Scarecrow pictures?

[uppityperson]

I'm thinking of making one and was wondering if others had pictures to share.

[sazemisery]

1. Here's mine

She is getting a makeover this spring and moving to the other garden plot. I'm hoping to make her more mobile so she scares the deer away. Maybe her arms flapping or something.

[ThomWV]

2. "Lucinda"

May I introduce Lucinda:

[sazemisery]

3. I'm gonna upgrade mine to floppy arms.

[uppityperson]

4. I have deer and am thinking floppy arms might wave in wind more.

Thanks for the pictures.

[ThomWV]

5. VHS Tape sometimes works to repel them

I have seen this done and the people who were doing it claimed success with keeping deer away. They stretched the tape from an old VHS cartridge round the garden supported by lengths of rebar. The tape was pulled tight. They said that with any air movement the tape flutters and the sound repels the deer. I don't know if it works or not, we've got 5 dogs so deer aren't a problem for us.

Unfortunately Lucinda's arms are not articulated, they wonder at the will of the wind. They are weighed down a bit by the work gloves too. It probably doesn't matter much though. If I had a good sound 'crow already built, even if she were a stiffarm, I don't think I'd be foolin' with her.

[uppityperson]

6. That is a really good idea.

Good way to get rid of those old tapes rather than just throwing in trash. Thanks.

[madeline_con]

30. You know those CDs you get trying to convince you to get

this or that internet service?

Put a few on the scarecrow. They're reflective, and light enough to move in the wind. This might help freak the deer out some. :)

[bvar22]

7. Hyacinth Moonbeam

Hyacinth Moonbeam is an old Hippie.

Starkraven (another member of the Flower Generation) & Hydee tending the Strawberries



Hyacinth Moonbeam, faded & bedraggled


We are giving Hydee a makeover,
and adding a friend soon.
The new garden nymph will have bent arms, and will be holding a garden pinwheel.

[MuseRider]

8. She is beautiful!

I am hoping to have one to put up next year. We just built the house and moved in and building a goat shed takes priority this year over getting the big garden started. I will work it all this summer and have it ready for next year, complete with a scare crow and chicken moat. This year veggies will be in between and most of the flower garden that was readied as the house was finished. Enough to can and store I hope then next year...look out.

Your garden is lovely, I have been admiring it for the Rural forum. Lots of work but very good work isn't it?

[bvar22]

9. Hydee says "Thanks".

She really did have a beautiful face, but the hatpin fell out, and the brim flopped down and covered her face in the top photo.

Congrats on the new place!
What part of the country?

Do you read Mother Earth News?

[MuseRider]

10. NE Kansas

not too terribly far from you.

I read Mother Earth sporadically, I really should start paying attention to it. I also used to read Organic Gardening religiously. I need to start that again too. The editor used to be one of my neighbors.

I have 53 acres, most in brome with about 6 acres of ponds and about 5 acres of woods. It is wonderful. Today I started picking up the dead wood that has come down. No reason to burn that in a big pile when it will provide us with 5 years worth of kindling.

I am finding the most difficult thing is sharing this place since I have had it for 12 years and have let it go very natural in the non pasture areas. Now I have to share it with my husband who is environmentally aware only as long as it does not inconvenience him. It is a struggle but I am determined he will learn to at least leave me alone and let me do my thing.

I am trying to stay as natural as possible with a buffalo grass yard, natural prairie grass around that with native wildflowers. It is so much fun and I am just getting started. My end of life project!

[bvar22]

17. That sounds beautiful.

I would love to visit sometime.

We are also planning on a few goats, but may not get around to them this Summer.
Starkraven says she can make good cheese, and we would like to eliminate Corporate Farmed Dairy Products from our life. We already buy "Organic" milk....but you never know for sure unless you grow it yourself.

Pick up the June Issue of Mother Earth News.
They contacted me yesterday asking for permission to publish some of my photos. :)

[MuseRider]

20. I was just sitting down

to go to their website and order a subscription. That is amazing! You are going to let them publish your photos aren't you? Be certain you let us know so we can all see them. That is very exciting.

As you can see, one person already warned me against goats. I would say from my tiny experience with my tiny goats that there are no creatures quite as much fun. I adore them but then I only have two small ones but I figure if I can still love two mature, intact billy goats then they can't be too bad now can they? The only thing I have sacrificed is the health of my knees, just the right height that when I get in the way of their head butting that is where they smack me. Ouch!

I hope to have something to look at before fall yardwise. I will most likely start posting pictures as I go along. I had stayed away from this forum mainly because I was not able to garden much the last few years while I focused on the house. This looks like a very nice place to hang out.

You would be welcome any time!

From one of this winters ice storms....

Edit to add missing letter

[bvar22]

21. Several friends in this area keep goats.

They don't have any problems.

One friend kept 6 Nubians for the purpose of clearing brush on his property.
He had worked out a routine of movable fencing. In 1-1/2 years, the goats ate their way through about 3 acres of dense brush. My friend was happy, and the goats semed happy and well socialized too.
Nubians are known for their sweet disposition. I don't know whether he had a "Billy".
After the Nubians had cleared his brush, he sold them. He was not the type to milk, shear, or keep an animal that was not directly beneficial to his personal needs.

Another friend has two goats of indeterminate lineage. She works for the Animal Rescue in our area, and her two goats are "Rescues". She also has a pack of 5 rescue dogs. The two goats run with the dogs, and seem to believe they are dogs. They are affectionate, intelligent, like attention, and will invent games to play with you.

I have seen other places around here that keep many goats confined in a relatively small area, and it is not pretty. The goats eat everything down to bare earth, and the goats don't seem real happy.

My guess is that alot depends on the breed, housing, socialization, and the number of goats. We are planning on about 4 to 6. Our main purpose is brush control, dairy, and possibly fiber (mohair and cashmere). We haven't fully explored the fiber aspects yet, but like what we have seen so far.

Goats are very popular with the Sustainable Living crowd. You may be able to find info there.

[hippywife]

24. Wow! That's fabulous!

Congrats on the much deserved recognition! Did they say how they saw them?

[ThomWV]

13. You gonna raise goats?

Having done it the only advice I can give you is Don't. God never built a more useless and maddening creature, with the possible exception of a goose.

[MuseRider]

15. I LOVE my goats!

Here is the deal here. I have 7 horses, was breeding good stock when the Bush** economy hit. That is why I have 7. My 5 figure babies were going to go for $300.00 and like an idiot I did not sell them. Anyway...my son and his girlfriend gave us two Pygmy goats, 5 weeks old, bottle raised brothers. It was a surprise house warming gift, 7 months before the house was done. They rightly knew that the moment I saw them I would be instantly in love. They are mine as pets. I would love to raise goats because even though these two boys are over a year old now and intact I still adore them. They are like funny dogs. They are going to be losing their "boys" as soon as I can rely on warmer weather and that should help with the behavior. Waiting was the advice of Kansas State Vet hospital, everyone else thinks I am nuts (!).

I have toyed with the idea of raising does for milk and pygmies might be enough for the two of us but you have to breed them each year I think to keep the milk going. I am not your typical farmer, not only am I am city girl who has taught herself the skills, I have a great deal of problem using animals that I know for food, I just can't do it so raising goats is out of the question as I don't really want 50 of them lol.

I am certain just from my experience with the two very small goats that dealing with more would be a different deal. Still, if I could I would but I will heed what you say. I have heard this from others but I still get that feeling every time I drive by the neighbor that has about 20 Nubians with babies at their sides right now.

[ThomWV]

22. Really? I came to hate them. Mostly a worthless creature that never went extinct.

Particularly if you have any liking at all for fruit trees.

[ThomWV]

14. Sweet!

I particularly appreciate your attention to protection from winter vermin.

[hippywife]

25. Hydee's Great Aunt Rosie sends greetings from OK.

She doesn't work in the garden, mind you she's too much a lady to get her hands dirty. (Oops! She needs hands!), but she does like to spend time there. LOL



I finally got this done this morning from items I picked up at estate sales at the retirement center where I work. I still have to do something with her arms. They still aren't positioned right since I decided to give her shoulders.

[sazemisery]

26. Great Aunt Rosie's scarf and belt are pretty snazzy

To say nothing of her bright sunflower.

[hippywife]

27. Thanx!

I've decided to give her elbows and hang wicker baskets planted with flowers on her arms.

Good to see you. How are your projects going? :hi:

[bvar22]

32. LOL! You made my day. Hyacinth Moonbeam says "HI".

She just returned from the SPA where she had a total makeover, and is back on duty guarding the strawberries.



We gave her some help. Those wooden "Ts" support light weight netting to keep out birds that have developed a hankering for our strawberries.

:hi:

[hippywife]

34. My, but isn't she looking fabulous!

I'm going to have to loosen Rosie up a little bit. She's much too prim and proper. Maybe next year I can talk her into letting her freak flag fly! LOL

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, they say. :hi:

[uppityperson]

35. I finally got one up, albeit briefly, in with the peas

Looking away


Coming Down!

[hippywife]

11. I'm planning on making one this year, too.

Altho I do tend towards one of the kinder, gentler varieties like the ones in this thread, I thought this one was really, really cool!

http://www.spookyblue.com/halloween/scarecrow/scarecrow.htm

[MuseRider]

16. Ooooh that is one cool scarecrow!

Looks much like the Oogie Boogie man in Nightmare Before Christmas! Love it, thanks.

[hippywife]

18. He is pretty scary, ain't he!

For some reason, the pic on that site of just the grapevine body tied to the post is terrifying to me. It makes me think of The Wicker Man and other movies where they've burned people at the stake! :scared:

[Blue Gardener]

12. Not a real scarecrow

But my neighbor and I made a "scarecrow" to sit on the bench before the 2004 elections. We named her Elizabeth.

[sazemisery]

19. Hi, Elizabeth!

Aren't you a cutie!

[Blue Gardener]

23. Looks like this fall it will be Michelle

She'll have to take Elizabeth's place.

[japple]

28. Here's Ant Alice with my kitty, Oscar. She is modeled on

my great aunt Alice who was a terrifying presence in the childhood nightmares of my mother and her siblings and in my generation as well.

[EstimatedProphet]

29. You might try hanging CDs up on strings

they move around in the breeze, and reflect light. It seems to keep birds away.

[ThomWV]

31. Isn't that the oddest thing, we use them to attract fish

We used strings of CDs tied together with swivels and dragged as teasers to raise fish behind the boat, used them successfully for years. They'll bring up Wahoo and billfish, big Bull Dolphins sometimes too.

[EstimatedProphet]

33. That does make sense to me

Fish are attracted to flashes of light in the water, because it resembles a prey fish flashing - the light bouncing off their scales and all.

[asdjrocky]

36. I haven't done a scarecrow yet...

But when I do, this will be the first place I post the picture.