Charlie

Charlie proved to be a bit too much of an active dog for us. He ended up weighing about 55 lbs, which was way more than Chloe weighs. He was so energetic that she almost totally withdrew from house and outdoor activity. He would pounce every time she moved. When he wanted to play with her, he would bark incessantly. He wanted to herd everything he saw. He had already destroyed to area rugs and was getting more and more destructive to the house.

On the positive side, Charlie is a great dog. He was my buddy and would follow me everywhere. He loved to take walks morning and evening, which was good for me. He was a loyal and happy friend.

Lisa found a cattle rancher in need of a new dog. He had two dogs to help him manage the cattle. One is getting old. So, today, I took Charlie to Denton to be with a new family. He sat on my lap most of the way, like a real puppy. I stayed about half an hour to make sure he would relax and get to know the new people and environment. He was skittish at first, but warmed up quickly. They are good people and know how to train dogs. He needs a job and this is an ideal place for him.

It's always sad to suffer a loss like this. I think it is for the best for him and for us. I will miss him, but he will be of service doing what he has a natural talent to do.

Peaches Preserved

Kathy and I did our best. We intended to create peach jam. I think we came closer to peach syrup. The end result is a little more liquid than either of us envisioned. I think the problem was that I didn't search for a low-sugar recipe and I probably didn't get the right kind of pectin. (Neither of us is sure what pectin has to do with making jam, but I suspect it is important.) We have four more trees coming.

The problem you run into dealing with fruit, is that it has to be processed right away. The peaches had started to go over-ripe quickly once they were inside. They may have done the same outside, but their status becomes noticeable inside once they are picked. I think things would have been better if we had been able to plan ahead. But, one of the reasons for doing all of this from my perspective is to learn what to do better the next time.

I do have to say, though, the peaches tasted really good. Fresh fruit is best.

Initial Peach Harvest

I have been watching the peaches on my trees. I don't remember the names of the varieties I planted (except for China Pearl, but this entry is not about them). I have six trees and three varieties, all free stone. Last year, I had very few peaches and those that did develop had black blotches and a lot of worms and other pests. So, this year, I decided that I needed to spray. I don't know why, but I had a lot of peaches develop. Jenna and I reduced the number by about a third a month and a half ago. I've heard that you need to thin the fruit, which drove this. Then, I sprayed. The product I bought said to spray no more often that every 11 days, to spray no more than 3 times, and to not spray 21 days before harvest. I have only sprayed twice so far.

I went to check the fruit last evening and pick one off the ground that looked good. Another truism, "When the fruit is ripe, it will fall." There was a worm in it. As I inspected the other fruit, I saw some that had developed some sort of a fungus, suggesting it might be over-ripe or that there was something that was about to spread. There weren't too many fruits that were like this, but enough that I decided to harvest this morning. (I've got a dental cleaning appointment, so I had some time.) So, I harvested the two trees that were ready to go. I suspect these peaches may need a day or so to further ripen; they seemed a bit hard. It's not a great harvest, but it will surely be sufficient for our current needs and resources. I'm not sure what to do with the peaches yet. I've canned before, but there are other things to do, like peach jam. Of course, just eating some is most interesting. The birds were starting (just starting) to pick some of the top fruit. (I ate one of these for breakfast.)

The peaches are small, but there are no black blotches this year. I'm not sure that I know at all what I am doing. Because the other two varieties are still very green, I gave them their last shot of spray. I also sprayed the apples and pears. They had the same blotches last year and a lot of worms.

46 Garlic

Today I harvested garlic. I had plucked out a couple before today and plucked 46 more today. Many of the bulbs had started to make offshoots. Left with their stems on, I figure it amounts to about 20 pounds. Honestly, this is more than we will use in a year. I harvested 30 something last year and ended up giving at least half away. This year, I will try to do something different, like mincing some and either drying the garlic or mixing it with olive oil or something. I think I will look online for ideas. For now, I have then braided and hanging in the garage to dry.

Just for the record, these garlic are from cloves I harvested last year. Nearly all cloves came up. I believe they are Chet's Red.

Tomato Seeds

I'm not much in the mood for gardening. I just have too many things going this year. But, it is time to plant seeds and I need to document what I am doing. So here is the quick update.

I planted four variety of heirloom tomato seeds last night. I planted in alphabetical order, from nearest to farthest on the table. They include 16 seeds each of Hungarian Heart, Italian Heirloom, John Baer, and Rutgers.

Last year, the place I had them became a bit of a mess. I'm trying to keep the mess contained this year. It is by an east-facing window, so there will be morning light. I am watering from the bottom, pouring water into the plastic basin that the planting containers sit in.

Starting Over

Spring! Temperatures today got to 82F.

I decided I needed to look at the hives. Both were weak. I didn't see evidence of a living queen in either. I think I need to find a queen, or find a way of making a queen. I probably need to combine the hives. Interestingly enough, there was ample honey and, with the temperatures where they are, nectar will be right around the corner.