HUMDOG adoption fair tomorrow

Looking for that perfect farm dog? Humdog adoption fair & show sunday REDWOOD ACRES SUNDAY!

If you are looking for that wonderful working dog for your farm or garden, Come this weekend to Redwood Acres, Both the arts and crafts building AND the main hall will be filled with lovables looking for quality homes and all things dog. SUNDAY 11 TO 4PM AT REDWOOD ACRES!!!!

Are you looking for your best dog? Do you want to tell your story about your new pal? If you want a wonderful working dog or family pet, you MUST check out the Humdog event this Sunday at Redwood Acres! This is not a small event by any means! Two buildings full or wiggling fun! Lots of activities and special animals from every corner of Humboldt County! There will be fun treats, collars, leashes, toys, clothes and food for your pets, tons of rescue groups and dogs wanting a loving home, and much much more! PLEASE come if you can activities will be in the Franchisi Hall and the Arts and Crafts building. 11 to 4PM this Sunday! We who are participating look forward to seeing you there!!!!!

Found on Craigslist and reposted here. See you there?

Dogs Rock

Mid February Post -

Mid Winter Web...and Impressive Pre-Storm Sunrise...

Coastal Beauty...

Plum and Almond Blooming ....

We have been blessed with abundant moisture in the form of rain and snow. I was away for the bulk of this last storm which dumped over 6" of snow and is still lingering here and in higher elevations. After our warm dry January the Almonds and Plums are attempting to bloom in temps of 30* with days of swirling snow, cold and wind. Sigh. Below, Store Bought Springtime.

What's NORMAL anymore?

Plum and Forsythia Normally Signal the Arrival of Spring...

Valley Fog Drifting Over Bear Butte...I love early morning.

On the home front I have been resisting the mundane, and am having for all the world what appears to be a mid-life crisis. Dog sled racing, dog driving in any form, and training the dogs, or myself for said activity, is pretty much all I am willingly to do, willingly. The rest? I raise a cry like you've never heard. Actually, I did manage to prune ALL the grapes, and have started on the smaller trees with only minimal whimpering. I did a giant Santa Rosa Plum tree yesterday, that took over an hour... Looks good, but really - must it have SO many branches? FACTOID: we NEED to prune fruit trees because they have been essentially "domesticated" and are freaks that grow too many branches, so they have to be managed!!! If you don't like to prune much, try planting European Plums ( prune plums) not the Japanese plums (Santa Rosa and sweet freestone varieties.) European plums and virtually all pears require very minimum pruning. They are pruned for shape, and to eliminate crossed and broken branches only. Mulberries and Raspberries are also low maintenance/easy on the pruning. Apples and all Japanese Plums are the worst. Peaches, nectarines and apricots (if you can get them to grow) all fall somewhere in the middle. The weather has been very dry and unseasonably warm for all of January. Finally this weekend we have a semblance of a storm that has dropped just under 2" in my yard. It is raining again now...there were rumors of possible snow tonight. Still, in the back of my mind I am planning the "desert mode" revisions that may need to be made to my orchard. Basically, my plan would be to chain saw anything that has failed to produce and mulch the remaining trees generously. I see cherries, figs and a couple other weak and spindly specimens that should have been removed long ago, all falling. I would like to go with established trees, and only re-plant that which has proven itself up here: Golden Delicious and other late apples, the late plums and for sure pears, and maybe more almonds. All the grapes will be spared as they do pretty well under drought conditions. I am mulching everything in preparation for possibly NO irrigation this summer. Watch, come March, I'll be reporting on a flood...we'll see.

A New Day

Still Riding the Inaugural High....I wish this administration the best of luck in sorting out the chaos within our government. Nuff said... See my MUSHING BLOG for the best of my adventures in this new year.

44 Blueberries...One for each president, with one for Obama right in the middle. More soon.....real soon.