Greetings, All.
With summer here, we are outside working in the gardens and not trying to keep warm in the house as we do on below zero days in the winter. Trying to keep cool without using the A.C.
Columbia River: I have not heard of green clay. I will keep my eyes open.
I was bitten yesterday by something sneaky, on the inside of my elbow. I put a bit of ice on it when it was noticed, and the swelling went down. After supper, I realized that the swelling extended to the side of my arm; the bend in the arm prevented it from swelling up so it went sideways. More ice did not make it go away. Hubby sits right next to me and gets nothing!
Corsaire: Sorry to hear about your neighbor. Did you have a good relationship with her? What could she be doing? Just snooping?
Our immediate neighbor put in a trail cam after a known drug user opened the door to his house and just walked in. He also hunts on the property so it is double useful. Have had no other uninvited guests since the sign was put up.
About my immediate neighbor, I would trust him/her here at anytime. But the first family on the easement? Not so much. The only time they come up here is when their beautiful husky gets loose. They keep to themselves and that is fine; they are not country folk. But, you must know your neighbors.
Little Sister: Sorry to hear about your pooped out Hubby, and washed out garden. Time takes a toll, even with gardening. Why do you say it is too late for the garden? You have a longer season there, don’t you? Experiment. I hope your grandson does well at the apprenticeship. Welding is useful.
Pandemic: Totally scary. While we live in the country, our children live and work in the big city. I would accept them here in a heartbeat, but perhaps we should set up an isolation room for them, if they don’t get here right away. Two grandchildren go to a school with students of many ethnic backgrounds, another one with a thousand students; it would be easy for something to spread there.
There are reports about cyber bugs, and even a possibility of a Carrington effect. Many ways to lose society.
Fused plastic bags? Interesting idea. Thanks, Columbia River. I’ll check out how to make one. I am personally not consistent with remembering my personal shopping bag. Our car seems to be a magnet for mice so we don’t leave much in the car unprotected.
Thanks for the info on the wood cook stove. I’d let to get one in the future. I would make a four season porch, with a chimney, and put the wood stove out there.
Muffy 1938: Surviving will be a challenge. Even here in the country it will be a challenge if the grid goes down. We have one wood stove, but it does not heat the house at below zero temps. We have a few oil lamps, but not enough. Gas stove, but electric water heater. No outhouse. I think we have some work to do. I have food put by for the two of us, but not enough for family. Generator to pump water, but no real storage containers. Need to rethink that.
I did ask family what their favorite foods were so I could store them. Soups – no problem. I will need more real eggs for the one guy, and more flour for a year’s worth of bread. Always learning.
Personal stuff: Grandson #1 had a nice graduation party, then immediately went to work at a scout camp nine miles away. Two days later Grandson #2 went to work at a scout camp 5 hours away. This is a big deal for Grandson #2. He is quieter. As a new camp counselor, he was chosen to be at the high adventure activity at that camp – sleeping on rafts on the lake, running small motor boats and ATVs. That is a place where more experienced staff counselors want to work. I expect that he will be a very different person when he gets back. Meanwhile, #1 has the use of our truck for the summer. While it is a scary thought, one of my “babies” is driving, but he is responsible and will not be driving much other than from camp to home or here. It will give him a feeling of independence before he goes out of state for college. With both older brothers gone, #3 is home alone. He does not do well alone. Time for him to mature a bit too. He is 13.
I had Grandson #1 pick a salad for supper. Yes, he got salad greens from the garden, but I also showed him the weeds we use: violet, creeping Charlie, Lamb’s quarters, pigweed, clover, wood sorrel, plus mint. I told him he could bring a couple of his counselor friends over for supper some night and then pick weeds for supper. Every day is a learning day, right?
When he comes to visit next week, I’ll start talking to him about what supplies he thinks he should take to college, and what I need him to take for safety.
My intestines have settled down after that bout with the pro-biotics, but not under control yet. I have better control, but still more spontaneity than I would prefer. Hubby and I were thinking I should just go on an elimination diet to see what is wrong.
Garden: In May there was rain on our days off, and sun when we had commitments. Then many graduation activities in early June. We are finally putting in the home-seeded tomatoes. Here in zone 4 they cannot be planted until the end of May anyway. They were transplanted into medium-sized pots so they are not stunted, but are small. We will have, hopefully, a lot of paste tomatoes this year. I planted more of those to make better tomato sauces than just the large slicing ones. Plus, more squash than we ever had before, too, and they are doing well. So far.
The garden slowly grows with new beds created. I just need to figure out to rotate the squash with their need for large beds, and something in between squash years. Perhaps several big beds of potatoes; I never have enough potatoes or onions. Always learning.
I wish Cole crops could be canned, but the freezer will work (as long as we have electricity). This year I planted cauliflower and Brussels’ Sprouts from seeds. Have not planted either of them before. It will be nice to have another crop if I can figure out how to get the B. sprouts to actually grow and not the leaves. I planted two different types of broccoli. One came up better than the other: better soil? Better variety? Or washed away? I have a third variety to plant, too, to find out which is a better grower for us. Always learning.
We found three blueberry bushes that we had planted a few years ago. I thought the deer had eaten them. They may have been browsed, but the plants are still there. Time to move them into a better fence. No berries this year, but perhaps next year.
You know that they say “medical practice?” We should say “garden practice.” Every year there are new conditions: weather, mammals and/or insects that eat the plants, garden soil that is too rich or too poor, or wrong pH. Always learning.
For those non-preppers who think they can just plant a garden and have a year’s supply of food -they should think again! We do not get a year’s supply because of our -20F in the winter – need a greenhouse, inside or out. Plus, we have not figured out a good way to store potatoes and carrots and cabbages over winter. When I have tried to grow greens inside, I do not have enough light for them even with supplemental lamps. I think raising greens will be my winter project. Still working on learning how to dehydrate crops and USE those items.
So much to learn.
Time to go to the store and replace what I used for the graduation party (I still have more, but don’t tell Hubby.) The rhubarb custard cream cheese bars were a big hit. There are few rhubarb stalks left in our garden; we need to plant more. Wednesday is senior discount day. Plus, I like to go at least once a month to check out the sales that he does not look for. Then out to the garden and distribute the compost we purchased over the beds that need it.
Take care everyone. Stay healthy and safe.