On 6/15/07, Inci Willard <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> What are sickle pears? Never heard of that<<
>
> Tom,
>
> They are small reddish pears and are delicious.



That may be what I have seen called honey pears, but maybe not, honey pears
are dark gold, and so sweet they taste like candy.


>
> Ah,those pesky Canadian thistles. I go out there every day and hack them
> to
> bits by their roots.



That is what I did all last year. This year only a few weak sprigs have come
up. Thistles are edible by the way. Same family as lettuce and dandylions I
believe.

Do your parents raises any livestock on their farm?



Not any more. They used to have dairy cows and pigs.

Now there are lots of wild animals around, deer of course, also turkeys,
coyotes, etc. Big improvement from years ago. Now wild animals are so common
we hardly even comment on seeing them. Other newly returned animals are bald
eagles, buzzards, and lots of different predatory birds that were very rare
30 years ago.

I was talking with an old friend just today, about maybe selling some of his
woods. He said no, that leasing it to hunters was bringing in enough money
that he didn't want to sell it.

One very funny thing, brought to mind by the post someone wrote about how
developers were coming in and destroying the wildlife. Around here the
opposite seems to be the case. Houses are being built in what were corn
fields. Home buyers immediately plant lots of trees and shrubs, and not long
after there are more animals around than any time for a hundred years, seems
to me anyway. Corn fields are not very good animal habitat, but as long as
the houses are not too close together, animals thrive.