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Lisa Wagner's avatar

Quite a remarkable story, from rat snakes to mockingbirds! Wonderful to read about. And also remarkable to feel the contrast of your sub-tropical Georgia farm, complete with a fruit I'd never hear of (goumi? what's that, I thought, and was surprised to find it an Eleagnus species). And peaches almost ready to harvest; how wonderful!

The contrast comes in arriving a couple of days ago to our Quebec cottage and admiring the barely budding apple, pear, cherry, and plum trees, along with robust foliage of raspberries and black currants. The serviceberries are barely in flower. Even the cold-hardiest peaches and nectarines are no match for the deep cold and strong winds that this part of Eastern Quebec experiences in winter.

The rhubarb here is up already, stalks a foot tall, thriving in this cool-summer climate. I've been busily using rhubarb and strawberries from last season's harvest, stored in the freezer over winter, preparing for the season to come.

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Becki Clifton's avatar

Yes, there have been many rat snakes around our farm so far this year too! Hubby says they’re HUGE and scare him when he comes across them while feeding up. They hang around the areas where the royal palm turkeys lay their eggs. One afternoon, one of the hens was pecking & dragging a smaller rat snake away from her nest.

My reaction to rattlesnakes is what changed in me after the grandboys started hanging around with us on the farm. I don’t like to kill them. I prefer to relocate them or let them go their way, but not all the folks who live on the farm feel that way and I understand.

Your orchard is beautiful & abundant! What a blessing!

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