Got Dirt?

Put my raised bed together and filled it with dirt. Yeah!
And a little compost. Will need to get 4 or 5 more bags of compost and then I can mix it and plant my fall garden.
Of course until I find something to keep the cats from going potty in it I put a blanket over it. Shelby likes to sleep on it if I'm not paying attention.

My Birds Finally Got A Flight Cage

Yeah, I've been trying to find a good cage for them both for a couple years. There was a bird expo yesterday in Roseville and I thought I'd check it out and see if someone was selling bird cages. Sure enough and for great prices. I got this one for $135 from The Country Roost. Great deal and its huge, but at the same time perfect size for the space I have them in. I think they were a little upset though when I took them out of thier secure little cages. I'm sure they will get used to it quite soon.

In other news I have found some top soil someone is giving away for my raised beds on craigslist. Yeah, I can finally start my raised beds. I'm also selling the old bird cages on craigslist.

Pallet Compost Bin and Instructions on How to Make Your Own

Three sides up and a couple branches in the bottom so far. I secured the three sides so far with one bungee cord across the back.
All my twigs in the bottom for good airflow. This helps make your bin an aerobic composter (also known as non-stinky bin you need air for this).
Close-up of twigs in the bottom. I have a couple trees above my bin that have some dead branches. I just pulled a couple down to line my bin.
Putting the final pallet on the front. This keeps the dogs and kid out of the compost bin. You can see the bungee cord stretched across the front. It's not going anywhere.

Instructions Part II

Put down your brown or carbon compost (small twigs, leaves and other woody material) which also includes shredded newspaper. You want enough so that no flies or insects can really get to your nitrogen compost (need grass clippings, kitchen waste and other garden waste) like those too ripe watermelon you see in the above photos next to the bin. If you need a resource for stuff to put on your compost pile go to 163 Things You Can Compost.
Kitchen wastes (sorry forgot to take a photo of kitchen waste) and then another layer of shredded newspaper. I'm so tempted to go pick up everyone's piles of leaves next to the sidewalks. So, from then on out keep layering making sure you have carbon layer on top.
Finally you need the last ingredient, water. "Sprinkling the pile with a water hose every other day or so depending on rain will keep it cooking. If you want to speed up the process, be sure to turn your pile once a week to once a month. This can be done easily with a pitchfork. " Your pile should be the consistency of a damp sponge.
And there you go easy to follow intructions on how to make your own compost bin. Easy and FREE!

Found Pallets for my Compost Bin!

Yeah, someone had them on freecycle this week. Free pallets for my compost bin. Woohoo! Here is what I'm going to make: Pallet compost bin. That one says to use bailing wire or hooks and eyes, but I'm going to use bungee cords. Just as easy and I have a couple in the back of the truck. Will post pics of my finished compost bin later.

I also just got some Hosta seeds for planting around the outside edge of the fence. It's mostly shaded most of the day so hopefully it will green it up a bit. I just need to see if I can just plant the seeds in the ground or need to start them inside.

Went to the nursery yesterday

Found out what kind of trees I have in my yard and how much my huge pumpkin is worth yesterday. James and I went to a nursery yesterday that was selling pumpkins and saw some as big as my huge pumpkin. He's worth ...... drum roll........... $100! Can you believe it? Wow! I thought that was pretty cool!
Oh and we found the same kind of tree we have in our yard there. They are Drake Evergreen Elms. I looked it up and it is a tree originated from China. I'm so glad its not a black walnut or something bad like that.

Here is a pic of our new yard and where I'm going to put the raised bed. Of course, Shelby and James had to get in the pic.
Here are my potted plants. My basil is looking sad.
Look! There is still life in this banana plant after all. Poor guy almost died and new green is coming out the top. We will have new leaves after all. Not all is lost! Yeah!

I still got it I tell ya! I got two wolf whistles yesterday in a 20 minute period of time while I was out riding my bike with my fam. Both times I was a little bit ahead of Roger and James in the trailer. I thought it was pretty funny because then they saw Rog and James go by. Hehe! Anyway, just thought it was funny!

So, I got my wood for my raised bed. Now I just have to fill it with dirt and plant my fall garden. Garlic, onion, carrots, kale, and what have you.

What kind of tree is this?

Leaves are about 1 1/2 inches long.
There are two of these in our yard. They have an straight trunk and are about 30-40 feet tall. The only tree I could possibly find that kind of resembled it was a hackberry tree.

Roger's friend Wiley. What a nut. He wanted a self-portrait I guess.
Harley, Wiley's daughter. Isn't she a cutie?
Hard to see, but this is Darik our neighbor that Wiley has been hanging out with and drinking with. Well, Darik and his friend had been drinking all day and had passed out early. Wiley came over looking for lipstick and mascara to put on them, but I didn't have any to give so he took a red permanent ink pen. He painted all thier nails, including thier toe nails. Hahahahaha! Super funny! Anyway, Wiley is always good for a laugh. He's a 40 year old still living in the 80's.