Jackpot

OK...Small rant coming up.  But really. Where the hell have I been?

I'm watching the Royal Wedding this morning and who shows up waiting in line to take his seat at Westminster? 

David Beckham. 



Now I know who David Beckham is but I've have never really paid any attention to him. 

Until today. 

Today, I'm watching David Beckham stand in line like the rest of us schmoes and it wasn't David that caught my eye.  It was the guy behind him.  (Over there by his hand in this picture.) An ordinary enough looking guy to be sure...maybe a dignitary or someone really important.

But with David beside him he looked downright disturbing.  Like the rest of us.  Ordinary.  My perspective was off.  Way off.

How is it that the universe gives one person the genetic equivelant of the Power Ball Ticket.

Jackpot. 

All in one man.  Even Posh was looking kinda dowdy next to the "Beck-Man".

Where have I been?  Damn...He's pretty freakin hot, that's all I can say...And I said as much to SM.

SM didn't have much to say about Mr Beckham.  Must be my hormones.

Timing Is Everything

When I looked back on my production/successes of my 2010 garden, I felt that my biggest mistakes had to do with timing.

Planting too soon or too late impacts your potential harvest.

Knowing that peppers and tomatoes are essentially tropical plants, I tried to shoot for planting them in the garden between May 1st and May 15th.  The peppers are fine, size wise...but the tomatoes have overstayed their welcome by about 2 weeks.  

 
These guys are monsters and have outgrown the space under the grow light.  So at night everyone is crowded around the kitchen table.  During the day, they all hang out, weather permiting, on the back porch.  (*I've already made a note for next year to delay starting them by pushing back the date by 2-3 weeks.)

So far, none of them are leaning or falling over but I'd really love to get them into the ground.  Our last frost date is April 15th so I'm not concerned about a frost as much as I know they won't really thrive unless the night time temperatures stay above 55 or so.  60 would be best.

The past 2 weeks have been above average temperature wise but very windy with harsh storms every few days.  Add to that, I was wanting to plant today as SM and I will get the fencing completed and my gardening "moon chart" says that today is a good day.  Next weekend, Mother's Day weekend, also looks good.  Can I get these guys to hang in there for another week?

Last night we dropped to 46 for a low with tonight expected to be the same.  OK...so whats a few more days?  I've waited this long already. We have a few more cool days forcasted for this coming week.

At some point I'm just going to have to "suck it up" and cut the cord.  I guess after being skunked in the tomato department last year, I'm just trying to hedge my bets.

When will you learn?  You can't play with Mother Nature?  She'll do what she wants and I need to roll with the punches.

Flying By...

Man...is my week off flying by.  I have so much to do and my body is reminding me, through aches and pains, that I just can't keep going at the pace that I've set.  ("You are getting older Missy!")

The mind is willing but the body's weak.  (sigh)

Enter SM.  Not only is he the "Smartest Man Alive!" (scroll down to an earlier post) but SM must also stand for "Save (my ass) Man.  

My heel has a tendon that stiffens up with overuse and boy have I been "overusing".  The only cure is rest, and that ain't happening.  I can rest when I get back to work next week.  (grin)  Since I've been limping around like an old lady...SM took pity on me.  "It's my garden too!"  He says.

So SM came out and did the bulk of the compost spreading Wednesday morning. 

Tuesday afternoon I went "dumpster diving" around town to try and find more cardboard for the garden walkways.  Most places have the trash locked-up tight now but I went to an older grocery store and found a bunch.  Still not enough, though.

 
Look what we have in the garden.  Ladybugs!  Yeah!

And Snow Peas.

Tons and tons of Snow Peas.  I can only hope that Mother Natures furnace doesn't come on too quick this year.  It'd be lovely if I could get 3-4 weeks of harvesting.  (Dreaming I know, but it could happen!)

SM spotted our resident lizard "Izzy" (3rd generation I'm sure.)

And check out the petunias.  Who knew that they were annuals?  I've got 2 pots that somehow survived the winter and started themselves, no help from me.

And guess what time it is?  Strawberry picking time.  (Whoo Hoo!)  The farm that I usually pick at is about a 35 miles (round trip) away.  They have a stand here in town and are charging $9 a bucket if you pick at the farm or $11 if you buy at their stand here in town.  With the price of fuel and factoring in my time, I figured this year I'll just buy from the stand.

I've still got 2 bags in the freezer from last year so I made a small batch of jam.

 
But I think I'll do mostly do fresh eating.

 
Does anyone else use these green bags for storage?  My mom gave me some and they do seem to help.  I haven't tried it with strawberries yet.  I didn't wash or cut off the tops on this basket, just dumped it straight into the green bag.  Hopefully, it'll keep them fresh longer so I can wash and top them off just before I use them.

Wordless Wednesday - "Cha Cha Cha Chia" - Our Chia Pet

 To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time.

- Leonard Bernstein

I love this quote.  

I'm a planner.  And those who plan are always mystified by how quickly the second hand spins.  Another year has gone by...hard to believe.

Every year I take the last week of April off to get things done around the house.  I'm always surprised by how quickly the days go by.  I feel lucky that, for the most part, I usually get great weather every year during this week.  

This year is no exception.  High's in the low to mid 80's with nights falling back into the 50's and 60's.  Perfect for sleeping with the windows open and perfect to get projects done around the house during the day.

Last year at this time, I invested in starting a vegetable garden and planted 2 apple trees. I started thinking more about fresh, quality eating.  I worried about retirement and what could I do NOW to help cushion the financial blow.  It seemed reasonable that since grocery produce "sucks", that growing my own would benefit not only my taste buds and health, but also my pocket book.

(*Well, maybe not the pocketbook.  This stuff is expensive to start up. Yikes!)

As I researched, I thought that a journal might be in order to keep track of my progress.  I started this blog...and then I found your blogs.  

I've found an invaluable resource and community out there of people who think a lot like I do.  It's comforting to know that we're all in this together.  That there are people out there who value a simpler life and are willing to share their experiences with you so that we might learn a better way to do things together.



Time. 

It goes by amazingly quick. I like the fact that I can go back in my archives and actually read my posts and say..."Yeah, I remember doing that."  

SM has the memory of an elephant.  (I, however, do not.)  I've really enjoyed journaling my progress in my effort to become a productive gardener.  Notice I didn't say successful.  I would never tweak Mother Natures nose that way.  I know she's got some tricks up her sleeve that will likely cause me to pull my hair out in frustration, but "Hey"...I'm having fun with the challenge.  So bring it on Mamma Nature. 

So what's the plan for this week?  Pretty simple and straight forward.  Compost and cleaning.

Today I was on my own as SM had to work.  I unloaded 2 yards of compost into one of the newly built raised beds.  Tomorrow, I'll do 2 more loads again into the last raised bed.  The day after that, guess what?  Yep.  More compost onto the "landing strips" as SM likes to call them.  We're likely going to be putting about 7-8 yards of new compost into our garden this year.  Sounds like a lot doesn't it?  But it has to be done since the "dirt" (ha!) that we've got is worthless.


My day's this week will form a temporary pattern of working outside in the morning and working inside during the heat of the afternoon.  Hard to think about it being HOT already.  But it is.  Welcome to the South.


The gardening outside is straight forward enough.  

The inside of the house needs a deep, deep cleaning, top to bottom.  I plan on taking one room apart and putting it back together again.  One room at a time. Thank goodness the pollen seems to be easing.  I'm tired of wiping up yellow.


So as much as I love to blog with ya'll, I will try and spare you the endless photographs of yet another pile of compost like the one above.  (Grin)

12 Hours

A very busy day today.

I left home at 7am to do post-ops at work.  

(*I've taken this upcoming week off.  The end of April is always a great time for a "stay-cation".)

After post-ops, I headed out to the Jeep to discover it won't turn over.  A call to SM and an hour later the hood is up and he's doing whatever guys do to make engines run.

We're home by 11 and I want to head over to the nursery to buy some fruit trees and bushes.  On the way, the truck stalled at an intersection.  Ya gotta love small towns.  3 men stopped to look under the hood and offer advice.  Once we got it started again we pulled over to let it warm up and determine if we wanted to continue on to the nursey, and here comes our neighbor pulling up to see if he could help too.

We pressed on to the nursery.  We bought 2 Dorman red raspberries, and a  blueberry to replace the one the (bastard) rabbits ate.  I also bought a Granny Smith Apple as I'm wanting a good sauce apple.  We bought a Noble muscadine and a Reliance seedless grape too.

Once home, the sun peeked out and it got hot quick.  I put all the starts out on the back porch in the shade for an hour to continue the hardening off process. 

We also strung out some more twine to help trellis the bush shelling peas.  Not sure that they need it, but better to have it than have them flopping everywhere.

SM went out to break-up clods while I did a bit more double digging.  He also spread some sand in the beds.

By 3pm we're back on the road to pick up the cultivator from the rental store and ended up stopping at 3 big box stores to find the same "rabbit-proof" fence we currently have so we can enclose the new "landing strips".


By 5, I'm on the lawnmower while SM attacks the new garden beds with the cultivator.  Looking good, Babe!

By 7:30 we've showered and plopped ourselves down in our favorite recliners to watch "The Ten Commandments", a favorite of ours.

12 hours solid.  I think we're both hoping for a good nights sleep.  Sun Rise Easter service at 7 am.  Lets see if we make it. (grin)
 

This Is A Test...This Is Only A Test

SM and I suspended our Direct TV account Sunday.  He agreed that it's ridiculous to spend $76 a month on something that we can get for free...(with a little effort.) 

Direct TV allows you to suspend your account for up to 6 months a year.  We suspended it rather than canceled it because we're pretty sure we'll pick Direct TV service back up again this fall simply for the sports.  Unless we decide to cancel, I asked Direct TV to resume service August 15th.  (Sports.  It's all about the sports.)

I asked SM if he'd be OK just watching sports on the big 4 (NBC,ABC,CBS and Fox) which we can get with our local antenna.  SM wants ESPN for college football and basketball.  Too bad you can't do an "a-la-carte" with your TV service.  Pick only the channels you want watch and pay as you go.

SM took an old computer that we had laying around, purchased an air card, a wireless keyboard and a mouse and has set up our big screen so we can watch TV online from sites like:

Hulu

Cast TV 

and Clicker 

I'm doing pretty good with the changes and I'd be happy keeping the set up as is and cancel Direct TV all together.

SM misses "flipping" the channels (what guy doesn't?) and thinks the local news people are idiots (who doesn't?).  

He also misses the DVR functions watching live TV, although I did point out to him that if we watches online, he can start, stop, FF or rewind as needed.

It'll take some getting used too but so far so good.

Funny...look what came in the mail yesterday.

 

How did they know? (grin)

Wordless Wednesday - Just Peachy

The New Patch

This little patch of earth and this little pile of stones,
I can wash the dust from off my face and skin, but this earth is in my bones.

-Ralph McTell from Peppers and Tomatoes 1998

We started this Sunday with a harvest of baby lettuces.

I used this homemade "salad spinner" to wash and "spin" off the water from the leaves.  It's an old onion bag.  I got the idea from one of your posts.  (Sorry...can't remember whom to credit the idea, but it's a good one!)

I hard boiled some eggs and made me a warm breakfast egg and bacon salad.  (Yum.)

SM isn't into salad in the morning (He thinks I'm strange) but I did make him a breakfast bagel with egg and managed to toss a few leaves on it too.  SM had a HUGE salad the night before so he said he'd rather keep breakfast as breakfast.  (Just wait until the summer squash start coming in.  Squash for breakfast lunch and dinner...@:)

SM started a new "landing strip" by double digging beside the other bed.  While SM was doing that, I brought the truck around that had a yard of compost in it and started pitching it into the turned over soil. 

SM wants to rent a "cultivator".  He tells me it's not a rototiller, but he wants to "bust-up" the clods a bit more.

I tell him that's not what the "double dig" method is about but I hate to tell him "No".  I don't want to squish his interest in this garden.  So I'm trying to gently persuade him to stick with the book.  We'll see.

We then switched gears a bit and built the last 2 raised beds.  We ran out of L brackets so didn't finish the second one, but I can start to fill the other with compost.  Once all the beds are made and the compost is in, then we'll need to fence it in to keep out the (bastard) bunnies.

Oh!  I was flipping over some of the cardboard we've had piled out by the garden and found a baby copperhead under one of them. 

Our neighbor (right beside the garden) let her grass get knee high before she hired a service to come out and cut.  I was starting to think that it would be attracting snakes and rats and all sorts of vermin.  Well she got it cut on Thursday and we think this little guy came from her yard.

I know snakes are out there but I haven't seen one in our yard for the 13 years we've lived here.  Makes me nervous with the dogs out nosing around.  SM says snakes don't like busy areas, so hopefully I won't be writing a post about anymore snakes.

(Mental note: Need to burn that wood!  Snakes and black widow spiders are attracted to areas like that....shudder!)  

The Smartest Man Alive

SM has really started to take an interest in the garden this year. 

I've wondered before if he just thought it was a fluke last year and that I'd drop this gardening "hobby" as just a passing fancy.

Now don't get me wrong...He's always been there to help me out when I've asked, but this year I've noticed somethings different.  He's making observations and suggestions.  He is actually getting excited about the garden and fruit tree "plans" for our back yard.

I think it all started a few weeks ago when the pollen had me out of action for the day and he asked if there was anything he could do to help.  I asked him if he wouldn't mind "double digging" the area back by the shed that I wanted to use as an overflow area.

Ever notice when you're alone, digging, pulling weeds...just the act of gardening relaxes you and allows your mind to wander?  

SM (later that night) - "You know, if we moved that shed we'd have lots of room to expand the garden and put in more fruit trees. "

Me -  My jaw dropped open.  I looked from the shed (where he was pointing) back to him and said, (as my mind quickly ran through the possibilities) - "You are the smartest man alive."

SM - "At least the smartest man in this room." he said grinning.

So that's what he did.  Yesterday, SM had the "Dude" come out and move the shed for the bargain basement price of $250. 

"Be sure and take lots of pictures for my blog!"  I hollered as I headed out to work.  And he did.

Here's the new spot for it.

SM didn't even have to empty it.

What a great idea!  It's totally changed the look of the backyard and we've got TONS of space now.

"You do realize that you've just created more gardening work for yourself don't you?  I asked him.

SM grinned and nodded.  "Oh yeah.  Fun isn't it?"

These Boots Are Made for Walking...

Businesses often talk about the many "hats" that employees wear through out the day.

The meaning of wearing "many hats" suggests that the employee has a lot of different responsibilities and each time they change their "hat" they become a different person.  I really only wear one hat.  It's a baseball cap to keep my messy hair out of my eyes when I'm doing yard work.

But I do wear many different shoes.  Take a peek.

5:00am.  Time to walk the dogs.

7:00am  Shower, fuss with the hair and make-up.

7:30am  A quick peek at the garden.  The garden "slip-on's" are nice on a cold chilly morning.

7:40am  Yogurt cup and "breakfast conversation."

7:50am  "Kiss me I'm outta here..."

Last peek at the house...Looks nice in the morning sun.

Pedal to the metal.

45 minutes later, at work for the next 8 1/2 hours.  I leave these shoes at work so they stay clean.

5:00pm  Sit and wait on the "crawl" home. 

I can't take these friggin shoes and socks anymore so...

Much better!  60 minutes later and I'm home.

"Sweet girl!  Yes, Mamma's home."

Now this is more like it!  73 degrees, a glass of wine and (yes) a new book to read.  

(I have the "Earth's Children" series so I sorta had to buy it...)


So...where your feets been today?

Wordless Wednesday - Tie Me Up

A Gardening Meme

I saw this Meme on Home Grown and thought that I'd like to expand on it.

Instead of passing this meme on to others (which I know we all hate) I'd like to ask anyone who wishes to participate, to just do so!  Add a new question if you like.  Challenge yourself and you'll challenge others!  I'd love to learn about any secret you might have.

(*It is Spring after all and we're all happily being pulled this way and that getting our gardens started.  But if you have the time and the inclination, go for it.  Post a comment that you did and we'll all tag along.)

So here goes.

Describe your gardening style.

This one is easy!  I'm still searching and learning so "Anything Goes" would be the best way to describe my style.  I'm interested in raised beds, double dig, and lasagna methods.

What was the last plant you bought?

The blueberry bushes last fall.  No wait!  I bought some panseys for the front yard about a month ago.


What were the last seeds you bought?

Baker Creek, a cucumber called Beit Alpha.

(*Description - A delicious very sweet cucumber that is usually picked small and does not need peeling as the skin is very tender.  This variety is very popular in the Mediterranean having been developed in Israel at a kibbutz farm.  Now becoming popular with Americans because of the fruits fine flavor and high yields.  They are also burpless and have a great shelf life.)

When was the last time you picked the dirt from under your finger nails? 

Monday morning.  I took a chance and went ahead and direct sowed some summer squash.  (It really seems like an early, warm spring.)

Any big plans for the garden this year?

YES!...The word this year is Expansion.  I'd love to do hoop houses or a greenhouse (I saw an inflatable one on someones blog) so we can expand the growing season. 

The other kind of expansion is square footage.  More, more, more!  We need a bit more room to breathe with corn, melons and pumpkins on the list.

What was your biggest gardening mistake ever?

Ever?  Well, since this is only my second year I'd have to say the "dugouts" or our "vegetable swimming pools" from last year.  What a disaster!

Biggest success?

None yet.  I'm just glad to still be trying!

If you could be doing anything right now in regards to gardening, what would it be?

I'd love to have rich, fertile, worm filled soil.  We're working on amending it, but it's a slow slog.

What is your favorite garden tool?

SM of course.

What vegetable/fruit continues to be your downfall?

Green beans.  I don't know what happened last year.  I thought for sure they'd be a snap.  (Get it?  Snap green beans?  Ha.)  No fruit yet, so I can't comment on that.

What vegetable/fruit would you love to grow but it's out of your zone?

Broccoli and cauliflower (I'm not sure they're do-able here.)  Fruit?  Cherries, hands down.  I'd love to have some cherry trees!

That's it. 

STANKY Part Two

Sean came out and gave the AC a look-see.  It's a "gas-pack" which means that the heat and AC are in one unit. 

Sean came into the house and smelled the "STANK".  Took off the covers and showed me the guts of the unit.

Nothing exciting.  No standing water, insultation was dry, AC coils fairly clean.  I stuck my head in and sniffed around.  Nothing obvious.  I put my nose right on the coils and took a whiff.  Faint odor there so he squirted on a coil cleaner/deodorizer, even though he felt that wasn't the problem.

We talked about the attached humidifer and we both felt that might be the culprit.  Down under he went...he noticed a ductwork whose strap had broken and fixed that.  He got over to the humidifer and said that water was coming out of it...which it shouldn't.  He declared it "broken" and unplugged it and yanked out the filter which was supposed to be changed every year by the service company. 

We didn't know that and it appears that they didn't know we had a humidifer, even though they installed it.

Anyhoo...I took a bit of a sniff at the filter expecting to say "Bingo!". Nope... that wasn't it.

He said the ducts were dry and he didn't see any mold.  So it's a mystery!

He offered up suggestions on "what's the next step".

We could do a whole house duct cleaning.  (SM called around and has us set up for next Monday for $99)

If it's still STANKY then we're looking at replacing the duct work ($ouch$).

In the mean time, I sprayed Febreeze on the air filter which made the house instantly smell like Febreeze.  I'm planning on running the AC all day today to try and see if it disapates.

Sean, thinks it's the humidifer, and that the STANK will eventually fade away now that it's disconnected.

Me...I'm not so sure.  Time will tell though.  It will either fade away or we'll be climbing the "problem" ladder eliminating issues until it does go away.

At least it's not mold. 

Something STANKY

I usually get our AC unit serviced every April.  It's no joke that it gets super hot here, super quick.  (Today is supposed to hit 90!) 

In the spring, even if it gets hot, I rarely turn the AC on because the nights get so cool that, if we open up the windows at night, we manage to keep the house cool most of the day with the ceiling fans on.

Once the night time temps are above 70, and the humidity kicks into gear, the AC gets a work out.

Last week we had a day in the 90's and it didn't cool off as usual that night.  Around 2am I woke up in a sweat, checked the temp in the house (76) and decided to kick on the AC.

Usually when you turn your heat or AC on for the first time, you get a rather unpleasant odor.  But it usually burns off quickly and you're in business. 

Not this time.  All during the winter, no stank.

When I kicked on the AC a nasty, sour smell...SM thought one of the dogs had puked...permeated the air.  We turned it off and figured we'd check it out later.  So Saturday, we sprayed off the coils (dilute bleach solution) and sniffed around while the AC unit ran for about an hour with all the windows open.

No good.

STANKY ain't the right word for this.  We turned off the AC.  Googled possible problems, none of them good.  It could be a dead animal, clogged skummy water and MOLD..."Dear God, not the dreaded mold!!!!." 

Sunday we noticed that we could still catch a faint whiff of the STANKY even though the AC wasn't on.  I went around and closed the vents and threw towels on top of the vents.  By this time I'm envisioning 12 different kinds of horror under my house.

I called our service company this morning first thing and explained the situation.  Yeah!  They can send somebody out today!!!!  Since Monday is my day off, this works out perfectly!

I'll update later on what they find.  (sigh)  It's always something isn't it?

Sunday Stroll

We had very heavy rains here last night which makes wanting to play in the dirt a little less appealing.

So I took a little stroll around the yard to see how Spring is coming along.

Our privet bushes that we cut way back are starting to bud through on the main branches.

The holly's are blooming. You can hear the buzz of the bees all around.  I don't think these bloomed  until May last year.  We may be 3 weeks early.

Weeds in the yard.  Pretty flowers.

Weeds on some of the bricks out front.

Love the color of this pansy.

Last years petunia's are coming in again, all on their own.

My Knock-out roses are going bananas.  Low maintenance, a wonderful, easy rose to have in your garden.

Our neighbors dogwood is in bloom...again, usually a May bloomer, early this year.

Our dwarf japanese maple, full and bushy.

Thanks for taking a walk with me!