Adorable New Tenants

Stacking some wood on the rack in the fruit cellar, I noticed some dark stuff high in the far corner. It looked like maybe mice had made a nest upstairs in the workshop and it had worked through to the cellar. On closer inspection, I realized it was two tiny bats.

They are Little Brown Bats, only about three inches long, and they probably came to hibernate where the temperature doesn't get below freezing. A few days later, it was warmer, so I left the doors open for them to get out and gobble up some of the many insects that were flying around. When Lissa came up, I told her I had new critters. She was as delighted as I was with such a rare find.

Later, there was only one of them and it had moved to another wall. The other one may still be on the far wall, but they are so small they are easy to miss. Now I am tiptoeing around, trying not to disturb them. Lissa told me to stop taking pictures because the flash disturbs their sleep.

I put a remote temperature sensor down there, which shows that it stays in the mid-thirties, their perfect hibernation zone. I'm leaving the door open about an inch for them to get out. Lis did some research and found they squeeze through a small opening. Not as I thought, an aerial maneuver in the style of a Spitfire aircraft.

They aren't an endangered species, but they are threatened, so it is an honor to provide habitat for such helpful little mammals.

Digging for Treasure

A few of weeks ago, I dug up the sweet potatoes. Frost was forecast and there was a nip in the air.

This was one of the best tubers. My terra preta soil was great for them.

Even though I was trying to be careful, I managed to break the biggest ones in the process of getting them out of the ground. Most of them grew straight down and stuck fast in the clay soil at the bottom of the raised bed.

So, there was nothing for it but to can them in the pressure canner. In addition to these seven pints, I had plenty to eat right away. They are so beautiful, I'd put them on display, but light isn't good for them. There will be tours of the pantry for interested parties. Okay, I'll make everyone who comes here look at them.

Getting Ready for Spring

Did I mention that carpentry isn't my best skill? However, that doesn't stop me from building things.There were these 2 by 12 pieces of lumber left by the folks who lived here before, so I cut them for a cold frame. On the second tier, I had to use some 2 by 6's, too. The cistern provided a level place to work.

The wood had been lying out in all weather for years. Since I wasn't going to try and nail into what was probably nearly petrified wood, I drilled pilot holes and used deck screws. Having always been put off by the idea of cutting the top on the diagonal to slope toward the sun, I took the easy way out and decided to just tilt the thing in the ground. The two sections actually matched and the fine double-glazed window found in an outbuilding fit perfectly. It was a big surprise to me.

The next step was a bit of a disaster. I had a tube of expired Silicone caulk that was very hard to squeeze out of the gun. I pressed the rope caulk into the cracks, whereupon it stopped being hard and became a big sticky mess. Later, it looked a lot like wax. It gave me a big lesson on using material that expired in 2010.

Later, I asked Lissa to help me carry the heavy open boxes to the garden. She carried them easily by herself, declining my puny help. She even finished excavating the hole in the clay soil that I had started. She's such a dutiful and helpful daughter.

Even though we just came through another dry summer, hope springs eternal in this gardener's heart. Come spring, I'll start some plants in this contraption and try again. I may even get some horse manure from a herd of Palominos down the road and make it into a hotbed of seed-starting.