Archive for July, 2008
July 31, 2008 – Thingamajig Thursday #126
Here’s this week’s “Thingamajig” entry. We’ll try something different this week – add your favorite photo caption as a comment about this grand canyon elk that has learned to use the drinking fountain or elk waterer as the case may be!
Also check out the last thingamajig answer. Put your guess in a comment below.
As always, ...Read more.
July 30, 2008 – New Aerial Applicator No Spray Signs
After the rash of organic and sensitive crops being mistakenly sprayed by aeriel spray planes (not to mention the large crew of field workers as well), IDALS, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, has implemented a sensitive crops directory that aeriel sprayers are asked to consult before spraying.
The department provides the signs at ...Read more.
July 29, 2008 – Someday!
Ever since we moved in, I’ve been meaning to take this old, heavy pump out of the basement. That day never came, until today, when in a fit of basement cleaning, I decided it was time to get the sawz-all and cut it loose from its pipes.
I’m happy to report that the removal was uneventful ...Read more.
July 28, 2008 – Digging Potatoes and Garlic
It was a day to dig up some of the potatoes and garlic.
Unfortunately, the kids were so efficient at cleaning and putting away the garlic in the hayloft, that I was’t even able to get a picture of this year’s garlic crop! Linda is sporting a new potato fork – the old wooden fork broke ...Read more.
July 27, 2008 – Apple Pickin’
Martin is using the fruit picker to harvest the last of the apples from the tree that was laid down on the ground during one of the spring storms.
The tree is literally hanging on by a thread and we’re hoping to get it through this year so we can grab a graft next spring to ...Read more.
July 26, 2008 – Reiman Gardens
On Martin’s special request, yesterday was a gj and Martin at Rieman Gardens in Ames day.
Reiman Gardens are Iowa’s largest public gardens, with 11 themed gardens.
Along with the gardens is a butterfly conservatory, thus the appropriately-themed chair in the garden.
Martin took some photos, including this texture-rich photo of a tropical leaf in the conservatory.
One of ...Read more.
July 25, 2008 – Chinese Cabbage
It has been a most excellent year for Chinese Cabbage.
It’s a great vegetable for stir-fry or boiling and has much less insect pressure than regular cabbage.
Today Claire left for Flagstaff, AZ as her Envirothon Team from Marshalltown High School heads to the National Finals. There was a plane delay in Cedar Rapids and they ended ...Read more.
July 24, 2008 – Thingamajig Thursday #125
Here’s this week’s “Thingamajig” entry.
Also check out the last thingamajig answer. Put your guess in a comment below.
As always, put your guess in a comment below.
Hold mouse over this sentence to pop-up answer.
one year ago…”First Hazelnut”
July 23, 2008 – Food Sealer
After going through two different brands of food vacuums, this year we upgraded to a slightly more substantial model.
So far, so good – here are some dried cherries and dried shiitake mushrooms just off the press!
one year ago…”Hops Progress”
July 22, 2008 – Hosting Costa Ricans at High Hopes
As part of the Costa Rican exchange, after our visit to Costa Rica agricultural sites this past February, the Ticos are now visiting Iowa and it is our turn to reciprocate for the warm welcome we received.
The stage is set for dinner and dancing - it turned out to be a perfect July evening – in ...Read more.
July 21, 2008 – Red Green Alive and Well at High Hopes!
Today’s creation is inspired by Handyman’s Corner from the Red Green TV show.
To many of you, this might look like an old, tired gas grill that missed trips to the dump over the last two years. But sometimes keeping things around too long pays off. We also have an old cooktop from the kitchen remodeling ...Read more.
July 20, 2008 – Martin’s View of “The Swamp”
I thought a seven-year-old boy would appreciate the life in the wetland, so I made it a point to bring Martin over and wax on enthusiastically about the tadpoles and diversity of life in the small exclosure when we were working on the trees in the back pasture.
A bit later, he was helping mulch some ...Read more.
July 19, 2008 – Wetland Success
We started an experiment a few years ago. There was this awful mudhole in the pasture that seemed to get bigger by the day – when the grass was soggy, the cows would keep breaking hunks of sod off, enlarging the mud area.
This is what it looked like in the spring of 2005. Martin can’t ...Read more.
July 18, 2008 – Visitors from the East
The last few days we had some visitors from the east. I’m not sure what the blood relationship is called, but my grandfather and his grandmother were brother and sister. He is my Mom’s cousin. At any rate, Bob came along with his wife Philothea and their son Anton.
We had a nice visit – they ...Read more.
