david52- I dunno, I think the bread Hendrix thing makes sense. You see, as I understand it, annpat was coming out of the grocery store when she saw Jimi coming towards her. Tears of joy soaked the bread she was carrying so that when she hugged Jimi it squished all over his shirt (surely you've seen the design repeated on many of his shirts afterward). Anyway, annpat never got to talk to him much as she cleaned the mess saying "'scuse me, while I whisk this rye". I believe Jimi ran off to write a song soon after.

tj

In retrospect it did accomplish that.

ACK!! This can't be right! We're not agreeing with each other, are we? NO...No...no...How on Earth will we entertain people if we agree?

Insert Big Smiley...Just kidding...No offense meant...yada-yada-yada :-)

Val

Mornin' Everyone!!!

You people up North still buried in snow??

tj, it was like you were there!

sunny, you're not going to start causing trouble, are you?

Ok Sunny, that's enough of that. I'll have you know that I have to work outside tommorrow and Friday (and every day for that matter). The high tommorrow will be 6 degrees F. On Friday am I'll start work when it is about 8 degrees below 0 F. We've had about 4" of snow and I'm not real happy about it.

On the brighter side, I've ordered most of my seeds for the coming year. I'm cleaning pots, and drawing out planting schemes. Haven't been able to locate Early Dutch Flathead and Late Dutch Flathead cabbage seeds.....yet!

I was hoping the clouds parted and beautiful rays of sunshine would come and melt the snow away. Guess not.

Did you say 6 degrees?? Holy Crap!!! It's 32 here now and I'm freezing my buns off!! You need one of those coats that the Eskimo's wear. How can you work outside in 6 degree weather? Can you even move when it's that cold??? Were going to be getting some of the coldest temps Hampton Roads has ever seen in about 2 days. But that's probably about 15 degrees or so. I walk to work in the mornings. With those temps I might freeze to death before I get there.Heck, I might freeze to death by the time I get to the mailbox!!

Fatbaldguy: What kind of outside work do you do? I couldn't stay outside in 6 degrees. I'm in Cincinnati, didn't get the snow here but we are getting those temps. Weather guys have predicted snow for 2 days and we got none. Tonight, a dusting.

I hate winter. I realy, really hate winter.

Karen

Hey, Sunny, I'm probably further north than most posters here and we are having a mild spell. it's actually been thawing here altho we still have lots of the white stuff. We're in the western/middle part of Canada tho and the rest of this country is in the deep freeze. It won't last tho, before winter ends we'll again be as cold as the east or mid west of the US.

I love winter, as much as I love gardening if I had to do it 12 months of the year I'd be exhausted.

Well Miss Karen, I work for a trash hauling company. Residential division. 2nd career. I'm less than 50 miles north of you in a 'burb of Dayton.

Mill Sunny, I wear layers. Wool, polypropelene, and etc. Moving keeps you warm, that's why I don't stop until I get home. Unless it is gardening season.

Wow, take care out there.

You wouldn't believe how much I whine about freezing while working in the OR all day. I wear thermals and a turtleneck under my scrubs, a warm-up jacket on top, sometimes a sweatshirt over that, and most of the time a warm blanket draped around my neck and shoulders. Can you imagine me working outside? To get me to agree to go out to eat tonight, my husband went out and warmed the car and car seats before I went out. I know, I'm pathetic.

I really, really hate winter.

Karen

I could never work in an OR... it IS effin cold in there... what temperature do they keep those room anyway?

of course the only couple times I've been in there, I was wearing nothing but a sheet.... and I was told, they had to pack me in warm blankets, because even unconscious I was shivering uncontrollably....

fatbaldguy!
Snort!

What ---no new posts for the newbies/it's so cold here/air your beef/am i gonna have to separate blutranes and annpat/ soggy bread/are you experienced?/pls consult the FAQ's/pls do a search before you ask/fatbaldguy---i like!/the names otis and val--i like/oops I gotta go pee on my pile..... thread-----wow ---worn out just saying all that stuff.

Seriously folks lets keep this one going.It now has a life of it's own.

Ya'll have a good weekend.My new bride (of 24 yrs )and I will be trying the new Italian place we heard good reviews about tonight. Will get back to ya after a good bottle of red ---Ciao---JB

Joebob - What the HAY?! You took time away from composting, to say nothing of this forum......to do WHAT!? Get MARRIED! Shame...shame...hope your new bride likes compost whackos...er....I mean enthusiasts.

Seriously....CONGRATULATIONS!! Hope you guys have a long and happy garden. Enjoy the Italian.

Val

PS - Nice way to revive :-)

JB:

CONCRATULATIONS! Here's to both of you!
Good to know that some people still have other lives besides composting (smile).

Otis

PS. Actually I'm a bit confused JB. Do you mean your new bride is 24 yrs old or she has been your new bride for as long as 24 yrs. Seriously confused here. Too much wine from last night.

joebob: Yes, the OR is cold (where I work now, usually about 66 degrees) but also breezy. Air system has fast blower, rapid exchange of air to decrease germs, keep air moving. Unfortunately, my spot where I sit at the head of the table, the air blows right down my neck and back.

OR tends to be dry too (around 25% humidity) and that makes it feel colder.

New wife of 24 years? You are to be congratulated. Not many marriages last that long anymore. (29 years and counting for me)

Karen

OH good lord - I thought that said 24 hrs. How embarrassing! Sorry. Oh well - enjoy the Italian food anyway :-)

Val - 22.5 YEARS

Dang, DW and I have to wait another month for a 'splurge' like that - we enjoy trying out new places to chew too.

But for St.Val's Day (sorry - couldn't resist that) we're going back to an old 'haunt' for a primo bottle of white chug (see link) and some din-din that will keep me happy with beans-in-a-can for months to come...

One of our favorite places, 'cause the Chef grows his own herbs indooors and serves 'em fresh. My kinda guy...

New bride of 24 YEARS---best thing that ever happened to me ---
hey soilguy ---gotta a buddy in Corpus---he sez Hook 'Em---- does a lot of flats fishing in the Rockport area ---

Otis my Man !!! Hope to have those wino eyes by the time my head hits the pillow this eve---

For St Val's Day (I like it to) we will be in the Big Easy for the first weekend of Mardi Gras ---
Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulet---Let the Good Times Roll--JB

had one more thought before i sign off for a while--- i think my interest and satisfaction from composting comes from the fact that you get something for nothing-----and ain't that great ???

The servers were so whacked yesterday I couldn't log on.

Been at work all day today. And it IS freezing today!! high of 26 but, I'm not sure it made it. We Zone 7 people aren't used to this stuff. I had to break out the heavy coat. The ugly big puffy purple one. Ugly as sin but warm and that's the most important thing.

Hope everyone is doing well and keeping warm.

joebob,

I live on water's edge of a great fishing flat - back on Port Bay (pigtail off the west end of Copano). Tell your buddy to look me up - I still have a dozen live finger mullet in my tank, and use some pro plastics for Reds.

You're right about 'something for nothing' regarding cost, but being retired, I also appreciate the exercise of scrounging for, and bringing in raw materials, building/turning my piles and harvesting the results.

Through volunteer work with the county Ag. office, I get to talk one-on-one with dozens of serious composters in my area every month - now THAT'S where the real fun is. I help a newbie start composting at their residence almost every week, and that's really satisfying.

Our county Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden operates a triple-bin operation (that I'm the leader of) for public education, so I get to host monthly clinics to show 'wannabees' how it's done.

Composting and gardening keeps me 'young' and healthy.
And with a DW (also a MG) who understands...
I am truly blessed.

Robert

Sunny: I hope you're not looking toward me for sympathy on that 26 degrees. I woke up to -7 today!

And if I lived in Chicago or Mineapolis now I would absolutely refuse to leave the house. Or maybe shoot myself.

Karen

My central heating system has not been working for the last 4 days. It's been almost as cold in the house as it is outside. The machine keeps getting frosty ice all over it then locking up so the fan part won't turn. We just bought the darn thing 4 years ago brand new. Had a professional install it so it should be pumping out the heat. Gonna have to look into that!!! Sure do wish I had a fireplace.

Soilguy, you have peaked my interest. How would I find out if my city has something like that? I'm not sure what a local AG office is? Composting lessons, idea's, and advice sounds like something I would enjoy learning about.

Joebob, congratulations on the long marriage. 15 years and counting for me. That's almost unheard of these days.

61 Days, 23 Hours, 52 Minutes
until the Spring of '09 (thanks to Nancy Drew for showing me that site)

Sunny: Is your system an electric heat pump? My heat pump has a switch on the thermostat for "emergency heat" in case the heat pump freezes. It has happened in past years.

Karen

Gosh, that sounds like such a basic question and I don't know the answer!! (blush) It's one of those ac/heater machines you have outside by your house. The thermostat does have an emergency heat option but, that has scared me. Don't know what it means or what it's for. Afraid it will run my electric bill through the roof! As if heating alone wouldn't do that anyway, right?

(Boy, this thread has taken on a life of it's own, hasn't it?))

Sunny, that emergency heat button should bypass the outside heat pump and turn on the inside furnace. Yes, it's more expensive to run, but you could turn it on for a short time, even 20 or 30 minutes will take the chill off and warm the house a little. Splurge a little! When the outside temp warms a little the heat pump thaws and works again.

Karen

Cool! Good to know! Thanks.

See ya'll are welcoming to newbies!!!

Been away for a few days from the forums and come back to some great conversations. Val, you are GOOD!! :O)

A warm welcome to those who have joined us and since there's a bit of discussion on the 60s, well, might I add that it was such a great time to be a kid with 5 teenage brothers ahead of me and a mom who let me wear the fishnet stockings and mini skirts just like Twiggy. :O) Twas fun!

129 posts???? Got to be a good one but I'll see if I can give you guys a links to one on the Winter Sowing Forum that is making quite the hit these days. It's a hoot! Get ready for a rib cracker!!! I think they are in the upper 130s for posts on this one and for good reason.

Oh, great, Tiffy, now you've done it. You really let the cat out of the bag. As if people didn't already think wintersowers were oddballs, starting seeds out in the snow, in our *jugs*. Now you point them to our porn. Can you imagine if Lloyd Loid gets ahold of that? (so to speak). Oh God, we'd better cover out *jugs*!

Karen

I love that thread. I have been following it!! I haven't even heard of some of those plants till that discussion came about. Oh, the things you learn on GW.

I just have to tell you all how much I've enjoyed this thread, :)although I'm not a newbie, I just don't post any where frequently. Val, I've been around these forums for sometime now, and sometimes it can be a little intimidating when one is a newbie, (actually it can still be a little intimidating, LOL) but most of us that have been around for as long as I have, have really learned quite a bit here. Many of the old posters, when I first found GW are gone, some just don't post anymore, and sadly one of the best posters, Bill, passed away last year. Now that man put his heart and soul in composting.

Many here are also from the WS forum, Hi kids, waving to all of you from frozen Long Island, :)

Captain Al is not around anymore, another great poster, he has his own webpage, and I think he posts on other places on the web. Anyway, I'm rambling here, bottom line though, just learn as much as you can here, cause there is really some good info here and alot of good posters.

Alberta

Hey Tiffy - I first heard about winter sowing from JPW so I thought I'd check it out and what do you think one of the first threads I read was? Yep - the same one you posted. That thread is a hoot, especially the "peter peppers". I almost choked to death when that picture came up. It's a riot.

I strongly urge everyone to read that thread unless you're sensitive :-)

And Karen - I'm not all the way through the FAQ on the WS forum yet but almost. I'm thinking about trying it next year. I don't have any seeds or "jugs" to try it this year but I'm going to research what veggies I can winter sow and I just think I might be giving it a try.

Val

PS - wavin' at Alberta! Glad you liked the thread. I miss Bill (gone fishin') too. I didn't post back then but I enjoyed reading him.

Alberta: waving back from frozen Ohio! Yes, we all miss Bill, he was well liked and well respected by all.

Many of us learn a lot from GW forums. I told Sunny how to work her heat pump today. I have several friends who post both here and on the wintersowing forum, and some I "bump into" both here on GW and on Dave's Garden as well.

Val: I would encourage you to try wintersowing. You'd still have plenty of time in your zone this year. I haven't started yet. You can pick up seeds now or very soon at nurseries, Home Depot, Walmart, almost anywhere. And you don't need jugs, you can use other things, but jugs are generally available on garbage nights in neighbor's recycle bins. You need to be a garbage picker for leaves and compostables, so you can practice with collecting jugs :-)

Karen

Val,

you can also use pop/water bottles cut in half length-wise. When using pop bottles, make sure you rinse them out good to avoid any mold/mildew (fr. the sugar in the pop) that might occur which is a big no-no for seedlings.

Otis.

Great thread.
Jim, Who likes to let his snap, crackle, pop cereal sit utill they quit making that horrible noise.

Snap, crackle, pop cereal is gross. Soggy as soon as milk hits it.

Uh oh- I said sog. Annapat's gonna puke.

Karen

Sunny631,

AG office means 'Agricultural Extension Agent's' office.
Every county in the U.S. is supposed to have at least one person part-employed by the county and part-employed by the state's 'land grant' university to oversee the state's agricultural/horiticultural/4-H type of programs.

The Agent oversees a non-profit group of volunteer Master Gardeners, who are part of a state-wide organization.
Not all counties have an MG program, so you'll need to call your local county office to find out.

In our area, the MG program from Aransas county also covers the San Patricio County office as well.

If the MG program does not operate a composting demonstration facility, it is very likely that they will host classes, courses or seminars on the subject.
Or at least be able to put you in touch with an experienced composter who is willing to "tutor" you. If so, you can learn about opportunities to assist others to compost also. A very worthwhile endeavor.

It is much better to locate someone locally, who can see/touch/smell your compost, to more effectively guide you, than lessons by mail, or a book, or even online.
For online composting information, I recommend the Florida website (link below).

soilgy---you da man--thx for the info -- i'm just starting and love this site and the info contained -- love getting my hands dirty---its a therapy--JB

Val
Just another note on WS. When I first started back in 2001, I used gallon water bottles (we drink only bottled water here) and I had plenty since we go through more than 10 gallons a week. BUT then I found those wonderful salad containers some square, most oblong and now exclusively use only them. My husband is a vegan and so eats lots of salads, and we get them from Costco or other super markets in the area. Hope that helps you out some if you don't have water bottles, or soda bottles.
Alberta

The original 3 examples are also all good examples of passive-aggressive behavior.

Welcome to GW, ruvin!!
May I be the first to congratulate you on your wise decision to join us.

Y'know, we're all a little 'nuts', and some more than others, depending on how much we appreciate 'dirt therapy'.

You'll soon learn who the real 'whacko's' are - there's a bunch of us on here, and some with a better sense of humor than others, so don't be offended as we 'jerk chains' ocassionally...I'm learning it just "goes with the territory. We agree to disagree, and everybody's welcome to express their own opinion.

My advice? Provide lots of information when posting a question, and read your submission a couple of times before you click the "Submit" button.

Had a guy tell me the other day, that he lost respect for me when I said that shoveling poop to make compost, was good therapy. Oh well...You find out who your friends are.

Hope you'll tell us more about yourself by posting some info on your GW Member Profile, and what your favorite kinds of 'therapy' are. There's no limits imposed - reckon you saw the link to 'peter peppers'?
And that's just for 'starters'...

Robert

Thanks Karen, Otis and Alberta for the suggestions. I've started looking at all my stuff in a different way.

Hmmm....I wonder if THIS is good for winter sowing :-)

Still don't have any seeds but I do have my first "garden porn" ordered.

Val

Thanks soilguy, I will check it out. I'll keep y'all posted.

Val, if you need some seeds I can send you a mosh posh of things I have on hand. I have more seeds than I know what to with!

Hey Sunny - thanks for the kind offer. I don't really have anywhere to plant flowers yet. When I moved into this house last year there wasn't a flower in site.

This past summer (our first in this house) we had to do some major fixing up and didn't do anything too much outside other than take down some trees. I didn't even get a vegetable spot tilled over until Sept. Dang, I sure missed having a garden. This year we are going to concentrate on getting "some" hardscaping done and at least get a veggie garden planted. I'm hoping by this coming fall to have at least one flower/shrub area ready to go.

We are trying to avoid the use of a landscaper in this new place (although we loved the guy we had at our old place) because we are on a tight budget and the house needs so many other things. Although I love it here, sometimes I wonder "what were we thinking?". LOL

Val

Aw, what's happening now?
Everybody in agreement with everybody now? That's a first!
Please, no throwing rotten tomatoes and eggs in my direction, they all go to the CP.

Otis.

I wanted to see a thread get maxed out. Come on people, get mad. Hey, I've got a question:

Can I compost biochar, pee, bread, and UCGs and get the world's best compost? I can't wait to fertilize lawn with my compost.

"Can I compost biochar, pee, bread, and UCGs and get the world's best compost? I can't wait to fertilize lawn with my compost."

Yes.

Try again Greenwood85...

Blutranes

Blutranes,

you said YES to B R E A D ???
I was told otherwise.

Otis.

I got something. The weather called for 2 to 4 inches of snow the day before yesterday, right? We NEVER get snow so everybody was freaking out. Yesterday morning, nothing! Nada. BUT, everything was closed. Banks, schools,buses. There wasn't a lick of the white stuff to be seen anywhere. I think everyone just called it a day to watch history being made.Which I didn't get to see because I had to work!