2018 Gardening, Landscaping, and Plants

Believe it or not, only last year I tossed all the unused film I had stored in my frig (for years). I used to buy it in 12 or 24 packs. My favorites were Kodak Kodachrome 64, Kodachrome 25, and Fuji 50 slide films. I seldom used print film at all. Usually had cameras with different films available for use in the outdoors. I do concern myself with battery warmth now and on anticipated cold outings, I keep a freshly charged unused battery in my pocket. I have two cameras that use the same battery, so the extra battery is a security blanket and kind of like my carrying a fixed blade knife in the woods (seldom used). I have never needed to use the battery however.

The rain thing here is more of a general interest thing for me. I write the daily amounts on a wall calendar and then tally them up for the month which goes into a table located in my "journal" for the year. Being a gardener and interested in keeping my yard somewhat green, I pay attention to rainfall. It has become sort of a hobby now. If the rain event does not cross into a new month, I often just record the rainfall for the event rather than the day. Yes, there have been many readings taken at midnight or just about midnight to satisfy my documentation urges.

The new year approaches and I have my new 2019 Tennessee "Wild & Scenic" ready to hang. That is my favorite calendar and the pictures have spurred me to visit certain scenic locations that I had not previously visited. Hang a TVA calendar in the kitchen. It is a cheaper calendar, but has the evacuation info should a nuclear emergency happen. Keep things like flea treatments for each pet recorded on it.

Always cool to see an owl, any owl. Hawks and eagles are great too. Owls are serious predators to birds and small animals. Eagles seem to be mostly interested in fish.

I found an owl nest (don't remember the variety now) years ago in Texas and I hiked to the location to photograph the chicks. That was a dangerous thing to do and far more dangerous than I ever dreamed. No problems, but the mother owl was rather aggressive toward me and had huge claws.
 
First clear day we've had in weeks today. No snow yet, but lots of rain. It will get below freezing tonight, and has a handful of times so far this past month. Walked the yard looking for "issues" and found this, daffodils already coming up. Strangely no crocus, so this has me wondering if we're going to have a warm spring.

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I haven't seen an owl in a while. We have too many crows for them I think. We get eagles when the salmon run, but that's over for this year.
 
Raining here again today. But I was treated to a rare sight (for here). Saw a big bird flying and said... looks like an eagle. Landed in a tall tree about 150 yds away. Got the binoculars out. Yep; Bald Eagle!! Hung out in the tree for about 30 minutes and then glided right over my house. Very Very Cool!
 
Magnificent bird isn't it! Although I've never spotted one here in Ontario, on my travels to the West coast I would stop for hours to watch them. The Osprey taking a fish from the river here was my last sighting of a large sky predator other than hawks ... and aside from the ravens, crows and the like - the raiders.
 
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I grew up in PA and they are becoming relatively common there now. They were very uncommon when I was a kid. I remember being with my Dad and spending a lot of time watching eagles at like a half-mile with binoculars and thinking it was a great thing. My brothers see them relatively often now there. They seem to love the fish (trout) hatchery areas. :D They almost always seem to nest near water bodies for the food resources.

Added: Not seeing any daffodils popping out of the ground here yet. That usually happens here in late January to early February. Of course it depends on the winter temps. Hoping my tulip bulbs will last over the winter. I enjoyed them last year. I plant the bulbs in my perennial area so things aren't disturbed yearly near as much as other places in the flower beds.
 
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Saw 3 ospreys flying over the river last fall—going in and out of view above the tree line.

You can imagine my surprise looking up through the car window and overhead:DFDBE67E-DFF1-43B0-BB1D-F8F9079194A6.jpeg
 
22-rimfire said:
Added: Not seeing any daffodils popping out of the ground here yet. That usually happens here in late January to early February. Of course it depends on the winter temps. Hoping my tulip bulbs will last over the winter. I enjoyed them last year. I plant the bulbs in my perennial area so things aren't disturbed yearly near as much as other places in the flower beds.
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As I face the most frigid temps over Jan & Feb, honestly, even the word daffodil kind of distances my experience hugely from your reality big time. Why I learn so much from this forum!!

Gotta say that I snagged a blue hyacinth for Busby yesterday. Re-arranged his enclosure and added a nasturtium planted from seed as well - wow, a new enthusiasm. This little guy is going to make it! :thumbsup:
 
It does sound like the bugger is going to make it. You did good! It won't want to leave in the early fall in 2019. It can just move back into his cage and get pampered.
 
Noticed yesterday that I actually have small broccoli florets (think that's the right term) forming on the plants I planted last fall. They are about an inch or so across now. As long as the temps are moderate, I suspect they will continue to grow. One good thing this time of the year... no bugs or worms to eat up the plants.

My fescue yard looks pretty good now with temps in the 50's mostly during the day. I noticed one of the neighbors mowed his fescue yard.... looks really good and so even like a carpet. I don't think my mower does quite as good a job.

I still need to climb up on my roof and clean out the leaves and debris from my gutters. It is a job I absolutely hate to do since we're talking two stores and pretty high up. My wife is afraid I will fall.

I hung my sunflower feeder (cylinder wire type) on one of those metal peg things. Seems to be working out and the raccoons have not been able to hit the feeder like they do when it was dangling on a chain from a tree limb. It is more in the yard now rather than near trees where squirrels can climb or jump to the feeder and gorge. Clearly the birds don't like the location as well, but that's the breaks. Put out some store bought suet yesterday. The raccoons like that stuff too.
 
What!? Squirrels gorge ? :D

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The good news is the fatter they get, the less they jump. For the chickadees and nuthatches, the one sunflower feeder I have found to keep out the jays is strung on a snare wire to thwart the squirrels - no sign of raccoons here. All I can say is that keeping the entertainment going outside the window does take a budget - thankfully the wild turkeys are nowhere in sight. They would break the bank.
 
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