September 2021, Week 2
dbarron
2 years ago
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slowpoke_gardener
2 years agodbarron
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September 2018, Week 2, Try To Remember.....
Comments (27)Jennifer and Nancy, Well, I started the new week's thread right after I said that I would, submitted it, and it disappeared. The last time this happened, it showed up after about 24 hours (why? I wonder?) and only after I typed a whole new replacement thread. So, then we had two for that week, though everyone mostly kept posting on the second one. This time, I thought I'd wait and see if it shows up today before I type a replacement one. Let's just keep chatting here for the rest of today to see if it pops up. These weird glitches are driving me crazy. I hate spending all the time to type something only to have it disappear for a half-day up to two days before it reappears. Jennifer, I hope your foot is healing and that Peggy is doing better. Nancy, Wait a minute, woman! I think you're better off just staying in Oklahoma and learning to live without Heavenly Blue MGs than to move back to Minneapolis for the summers which would separate you from GDW. Who would get custody of Tiny Dude? Would he live in OK most of the year and then travel to Minneapolis with you for the summers? Would he be able to sleep at night if he was missing Garry? Would he need counseling to help him adjust to the changes in his young life? Poor kitty. His world would be torn apart, all because of Heavenly Blue MGs. lol. While I think Heavenly Blue MGs are delightful flowers while in bloom, I could live without them. Kitty lived such a long and wonderful life. I think we are fortunate indeed when we have an animal companion who is able to be a part of our lives for so very long. Tuxedo cats are the best---our beloved Emmitt Smith was a tuxedo cat, and he really was Emmitt Smith II, replacing a previous Emmitt Smith we had when we lived in Ft Worth, who also was a tuxedo cat. I just love how tuxedo cats always look like they are dressed up in their formal best with someplace to go---even if they are only going out to the garden to sleep in their favorite sunny or shady place, or maybe to chase butterflies. Daff sounds like she was so special and so happy to be rescued and loved. I know that you must miss her. Perhaps she is Tiny Dude's guardian angel. We have had cats like Tom before who do experience great anxiety over many things---I think it is just their nature and we do have to work with them so they can relax a bit and become a bit more comfortable. Mostly I just leave them alone and let them be, though it can be a trial to get such a cat to the vet, or to get them to allow someone else to feed the if we are out of town or whatever. I agree that each cat is unique and special like snowflakes. Well, snowflakes with claws. Tim went outside and mowed the yard late yesterday. Nobody (meaning me, I guess) went outside and helped him by using the string trimmer to cut down the tall grass and weeds that the mower couldn't reach. I really should have done that, but I was tired and took a nap instead. A couple of days ago a friend of ours posted a photo of a timber rattler that she and her 4 year old son almost stepped on when leaving a friend's house. It was scary how close that snake was to them, and reminded me that this is the time of the year that we really need to be careful here. Having that snake photo in my mind might have played a role in my choosing a nap instead of helping with the yard work. I did go out later and fill up the Mr. Turtle sandbox that we use to provide water for the deer. Then I made a big puddle that Augustus would have been proud to wade in, so that the birds and bunnies would have a source of drinking water and bathing water. It is so dry again, although at least it still looks nice and green. It is just that the ponds and creeks remain low, since that 1.5" of rainfall we got a couple of weeks ago is long gone, the mud is gone, the soil is dry again......(sigh). I'd love to have more rain again sometime soon but that doesn't seem real likely as our year-long dry pattern seems to be continuing. We're getting mixed signals from the El Nino that is supposed to be developing for Winter 2018 and that is starting to concern me. I was counting on a rainy winter to leave the garden soil in better shape for next Spring and now I'm not so sure we'll get the El Nino or the plentiful rain it normally brings us here. On the other hand, as much as we need rain, I sure don't want to get half a year's worth in 2-4 days like some parts of North Carolina have received over the weekend from Hurricane Florence. The flooding there is so horrendous, and I cannot even imagine what it must be like to be there surrounded by rapidly rising water. I think I'd rather have a hot, dry, half-dead garden than a flooded one. We're supposed to be back in the 90s beginning today, though we already did hit the 90s on Friday or Saturday, or maybe both, so it isn't like the 90s have been totally gone. I think we're losing more of our cloud cover now, if yesterday is an indication of what this week will be like, and we'll be back to our usual warm and sunny September conditions. I'll be glad when we make it to October, which usually is when our real cool-down occurs here. Actually, last year the long run of temps in the 90s finally broke about 5 or 6 days before the end of September so we began to cool down a bit earlier. I also feel like I'm not adjusting to the shortening daylength very well. It keeps catching me by surprise that sunrise is occurring later and later while sunset is occurring earlier. I don't know why---it happens every year. I suppose that I'm not quite as ready to let go of the sunshine as the heat. Some people are even more ready for autumn weather than I am. When we were out shopping and running errands on Saturday (high temp maxed out at 90 and heat index at 99 so it isn't like it was a cool, mild day), I saw a young lady in probably her 20s who was wearing black leggings, black boots and a black-and-red buffalo plaid checked shirt that had long sleeves and looked like it was made of flannel. She must have been in the mood for autumn weather (I can relate) and chose to dress for the weather she wanted instead of the actual weather we had. We were down in Denton and I was thinking that maybe she was a college student who was new to the area and was used to having autumn actually feel like autumn. I bet she was feeling pretty warm in that outfit. Sadly we cannot force the cooler weather to show up here until it is good and ready. I love boot weather and flannel shirt weather but that sort of weather isn't here yet. I'm eagerly awaiting its arrival. The only thing new in our yard and garden appears to be a bunch of mushrooms or toadstools that popped up after the rain, and now they're already drying up in the heat. I'm starting to see a few hints of wild goldenrod blooming here and there, though I haven't seen any on our property. We have some---but it is apparently too drought-stunted to bloom. The ones I am seeing in bloom on property near us are not tall like they normally would be, but at least they are blooming. I noticed last night that the loud drone of locusts, crickets and grasshoppers is greatly reduced over what it was 2 or 3 weeks ago. The quieter evening was nice, but mosquitoes are out in force here now. Have a great day everyone. Dawn...See MoreSeptember 2019, Week 2
Comments (41)I feel like I am so far behind I'll never catch up, but I'll try. Larry, Those cookies look awesome. I'm glad you ate one for each of us. Farmgardener, One of the things I love about this group is that we weave discussions about real life together the way it really happens---because none of us garden in a vacuum, so of course we must discuss grandchildren, great recipes, pets, wildlife, etc. At some points in the year if we could discuss only gardening, I think we might run out of things to talk about. Your story about your grandson is so cute! It reminds me of when Chris graduated from kindergarten at the age of 5. They had little caps and gowns and a ceremony and everything. On our way home, I looked over at him and he was holding back tears. I asked what was wrong and he said "I don't want to move out and get a job and get an apartment." I could hardly control my mirth as I explained to him that he didn't have to grow up, move out, get an apartment and get a job until he'd graduated from college when he would be in his 20s. He was so relieved! How a 5 year old ever got the idea that graduating from kindergarten meant it was time to go out into the world and support himself is just beyond me. I'm glad you got some rain! Our mesonet station got an inch of rain, most of it yesterday afternoon, but all of that missed us. I had expected the rain would miss us and had watered the garden and containers thoroughly the day before rain was expected so I didn't have to sit and worry about whether it was coming or not. Had it rained, I just would have considered that rain to be a bonus. Larry, I usually don't dig sweet potatoes until October, assuming the September nights stay warm, which they have so far, but of course you can dig them at any size you want. Maybe you'll find bigger taters underground than you're expecting? dbarron, I seriously hate this heat. It has cooled down a little bit, but not a lot, and I am so sick and tired of it. I'm ready for all the good things that come with cooler weather....I'd love a really chilly evening or morning, but that could be weeks away still. Because it is so warm, zinnia seeds from the current flowers have sprouted in the pathways and the little plants are 2-3" tall. I bet they get big enough to flower since the weather is staying so warm. Nancy, Cats are not allowed to sleep in our room with us because they are too disruptive. Of course, you have to train them to learn to handle the night without you. They have cat beds, blankets, toys, food and water. All they're lacking is human company at night, and they've learned they have to live without that human company until somebody gets up in the morning. We close our door at night and they've never destroyed it yet. If they are scratching at the door, I've been known to put them in the spare bedroom (with a litter box and food/water, and a cat bed and blanket that are in that room all the time) and close the door. Staying in the spare room hasn't killed a cat yet and they've gotten used to not being in our room with us. You know, you're the grown-ups and they are the fur kids, so you can train them to be the way you want them to be. Your sweet potatoes will be fine. The vines are protecting them from the sun and often sweet potatoes will enlarge enough to pop up out of the ground that way. Amy, I've grown ornamental sweet potatoes indoors over the winter before---I kept them near an east-facing window so they had morning sun and was careful to avoid overwatering them and they did just fine. I like to do this some years so that I don't have to buy new plants in the spring. I just dig up the current year's taters, prune the vines back sharply, replant them in pots I can bring indoors, etc. I usually leave them outdoors on the porch for as long as possible---until the nights start dropping into the 50s, and then I bring them in to stay. They really love warm weather and lots of sunshine, so don't grow as rampantly indoors as they do outdoors, but that is a good thing. If you went to see The Lion King, I hope the boys liked it. Lillie and Aurora adored it, though I think they liked Aladdin a bit more. I was a little worried that the death of Mustafa or the hyenas might be too upsetting for Aurora, who was 4 when she saw the movie, but neither one seemed to bother her at all. Actually, my sister and I felt like all my mom's great-grandchildren really benefitted from seeing The Lion King so close to our mother's death because we were able to discuss mom's life/death using the circle of life analogy from the movie in a way that even the youngest great-grandchild could understand. Sometimes in the garden we have that same circle of life discussion about both plants and insects in the garden, and I hope that lesson sticks with the kids. I'm doing to ignore the Burpee's sale if I can, but I'll say this...as expensive as their catalog seeds are, if they cut the price down to half-off, they're as affordable as seeds from most other companies. I only buy Burpee Exclusives from them, and not that often either, because everyone else beats them, pricewise on the things that are not exclusive to Burpee. Rebecca, I hope you found time for a nap. Afternoon naps are just the best! I didn't do any gardening today at all. It was CostCo/Sam's Club, grocery store and feed store day instead. I wanted to go to some of the big box stores and look at plants, but then there's the question why? What plants could I possibly want to plant in this hot weather? I'm still waiting for the autumn cool-down, and not waiting very patiently either. It also was NCAA football game day, but the only game I've been interested in watching is OU's game tonight. I just cannot get into football when it is 90-whatever outdoors and the heat index is near 100. If it doesn't feel like football weather (if anyone here remembers what it is like to sit on the bleachers at a football game and feel COLD, lol, then that is the football weather I remember from my younger years), I cannot really get into a football mood. We need to mow tomorrow. I am tired of mowing. It is crazy how fast the grass continues to grow even though we haven't had any rain in a couple of weeks now. Tim, of course, adores mowing so he'll be out that riding in circles on the riding mower, happy as a pig in mud. Dawn...See MoreFebruary 2021 Week 2
Comments (82)So behind here! Moni, I keep meaning to message you about the SCOBY. I wanted to come get it last week, but the frozen roads! Maybe the end of this week??? Amy, Tom fell. He probably has a cracked rib. The doctor prescribed pain medicine to take at night so he can get comfortable enough to sleep. He's doing fine, though. He's been sleeping in the recliner...and that is better than lying flat, I guess. Rebecca, I also remember Dawn talking about her wish for a real snow. It looks like it might happen at her house. Amy, I'm SO sorry. Hugs to you! Around here.... I don't have great hope that our plants in the gardens will survive this. It would be nice if the brussels survive, though. Really nice. Light Shelf update: the first broccoli is looking okay. Not great. It needs to be up-potted very soon. I hope to do this tomorrow. The second round of broccoli is just popping up now. The cabbage seedlings look very healthy as does the first round of lettuce. The 4 cups of tomatoes that were started on SuperBowl Sunday have done nothing yet. I am determined to have cardinal climbers this year. I bought seed last year, but the tiny seedlings didn't do much--except one at my Mom's house did a little bit of something. I started seed early this year. I want bigger plants to put in the garden. They are sprouted and are looking great. Also, the red periwinkles are starting to pop. Hoop house building came to a screeching halt because of the weather. It looks great,, though. Super exciting. I've spent a good amount of time making sure we're ready for the upcoming weather. I think we have everything we need now. The Walmart shelves were empty last night. We already had most of what we needed, except for potatoes. We did stop at Homeland to look for potatoes today (and yeast for a Kings Cake)...they were out of the baking types of potatoes and the 5 lb bags, etc. They had a package of the tiny potatoes, so we grabbed those for dinner tonight. I guess people are making potato soup? We bought feed for the chickens too. Took the recycling in. The snow shovel is at the house now, instead of the shop. I guess Ethan and I will be doing the shoveling because of Tom's cracked rib. I wrapped the 10' x 12' chicken pen with plastic. I would like for them to have a place to walk around other than the coop. The plastic keeps most of the wind off of them...and it seems like it kept the coop warmer last night too. The water got partially frozen Thursday night at 14 degrees. The warmer works pretty well, but 14 must be it's limit. HOWEVER, it didn't freeze last night after the plastic wrap. My dogs are so restless. I walk them around the perimeter of property a couple times a day. But it's just not enough. I can handle the cold pretty well except for my hands. They were burning so badly yesterday after wrapping the pen with plastic that I almost cried. I have Raynauds. Today, I looked for heated gloves today. No luck. I will be ordering some. I'm worried about the neighbors' animals. They didn't put blankets on the horses. One of their cats isn't allowed indoors. He comes to our house for food every night. He's in our shop now. I fixed him up a litter box. Gave him some food and water. Put a towel on an old padded office chair we have down there. He seems pretty cozy. I hope my neighbors aren't upset by it...but I'm worried about him. Our shop isn't warm, but it's insulated and warmer than outdoors. I guess I'll walk the dogs now and call it a night. Stay warm and pray for those without shelter....See MoreJune 2021 Week 2
Comments (74)Hi, Y'all. Yucky heat. I didn't spend much time in the garden today. I did water a few things and harvested some bell peppers, jalapenos, onions to make chow chow. I already had cabbage and green tomatoes in the house. I had forgotten about my grandpa's chow chow until I was reminded today while visiting my uncle and aunt. So, I made it and it is good. And it's fun that it all came from the garden except the red bell pepper that I purchased. None of my peppers are red yet. We probably should give people a break when it comes to being native purists. It's good to put out the word and spread it as much as possible....but people want something to make their properties look nice....but are often working outside the home, caring for stuff inside the home (like shopping, laundry, cleaning), caring for children and all the things that children are involved with, helping with grandchildren. They're not spending hours studying plants and native plants because they simply don't have time. They'll have a few hours on the weekend, drive to their local nursery and purchase something that looks pretty, and plant it. I guess in some ways I don't understand why my chaste tree is so harmful to the environment. It seems like the pollinators love it...and it's not spreading. It's just a little chaste tree in the middle of my backyard that is covered with bees and butterflies. I guess I should study more on why it's harmful. Maybe I will when I retire in 20 years. Maybe I'll decide to pull it out then. But for now I'll spend my extra time in the garden and dealing with garden produce. I SO enjoy skipping the produce section at the grocery store. Sometimes I'll buy blueberries or citrus. Oh, and the red pepper today. Oh..and ugh. Lettuce if I want to eat lettuce. Too hot for it now. I just remember a few short years ago when I would load up on the fresh and frozen veggies/fruit at the grocery store. Nancy, the peppers you gave to me at SF are so awesome. The paprika grows "upside down"....and the 5 color jalapeno is SO pretty! Thank you for sharing those with me. I'm going to come back with a pic of the Survivalist Garden. It's all food. No flowers. We seem to be in a flower phase here. Love my flowers....See MoreKim Reiss
2 years agodbarron
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2 years agoNancy Waggoner
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2 years agoKim Reiss
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2 years agoKim Reiss
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2 years agoKim Reiss
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