Report From Them That's Doin'

[Charlie]

Likely some of you will recognize the plagerized subject line. ;-)

Excellant weather this weekend! Mid-seventies today and the 'maters are enjoying their first outing on the porch. Onion and leek plants went out last week and are ready for their final home in a day or so. Marigolds have been out for several days.

Went out for sunday paper this morning and scored twelve lawn bags full of leaves. The elderly lady was appreciative of having them hauled away as she wouldn't have to pay the hauler. I generally ask the homeowners before raiding the curb, until it comes to citywide cleanup when you have to fight with the other vultures over discarded treasure. That's in three weeks.

Digging thru one of my many boxes of assorted junk, that has been waiting years to be sorted, I found one of those remote temp probes for grilling, the one with a long braided tail and digital readout. I straightened the probe and taped the whole affair to a bamboo cane and now don't have to ben dover to get the temp of the soil and compost piles. Just a handy little fun gadget for those who are interested in such things.

Got the 350 gal. water tank plumbed into the gutters.

Cleaned up more of the winter's accumlation of crap.

Built two more mason bees homes and hung one in the apricot tree which just started it's bloom.

Started another compost pile. Checked the temp of the one I turned one week ago and it is at 143F.

Planted four large pots with assorted lettuce, greens and other stuff. Decorative, edible containers. Prepared another bed for amaranth, coneflowers and calendula. Built a small raised frame that I am going to use for starting Precoce d'Argenteuil asparagus from seed.

Got the year's first pinkskin.

Munched on a garlic "scallion".

Added more mulch and compost and fish squeezins to the asparagus plants that survived last year's flood and washout. Had a hell of a time not picking the spears, this is year two.

My Lovey is pleased with my outdoor accomplishments.

Time to kick back for the rest of the evening. I'm tired and just know I'm gonna hurt worse tomorrow.

Care Charlie

"There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments." -- Janet Kilburn Phillips

[bungadora]

Well, you should hurt. Mid seventies indeed! An arctic front came through and dumped an indecent amount of snow over everything on the weekend and it's still bloody cold outside.

All my 'maters are on the living room floor until it warms up again since the lights have been claimed by germinating squash and ornamentals. Between them and the tropicals and the roses I bought at the garden show over the weekend (good price!) I just have a little path from the door to the TV.

Dora

[Val]

All my 'maters are on the living room floor until it warms up again since the lights have been claimed by germinating squash and ornamentals. Between them and the tropicals and the roses I bought at the garden show over the weekend (good price!) I just have a little path from the door to the TV.

Good heavens, you must live in my neck of the woods. I have paths through the dining room into the living room and to the TV as well....the floor in my living room in front of the sliding doors is also covered with plants rescued from the Arctic front. The cat is fit to be tied because his prime windowed napping spots are covered with plants, even my night table in front of the bedroom window. Woke up this morning to high winds and hail pelting the window, more scattered snow showers predicted for the next few days. That 80° Saturday was just Mother Nature's warped sense of humor.... neener neener, indeed!

Val

[bungadora]

Oh! I could use the cat tree for plants. Rethink - maybe not.

The funny part is that this sort of thing happens nearly every year and it still seems to come as a complete surprise. Quite a few of the landscaping firms had put away their snow removal equipment, apparently.

Dora

[Charlie]

Indeed I do hurt, even more so 'cuz of a trip to de boneman. Long story cut short, after a couple years of adjustments, a decades long pelvic alignment problem was *cured* and several other body problems resolved as a result, except for one constant pinch in my sacrum that never quite left. Well, today it broke loose and I am one hurtin' pup now, muscles, but the nerve pinch is gone and the ground just got a little closer and I am standing completely erect. I am not saying chiropractic is the cureall, but I have had several things resolved without the use of drugs and surgery that the allopaths recommended.

Anyhow, that sucks about the teaser warm and the snow blast. I hate it wehn that happens. I saw that on the news/weather. Since starting this group, I now pay attention to weather in areas than my own, to see what you all are experiencing.

It never fails for me either about the lights. I started off with four fixtures, had to dig out three more, and then two more before it warmed up enough to start moving things out during the day.

Hope you get some warmth soon Charlie

[Omelet]

Charlie,

Go pick up a bottle of "Nature's Plus" trace minerals. Take 2 per day for 3 days then one per day after that.

Give it 2 to 3 weeks and see if that helps with the Sciatic pain issue.

It worked for me and continues to work...

I no longer have to sit down to put my pants on. :-)

They are cheap.

Cheers!

[bungadora]

Glad to hear you're all aligned and stretched out and thanks for your good wishes.

I'm much cheerier today - we're going up to 0C - Whoo hoo!

Anyway it should have warmed up enough by the weekend to start hardening off the tomatoes in the covered bed. It probably will not be warm enough for them to grow much, but it will get them used to the light again. I try to move them out as soon as possible. I might put some squash out there as well. Dora

[Billy]

Hardening off? Put them outside now. They won't get any harder;-)

[bungadora]

A little too hard I'm afraid.

My mother used to occasionally leave plants she disliked out on the porch in cold weather 'by accident', but these are seedlings and we aren't at that stage of our relationship yet. Dora

[Billy]

We were in "Fool's Paradise" too. 70s daytime, low 40s at night. Never mind, you're not the one I want to piss and moan to. Long story, short, back to day time fires:-(