Glimpses of Life – Page 18

Natural and Un-Natural Deer Deterrents

This year my husband and I have been proactive in keeping the deer away from our plants. Â Yes sir! Three weeks after putting out the impatiens, the deer have not taken one nibble.

So — what have we been doing you ask?

First, I did a lot of reading on the internet to see what has worked for other people. So — the first thing I’m trying this year that I didn’t try last year are coffee grounds.

The local coffee house, Caribou Coffee, has free bags of coffee grounds just for the pickin’. The first time I used it, I mixed the coffee in with the soil which makes a good compost. Then, once a week, I sprinkle coffee grounds around the plants — just a toss in the air. Deer, supposedly, don’t like the smell of coffee grounds.

The second thing I’m trying is Irish Spring Soap. Sounds weird, doesn’t it? But deer don’t like strong smells. So, I bought a pack of 20 bars at Costco recently.

I don’t “hang” the bars on trees like some people do. Instead, I shred the bars using a cheese grater.

I usually just throw the shaved bar of Irish Spring around the plants so the deer don’t come near it. Pretty clever, eh? One time I shaved the soap on top of the cutting board and at dinner my husband said “This salad tastes like soap.” Â Oops! Â (Laughing) It’s a pretty potent smell so don’t do what I did.

I’ve been throwing the Irish Spring around the plants once a week. So far — so good. Yes!

But, as minds mature in their thoughts, it dawned on me that the Irish Spring might be a two-edged sword in terms of results. For deer it makes sense as they don’t like strong smells but I may just be attracting mosquitoes who love strong fragrances.

What a bother! Someone told me that perhaps I should just leave everything as it is and not worry about it. Well, I could let the property “go” but if something should happen and we had to sell then we’d have to pay to have someone clear everything up. Plus — I want to enjoy my property in all of its beauty and that includes having some pretty plants to look at. Â Yes?

There is one un-natural deer deterrent that I’ve used in the past that my husband uses after it rains — it’s called Deer Stopper and works quite well also.

So — there you have it. Three suggestions to deter deer that have worked for us thus far. Is there something you’re using that we can add to our repertoire?

Below an article I read re: repelling deer with coffee …

Wayside Gardens

Lastly — here’s an articleÂ from This Old House that gives ideas 20 ideas to keep deer out of your yard.

Now — go repel them deer!

The Hawk

The other day while at our Home Owner’s Association meeting, I met a neighbor I hadn’t met before. Â She used to be a Supreme Court Justice in the state of Minnesota and was so friendly and down to earth. She invited me and my husband to visit her and grab some plants from her yard that were growing prolifically.

So one evening we headed over to her house and met her husband and chatted for a nice long while. She mentioned that the hawk that lived on our property last year was now living right off of her property and had two hawk-ettes. Â (That’s a new word I made up — laughing.)

While looking out my living room window, I noticed something fly by out of the corner of my eye. Sure enough, it was a hawk — one of the young ones.

Here’s a picture that I took through our living room window. It looks like he posed special for me.

And here’s the hawk looking the other way.

Nature’s creatures are so beautiful, aren’t they?

“Does theÂ hawkÂ take flight by your wisdom and spread its wings toward the south?” God asks Job as he is going through a time of trouble — making sure that Job does not forget who is in charge of creation. Job 39:26

There has never been a doubt in my mind who is in control or who the Creator of this world is. Nature’s creatures are one reminder of the Creator’s power — what a wonderful God I serve.

Spending Time with the Grandchildren

I don’t normally post pictures of our grandchildren because we don’t see them that often, but we were privileged to spend a whole weekend with them — no parents around either!

They are fun to be with and I had activities planned for while we were there.

Ages are 5, 4, 2 and 1. The 1 year old is a cousin who is being cared for by our daughter temporarily.

When we arrived Friday evening, the two older boys were waiting for us with grins on their faces. The first question out of Cooper’s mouth was “Did you bring your iPad?” The iPad is their favorite activity and they take turns using it. I set a timer for 15 minutes and when it goes off they hand the iPad off to the other brother. At one time, Miles, the oldest, asked me to set the timer for 20 minutes but after they tried that he said it was too long for him to wait to get the iPad so he asked I bring it down to 19 minutes. Crazy boy! He wouldn’t know how many minutes I set it for as they really play on it together.

Some of the apps I have on the iPad for them are:

The older boys like Talking Tom and Toca Kitchen the best. I’ve had most of these children’s apps on my iPad for the past 2 years and they never tire of them. Now that they are getting older I’ll be checking out some newer ones for them.

Another game they like to play that’s not on the iPad is Battle Ship. Â Do you remember that from when you were a kid?

One of the outdoor activities I had planned was teaching them how to fly a kite. Â Well, actually my husband was the one who was going to teach them. Â The first day we went out there was no wind so the kite flopped on the ground. The following day though we had a lot of wind and the kite flew way up in the sky. Â Success!

Here’s my husband teaching 2 year old Caroline how to fly a kite. She received encouragement from her brother along with claps because of her success. Â I bought two kites at a new store nearby called Cabela’s.

Here’s Cooper flying the kite. Â He really got into it!

We had little success with making water balloons. Â I bought a kit called Tie Not Water Balloons that makes tying the balloons a little easier but the balloons seemed a little bit fragile. You must get the right amount of water in them — not too much or they burst.

Here’s Miles guarding his water balloon.

The younger girls liked being on the swings. Higher and higher they wanted to go.

A late morning project was making cards for their father who had a birthday the following week. Â The kids were excited to find a place to hide the cards until the “right” time. It was a lot of fun and we used glue glitter and washable markers.

Here’s our paper supplier … (laughing).

Sunday night we got pumped up to watch the Blackhawks hockey team play the LA Kings. After the girls went to bed we huddled up on the sofa to watch the game. Â Their father had gotten tickets to the game so I had the kids watch carefully to see if they could spot their mother and father on TV. (They didn’t.)

Unfortunately, Cooper did not make it past the first half hour.

Miles was rarin’ to go though! Unfortunately, the Blackhawks lost the game and his sensitive heart couldn’t take it. He cried and we had a discussion about not being a sore loser. I pointed him to the Blackhawks players and how they congratulated the other team and no one was upset. That seemed to settle him down for the night.

Overall we had a great time. I was a little concerned that the kids might miss their folks so much that they would whine for them but that never happened.

We’re looking forward to seeing them again in a couple of weeks for a family reunion.

Making memories — priceless!

Trees

Pollen Allergy Alert – The App

For whatever reason, this has been a really bad allergy season for both me and my husband. From itchy eyes to sneezing, sneezing and more sneezing it feels like the allergy season will not go away. There is a little relief when it rains but who wants it to rain all the time? Not I.

Last year, I came across an app called Pollen Allergy Alert that gives the pollen count in whatever city I’m in and also gives a scale of how severe it will be along with what is “in the air” on that particular day.

Here’s a sample of what I see on my iPhone.

How do I use this information? Well, since I spend a lot of time outdoors weeding and picking up dead branches on our acre of land, I can decide to take an allergy pill before I start getting all the symptoms. Â Just this morning, I failed to check the pollen count and had to head inside to clear my nose a couple of times.

Another way I use the Pollen app is to determine whether I even want to work outside.

If you’ll notice, the app tells you what the predominant pollen is — on this particular day it was Oak, Mulberry and Walnut.

One tree the app didn’t mention is the cottonwood which has been in bloom for quite a while. Billowy cotton type seeds blow through the air and cling to our screened in porch causing a mess — not to mention the effect its pollen has on us sufferers.

The app has an Allergy Diary that can help you target what you are specifically allergic to.

Below is a screen shot of the page where you can set your location, visit the website and sign up for email alerts.

Here’s a view of how to sign up for Allergy Alerts. Â Notice there are ads both at the top and side of this app. Â They aren’t very noticeable to me — but, I tend to be able to ignore ads.

The Pollen Allergy Alert app is currently free — free is good, right? Give it a try and see what you think.

Pollen.com’s Allergy Alert – IMS Health, Inc.

Mosquito Virus — In the News

Just yesterday, while listening to the news, I heard a report about a new virus that’s spreading in the Caribbean and possibly coming to North America.

The virus is calledÂ chikungunya and mosquitoes are infected then passing it along to us humans.

At least 17 countries in the Caribbean have reported cases of this virus.

Don’t forget to protect yourself against mosquito bites if you travel to the Caribbean and here on the mainland. The major symptoms are fever and joint pain. Â Additional symptoms includeÂ headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash. There is currently no vaccine or medicine to prevent chikungunya.Â

The CDC articleÂ listsÂ ways you can protect yourself. I would also include buying a ThermaCell Mosquito Appliance just because it works for me when I’m out working in the yard.

Take care out there!

Other news: Â A New Mosquito Repellant

A New Mosquito Repellant

Mosquito (Image from Office Free Images) — Mosquito (Image Courtesy of Office Free Images)

I recently came across an article that told about a new bug repellant that can “save lives.”

According to the article, the repellant works not just for mosquitoes but for other insects like ants, flies and moths andÂ works the opposite of the way DEET does —

“We decided to take a more aggressive approach and, rather than turn off the mosquito’s olfactory system, we could look for something that would turn it too far on, to see if we could design a new generation of insect repellents based on overloading their smell system,” Zweibel said.”

The researchers were funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The repellant isn’t on the market yet and there is some debate over whether mosquitoes are “good” for the environment — (I believe you all know how I feel about that!).

For now, I continue to use the ThermaCell cartridges that work pretty well to ward off any mosquitoes that head my way. It doesn’t work for ticks though which I assume are on my property although I have yet to see one in the three years I’ve lived here.

The Kite Patch, thatÂ uses a patent-pending formulation that blocks mosquitoesâ€™ ability to track humans for up to a day, is also not on the market yet. It is supposed to be used in Uganda to help decrease the spread of malaria and once they get the kinks out they hope to offer it worldwide. This is one project that I helped to fund as anything that wards off mosquitoes has my attention.

Below, I have a link to the article I read on the new mosquito repellant that is being worked on. Happy reading!

A Bug Repellant That Could Save Lives

Other News: Â Mosquito virus hits the Caribbean and possibly heading to the U.S.Â

The Oakdale Nature Preserve

On a warm yet muggy day, my husband and I decided to take a walk through the Oakdale Nature Preserve which is located in Oakdale, Minnesota. The Preserve has a Discovery Center that was closed when we were there.

Discover Center - Oakdale, Minnesota — Discovery Center – Oakdale, Minnesota

The paved pathways are easy to walk on — thankfully!

P1090504 — Path at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

A lone duck sits in this rain-made pond. Can you see him over on the right sitting on the log?

P1090505 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

P1090506 — Oakdale Nature Preserver – Oakdale, Minnesota

Wooded benches with names of people who donated them or for whom they are in memoriam are scattered throughout the Preserve.

P1090507 — Benches at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

Throughout the Preserve, wooden birdhouses can be seen — some are attached to trees and others are on long poles.

P1090508 — Bird house at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

There was a section of the park where they had set aside an area to grow vegetables. I’m not sure how that will work since deer frequent this park.

P1090510 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

P1090511 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

P1090512 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

P1090513 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

P1090514 — Oakdale Nature Preservec – Oakdale, Minnesota

The Oakdale Nature Preserve is 220 acres. We saw people jogging, walking their dogs and enjoying the quiet of the area.

P1090517 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

Since moving to Minnesota, I haven’t seen very many lilac trees. Â This tree was in full bloom but did not “smell” like a lilac tree.

P1090520 — Lilac Tree at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

P1090519 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

I want to get a few birdhouses for our property like the one below. Â They are nice and tall and squirrels are not able to climb up the poles.

P1090532 — Bird house at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

Since we had a late spring, the cherry trees are just now blooming.

P1090534 — Cherry Tree at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

This handmade wooden bench gave me inspiration to make something similar to use on our property. It won’t be quite as fancy but I’m sure it will work fine. Shhhh … it’s going to be a project for my husband. Â (laughing)

P1090536 — Wood Bench at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

I have always enjoyed walking through or past groves of trees and this day was no exception. The appearance of “camaraderie” among trees makes me feel as if I’m one with nature. I would have taken a nice deep breath but for the cottonwood trees that were also in full bloom (achoo!).

Discovery Center - Oakdale, Minnesota — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

Further down one of the trails we saw a playground.

P1090523 — Playground at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

The preserve is well taken care of and there were areas where piles of branches were lain waiting to be picked up.

P1090524 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

Continuing on our walk, we saw tennis courts. Hmmm … I wonder if my husband would entertain the idea of playing tennis. Knowing him, he’d entertain the idea but that would be the extent of it.

P1090525 — Tennis Court at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

The evergreens appear like sticks of wood topped by greenery.

P1090526 — Grove of Evergreen Trees at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

P1090527 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

P1090529 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

A small creek ran through part of the trail we were on.

P1090530 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

There is a picnic area next to the Discovery Center.

Picnic Area at the Discovery Center - Oakdale, Minnesota — Picnic Area at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

The Preserve is peaceful and lends itself to absorbing oneself in ones thoughts.

Oakdale Nature Preserve

Of Tree Loppers and Angels

While gathering yard supplies in the garage, I picked up the pruners and walked towards the garage door.

Within seconds I felt a quick breeze to my right. The loppers, that had been put upright against the garage wall, plopped down right beside me onto the floor.

What a near miss! Â If they had fallen just half a foot over, the blade would have hit me on the back of my head and you might not be reading this post — or any other post for that matter.

“But let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread YourÂ protectionÂ over them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.” Â Psalm 5:11

I am thankful for the protection I receive as God sends His angels to watch over us. Â Imagine how many other times I’ve been protected and wasn’t aware of it.

Free Ferns

I spent part of yesterday morning digging up ferns. Â Yup. Ferns.

It feels like I have thousands in my backyard. Okay, probably not thousands but I would venture to guess 300-400.

This is what my backyard looked like last July. Now, truly, that’s a LOT of ferns, isn’t it? I was not looking forward to it looking like this again.

So I decided to thin them out a bit. Yeah, so, here’s this mid-50 year old woman with a soft cast on her right hand due to a sprain along witha bulging disc in her back that causes sciatic pain with a shovel in her hand. Can you see her? Uh, me?

Last week I decided to pace myself and pull “only” 20 ferns. Once I reached 20 I stopped and worked on something else. Â I’m not superwoman — ya know? I was able to re-plant about 12 of those ferns.

Today, I had leaves to clean up from yesterday’s yard work before I started working on fern pulling. I must’ve pulled another 15 ferns.

I really think I could pull 50 ferns a day and still have enough on our one acre. Don’t worry about me though — I’m not insane — yet.

Okay so — I thought to myself “What am I going to do with these ferns? Should I just throw them out?” I couldn’t do it. The ferns looked at me with their baby green eyes … Naw, just kidding. But seriously, I couldn’t throw them out. It seemed so wasteful.

So — I did what any normal eco friendly person would do. I posted them for free on Craigslist. Â Within 10 minutes I had one person willing to pick up 10 of them in the next 20 minutes. Â Not bad, eh? I waited for her outside and gave her a box to take whatever and whichever ones she wanted.

When I came back inside, I got back on my computer and lo and behold!, I received another email. This woman wanted ALL the ferns I had. Â Really! Â Her email said “I will take all of them” and she also was willing to come right away. Ferns must be in demand.

I took my Craigslist ad down immediately. Â I will be calling this woman and letting her know she and I can both go and dig up as many ferns as she wants.

Not bad for a day’s work, eh?