Now isn’t this just the prettiest forecast you’ve seen in a long time for the second half of May?? It’s totally normal and I’m not complaining–yet! It’s much better than the 90 degrees my family in Arkansas experienced yesterday.
There isn’t much going on around here other than chores. The Cowboy is still struggling with that stupid generator–it’s still in the motorhome. Tuesday we went to Big Timber in the afternoon for fuel and dog food. Emmi has been having tummy issues again and we decided to bite the bullet and just feed her the prescription Royal Canin gastrointestinal low fat dog food. I wasn’t crazy about the contents but I sure don’t want Emmi to have another bout of pancreatitis. After speaking with one of our veterinarians and doing a lot of reading I also decided I didn’t want to “make” Emmi’s food–I don’t want to worry about whether she is getting the nutrients she needs. So, Royal Canin it is and I’m sure the cost is more than our own food!!
There’s nothing better than a ball in Emmi’s mind except maybe a “stick!”
Wednesday we had an errand in Bozeman and enjoyed a fabulous dinner at the Rib and Chop House. Today we stayed home and I made chicken marsala for lunch–it was very good!
Those beautiful Crazy Mountains.
You can tell by the diameter of this apple tree trunk that it’s been planted for a few years. You can also see where the blasted voles and mice ate all the bark and successfully girdled this tree sometime during the winter. Now it will die–the voles/mice did this to two of our three apple trees–:(
Restoration Cowboy Style 
Do you ever read Jackie Clays blog? It’s https://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/
Her and her husband homestead, off grid in Minnesota. and has tons of information on her blog. She says that you should protect the trunks of fruit trees by wrapping them with aluminum window screen, up at least 3 feet to keep mice, voles, and rabbits from eating the bark. Worth a try!!
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We had some success by using irish spring soap, cut up or shaved, and mixed in with the dirt.
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I’ve heard Irish spring soap keeps deer away but I’ve never tried it, couldn’t hurt!
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We didn’t think of window screening or anything else, really, we thought the trees were big enough by now to withstand the critters–that’s what we got for thinking!! Since we planted the trees we had kept the trunks covered with those white protectors but growth of the trees had forced the protectors open. Lesson learned!
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Oh! So sad to see that girdles apple tree. Voles destroyed our grass every year under the snow at Rocky Point. Those Crazies are crazy gorgeous. North Idaho had crazy cold May weather too. Dont miss it. Chilly and rainy here as well but 50s is better than 40s. Montana is truly gorgeous
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I have a large patch of brown in our backyard where the voles nested for the winter–the green shoots are coming back up through the brown. I am so sad about our trees!
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I was out visiting in Idaho at my son’s home. He said the reason they got two cats was to get rid of the voles in his lawn. Evidently the cats really love to play with the voles, and the voles don’t survive.
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We would love to have cats help us with our vole/mice problem but then what would we do with them in the winter time when in AZ? And winter is when we need a mouser. 🙂
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Our 15 year old Aussie Girl struggles with congestive heart failure. The five meds she takes three times a day cost right at $12/.day.
We would do it if it was double or triple that.
Her’s hoping she does well.
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Thanks Ed—they are part of our family!
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Then if the tree survives the deer will rub it’s antlers on it@ nice photos!
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Thanks Geri—everything I’ve read said those trees won’t survive.
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That grouse looks as big as Emmi! Beautiful views and a lovely forecast – lucky you 🙂 So sad to lose your trees.
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Yes, lucky us–as write this, there are snowflakes mixed in the with falling rain. That grouse is as big as Emmi!
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Sure hope this is the last week of wet weather for awhile. We are heading that way come June. We need the rain/snow to move on!! Your poor apple tree! Our son lost six bushes to the voles because they ate the roots. He struggled to get rid of them. What a pain! Sure hope Emmi feels better with the new food! Keep us posted!
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We are ready for this messy weather to move on! Don’t know what to do about the voles—cats would help but then what do we do with the cats in the winter?
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I put a small cat door on the front of my shop…This way B.K…(barn kat) is able to survive warm, dry, and toasty …
I chose the smallest to hopefully keep the raccoons..porky-pines..and other uninvited critters out….
The only one to come in is another poor lost kitty…..I have enough $$$ to feed them both…Upriverdavid
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But we aren’t in Montana during the winter months. There would be no one here to feed the kitties–I’m not one of those folks who thinks “let them survive on mice.” And an automatic feeder would draw the very critters who would want to eat the kitties!!
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