BilletHead

Way to go smallfry!

I really don't know how this happens here with all the birds. During a couple of months we have a few fights going on but for the most part they feed calmly with each other. The only time lately they get a bit crazy is when all the perches/feeding ports are full and one dives in for a look it is an explosion like musical chairs. We get up early and this morning as daylight cracked they were thick. When you get that many the sound is amazing. I try to count in groups of ten. About the time I get to fifty or sixty they shift so bad I loose count. We live next to thick timber and our yard is treed up pretty good. A nice flower garden maybe helps? BilletHead

Tomatoes no, on the peppers yes. If I fire roast and blister the peppers I do peel most of the skin off. On Salsa without roasting just remove seeds from peppers. Remember Mitch there is no set rule in salsa making. Do experiment use this and that. I find it hard to mess up too bad, BilletHead

Mitch no processing for this stuff. Just put into a jar and froze. When thawed it tastes fresh. It you have the freezer space it is a good way to go. We have done some by processing which needs heat like a hot water bath. If you go the freeze way be sure and leave some space in the jars fro expansion. Full jars crack. just ask Mrs. Billethead, Billethead

We were gone on vacation for two weeks. Made syrup for the hummingbirds. We had saved gallon milk jugs. Had a neighbor and mom feed for us. Eleven gallons were went through in those fourteen days. The frenzy has continued and we are now going through almost a gallon a day. Mrs. Billethead said we have gone through sixty pounds of sugar! I shot some photos last evening and this morning. 150 of them. Weeded some out to share. We have four feeders out so you can imagine that for every feeder photo posted the other three are just as busy. In a few short weeks all will be gone. I will miss the birds but not this hot weather. I really like the first picture where two birds are face to face looking like a mirror is involved, BilletHead

More Produce to be used, Fire roasted freezer salsa. Took peppers, tomatoes and fire roasted over charcoal. Pepper mix of jalapenos, hot banana, chili and sweet yum-yum's. Cooked until they were pretty blistered some blackened. Tomatoes until soft and blistered. While doing this just cooked the onions on the gas grill., Took the results and blended it in the food processor. While doing this added some salt, pepper, garlic and a splash of vinegar to taste. The taste test followed and then ladled it up into jars. This is some of the best we have ever made, BilletHead

Yep they call it cardiac out there. Must of been awesome to do that. You might of skipped the right year. Storms were keeping things pretty murked up. Oh to be twenty to thirty years younger and make that climb. BilletHead

Trigg, We have only been in the canyon a bit from the bottom. Did you drop in over the side? I have peeked over the trail that drops down the side. Ronnie you will have to borrow my knees if you go. I'll keep the bald head though BilletHead

Hey there Russ buddy, Thanks. We think of you often and hope we might run into you. We were in Springfield yesterday, BilletHead

I'm just medium old. Bald? Kind of but mostly by choice. The ladies like it too BilletHead

Ronnie I'll make you a deal. If you need a couple of ten year older knees let me know. I let you use them. BUT I may need a ten year younger left shoulder once and a while:) Could the cause of what is happening all the poppers we make? Jason R. thanks for kind of an affirmation of what the Doctor said. Again just watching a total shoulder replacement kind of grossed me out. I am sure it will happen someday but as long as I can put it off. Many moons I hope, . Ok I went and asked some real silly questions about crossbows today. The two young kind of teamed up on me. Came home with one. Pretty neat and high-tec. Fast oh my gosh. I have been lobbing arrows out for many years at maybe 125 to 145 at the most. Now you had better not even think of blinking and the bolt is there. What I don't like is it is a tad heavy and noisy but with the speed noise should not be an issue. Looked at one without a crank for setting string and used the rope assist to set the string. Could do it ok but that is on a warm day and a good shoulder day. Ended up with the crank model. Will keep anyone informed with this adventure that wants to know, BilletHead

Seth like F&F I amend my soil with potting mix and soil each year. First few years I acquired my soil from barn lots. Took me a few years to weed out so to say weed sprouts. Once this happens it is pretty easy to control what blows in from fields and yard, BilletHead

Thanks Phil, That State is on the bucket list. My bucket is pretty full and if I don't fall apart first maybe it could happen, BilletHead

That is what we use John Ness When you are ready for more down to the pin point help you know how to get ahold of me. You could do your Cutt-slam. If you get with it, it can be done in a mater of days, http://wgfd.wyo.gov/web2011/FISHING-1000209.aspx Mrs. BilletHead says I could go with you I think she is testing me again! BilletHead

Dr. Note no problem. I knew about that. He asked me about my hobbies and what I do. He offered me one on the spot, I declined at that time, BilletHead

This may be one of the hardest discussions I bring up. First some history. I have been bow hunting for almost 40 years. Only the first four or five years with a compound. Anyone remember the Jennings Arrow star? That was the last compound I had. A big heavy four wheeler. Then it was recurves and longbows. I have had some nice recurves, Original Bighorn and Black widows.Some in the 70 pound range. Over the last 20 years self bows. Even used shafts made from ditch shoots and have taken 7 deer with stone points I knapped. Four the last few years it has been a struggle to draw and shoot even my bows in the low fifties and high forties. Last year I did hunt with Mrs. BilletHead and could snap shoot some but could not practice. I had a sick feeling. Left shoulder going bad. I am Right handed but compression in my bow arm in the shoulder joint was painful. Seriously thought I may have torn my rotator cuff again. Ignored it hoping it would disappear. It had got so bad I could not raise my elbow above my shoulder. I also remember thinking in the past about others shooting crossbows during general archery season wondering why they had to do so. Now being on the other side of the fence so to say I am sorry I ever wondered that. So those that do and I know some on here do. Forgive me please. Now to this year. Still bad shoulder never getting better I had a friend come over and cover and enclose my back deck. He and I expected me to be a grunt and help what I could do. I did pushing my joint to the limits. I should also let you know the joint grinds and has for years. At the same time my wife was working temp for a nurse practitioner at the clinic where she works. I had mentioned to her that my shoulder was pretty stirred up. She felt around and heard the grind and shuddered. Wow that is bad she said. What have you been taking? I respond Mobic for my back like I do everyday. That and maybe some Aleve now and again. Stop the Aleve she says. You are doubling up an the same med more or less. How long on the Mobic? Oh for years. Don't you know long term that is bad for you? Try stopping. Ok I did and all heck broke loose. Miserable was an understatement. I then made an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon locally. Finally seen him. Told him my story and that I had had rotator cuff surgery once and the doc that had cleaned out arthritis and said it would come back and give me trouble. Well this guy kind of grunted and said I don't think so and set me up for an MRI. Put me back on the Mobic and said it was a maintence dose and to just keep a good eye on my blood work. Ok got the MRI and went back. He asked how old are you? 57 I respond. He then says I am that age and don't consider myself that old. I don't feel old I tell him so what's up? Arthritis bad. Really bad. How bad, really,really bad and it isn't going to get better. What do I do? He then says you need shoulder reconstruction. Are you frigging kidding me? Nope. This is a good doctor and I like him. He then says I don't do that and I think well this little Podunk town won't be doing anything like this to me. How soon. Well he says you should consider talking to someone soon. I get set up with a super duper joint man in Springfield a month later. I was sweating bullets for the month waiting. Looking on you tube at replacements of the shoulder. This gave me some thoughts, good and bad. I finally got to see the specialist. Another fine man in his field at the St. Johns new ortho unit South of Springfield. Now I really was impressed with him and he gave it to me straight. Hey there as he showed me my MRI. he says no more smooth joint where it should be round it is square and rough. He says you need a new shoulder. Crap here we go again. Next question are you sleeping at night? Not on that side but sleeping most nights ok. Good he responds. Then he explains you have the Shoulder of an eighty year old. WHAT? Yep. I'm not going to replace it though. WHY? You are too young and in pretty good shape. You will wear out a replacement and if you wear out a replacement shoulder it has been found you will be in more trouble. The replacement ball gives us no problem but what would be the socket (Not a true socket) would be plastic and they wear fast. once replaced the attachment point is thin with very little to attach to. WHAT NOW I ask. Keep on your Mobic, take Arthritis strength Tylenol and watch your blood work closely for bleeding and unless you stop sleeping from the pain come back and see me in fifteen to twenty years. HUH? Keep all the mobility you can, don't stir it up if you can keep from it. Now to the last three weeks. Stirred it up on vacation. I had three miserable days and two nights. What did I do. Stupid is as stupid does. What a guy would do for a fly I tied, maybe had 30 cents in the stupid thing. Got it in a tree. Reached up with right arm to get it out. Too high so I pull down the limb and force my left arm to reach up and unhook it. I got it out, what a dumb butt. Won't ever do that again. How bad was it? I could not wash my right arm pit with my left and, put deodorant on either. Two nights in a row until it settled down I had to ask Mrs. BilletHead for help. It settled down but this is hard to take. Don't ever take for grated what you can do today as it may change tomorrow. All I can say is it is a good think I can still fly cast, single and double haul . Shoot my shotgun from a reclined position in a lay out blind. Shoot straight ahead too just not with a arm raised too much. Now to my question tough as it is I am thinking of going to bass pro in the next few days to look at cross bows. I need some input from any shooters. I am a stick and string shooter at heart and these gadgets look like a nightmare. Again sorry for ever questioning crossbow shooters in the past, BilletHead

Wayne I did think about the chicken wire. Found something cheaper and easy to install. Went to town and got to prowling around the do all store. There it was a 24 foot hose kit for a sump pump. Inch and a quarter to an inch and a half pipe. Less than ten bucks. I snatched it up and when getting home I began to cut it up. I did a straight cut to one down the side and then a spiral cut around the pipe top to bottom, Photos of both test sections installed, I think it will work plus a bonus. Some folks tell us to make sure the mulch does not touch the tree trunk. Inviting bugs and disease. This will keep a healthy clearance. Also this set up is very close to what the seed catalogs send when you order trees. BilletHead

Looking good bud! BilletHead

Heard that too Mic. A fellow I know (pretty windy talker) told me he knew of many original chestnut stumps in SW MO that have sprouts on them, BilletHead

Dutch I know nothing about berry growing except to cut/prune the canes that have produced. Am I supposed to prune new growth? Looking for tips and answers. BilletHead

I have heard this too Mic. Not sure if some are from this. I do know one variety is a Chinese chestnut. He said a bit smaller nut. BilletHead

Did as some of you suggested and carefully bent canes back to the rows and tied down. The long ones right into the leaves and soil to re root. Some of the ones that re rooted away from the rows while we were on vacation had to dig up and move. Here is a row completed and one still to do, Hope I can still find and figure out the ones that produced to be trimmed out in this miss, BilletHead

Ok Scott if your overhead waterier works I will let you build mine

A few years back I was gifted a handful of chestnut seeds by a friend. He said there was two varieties of blight resistant types. They needed a cold period before sprouting so I planted them in the Fall. Used small stovepipe sections about six to eight inches long for protection from rodents digging them up. Covered too with hardware cloth. Did fourteen plantings, two to three seeds per planting. I am trying to remember but I think this was Fall of 2012. Sure enough the next Spring all but one container had sprouted. Ok now what I thought. Let them grow and when leaves looked dry I watered. Man they grew fast. The Fall of the first year I thought maybe I should transplant. Got lazy and did not. deer did brose them some. Now to this past Spring. They leafed out big time. I had a grove of closely growing trees. Crap got to do something. I let them leaf out completely and late Spring, early Summer I had to do something. Dug up every other one and scattered them in the yard. During the transplant lots of water and bagged soil to the dug hole. They grew fine but deer brose still. I caged them, mulched too. Watered once each with a five gallon bucket full with a small hole so a dribble/ no waste system. Deer still reaching what they can but good growth. Worked over the original planting and enclosed with cattle panels. Right next to the asparagus so put them in there too. Now just have to do something with the little trunks/ stalks to keep bunnies from girdling them. Need to do that soon. Friend who gave me these seeds actually have some nuts on his planted the year before mine! We will see what happens, BilletHead

Yes fried green tomatoes. I never developed a taste for them much. Mom does and she gasped when I told her they were gone BilletHead