Recycle It--Strange Country Folks

Why do some folks who live out in the country next to huge forests and fields throw their garden/lawn compost into the weekly trash pick-up?

When we lived in The Netherlands, we lived next door to really nice Dutch neighbors who at one time had been real farmers. After retiring, they still lived in the farmhouse and had a veggie garden, a couple of ponies, a dog, and a flower garden. But they threw their garden waste in the weekly trash pick-up.

In the early 2000's, our Dutch village garbage and compost pick-up became a paid service. We were charged by the weight of the garbage we left in our containers on pick-up day. I actually found this system quite challenging and interesting. We learned to separate our trash and to use recycling containers in the village for paper and glas. I don't remember about the metal recycling, so we must not have had much of that. 

Besides being issued a special garbage container coded especially for us so that we could be charged, we were issued a green container for compost/garden/lawn waste. We were also charged for that weight. Luckily our friendly gardener had already started a compost heap out behind our garage, so we never paid to dispose of that waste. It just rotted and turned into good stuff to be returned to the veggie garden or my flowerbeds. And as we lived at the end of a farm road, no one had any problem with our "heap." Not even us😘

I still wonder why our Dutch neighbors paid to send their compost and twigs to the village compost center. Well, this morning I went to deposit real trash for today's pick-up and saw that my neighbor here in the US was doing the same as my former neighbor in The Netherlands.

We live out in the "sticks," folks, and they were leaving bags of sticks, dirt, and garden waste for the garbage collectors. 😩😩😩

Duh❣Should I show my neighbors my compost heap out behind our barn?

What a Big Snout You Have, Flippy

Yesterday our 6 year old beagle Flip decided to go north when I went south while taking our morning walk. 

Needless to say, I was worried that he had escaped again. But he is a roamer and a hunter, so I knew he would eventually come back home. And come back home, he did. Scarcely able to put two legs in front of the back two, he ambled in around lunch time. Filthy dirty and with a visibly swollen nose and mouth! 

When my hub washed our pup, all went reasonably well. Then I tried drying his head, and there was a long cry of pain that broke my heart. After watching Flip try to put his head down on the tight and swollen face on his bed, I decided that something must have bitten him while he was out in the dark woods behind our house. 

Whenever we show signs of allergy, we take 

So after reading on the Internet that it is safe to give dogs Benadryl (diphenhydramine), we gave Flip a teaspoon of his favorite peanut butter with one little pink pill (25 mg) hidden inside. 

Not just any allergy medicine will be safe, but the one pictured above should not hurt. The ingredients are pretty straight-forward on the package and the website. 

After the first pill ( dosage=1 mg per pound of pup), the swelling was still there, but Flip could rest and showed signs of being hungry and thirsty. I fed him soft canned food early in the afternoon, but by evening he was ready for something to put his teeth into. Before I went to bed, I gave him one more 25 mg tablet with PB, and we all slept like lambs. 

Today Flip's snout still looks a bit like some other breed of dog, but he is back to his old self ready to chase an orange tennis ball or even escape into the wild.

My Dad's First Father's Day/Birthday Gift--Me❣

My daddy wrote the following letter to my maternal grandparents on his 25th birthday and a day after I was born in 1948. Thought that you might enjoy reading a bit of my family history that I have been carrying around in my keepsakes since my mom gave it to me in the early1960's. 

I will transcribe the letter after my photo of it.

Transcription:

At Home (Pardon Me, I mean "Hospital")

June 23, 1948

Dear "Grandma Ridge":

Just tho't I'd let you folks know that I am only one day old, but this world is no stranger to me. I'm getting used to it already. Beginning to see how things look on the outside. I got tired of the "dark".

I came into this "new world" last nite, June 22nd at 8:55. I caused my Mother quite a bit of suffering and my Daddy quite a bit of worry, but I finally got born. My Daddy said he didn't know if I was worth it or not, but you just wait about 6 months from now and see what he says.

They finally took me in to see my Mother this morning about 11 o'clock. I think she kinda tho't I was cute. My Pop did too. I haven't got a good look at that rascal yet. Kinda anxious to see him up close too.

Aunt Doris stayed with my Mother last nite. She ( my Mom) is all right tho' so don't worry. Think my Pop will take good care of her. Well, Grandma, just tho't I'd let you know of my "arrival". Tell "Grand Pa" "Hello" for me. We'll be seeing you when I get strong enough to travel.

Love, your new "granddaughter", "Linda Cheryl" (over)

P.S. How about coming down here to see me if you can. My Mom & Pop said they would be glad to have you. They'll find time to spend with you maybe, if I don't take too much of it. They'll have plenty room for you. Come on down to see me. Be glad to see my other "Grandma".

Never Ending Boxwood Story

(This is a photo from October 2014.)

After planting 143 boxwood plants in the mud and rain yesterday, I have had it❣

Trying to replace some dead plants along the walkpaths and replant well over 100 plants that did not make it through a drought a couple of autumns ago, I have had it❣

My dogs love sniffing in the muddy soil around the fresh plants and lying on the weed-free areas. Raccoons and armadillos will be checking out the new plants for exposed worm families.

Maybe tomorrow the areas under water will be dry enough for me to finish my boxwood planting.

Then, I've had it❣That is until my hub gets back from his "business" trip and trims the mature boxwoods. Then we can begin rooting new plants.

Just in case these new plantings don't make it😩

(We planted over 250 plants back in the autumn of 2014. This is a photo of our hard work then.)

I Have Had It😘