Rescuing Gooseberry… Twice

Gooseberry

My family was in the throws of craziness about a month ago. The free soccer league that I founded last fall was beginning their spring practices, both kids had started soccer, my husband and I were coaching both of their teams, and my parents had opened their barn doors to the Unique Boutique and Antiques Tour of which I was fully involved with. Every day and evening was filled with something. It was during that busy time that I got a text from my sister-in-law who lives two hours south of us that read: “Know anyone who might be interested in a goose? She showed up [at the park my sister-in-law works at] last week like someone dumped her here…” My sister-in-law attached this picture: This is a story about rescuing our goose, Gooseberry… twice. The First Rescue Anyone who knows me, knows that I can’t resist or turn down an animal. Especially an animal that needs a home. Unfortunately, my schedule didn’t allow for the time to go and pick up the goose, but my sister-in-law was determined to get the goose to us, which I loved. The day after I got my sister-in-law’s text, she drove the goose up to our house. When my brother and sister-in-law pulled into our driveway and took the goose out of the car, the goose sat quietly in the cardboard box she was in (which was far removed from what the ride up entailed). The kids and I peeked into the hole at the top of the box, and we saw one big, shiny, black eye staring right back at us. We carried the box gently back to our chicken run, and opened the flap for the goose to come out. The goose walked out of her box quietly, assessed her surroundings, and proceeded to give us short, quiet honks as her neck quivered. She seemed nervous, but not too scared of us as she would come within a few feet of where we were standing. My sister-in-law had thought of a name for the goose on her ride up, and took into account that all of our chickens were named after wildflowers. Gooseberry seemed to fit our new goose perfectly. My family was happy to adopt Gooseberry, and we were excited to give her a new home. Well, for a few days anyway. The Second Rescue Gooseberry stayed in the run for three days. She had fresh food and water, half of a hay bale to lay on, and my son invented a grass-feeding station, which Gooseberry took to immediately. We enjoyed watching her bury her head in the grass as she ripped off bits and pieces of the bright green treat. By the second day, Gooseberry started coming close enough to us that we could pet her side gently if we didn’t move too fast. Since Gooseberry seemed to settle in nicely, we decided we would let her loose in our fenced-in backyard on the third day. Gooseberry needed to be as free as possible and have unlimited access to grass, a gooses main diet. It was time to introduce her to the chickens who wander the yard. Well, that lasted but a few minutes. Gooseberry took off through the back woods moments after finding her freedom. The kids were sad, and I was worried, but I hoped that she would find a local goose family to join as our home is surrounded by lakes, ponds, and creeks, so waterfowl abound. But, as it turned out, Gooseberry wasn’t interested in the lakes, streams, or creeks, she was interested in being around people. Days later, I saw a post online that read “Anyone Lose a Goose?” The person who posted the information had a picture of Gooseberry lounging in the grass of someone’s front lawn. We immediately jumped in the car to pick her up but, she had already wandered off. There were many more sightings in the following week, but we never did cross paths with her… until the day the kids went fishing down at the lake. On a warm, sunny day, both of the kids were plopped down on the bank by the water’s edge when they heard honk, honk. But, it wasn’t the typical honk they hear from the wild Canadian geese, it was higher pitched. They recognized it! The kids followed the sound up the road a bit and down a driveway where they found Gooseberry drinking out of a puddle. They tried to carry Gooseberry home, but little arms were no match for large wings, so the kids rode their bikes home as fast as they could to come and get me. I immediately packed our large dog kennel in the car and we rushed off again. This time Gooseberry stayed put. My kids jumped out of the car and slowly approached Gooseberry while I opened the back of the car and the door to the kennel. When the moment was right, my daughter dove onto the goose, giving her a great big bear hug. That little girl wasn’t about to lose Gooseberry again, so she held Gooseberry tight until we were able to get her into the kennel. Finally Home Early the next day, my daughter and I went out to clip Gooseberry’s wings. Clipping wings is just like clipping finger nails – no pain involved. The primary feathers are the only feathers that need cutting, so when the wings fold back, you can’t tell that there has been any alteration. Clipping the primary wings halfway down the feather shaft makes it so the birds are not able to get adequate lift, thus keeping them grounded. Gooseberry did try to take off again, but only once. Since then she has been getting used to her new home, and we’ve been surprised by what we have learned about Gooseberry. The most exciting and welcome discovery was finding out how much Gooseberry loves people. She waits for us to wake up in the morning, and

Mulch or Rock in Landscaping: Advantages, Disadvantages, and Application Tips

Ten yards of mulch, done! I should have bought 15 yards to finish off my gardens nicely, so I will make note of that so I order the right amount next time. One of the first questions many people have when completing a new garden or landscape project is “Should I use mulch or rock?” Well, here are my two cents: Homeowners use mulch or rock to keep weeds down, keep moisture in the ground, and/or provide a certain look to landscaping. Some people love the look of rock, some may prefer the more natural look of mulch, and some go without either. If you have a garden in which you like to move things around, plant annuals, frequently add new plants, or like a more natural look, use mulch. On the contrary, if you have an area that will not be disturbed for years (ex. a walking path, or an area with shrubs), if you want something that lasts a little longer, or you like the look of stone, you may be safe using rock. Here are the pros and cons of using mulch and rock along with application tips for both: Mulch Pros: Keeps soil moist. Insulates well! Helps to keep plant roots and soil cool during warm periods, and helps keep the soil warm during cool periods. Breaks down over time and enriches the soil by adding nutrients from the decaying wood. Prevents weeds from growing. Mulch is easily moved and replaced when a plant needs to be planted. No barrier is needed before laying down mulch Relatively lightweight, so most homeowners can apply mulch on their own. Inexpensive – Costs two to three times less than rock. Has a natural appearance. Mulch Cons: Due to the lightweight-nature of mulch, heavy rains or strong winds can misplace mulch. Due to the natural decomposition of wood, mulch needs to be replaced or refreshed every other year. Mulch Tips: Remove weeds before applying mulch. Use 3-5″ of mulch to keep the weeds down and to keep the water in the soil. Lay down 3-4″ of smaller-sized mulch, and 5″of larger-sized mulch to prevent weed growth and retain water. Plant and transplant before new mulch is added. Remove mulch before planting, and reapply mulch after planting. Apply mulch in the early spring. Mulching while plants are small makes spreading the mulch much easier with very little chance of ruining emerging plants. Rock Pros: Rock comes in many different colors, textures, and shapes. Rock is durable and rarely has to be replaced. Helps to keep moisture in the soil. Rock Cons: Very heavy and can be very difficult and expensive to install. Costs two to three times more than mulch. Needs a barrier, such as landscape fabric, between the soil and rock. Can heat up the ground causing plant or root damage. Debris can build up in-between rocks causing weeds to grow. Rocks with dirt in them need to be lifted and cleaned to prevent weeds to grow. The barrier under the rock does not allow natural decomposition of materials in to the soil. Very hard to remove once installed. Rock Tips: Remove weed from soil before barrier and rock are applied. Add 2-4″ of rock (smaller rock being on the 2″ range and larger rock being up at the 4″ range) on top of barrier. Blow debris off of rock whenever needed so it doesn’t have time to decompose. Have shrubs or trees planted before laying barrier and rock down. Do not plant after rock is down. Use around shrubs and trees only. Rock can heat smaller or fragile plants too much, causing damage to plant and/or roots.