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| Artist - 6 year old Granddaughter Alexa |
What a sweet way to make a Grandma smile when she goes to get the mail today and finds a colorful piece of artwork.
Thank you Alexa...I love it! ;)
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Happy Magic Marker Art
What a sweet way to make a Grandma smile when she goes to get the mail today and finds a colorful piece of artwork.
Thank you Alexa...I love it! ;)
Monday, September 13, 2010
Losing Their Spots
We have been blessed by another visit , it is fun to see what has been lurking just off the beaten path. There have been brief moments of exposure when the babies became anxious due to thunderstorms or home invasion by the humankind. They would come sprinting pell-mell out from cover only to dart back to hide again. So, when the twins came meandering out in front of their mother it was time to take notice and digitally record the event for future reference.
The far fawn appears to have some antler buds and his color brings back memories of previous generations. Forefront fawn was on the move having a nibble of grass-the camera caught a candid moment with it's tongue sticking out.
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| Mom is getting her Fall color |
Little fawn went to nudge his mother; mom moved so what appeared to be an attempt to nurse didn't happen.
I am truly impressed at the physical rebound the deer have made with the plentiful Summer grazing. Our winters have been brutal and nutritionally challenging the last couple of years. I will have to keep my eyes open for smaller fawns too. In the last couple years that there has been at least one extremely little fawn seen going into Fall and Winter. Certainly a wonder that it would be able to survive ,but I have watched them toddle along with the group, and found their hoof prints while out prowling around myself.
Sadie Sioux wasn't being hospitable, not wanting to share her space so she put that deer family on alert from her window post inside the house. It didn't take long for them to get the hint even though they weren't threatened directly.
In the evening I took my faithful shotgun rider to do some scouting and found a mature doe enjoying the bean field smorgasbord along a fence/treeline. You might be able to vaguely see the whitetail on alert headed in the opposite direction. ;)
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Good luck to all on your pre-season deer scouting...
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Deer Food Plots
Last Summer I planted some sample Deer Plot seeds from the Whitetail Institute of North America.
I prepared my little 10'x10' plots by tilling, adding fertilizer and some quick acting lime since I had already waited one season to get the work done. Talk about anxious to see what they would bring...
The rain had been sparse so the weed populations I wanted to eliminate didn't sprout before planting.They waited until this year 2010, after all the snow and almost non-stop rain to make their appearance. I will have some work to do getting things back in shape, but even with everything not being pristine I have seen the aftermath of grazing. Daytime activity has been limited to mature Does and their fawns; the cover of nighttime allows for a buck or two to visit. The only evidence I've seen of the buck activity is the hoof /dew claw imprints left in the mud.
The pictures posted here were taken September 24th,2009, unless otherwise noted - plants were two months old. A healthy growth after getting some moisture.
During the planting stage I placed a 5' tomato cage with 6" openings in the center of my plots monitoring growth compared to feeding activity. In the late Fall the cage in the Chic Magnet plot ended up pulled out and smashed. I can only imagine that it caught a buck's antlers who was after the tender growth in the middle. It didn't really dawn on me until I was taking a walk into the timber via the food plots last winter and saw it laying on the ground covered by snow.
The No Plow wasn't planted until September 24th, 2009, it didn't have a chance to sprout. I didn't pursue another planting, instead I am grooming the space for a mineral lick using The Original Deer Cane Liquid Ready-To-Use. It has been down for at least a month and no evidence of use has been seen. It has received a lot of rain. Timing may certainly be a consideration in the need for supplementation according to information I located at the Quality Deer Management Association. I am going to wait until next Spring to add anymore supplements, but with the traffic patterns changing due to the the seasons, they might find it and come back in the future.
I must apologize to Ben G., one year since his comment postings. I was having some pretty long days at the time , my cognitive reasoning was impaired and I removed them from my post. In an attempt to make things right I have kept his second comment to re-post with my update.
So, Ben, were you able to get your buddy to put a food plot on his land?
In summary I would like to increase the areas for food plots. At this point I can see the advantages of having all these that I have planted. However, when I groom my first larger area I believe I will be going with Alpha Rack Plus not far from the mineral lick location...
This is a consumer review of the Whitetail Institute and Deer Cane Products. I will not be receiving any monetary reward for expressing my opinions.
I prepared my little 10'x10' plots by tilling, adding fertilizer and some quick acting lime since I had already waited one season to get the work done. Talk about anxious to see what they would bring...
The rain had been sparse so the weed populations I wanted to eliminate didn't sprout before planting.They waited until this year 2010, after all the snow and almost non-stop rain to make their appearance. I will have some work to do getting things back in shape, but even with everything not being pristine I have seen the aftermath of grazing. Daytime activity has been limited to mature Does and their fawns; the cover of nighttime allows for a buck or two to visit. The only evidence I've seen of the buck activity is the hoof /dew claw imprints left in the mud.
The pictures posted here were taken September 24th,2009, unless otherwise noted - plants were two months old. A healthy growth after getting some moisture.
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| Imperial"Double Cross" |
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| Imperial"Chickory Plus" |
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| Imperial"Clover" August 31,2009 a month old |
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| Imperial "Chic Magnet" |
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| Imperial "Extreme" |
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| Imperial"Alpha Rack Plus" |
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| Imperial "Winter Greens" |
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| Imperial"No Plow" |
The No Plow wasn't planted until September 24th, 2009, it didn't have a chance to sprout. I didn't pursue another planting, instead I am grooming the space for a mineral lick using The Original Deer Cane Liquid Ready-To-Use. It has been down for at least a month and no evidence of use has been seen. It has received a lot of rain. Timing may certainly be a consideration in the need for supplementation according to information I located at the Quality Deer Management Association. I am going to wait until next Spring to add anymore supplements, but with the traffic patterns changing due to the the seasons, they might find it and come back in the future.
I must apologize to Ben G., one year since his comment postings. I was having some pretty long days at the time , my cognitive reasoning was impaired and I removed them from my post. In an attempt to make things right I have kept his second comment to re-post with my update.
Ben G. has left a new comment on your post "My Deer Food Plots are Growing":
This sounds like quite the experiment. I would be curious to see how a plain old alfalfa plot would compare to one of your packets. Any way I look forward to the results.
I'm trying to convince a buddy of mine to do a food plot on his land.
Maybe your results will sway him to plant a plot or two.
So, Ben, were you able to get your buddy to put a food plot on his land?
In summary I would like to increase the areas for food plots. At this point I can see the advantages of having all these that I have planted. However, when I groom my first larger area I believe I will be going with Alpha Rack Plus not far from the mineral lick location...
This is a consumer review of the Whitetail Institute and Deer Cane Products. I will not be receiving any monetary reward for expressing my opinions.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Iowa Waterfowl Seasons Approaching
The stirrings of waterfowl on the move came last week for me; Tuesday and Wednesday evenings to be exact.Tuesday evening a flock of ducks barely above tree top level over our timber were winging their way back North about a mile to the local marsh and Wednesday I sighted a V of geese headed South at the end of our half mile drive.
I have been waiting and watching ...some how having the feeling it wouldn't be long until I would be catching a glimpse of the start of the Fall migration. Sadie and I had gone out for an evening stroll as the sun was sinking in the western sky. The picture doesn't do the occasion justice. Always better to catch it first hand...
When the birds start on the move it brings to mind the months ahead. Does their activity mean we are going to see a drop in temperatures soon? At any rate it is only three weeks until the seasons begin.
The first Iowa Waterfowl Season opens on September18th and goes to the 22nd in both the North and South zones.This season allows for the hunting of Ducks, Mergansers and Coots. Here you will find the information about all the Iowa Migratory Bird hunts - dates for species , licensing and regulations.
I haven't visited the Marsh for waterfowl hunting purposes , but it certainly does look prime with all the rain we have been getting. Ready for the birds to stop over and maybe for the hunter to get a chance to put a few in his bag.
When I hear the guns going off I begin to daydream about the hunting successes and think of the dinners nature has been so gracious to provide.
Happy Waterfowl Hunting! Where ever you might be ... ;)
When the birds start on the move it brings to mind the months ahead. Does their activity mean we are going to see a drop in temperatures soon? At any rate it is only three weeks until the seasons begin.
The first Iowa Waterfowl Season opens on September18th and goes to the 22nd in both the North and South zones.This season allows for the hunting of Ducks, Mergansers and Coots. Here you will find the information about all the Iowa Migratory Bird hunts - dates for species , licensing and regulations.
I haven't visited the Marsh for waterfowl hunting purposes , but it certainly does look prime with all the rain we have been getting. Ready for the birds to stop over and maybe for the hunter to get a chance to put a few in his bag.
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| Hendrickson Marsh August 26,2010 |
When I hear the guns going off I begin to daydream about the hunting successes and think of the dinners nature has been so gracious to provide.
Happy Waterfowl Hunting! Where ever you might be ... ;)
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Making Homemade Bread
How many of you remember the aroma of homemade bread wafting through the house as it bakes when you were little?
My memories of homemade bread began with my paternal Grandma who lived a quarter of a mile from my family while we were growing up. She would use potato water for the liquid to get the bread started. My siblings and I would eat it with home-made butter...the cream coming from Grandpa's milk cow.
One of the most outstanding memories of the whole experience was in the Spring when the flavor of the first milk and cream took on a disgusting flavor other than the sweet milk we were accustomed to from the store.. It only lasted a couple of weeks until the forces of nature got things back on track. We would buy milk for our family when the milk cow wasn't producing. Soon we preferred the store bought, which we now know isn't as nutritious as its raw counterpart.
I keep telling my grandkids that we are going to use the churn to make butter, but so far the words haven't created a concrete plan to get it done.
The churn became one of my family relics many years ago when we divided Grandpa and Grandma's possessions . One of those things you pull out once in a while to shake the dust off the past.
My choice to make homemade bread products came after Hubby and I moved into our first home. My thoughts on the subject were based on what you read on the ingredient panels of store bought. I wanted to eliminate the stuff I couldn't pronounce.
I found Organic becoming apart of my vocabulary, and investments in books from a leading organization called the Rodale Institute apart of my library. Today, I still try to do things as close as I can to a limited use of detrimental chemicals to beneficial insects and soil microbes.
This past week I pulled my recipe for Honey Wheat Bread out of my memory file. I am not sure I got all the ingredients just right but the end product was very tasty.
I quit making bread on a regular basis when the kids moved away from home. You know,the empty nest psychology, where the need to do things changes. Our son mentions often the time when I used to do this or that.
Another reason came into play when a different dietary philosophy took over for a time where carbohydrates from grains etc...weren't allowed. So, to bake bread would certainly put too much stress on staying on the straight and narrow.
When the dough was divided I decided to separate it into approximately one pound sections. Since it doesn't contain preservatives the extra loaves were put into the freezer.
The good thing about making bread is that you can choose what shape it will take. In my past I have made dinner rolls, clover leaf rolls and even have made long braided loaves for variety.
Alrighty, time to put the bread into the oven until it is browned and sounds hollow when you tap the top. There is another way to tell when it is done too. After years of making yeasty treats you can tell by the smell when it is ready to pluck from the oven.
Looks like I will be making bread again soon. Here's trying to send the fresh bread aroma out your way... : )
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| Grandma's butter churn |
One of the most outstanding memories of the whole experience was in the Spring when the flavor of the first milk and cream took on a disgusting flavor other than the sweet milk we were accustomed to from the store.. It only lasted a couple of weeks until the forces of nature got things back on track. We would buy milk for our family when the milk cow wasn't producing. Soon we preferred the store bought, which we now know isn't as nutritious as its raw counterpart.
I keep telling my grandkids that we are going to use the churn to make butter, but so far the words haven't created a concrete plan to get it done.
The churn became one of my family relics many years ago when we divided Grandpa and Grandma's possessions . One of those things you pull out once in a while to shake the dust off the past.
My choice to make homemade bread products came after Hubby and I moved into our first home. My thoughts on the subject were based on what you read on the ingredient panels of store bought. I wanted to eliminate the stuff I couldn't pronounce.
I found Organic becoming apart of my vocabulary, and investments in books from a leading organization called the Rodale Institute apart of my library. Today, I still try to do things as close as I can to a limited use of detrimental chemicals to beneficial insects and soil microbes.
This past week I pulled my recipe for Honey Wheat Bread out of my memory file. I am not sure I got all the ingredients just right but the end product was very tasty.
 |
| Dough punched down ready to divide |
Another reason came into play when a different dietary philosophy took over for a time where carbohydrates from grains etc...weren't allowed. So, to bake bread would certainly put too much stress on staying on the straight and narrow.
 |
| Ready to bake |
The good thing about making bread is that you can choose what shape it will take. In my past I have made dinner rolls, clover leaf rolls and even have made long braided loaves for variety.
Alrighty, time to put the bread into the oven until it is browned and sounds hollow when you tap the top. There is another way to tell when it is done too. After years of making yeasty treats you can tell by the smell when it is ready to pluck from the oven.
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| Ready for butter and jelly |
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