Mud season

Yesterday I slogged around the yard a bit, working on a lasagna bed for my snap peas. A while back I had thrown a bunch of yard debris into the pea fence contraption, but decided that would not suffice. So I removed all the trimmings and replaced it with a layer of newspaper, topped with peat moss and compost. If I can figure out a relatively easy way to shred the yard waste, I will add that as well. And I'm wondering where and how I could get some fresh manure.

Days like these, I miss having a pickup truck. It's a good time to buy a vehicle, IF you have a stable job, but I can't quite convince myself that I would be happy replacing my CRV. I like the front wheel drive and realtime 4WD and its ease of parking and halfway decent gas mileage. But it can't pull a camper and is fairly useless for transporting mulch and manure. Maybe if I test drive a truck, it will help me make up my mind.

Winters like these make me wish I had a chipper/shredder. With all the downed branches, I could have made my own mulch. The city gives away mulch and compost, but you still need some way to haul it. My neighbor across the street offered to let me use his truck, but that was when he owned a small beat-up Toyota. Now he has a shiny new Dodge Dakota that I don't think would fit through my gate. I'd hate to scratch it up when he has been nice enough to snow blow my driveway a time or two.

And I'd like to spruce up the kitchen and buy some new furniture for the West Wing and the yard needs a few trees. *sigh*

Then there's HipHop.



When I adopted him, the shelter said he was a she, and the vet could not tell, but he acts very he-like. Lately, he has been pestering the dog and spraying her and consequently the carpet as well. If I lock Betsy away during bunny hour, things seem better, so I'm guessing Betsy is bringing in rabbit scents from outside, which is setting off the rabbit. I may look into having him neutered, if I can find a vet who knows something about rabbits. Otherwise, I'm going to shift bunny hour to a later time, after Betsy has gone off to bed. My carpets need a break.