead mice
Unfortunately, there were three 'dispatched' mice in traps.  We have ten traps down, a couple in each room, and there were three 'sprung' traps this time.  They are instant kill traps and you don't see them, they are contained inside a container that you dispose of.  I hate the mouse problem we have but it is what it is I suppose.  All drawers, beds, couches, and closets were clear so at least there's that.  They are only making it to the traps so they are doing the job.

Gloomy Winter day
We did a few more things I'll share in upcoming posts.  When we left, it was colder and getting windier, but you know what?  It was still so refreshing and rejuvenating out there, I wouldn't trade it for anything.  Even a cold gloomy day out there is relaxing than being in town.


19 comments:

  1. i love that hutch. have you ever shown the whole piece? it's a great color.

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    1. Yes, there are pics further back int he past, as we first got it and after we loaded it with some stuff. It comes from Nadeau. That makes me think it might be time for a bit of a house tour. I'll see if I can get some pics soon and post them. I think if you google yellow hutch farm, you'll find some of my pictures, ha. Thanks, we love the color.

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  2. I hope you are feeling better health-wise and again, I am so sorry about your grandfather's passing. It must be nice to get away and visit the farm on the weekend. Even though it was cold and gloomy, I am sure you heart warmed when you saw the new growth of your garlic and shallots

    We are dealing with mouse issues lately as well. I use Peppermint Essential Oil to help keep them out of the kitchen cabinets and drawers. A few drops on cotton balls seems to repel them for now. We use traps in the basement as well. Keep trapping. Otherwise they can reproduce at a fast rate.

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    1. You are very sweet, thank you. Yes, it was cold and gloomy but you are SO right, when I saw the growth it made me smile and all of a sudden it didn't seem so cold. :-)

      Don't you hate the mouse thing. I used to think they were cute, and I suppose they are, heck, as a youngster, I had some pet mice, but when they are creeping around in the house, chewing up stuff, pooping and peeing on stuff, they have GOT to go. Thanks for the suggestion. I hav heard that before and forgot about it. I have cotton balls in the bathroom, a whole jar full, and I can run tomorrow and get a bottle of peppermint essential oil. Thank you!

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  3. Loved the signs and the hutch, and I have not read for a while, so busy here... and was so very sorry to hear of your grandfather's death. Prayers coming your way, and also for a peaceful Christmas for your family!

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    1. Thank you so much, that means a lot. Thank you again.

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  4. Soul food, be it in food form or a visit to somewhere special, is a wonderful thing. We don't seem to be able to get rid of our mice problem. Most of them are the native marsupial mice and they are very wily, most of the time not even taking the bait, not that you're meant to trap them as they are protected...being native and all.So, I have heard, not that we would know, that banana, nuttella (chocolate), peanut butter or bacon are good tempters. Absolutely love your signs.

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    1. Soul food, I love it. And protected mice? Really? Wow. That would suck. I have to ask a dumb question, does this mean they have pouches? Or carry their young with them?

      Loved the signs too when I saw them, I was thinking of hanging them on the wall and then I thought, heck, they can just hang on a cabinet knob! :-)

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  5. 1st Man,

    I'm hoping you're feeling so much better now. Please remember your Grand Father is watching over your garden. He likes the shallots and garlic coming up. It's been a very hard couple of weeks for both of us :-)

    You're hutch is gorgeous, did you paint it? I love the signs you placed on the handles.

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    1. Thank you sweet lady. The cold or whatever it was is gone and the nagging cough is almost gone. As for emotions, yes doing much better now too.and I trust that you are getting a bit better as well?

      Thanks for the comments on the hutch. We actually bought it at a store called Nadeau. They have the most amazing furniture and believe it or not, it's all hand made, it's made of real wood, and best of all it's not expensive compared to what you'd buy in a furniture store. The only downside is that they have the inventory they have when you go in and that's it. If you don't buy it when you see it, they might not get another one in or it might come in but be a different color entirely.

      Thanks!!

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  6. Hi FM, I hope even though the skies may be overcast your spirit is lifting since your grandfather passed away. I also hope you are feeling better. You had best go dig up some of that garlic and eat it to ward off anymore colds (and it will keep the vampires away too).

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    1. LOL! Vampires and colds, the bane of my existence, LOL. Actually, I did take some advice from a dear friend and had some garlic tea. It really helped. And yes, I'm coming around, in a way it's been a new focus on life. I'm looking forward to the garden next spring and have started planning and thinking what my grandfather would do. :-)

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  7. I have a great weakness for "signage" much like some people have for tattoos and bumper stickers. And I always end up hanging them off of drawer knobs too.

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    1. Ha, I like that. I was really thinking of wall space and holding them up and then I saw the cabinet and thought why not put it on the knobs. It might be the start of something new for me too, ha.

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  8. Dear Ist Man,
    I'm glad you are feeling better. I am too but don't you find it seems to take a while to finally leave? Many many years ago we had a mouse in our house. I was living with my mother and grandmother at the time. We decided that it had to go and so traps were purchased and laid. My grandmother had named the mouse 'mickey'. The night the traps were laid I found it difficult to sleep as there was one near my bedroom so I quietly got up and neutralised it. I couldn't think of that poor wee mouse getting the chop. The next day all the traps had been sprung but no mouse. I confessed that I had sprung one myself. Then my mother confessed that she had done the same and my grandmother had slipped out late at night and sprung the rest! I guess 'mickey' left or died because he never did bother us again...

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    1. Now that is a funny story. I could understand. I'm a sucker for all animals and it pains me that these mice have to be dispatched but a) I bought the most humane quick kill I could find and b) it keeps them contained so there is no mess or risk of bacteria or other yucky things. If there was just one I might fight for it, but these three are in addition to about 10 more over the last few months. Hey hey, ho ho, the mice have got to go, ha .

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  9. Glad to hear your feeling better. Along with the Pepermint someone else mentioned try mixing a half gallon of apple cider vinegar with 2 gallons of water and sprinkle it around the outside of the house.


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    1. Thank you for the well wishes. And thank you for that apple cider vinegar idea. That would be easy to do. I might even put some in a spray bottle and spritz it around the front and back door. Thank you for the tip!!

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  10. No pouch but the females share a communal nest. The males die after their first breeding season (which is about 2 weeks) from exhaustion and stress. They are fearless, inquisitive creatures often venturing out right in front of you while you're watching TV. I watched one climb up the side of the lounge once to watch my husband who was only a foot or so away. Fascinating to watch on one level but a mouse is still a mouse!

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