Woke up this morning and started cleaning house a little. Much better than it was. Doesn't show now but I have a history of being a neat freak. Not so much any more.
Swept, mopped, put some things away, cleaned tables and counters.
Thing I need to do most is go through everything, figure out what I need and what I don't. Have a yard sale, then give or toss whatever is left over. And organize the stuff I'm keeping. Which I haven't been able to do since I moved in here. Still not enough shelves and closet space. I can capitalize on what I've got if I put some work into it. Just need to put more work into that now that the garden is up and running.
At this point, the garden needs little more attention than watering and occasional weeding. I've reached max density as far as planting can go. Just waiting to see the results. I may have to replant cucumbers. Only a few survived the cold spell a few nights ago. But replanting will only take minutes and better to wait on that for a couple more weeks. Staggered plantings may be a good thing and gives ground cover crops more chance to come up.
Think I'll go pull weeds until daughter gets here.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Hamburger salad
I've been wanting a hamburger for some time. But of course can't have an actual burger because of the bread. So I made a hamburger salad tonight. With pickles, mustard, ketchup and chipotle mayo. Wasn't bad!
A really good friend (and daughter's godmother) sent me a gift card for my bd for Walmart. Went and used it today. It allowed me to get a new hose type garden sprayer. Got a Miracle Gro brand sprayer. Of course it came with Miracle Gro soluble fertilizer in it. Not my favorite brand for this soil. Mixture is 24-8-16. May be good for grass, possibly flowers but not the best for many things in my garden. I still used it when I got home and watered according to the N needs of the area being watered. Luckily, many of the items on the north side of the garden need lots of N at this stage of growth. I got another brand with a better proportion for later. The sprayer works well. I like it because it has a trigger which stops spraying when released.
Temps are supposed to drop again on Sunday but not down to freezing. Slight chance of rain. Hoping there's at least some snow in the mountains, which will eventually melt into runoff water. Anything helps.
The rose bush is starting to bud out. The whole bush is looking better than the last two years. Even though I have watered it and fertilizer helped a little, the leaves had unhealthy yellow and brown spots which wouldn't go away. Only a few small spots like that now. Nearly all the leaves are a healthy green. All this is because of treating the soil with vinegar and Epsom Salt in addition to fertilizer and mulch.
Got dishes and laundry done tonight. Place is still a mess, though and my daughter will be here in the morning. Need to get to bed.
A really good friend (and daughter's godmother) sent me a gift card for my bd for Walmart. Went and used it today. It allowed me to get a new hose type garden sprayer. Got a Miracle Gro brand sprayer. Of course it came with Miracle Gro soluble fertilizer in it. Not my favorite brand for this soil. Mixture is 24-8-16. May be good for grass, possibly flowers but not the best for many things in my garden. I still used it when I got home and watered according to the N needs of the area being watered. Luckily, many of the items on the north side of the garden need lots of N at this stage of growth. I got another brand with a better proportion for later. The sprayer works well. I like it because it has a trigger which stops spraying when released.
Temps are supposed to drop again on Sunday but not down to freezing. Slight chance of rain. Hoping there's at least some snow in the mountains, which will eventually melt into runoff water. Anything helps.
The rose bush is starting to bud out. The whole bush is looking better than the last two years. Even though I have watered it and fertilizer helped a little, the leaves had unhealthy yellow and brown spots which wouldn't go away. Only a few small spots like that now. Nearly all the leaves are a healthy green. All this is because of treating the soil with vinegar and Epsom Salt in addition to fertilizer and mulch.
Got dishes and laundry done tonight. Place is still a mess, though and my daughter will be here in the morning. Need to get to bed.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Exhaustion
For a couple of days, I've been completely exhausted. Think from allergies. Can be sitting and start nodding off. Getting enough sleep, so that's not the problem. All wekk I've had what I refer to as "the Vincent Price look". Hope it's better tomorrow.
Went through a training class for computers at work this afternoon. Figured my access would be activated this afternoon or tomorrow morning. Nope. The guy has to do a training class tomorrow, so probably won't activate my access until at least Monday.
Couple days ago, I trimmed the big tomato plant down an extreme amount. This evening, moved it outside. Placed it under a tree, between the back (west) fence and the chicken coop. Hoping that lets it get sunlight but not too much. In a week or so, I'll move it so it gets more sun. And a week later out to more sun. That had become the problem inside. Not enough direct sunlight.
When the weather is a few degrees warmer, I'll start hardening off the smaller tomato plants, too. With current tomato prices, I really want as many tomato plants as possible to grow.
At the current rate of growth and with as many flowers as I've seen, I think I should be harvesting green beans within 2-3 weeks. Possibly some outer lettuce leaves, too.
Not much else going on.
Went through a training class for computers at work this afternoon. Figured my access would be activated this afternoon or tomorrow morning. Nope. The guy has to do a training class tomorrow, so probably won't activate my access until at least Monday.
Couple days ago, I trimmed the big tomato plant down an extreme amount. This evening, moved it outside. Placed it under a tree, between the back (west) fence and the chicken coop. Hoping that lets it get sunlight but not too much. In a week or so, I'll move it so it gets more sun. And a week later out to more sun. That had become the problem inside. Not enough direct sunlight.
When the weather is a few degrees warmer, I'll start hardening off the smaller tomato plants, too. With current tomato prices, I really want as many tomato plants as possible to grow.
At the current rate of growth and with as many flowers as I've seen, I think I should be harvesting green beans within 2-3 weeks. Possibly some outer lettuce leaves, too.
Not much else going on.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Not much new
My computer card was activated this morning. At least, enough to log onto the computer. Still not set up to use the programs I need to access. Big surprise there.
Big Lots was sold out of the sprayers I wanted. Bummer. I'll try ReStore again.
Everything in the garden survived. Tomatoes don't appear to have gone into dormancy. Whew!
Hope the continuing cooler weather helps the lettuce germinate. If it gets too hot too soon that doesn't happen. Lettuce only germinates and grows without bolting in a fairly narrow temperature range. Only a little lettuce growing so far. Went ahead and planted more lettuce seed this evening. Can't really have too much because excess will just be more bunny food.
More flowers on the green beans. Looks like the green beans may wind up being good for my self esteem! Lol! Peas, not so much. Cucumber vines have sprouted in numbers but not climbing yet. Pumpkins pretty much the same, sprouted but rather static for now. Since I have more melon seeds started inside, can plant more of those where the peas failed. Maybe more cucumbers, too. Maybe even more green beans?
Big Lots was sold out of the sprayers I wanted. Bummer. I'll try ReStore again.
Everything in the garden survived. Tomatoes don't appear to have gone into dormancy. Whew!
Hope the continuing cooler weather helps the lettuce germinate. If it gets too hot too soon that doesn't happen. Lettuce only germinates and grows without bolting in a fairly narrow temperature range. Only a little lettuce growing so far. Went ahead and planted more lettuce seed this evening. Can't really have too much because excess will just be more bunny food.
More flowers on the green beans. Looks like the green beans may wind up being good for my self esteem! Lol! Peas, not so much. Cucumber vines have sprouted in numbers but not climbing yet. Pumpkins pretty much the same, sprouted but rather static for now. Since I have more melon seeds started inside, can plant more of those where the peas failed. Maybe more cucumbers, too. Maybe even more green beans?
No frost
It didn't freeze last night, though it got rather close. Think the temp is now in low 40's but feels colder because of wind. It did drop in the 30's. A 30+ degree drop from the afternoon. Hope the tomatoes don't go dormant again. Most everything else should be okay because what's growing is pretty cold tolerant. Just not frost tolerant.
Fingers are freezing. Keep this short.
Fingers are freezing. Keep this short.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Not so bad
The winds today weren't quite as bad as predicted. It was windy, just not gusting to 60 mph locally.
However, now the forecast says it could dip down to freezing in my immediate area tonight. Good grief.
It was a good day in some respects, not so good in others. Lucked out both getting to work and coming home. Caught buses which met up well enough to get to work 20 minutes earlier than usual and home just less than an hour earlier.
I'm getting the routine down better and better. However, today was what I call a "chatty" day. Meaning people were chatting non-stop about banal subjects most of the day. I hate chatty days.
This paycheck was decent but far from enough to catch things up. Hoping to be able to fend things off until next check. By my third check, I should be doing much better. Can't afford to have the scooter fixed yet, which still holds me back from making more money. Not able to pick up short shifts which are available at the moment.
The converted drip lines are working well. I just had to increase the water pressure going through them. Though at that pressure they do tend to act largely as a massive misting system. Still, all the mist remains in the garden, so it works out well. The old drip lines also work well since I started using them separately this evening. Takes a little more time and effort but not too much. Long as it focuses the water right where the plants need it, it's okay.
Planted more pepper seeds directly outside. Though I moved some of the mulch aside to allow sunlight to reach the seeds. Hope it works this time.
However, now the forecast says it could dip down to freezing in my immediate area tonight. Good grief.
It was a good day in some respects, not so good in others. Lucked out both getting to work and coming home. Caught buses which met up well enough to get to work 20 minutes earlier than usual and home just less than an hour earlier.
I'm getting the routine down better and better. However, today was what I call a "chatty" day. Meaning people were chatting non-stop about banal subjects most of the day. I hate chatty days.
This paycheck was decent but far from enough to catch things up. Hoping to be able to fend things off until next check. By my third check, I should be doing much better. Can't afford to have the scooter fixed yet, which still holds me back from making more money. Not able to pick up short shifts which are available at the moment.
The converted drip lines are working well. I just had to increase the water pressure going through them. Though at that pressure they do tend to act largely as a massive misting system. Still, all the mist remains in the garden, so it works out well. The old drip lines also work well since I started using them separately this evening. Takes a little more time and effort but not too much. Long as it focuses the water right where the plants need it, it's okay.
Planted more pepper seeds directly outside. Though I moved some of the mulch aside to allow sunlight to reach the seeds. Hope it works this time.
More wind
More wind today. Forecast is for winds 30-40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph. Hmm. Not sure what the garden will look like by tomorrow morning.
Figures. The sprayer from the Ironite isn't working any more. Can't find anything wrong with it. I'll have to get a new sprayer. Saw where they have one reasonably priced at Big Lots. Couldn't spare the money when I saw it but can get one this week. Tried fertilizing the other day but had to use the tank sprayer..which is also wearing out.
Okay, I'm at work and will have patients soon.
Figures. The sprayer from the Ironite isn't working any more. Can't find anything wrong with it. I'll have to get a new sprayer. Saw where they have one reasonably priced at Big Lots. Couldn't spare the money when I saw it but can get one this week. Tried fertilizing the other day but had to use the tank sprayer..which is also wearing out.
Okay, I'm at work and will have patients soon.
Monday, April 25, 2011
More vines
Have more vines of various kinds showing now. Have several cucumber vines coming up. Funny, I had gotten impatient and bought more cucumber seeds today. That's okay, only spent $0.40 on them.
More pea vines coming up. Still not sure how well they'll do but the weather has cooled slightly, so maybe they still have a chance. An illustration of my concern is that one or two of the spinach plants have already started to bolt. However, they are plants which survived the winter. I picked the seed pods off and have picked outer leaves a few times.
Green beans are picking up speed. Some are now growing several inches a day. Some others have died off. Glad I planted more which are yet to be seen.
No melon vines showing yet. I still may just be impatient but I planted more seeds inside this evening. Much rather have too many than wind up with nothing.
Got tired of waiting and planted more corn. Again, better to be thinning them out than having only 2 or 3 widely spaced stalks. Corn has to grow en masse to pollinate.
I now count 14 tomato plants outside of varying sizes. Not as many as I want but a good start. Ones inside are still gaining size.
Felt like a long day. Getting to bed.
More pea vines coming up. Still not sure how well they'll do but the weather has cooled slightly, so maybe they still have a chance. An illustration of my concern is that one or two of the spinach plants have already started to bolt. However, they are plants which survived the winter. I picked the seed pods off and have picked outer leaves a few times.
Green beans are picking up speed. Some are now growing several inches a day. Some others have died off. Glad I planted more which are yet to be seen.
No melon vines showing yet. I still may just be impatient but I planted more seeds inside this evening. Much rather have too many than wind up with nothing.
Got tired of waiting and planted more corn. Again, better to be thinning them out than having only 2 or 3 widely spaced stalks. Corn has to grow en masse to pollinate.
I now count 14 tomato plants outside of varying sizes. Not as many as I want but a good start. Ones inside are still gaining size.
Felt like a long day. Getting to bed.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Happy Easter!
I'm really tired but today was a good day.
Daughter woke up before 7 this morning. Saw the easter basket on the dining room table. Started finding eggs and candy the Easter Bunny had hidden in the house. No way either of us were going back to sleep after that! So, the egg hunt proceeded inside and then outside. Finished before 8 AM. We had breakfast and a fairly simple day after that.
She played with her friend from across the street. She's really good about sharing. Doesn't have to be told to do so, it's just her nature. So she shared her candy with him. They played for a while, then he invited her to an egg hunt at his grandmother's house down the street. She wanted to go and I said yes. Then she said she just wanted to hunt for eggs but would give all of them to her friend. They wound up not having the hunt until after her mother picked her up because they hadn't colored the eggs yet. Thing is, she was consciously more interested in the hunt than the items being hunted. Before leaving, she had me hide her eggs again so she could find them one more time.
I think she may have slept better than I did last night. I laid awake, listening to her breathing. After going to sleep, I woke up every time she coughed or if I heard any alteration in her breathing.
She still had some difficulty breathing today. I kept checking and it was all sinus based. Just don't want it to move down into her chest. In that, too, she is unbelievably brave. I made her (yes, made her) use her inhaler once today. While using it, she was dancing in place and making funny faces at me!
As a father, I'm luckier than I could have ever hoped and luckier than any father I have ever known.
Okay, this is a garden blog, so I guess I should write something about gardening.
I realized today that there are now spots of green on every single mound in the garden. Some only have some very small spots but others are developing really well. Whole rows of tomatoes and onions, other rows of green beans, peas, lettuce and spinach, others with corn, potatoes, onions and broccoli. Carrots are beginning to sprout in various places. The best part is that the north side is actually growing ffor the first time. Not as well as the south garden but it's growing.
I still think the mulch isn't helping much on the mounds. Blocking light which some seeds need to germinate. Some plants seem to grow better when I move the mulch away from them. I think it may be best to just remove the mulch from some of the mounds and let it compost or at least dry and save for next year os other purposes. Not sure yet. It does help in the trenches and sides of the mounds, at least a little. And that will compost naturally over time.
Bath and bed time.
Daughter woke up before 7 this morning. Saw the easter basket on the dining room table. Started finding eggs and candy the Easter Bunny had hidden in the house. No way either of us were going back to sleep after that! So, the egg hunt proceeded inside and then outside. Finished before 8 AM. We had breakfast and a fairly simple day after that.
She played with her friend from across the street. She's really good about sharing. Doesn't have to be told to do so, it's just her nature. So she shared her candy with him. They played for a while, then he invited her to an egg hunt at his grandmother's house down the street. She wanted to go and I said yes. Then she said she just wanted to hunt for eggs but would give all of them to her friend. They wound up not having the hunt until after her mother picked her up because they hadn't colored the eggs yet. Thing is, she was consciously more interested in the hunt than the items being hunted. Before leaving, she had me hide her eggs again so she could find them one more time.
I think she may have slept better than I did last night. I laid awake, listening to her breathing. After going to sleep, I woke up every time she coughed or if I heard any alteration in her breathing.
She still had some difficulty breathing today. I kept checking and it was all sinus based. Just don't want it to move down into her chest. In that, too, she is unbelievably brave. I made her (yes, made her) use her inhaler once today. While using it, she was dancing in place and making funny faces at me!
As a father, I'm luckier than I could have ever hoped and luckier than any father I have ever known.
Okay, this is a garden blog, so I guess I should write something about gardening.
I realized today that there are now spots of green on every single mound in the garden. Some only have some very small spots but others are developing really well. Whole rows of tomatoes and onions, other rows of green beans, peas, lettuce and spinach, others with corn, potatoes, onions and broccoli. Carrots are beginning to sprout in various places. The best part is that the north side is actually growing ffor the first time. Not as well as the south garden but it's growing.
I still think the mulch isn't helping much on the mounds. Blocking light which some seeds need to germinate. Some plants seem to grow better when I move the mulch away from them. I think it may be best to just remove the mulch from some of the mounds and let it compost or at least dry and save for next year os other purposes. Not sure yet. It does help in the trenches and sides of the mounds, at least a little. And that will compost naturally over time.
Bath and bed time.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Daughter's allergies
For a couple of days, my daughter's allergies have been acting up. Probably the combination of wind and cottonwood getting her. Scares me every time it happens. She's already on steroids but it's not enough. Started giving her some sudafed pe today. Still not quite enough. Started using nasalcrom tonight, which has no interactions with any medications. Then gave her some motrin for inflammation. Used her nebulizer, which the ex dropped off with her. If that combination doesn't do it, I'll get some benadryl in her. Don't want to go too far and make her sick from too many medications.
Still, waiting for her to go to sleep so the easter bunny can hide eggs for the morning.
We went on a small spending spree today. Just to dollar tree, the grocery store and family dollar to get some shoes she can wear around here and get dirty. She runs around in the dirt here and trashes her clothing. I'm fine with that but don't want it to be nice clothes getting messed up. She can be well dressed and girly the rest of the week. Well, as much as she's capable of.
I'm not sure this is going to post. Been having non-stop problems with virgin mobile internet connection. Often seems it spends more time down than up. I have complained but no good. Just reduced my service level. If the more expensive level isn't working well enough, I see no reason to pay more for crappy service. Don't need that many monthly minutes now that I'm on contract, any way.
Hoping kiddo gets to sleep soon.
Still, waiting for her to go to sleep so the easter bunny can hide eggs for the morning.
We went on a small spending spree today. Just to dollar tree, the grocery store and family dollar to get some shoes she can wear around here and get dirty. She runs around in the dirt here and trashes her clothing. I'm fine with that but don't want it to be nice clothes getting messed up. She can be well dressed and girly the rest of the week. Well, as much as she's capable of.
I'm not sure this is going to post. Been having non-stop problems with virgin mobile internet connection. Often seems it spends more time down than up. I have complained but no good. Just reduced my service level. If the more expensive level isn't working well enough, I see no reason to pay more for crappy service. Don't need that many monthly minutes now that I'm on contract, any way.
Hoping kiddo gets to sleep soon.
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