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bbkaren

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Posts posted by bbkaren

  1. I agree about the american bulldog. We've got a mix and he's a great dog but they require a firm hand and impermeable boundaries.

     

    I hate the fact that I must mention...you might need to note for insurance/ordinance purposes that American Bulldog is considered a "bully breed" aka "pitbull" ("EEEEK!")

     

    That said, our two pitties are the best dogs we've ever owned. Properly raised, you can't find a better variety of pet.

     

    Pitbulls are traditionally family dogs. Only recently have they been raised poorly. Here's some interesting info:

     

    America's Babysitter.

    http://www.ywgrossman.com/photoblog/?p=676

    http://www.ywgrossman.com/photoblog/?p=1103

     

    For Over 100 Years Americans Knew Exactly What Pit Bulls Represented. America.

    http://www.ywgrossman.com/photoblog/?p=780

     

    There’s Only One Difference Between These Two Dogs. Their Owners.

    http://www.ywgrossman.com/photoblog/?p=837

  2. ...I plan on putting toilet paper tubes cut in 1/4's around the base of the baby plants to help prevent the squash borers..

     

    I think you might be thinking of cutworms with the tp tubes.

     

    FYI, the squash borer is a moth that you'll see flying around. She lays her eggs on leaves/stems of the vines and the babies bore into the vine. They chew in there and kill the vine off from that point outward.

     

    Frequently, the #$@#& lays her eggs in the primary crotch of the vine where it comes out (the "crown") and so the entire plant is lost.

     

    Here's what she looks like. Kill her if you see her. She looks a bit like a beetle crossed with a wasp, but she's actually a moth. The babies live in the killed-off plants so they must be burned or they'll hatch into more moths.

     

    M1209-1-lg.jpg

     

    The scourge of my gardening life.

  3. I think the book the pp is asking about is "Carrots love Tomatoes", and it's great!

     

    I'd also like to encourage you, in terms of summer squash, not to plant more than two (and hope one dies!) of each variety. I also wouldn't bother SFG'ing those since they're huge bushes. Also, winter squash, make an enormous vine for only a couple of squash (assuming the squash borer :glare: doesn't visit; if it does, the plants are history).

     

    When looking for your dirt fixin's, don't neglect the smaller places, the ones that the real landscapers go to. We found the best prices on all three components at one here. WAY cheaper than buying the little bags at home depot.

  4. Don't do tomatoes at a rate of one-per-square-foot (I'm pretty sure he recommends that, right?). They encroach upon each other and battle for light and nutrients; unless you fertilize all the time, they suffer.

     

    Next year I'm doing them like a checkerboard, with carrots in the open spaces.

     

    Some vegetables, it just doesn't make sense to crowd them like they say in the book. It just causes problems. Vines get tangled, and out of control, etc.

     

    Also, remember that if you're growing something on the inner squares, you have to reach past the outer squares to get to them so plan accordingly (i.e. don't plant tall items on the outside or you'll wind up with your face buried in the outside plants trying to get at the ones inside.)

     

    That said, the mel's mix is a fantastic medium although my root crops don't really care for it (not deep enough maybe?). We don't have access to bulk vermiculite here (although I found out after the fact that it can be bought as "concrete block fill" at building supply centers), so we used perlite instead, which I got at the landscape supply center in enormous bags.

     

    My beds are 4' x 8' x 8" high, so ymmv.

     

    Good luck!

  5. He is a pure bred Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. And he is the BIGGEST baby.

     

    He needs (and gets) so much attention. If you are sitting anywhere he comes up and bumps his huge head up under your arm to get you to pat him. Watching T.V. involves scratching his chest for hours and hours. He also has to be where we are at all times. Sleeping and snoring at our feet is what he does best. Every morning I take him for a walk and he just prances along beside me' date=' looking up at me and smiling in that way that dogs do, and nudging my hand with his huge nose as if to say "thank you thank you for walking me!" Also, when we feed him he does what we call "the Swissy dance" because he starts running back and forth and bounding around and sometimes jumps up and spins in the air. He certainly keeps us entertained.

     

    At night he sleeps on my daughter's bed. It makes for a squished night but she loves having him to cuddle with.[/quote']

     

    I'm sorry to be the wet blanket, but you're allowing that dog to be dominant. That's a really bad idea, particularly for a huge dog.

     

    Allowing him on the furniture and permitting him to demand attention by pushing your hand sends him a message you don't want to send.

     

    Please consider some training, not for the dog, but for yourselves.

     

    Dogs aren't people and don't think like we do. Please, for your kids' safety...a 125 lb. dog allowed to think he's dominant is going to be a problem one day, and maybe a tragedy.

     

    You'll believe it once he starts growling at your daughter when she wants him to get down off her bed. Or when she wants to turn over at night and it disturbs him.

  6. With a dealer you're likely to pay quite a bit more but MIGHT have some recourse if it turns out to be a piece of junk.

     

    With a private seller you can negotiate yourself some wiggle room in the price (to provide a cushion in case it's junk) but the vehicle is "as is" and that's that.

     

    We buy ours at auctions and assume $2,000 worth of work that needs to be done. We just presume it'll need a new engine or transmission and bid accordingly. At the auction you can bring a mechanic, and you can sit in the vehicle and start it but aren't allowed to drive it anywhere.

     

    We've always wound up with a reliable vehicle and haven't yet exceeded that $2,000 buffer.

  7. If it were me, I'd hesitate to make this a major issue.

     

    I like to choose my battles, and this isn't one I find important.

     

    I can't stand death metal, but I believe just like when we listened to Black Sabbath as kids, it's the fact that it's "bad" by grownup standards makes it that much more appealing.

     

    His taste in music will refine and he'll tire of it...unless it becomes something he has to fight for.

  8. Our favorite is cream of wheat. We eat a lot of it (we buy it from honeyville grains in the 50 lb bag).

     

    I make a double batch (8 servings) over the weekend and keep it in the fridge in a casserole dish. During the week we scoop out of it and heat it up in the microwave on medium for a nice warm breakfast.

     

    We're still public schooling and I work full time so we're thankful to have a wholesome warm breakfast.

  9. It's a pretty harmless word.

     

    Rather than say "my husband did this..." which wounds kind of stilted in casual conversation.

     

    And if I say "Scott did this..." y'all might wonder, "husband, kid, or pet?"

     

    Meh, I'm guilty of using it. Particularly on forums where people might not know him by name and I don't feel like typing out "my husband".

     

    p.s. It's better than calling him my "old man" lol

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