Prep Genrl Weekly Prep Thread- February 18-24, 2024

[kyrsyan]

It's been a day. I definitely did not get moving on time, so I didn't get to Lowes. And I was hit in the face with exactly how tired my body is. It really didn't want to go to town today.

But I got through the doctor appointment. In eight weeks they'll do a physical exam to check the healing. The bruise is from the Lovenox and will eventually heal. The discoloration of bodily waste is because my body is no longer using all of the iron that I'm taking. I was honestly surprised. i hadn't ever processed that the reason I didn't have that particular side effect was because my body needed the iron so much. Now, without the fibroids and heavy bleeding, it doesn't need the amount I'm taking. My BP is great. My heart rate is going to keep jumping while I heal.

They didn't get the sentinel lymph nodes but he's not concerned because the follow-up pathology showed that the cancer hadn't progressed past the surface cells. He says less than 1% chance that it got to the lymph nodes.

I'm reaching a point where this tired and exhaustion is really annoying me. I'm about to double my Vit C and Lysine, and possibly add a collagen supplement. Just to make sure the body has the tools it needs. And walk at least a block a day. Because the lack of exercise in some form is driving me nuts.

I ordered three galvanized steel raised beds today. To replace some of the wooded raised beds that someone damaged during the ice storm. These are two foot tall. That is tall enough that I can sit on my 5 gallon bucket chair to work, if needs be. Regardless, it won't cause the levels of deep bending. If the ones from this vendor are good, then I'll order more. If not, then I'll make them myself.

I was on VEVOR today. I am debating their small chicken cage. It would work as the run in the area I have planned, and then I could attached the coop to one side. I know the mesh wouldn't work because it's one inch opening. But I can repurchase the mesh elsewhere if the frame will work. I also found a carport for a reasonable price. I'll use the fabric cover until I can replace the "roof" with metal.

I'm debating getting the one foot beds to go along the house side garden beds. I deep mulch those and the 10" - 12" beds would help keep the mulch deep and keep the mowing nice and neat.

I am hoping to get further into my plans to convert the small shed into rabbit's + quails + fish. And somewhere between the coop and shed, a worm farm for both feed and soil improvement in the gardens. I'm beginning to think that will move more towards starting, and maybe even get at least part of the way going.

One of my cousins is pregnant. And I'm sending her prayers because she has serious uterine issues. We are all praying that the pregnancy goes well. I think she hadn't meant to tell the family yet but someone let it slip online. And in my family, all it takes is one slip to have a secret lost.

Anyways, alive. Working on kicking again. Moving a step forward daily. And so bloody tired of being tired.

And friend is getting full mileage out of his "told you so".

 

[summerthyme]

Oh my gosh, mgirl... SLOW DOWN!! You may not feel like you are accomplishing enough, but your body is working HARD to rebuild, and replenish and balance.

I don't remember it they left your ovaries, but even if you dodged that huge insult, your body has had a major change, not even mentioning the anesthetic, some of which can hang around in your body's tissues for longer than you think.

Think of the whole surgery experience as sort of a voluntary poisoning.

I see these crazy YouTubes on the plastic surgery crazies, who have surgery after surgery, trying to make themselves something other than themselves. Hummmm... another body dysmorphia manifestation... did that first start with the age of television? Until films, and then TV, people only had the local people to "self judge", and I guess even then, magazines and newspapers.

OK, off topic! The point being, you are tired because it's a stress on your body trying to heal and adapt and balance while you try to increase the physical demands.

I get it..., I really do... I once started planting my garden the afternoon I was released after another round of treating my osteomyelitis. And I did it by stopping every 10 feet to catch my breath, and dragging tarps while crawling down the rows.

It didn't do my foot any good.

Pace yourself! It will pay off in the long run!

Summerthyme

 

[kyrsyan]

Oh my gosh, mgirl... SLOW DOWN!! You may not feel like you are accomplishing enough, but your body is working HARD to rebuild, and replenish and balance.

I don't remember it they left your ovaries, but even if you dodged that huge insult, your body has had a major change, not even mentioning the anesthetic, some of which can hang around in your body's tissues for longer than you think.

Think of the whole surgery experience as sort of a voluntary poisoning.

I see these crazy YouTubes on the plastic surgery crazies, who have surgery after surgery, trying to make themselves something other than themselves. Hummmm... another body dysmorphia manifestation... did that first start with the age of television? Until films, and then TV, people only had the local people to "self judge", and I guess even then, magazines and newspapers.

OK, off topic! The point being, you are tired because it's a stress on your body trying to heal and adapt and balance while you try to increase the physical demands.

I get it..., I really do... I once started planting my garden the afternoon I was released after another round of treating my osteomyelitis. And I did it by stopping every 10 feet to catch my breath, and dragging tarps while crawling down the rows.

It didn't do my foot any good.

Pace yourself! It will pay off in the long run!

Summerthyme

Oh, I'm not going to get away with much. Friend is kind of putting his foot down and glaring any time he thinks I'm about to do too much. And I respect him too much to be stupid and piss him off that way. He is honestly worried. And I trust him.

And they took everything. The only thing they didn't take, because they couldn't find them, was the sentinel lymph nodes for that area of the body.

At the same time, I can still plan. And while he's not fond of outdoor stuff, he kind of enjoys assembling things. And he accepts that I need to do the outdoor stuff. It calms and balances me in ways that nothing else can.

And probably tmi, but we all laughed hard at the "no sex for 8 weeks" restriction. It kind of falls in with the "it would be a miracle if I was pregnant" that they never believe and always test for. OMG, I'm going to get so much mileage out of that from now on. Because that would be a whole new level of miracle. For those who understand, I'm asexual at this point in life, and have been for a long time.

 

[school marm]

Previously I was known as The Bunnhut but now I'm changing the sign over the door to be The Bunny Brothel. Looking forward to having little fur balls again.

When my daughters started raising French angoras, we spent some time trying to come up with their business name. We began with Black Diamond because black diamond runs are the steepest when it comes to skiing (at least, that's what they were when I was skiing 40 years ago), and we had an incredibly steep slope in our backyard at the time. And we lived on 13 acres, so ranch was a natural to add to the name. Add to that the fact that we live in Nevada.

So imagine my horror when they came up with the name Black Diamond Bunny Ranch.

They were still on the young side at the time, so I couldn't even explain to them why that name was unacceptable.

 

[nomifyle]

I've been hacking and coughing all day, spring allergies. No nap. Its 1:10 am and I can't go to sleep. I'm tired and I can't remember if I took my sleeping meds. I've got a headache and all the sinus stuff I've taken today has not helped. Although my cough has calmed down a bit.

I got nothing accomplished today and tomorrow is not looking promising, especially if I can't get some sleep.

 

[ioujc]

That makes me so happy ioujc! We have a lot of sand in our soil even though we shouldn't...I'm in the hills of Arkansas but we are on the banks of a good sized creek and it floods ever so often so this probably got deposited hundreds, if not thousands of years ago. Anyway, it's a pain to a degree but not bad at all to achieve success.

I add a lot of ammendments and use landscape fabric...it's the only way to conquer the weeds and helps hold in moisture. I don't burn holes in mine. Instead I leave uncovered strips that I plant in, between the rows of fabric, ideally around nine inches between rows of the fabric which makes it easy to fertilize and even till with one of the very small electric tillers. Every year, I work the rows and sprinkle in a granulated fertilizer, some yellow corn meal and a little lime mixed with boron and till all that in. When I plant or sew seeds, I do more ammending depending on what I'm planting or sewing...having to only fertilize that small strip, I'm able to use much less fertilizer and can afford to use the good stuff...Osmocote Plus and Dr. Earth to name a few. This year, I'm going to do some ph testing before I add more lime. The plain yellow cornmeal kills ants and helps with nematodes...never get the selfrising because it has salt in it...I'm sure you are aware of that but others may not be. It has to be the yellow corn meal.

Installing drip irrigation was another thing that made it all work even better.

THANK YOU!!!
The tip about the cornmeal is worth a MILLION DOLLARS!!! One of the issues that is a big deal here is the ants!! As you know, the South has 2 kinds of ants.....black ants and BITING RED ANTS!!! Which I am really allergic to!!

Your idea is a good one and I think we will try it this first year, as it will be much cheaper than anything else we have thought about.
Thank you again!!

 

[ginnie6]

great...sugar? Guess I better go check my stock. We don't use anywhere near as much as we used to. I don't eat it and dd doesn't bake as much so it goes in dh's sweet tea. I use stevia in mine or can go unsweet if I need.

 

[WanderLore]

Been making my own coffee creamer. Got a lot of powdered milk in commodities last year. Have good bit of powdered sugar stored up. I really like it and it's far cheaper than the liquid in the store.
1 cup powdered milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Tsp vanilla
Can add tsp coconut oil if want.
I guess you can add other stuff.
I just mix all that up enough to make 1/2 gallon jar of it.
It's a little way to save.
Dollar general is the only thing out here unless I make the big trek to town.
Because it's so rural, they charge more on everything and the prices go up every week. So I'm doing what big stocking I can first of month.

 

[WanderLore]

Also: tried the little shipping bag in the freezer, wow works great. So I cut the dog food bags in half, rinse and use those.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

I went to bed last night hacking and coughing with a runny nose and a severe headache. I greased down with Vick's Vapor Rub and went to bed. No fever this morning, so I'm thinking it's just a cold, although, I feel really bad. I've added zinc back to my everyday supplements. I hope this doesn't turn out to be covid.

The reason I say that is, because Cary's nephrologist told us his wife was at home in bed very sick with it, and he had to pick his son up at school that day, because he was sick. Here he was possibly spreading it to all his patients. He was wearing a mask, but we all know that wasn't doing much good.

 

[Meemur]

Feel better soon Nomifyle and SB!

Busy day here. Going for my walk in a few minutes and then off to work. It's still March weather, but snow is coming back next week. No complaints: we need the water.

 

[nomifyle]

DH did not fire up the wood stove this morning and I've had very little coughing. I did get some sleep but I don't think enough. My problem is seasonal allergy. I get it every spring and fall. My nose is running off my face and I'm sneezing like crazy. I don't feel real bad but would like to get more sleep.

There was a terrible accident in the community a couple of days ago and we lost two older folks that most of us knew all our lives. Very sad.

The sun is shinning and its a beautiful day.

 

[Wildwood]

THANK YOU!!!
The tip about the cornmeal is worth a MILLION DOLLARS!!! One of the issues that is a big deal here is the ants!! As you know, the South has 2 kinds of ants.....black ants and BITING RED ANTS!!! Which I am really allergic to!!

Your idea is a good one and I think we will try it this first year, as it will be much cheaper than anything else we have thought about.
Thank you again!!

The corn meal is not a mircle cure but it does slow them way down and won't harm your plants in any way. I sometimes sprinkle some on top if they come back and will dig down into the ant bed and put more in if it's not too close to the plant. I've posted a few pictures on the main of the garden so you can get a better idea of what I'm talking about...maybe show your niece and nephew.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

I'm feeling much better this afternoon, so I don't guess it was anything but a cold. I've been using the Vick's Vapor Rub all morning, and it has sure made a difference in the coughing. My chest doesn't feel as tight, either. Still sniffling and sneezy, but no fever at all. I haven't done much today, but tomorrow is a different story. We have home fellowship, Sunday, so there is a bit of house cleaning to do. I'm caught up on all the laundry for a few days.

We're having homemade cheeseburgers with all the fixin's, except for tomatoes, and chips tonight. I'm all out of tomatoes, but we'll have plenty of cheese, lettuce, onions, and dill pickles. I'll be glad when it warms up enough to start the grill for the cheeseburgers, pork chops, Polish sausages, hot dogs, chicken, and steaks. Although, the steaks are on rare occasions.

Do ya'll like using a propane gas grill or the charcoal kind? I prefer the taste of food cooked with charcoal, but a gas grill would be nice.

 

[Toosh]

They were still on the young side at the time, so I couldn't even explain to them why that name was unacceptable.

Oh that's too funny!!

On another note...
I was interested in the resources below your signature, and just spent an hour on your blog - that's quite the rabbit hole you have! I found your post and table for water treatment. I'm curious why you think reverse osmosis doesn't filter out bacteria, virus and protozoa. As most all good filters filter to less than 0.1 micron, I would think that would catch it all. Am I wrong?

Comparison of Water Treatment Methods in One Easy-to-Read Chart

I figured it was about time for another post on water treatment methods. There's so much that needs to be done and so many ways to do it th...

prepschooldaily.blogspot.com

 

[summerthyme]

@ioujc...

instead of trying a "huge" garden this year, see if you can get them to help you build several raised beds... amend the sand/soil with as much organic matter as you can obtain/afford (grass clippings from the neighbors are very useful), and definitely plan on using Miracle Gro or other foliar feeding until you can build fertile soil.

See if local Cooperative Extension has information on what crops/varieties grow best I your new location... and especially pay attention to planting dates! Florida is NOT a place you can plan on growing much during the summer heat! But I suspect there's both a Spring and Fall growing seasons for most crops.

But if you get too ambitious too soon, you risk discouraging your niece, whereas a smaller, successful garden will likely produce more than a "too large" plot with inadequate soil nutrients that ends up being taken over by weeds.

Summerthyme

 

[moldy]

Make sure the grass you're getting clippings from has not been treated with 2-4D or another broadleaf herbicide.

 

[hd5574]

You can start a compost pile from all your leftover kitchen veggie scraps...add some crushed egg shells to the pile.. we don't use any thing special..compost just happens..but it will help your soil next year.....we use fish food fertilizer...a lot

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Back when we were growing in abundance in all of our raised beds, we composted directly into them. Lots of raked leaves in the Fall went into them, too. Everything was turned under in the Spring and made great fertile soil. We only have a few raised beds left and a small gardening plot but doubt we'll use any of it this year. If anything is grown, it will be a few tomatoes and yellow squash. I already have walking onions, chives, and garlic going like gangbusters.

 

[Meemur]

Do ya'll like using a propane gas grill or the charcoal kind? I prefer the taste of food cooked with charcoal, but a gas grill would be nice.

I like charcoal the best, but when time is an issue, propane is fine. I add more seasonings (pepper, mostly) when I'm grilling with propane.

Everyone who can should stock some charcoal. As long as you keep it dry, it keeps really well! I've used 15-year-old charcoal before.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

I like charcoal the best, but when time is an issue, propane is fine. I add more seasonings (pepper, mostly) when I'm grilling with propane.

I think we would do even more grilling if we had a propane grill. It takes some time getting the charcoal just right and it's messier. Cary does the charcoal and doesn't seem to ever get it right.

We have huge bags of charcoal stored in my mini barn. When we use a bag it's replaced.

 

[school marm]

Oh that's too funny!!

On another note...
I was interested in the resources below your signature, and just spent an hour on your blog - that's quite the rabbit hole you have! I found your post and table for water treatment. I'm curious why you think reverse osmosis doesn't filter out bacteria, virus and protozoa. As most all good filters filter to less than 0.1 micron, I would think that would catch it all. Am I wrong?

Comparison of Water Treatment Methods in One Easy-to-Read Chart

I figured it was about time for another post on water treatment methods. There's so much that needs to be done and so many ways to do it th...

prepschooldaily.blogspot.com

OK, I spent the past couple of hours searching for the source.... As it is, it's been nearly five years since I wrote that post, so my memory is a little fuzzy on the matter. I do know that I have become much better at documentation since my early days of blogging.

With something like water filtration, I wouldn't write what I "think" would work or not. Water purification is a serious matter that people's lives depend upon, especially in a crisis.

The chart I posted on my blog was inspired by one I found online, probably from this address: https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/pdf/drinking/Backcountry_Water_Treatment-508.pdf (I incorporated other water filtering methods advocated by various prepper sites to compare and contrast the pros and cons.)

This chart seems a bit more simplified than the one I recall being there. In the "filter" column it indicates filtering isn't effective against viruses. Of course, a cursory review of the information on related CDC water treatment pages indicates that filtering efficacy against viruses depends on the filter size and that reverse osmosis filters are most definitely effective against viruses.

My guess is that the CDC updated their chart and in the original chart that I used the CDC had some reservations about reverse osmosis filters. No idea why. (All RO filters, some RO filters, or something else?) Or maybe the CDC was a little sloppy in compiling their information, and I just deferred to them without questioning. That, or I just totally screwed up.
Good question.

 

[Wildwood]

It's been a day. I definitely did not get moving on time, so I didn't get to Lowes. And I was hit in the face with exactly how tired my body is. It really didn't want to go to town today.

But I got through the doctor appointment. In eight weeks they'll do a physical exam to check the healing. The bruise is from the Lovenox and will eventually heal. The discoloration of bodily waste is because my body is no longer using all of the iron that I'm taking. I was honestly surprised. i hadn't ever processed that the reason I didn't have that particular side effect was because my body needed the iron so much. Now, without the fibroids and heavy bleeding, it doesn't need the amount I'm taking. My BP is great. My heart rate is going to keep jumping while I heal.

They didn't get the sentinel lymph nodes but he's not concerned because the follow-up pathology showed that the cancer hadn't progressed past the surface cells. He says less than 1% chance that it got to the lymph nodes.

I'm reaching a point where this tired and exhaustion is really annoying me. I'm about to double my Vit C and Lysine, and possibly add a collagen supplement. Just to make sure the body has the tools it needs. And walk at least a block a day. Because the lack of exercise in some form is driving me nuts.

I ordered three galvanized steel raised beds today. To replace some of the wooded raised beds that someone damaged during the ice storm. These are two foot tall. That is tall enough that I can sit on my 5 gallon bucket chair to work, if needs be. Regardless, it won't cause the levels of deep bending. If the ones from this vendor are good, then I'll order more. If not, then I'll make them myself.

I was on VEVOR today. I am debating their small chicken cage. It would work as the run in the area I have planned, and then I could attached the coop to one side. I know the mesh wouldn't work because it's one inch opening. But I can repurchase the mesh elsewhere if the frame will work. I also found a carport for a reasonable price. I'll use the fabric cover until I can replace the "roof" with metal.

I'm debating getting the one foot beds to go along the house side garden beds. I deep mulch those and the 10" - 12" beds would help keep the mulch deep and keep the mowing nice and neat.

I am hoping to get further into my plans to convert the small shed into rabbit's + quails + fish. And somewhere between the coop and shed, a worm farm for both feed and soil improvement in the gardens. I'm beginning to think that will move more towards starting, and maybe even get at least part of the way going.

One of my cousins is pregnant. And I'm sending her prayers because she has serious uterine issues. We are all praying that the pregnancy goes well. I think she hadn't meant to tell the family yet but someone let it slip online. And in my family, all it takes is one slip to have a secret lost.

Anyways, alive. Working on kicking again. Moving a step forward daily. And so bloody tired of being tired.

And friend is getting full mileage out of his "told you so".

I'm warming up to those metal raised beds but not this year...my garden planning has already gone over budget for the season. I need five more cattle panels and 24 seven foot t-posts...those are pricey.

I'm so glad you are feeling as well as you do but I agree with summerthyme, be careful...I know you will but the mama in me just has to say it lol.

 

[feralferret]

We prefer a propane grill, with water soaked wood chips added. The small cast iron smoke boxes for the chips seem to work much better than the thin sheet metal ones.

 

[Meemur]

If I'm already working in the garden or doing a project outside, I don't mind waiting for the charcoal to burn down. On the other hand, if it's rainy, or I'm hungry, then I'll use my portable propane grill.

A long time ago, I had a natural gas grill. That was awesome! The former owner had a pro run the gas line to it. All I had to do was give it a good cleaning. If I could've moved it when I relocated, I would've taken it, but the new owner wanted it.

That won't work at this house, so I've got a portable grill, but on the other hand, I can take that with me when I go to the trails and grill at the trailhead or one of the parks. I usually use propane because I don't want to call too much attention to my dinner. I'm aware that at some point, I'll need to stop doing that, but for now, others are cooking meals, too. Also, when I'm "in public," I'm making burgers or hot dogs. I do steaks at home.

 

[kyrsyan]

Raised beds have been on the plan for a while now. The plan being that when I needed to replace the beds, they would be raised beds. My brain had created several plans. But now that the time is here and galvanized steel beds are the most affordable, long lasting, with least long term maintenance. If I don't like the ones I ordered, I can make them from roofing supplies at the lumber store. My focus is to keep longterm maintenance at levels I can handle when I'm 80+.

My body is now having issues with the diabetes, despite the diet control. With the way the doc office is moving, it'll be two weeks before they can do anything. So I'm trying an herbal mix from the same company I get my thyroid mix from. I still have some Jardiance but Jardiance has a side effect that may be problematic because of the surgery location and healing. I'm not willing to risk it since it is a form of gangrene and sepsis.

Son got his new curtains last night. They aren't as room darkening as his old ones but I'm okay with that. And it appears he is as well. I'm was already planning magnetic room darkening covers for the house.. if need be, I'll get some plain curtains and hang them behind these.. or I can do some seam ripping and add another interior layer.

His shoes are now nice and neat on the wall behind his door. He's not sure what he thinks about that. Friends reaction amused me. He didn't expect what I ordered and was surprised. It made the placement very flexible.

And friend got the privacy curtain hung for my room. A ceiling curtain rod following the arc of the door worked well. I honestly love it, although I'll probably buy a lighter color of curtain later. I got a forest scene and it's a bit dark for that area.

Son is not sure about those curtains. I think he's worried that he'll be closed out, even though he actually doesn't go in my room as often. It's just going to take some time. He keeps opening and closing them. And walking me through them to make sure it's okay to follow.

And then he took down the old divider someone had installed in the doorway. One of those plastic accordion dividers that was long dead. That got smiles from son.

Last project was replacing a surge protector. The plug is tucked in a very hard to reach spot. In the process, he saw one of my water storage areas. That was amusing. He gave me a little but of flak over it, mainly because it made it hard for him to reach the spot. But I just gave him the look and said "three weeks ago". That pretty much spiked him when he realized the truth of it. I think it was more the surprise of not having ever realized that it was there. Hehehe.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Nothing really to report today. I'm just doing a little spot cleaning and cooking for the most part.

My cold, or whatever it was, is over. No symptoms at all this morning. It could have been a new allergy yet to be identified.

 

[Marseydoats]

Well, I did it again. I hid something from hubs so well that I lost it. Last summer I bought a small roll of steel fence wire and I put it away, then it was nowhere to be found. I figured that he had taken it out to the black hole of his shop and I'd never see it again. So a couple weeks ago I bought another roll. This morning I moved a bunch of stuff in the pantry looking for something else, and there was the roll of wire along with 10 pounds of nails... I wish I didn't have to hide everything from him. He takes it outside and loses it. Early onset dementia is terrible.
I sawed enough wood for tonight with the ancient geldings help. I had to close the garage door to keep him from sticking his nose in the saw. He's so afraid he's going to miss something. I hope this will be our last cold spell because I'm really tired of keeping the stove going.

 

[aviax2]

@SouthernBreeze We switched over to gas grills many years ago. It’s just easier and faster all the way around. We like food grilled both with charcoal or gas, we don’t see one as better than the other, it’s all good! I do keep a few large bags of charcoal on hand even although we don‘t even have a grill to use it with, but I always thought it would be good if we needed to use cast iron Dutch ovens.

@kyrsyan Please take it easy, it will make recovery so much better. I had my surgery at the end of Jan. and in June we went on a family trip with our two daughters. I slept most of the time we were in the car, I mean within a few minutes of getting in the car, I’d be out like a light. I had no idea that it would take so much out of me and I didn’t have the blood loss you experienced and my surgery was pretty straightforward with no issues. So pamper yourself as much as possible and let your body heal, it will take awhile.

We’ve been busy on and off the past few days looking over finances, looking at where we need to make changes in the budget etc. We need to make some decisions and get things rolling this coming week. Ugh, does anyone else look at things you’re paying for every month that you don’t feel is worth it but the other half wants to keep it? Directv is ridiculous to me and I’ve tried to get DH to get rid of it for several years now but no, he wants to keep it. He keeps hoping we’ll get better internet out where we are, then he would get rid of both Directv and Hughesnet.

Some of the family were sick last weekend so it was just DH and I last Sunday. I’m hoping we can have our weekly family lunch/dinner tomorrow and everyone is well. I’ve also got to get busy with plans for what I’ll put on the table, I’ve got a few ideas in mind but more than likely it will be an easy one!

I‘m interested in some of those metal raised beds too. Anyone have experience with brands?

 

[SouthernBreeze]

@SouthernBreeze We switched over to gas grills many years ago. It’s just easier and faster all the way around. We like food grilled both with charcoal or gas, we don’t see one as better than the other, it’s all good! I do keep a few large bags of charcoal on hand even although we don‘t even have a grill to use it with, but I always thought it would be good if we needed to use cast iron Dutch ovens.

Having those large bags of charcoal stored in the mini barn are to also use with my Dutch ovens for open fire baking, too. We also have a camp oven that can be used over them or on the top of my wood stove.

DS and DDIL use those metal raised beds for some of their gardening. They bought theirs at Tractor Supply, but I don't know the name brand. Theirs have held up very well. I wish we could get some of them for ourselves, but our finances are not supportive of that right now. Our old wooden ones need replacing with something better like metal.

 

[Meemur]

Upper 40s and full sun. I am loving this weather!

Busy day here: ate at a pancake breakfast put on by one of the churches as a fundraiser for youth programs, did errands, worked in the backyard, tossed in a load of laundry, and now I'm catching up on news.

I still have a work list as long as my arm, but I'm going to sit in a chair outside and carefully weed the driveway containers. Unfortunately, the chives and ? (probably onions) are starting to emerge. Yes, it's early, too early! I know they are hardy but if we have a prolonged hard freeze, I'll need to have the milk jugs and tarps ready.

Normally, I don't see their little tips until around March 17 - 22. Once I see them, I start checking soil temps because potato planting isn't far behind.

(The soil temp needs to be above 45 degrees and not overly wet or the potato eyes will rot. I've added more sand to the potato area, and that greatly helped at planting time last year when we had all that rain in a short period.
I plant a mixture of reds and whites -- "Pontiac" and "Superior" are my main cultivars, with some Russets and "unknowns" -- local heritage cultivars -- like "Amish White.")

I'm hearing that the wild flowers are starting to emerge, too. I'll look for them when I next walk on the trails.

Wishing everyone a great Saturday!

 

[patriotgal]

Easter flowers blooming everywhere. Beautiful day even if a little cool. Working up a sweat takes care of it.

Renters that left a mess left a bunch of tools in the yard. Buckets of sockets and wrenches all rusty now. Filled buckets with cider vinegar, left for 2 days and now those tools shine. Gonna wipe'em down this pm while watching TV.

New client is a joy to work with. Makes life so much easier.

Laundry running, cpap tubing soaking. Off to paint trim.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday our temps are going up into the mid to upper 70's. I'm so looking forward to it. All of my daffodils are in full bloom and the roses are beginning to bud out with new growth. I'll be waiting until the middle of March, before I bring out the fertilizer. I don't want to fertilize too soon in case we have a late freeze. I need to weed the onions, and take care of some last year flowerpots that I grew banana peppers in. I might use them this year for bell peppers. I still have gallons of bell peppers in the freezer from last year, so I don't need many this year.

Cary has been working on the woodpile all afternoon.

 

[herbgarden]

I would love raised beds but, have read that for areas with drought they are a bad idea. They seem to work for my huge garlic bed. What is everyones experience with them ? Thank you in advance for your answers.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

I would love raised beds but, have read that for areas with drought they are a bad idea. They seem to work for my huge garlic bed. What is everyones experience with them ? Thank you in advance for your answers.

We had a drip irrigation set up in all of ours. The water came from our 650 gallon rainwater tank. We just moved the hoses around where needed. Raised beds do tend to dry out quicker than regular gardens. When we had all of ours set up and growing in them, we had more food than we could handle even after giving some of it away. They were very productive. We grew all kinds of veggies, including sweet corn.

We have a large back yard. We designed and planned out all of the raised beds to make a nice maze. It looked really nice and took up almost all of our back yard.

 

[nomifyle]

Its been a nice day today here, sunny, mild temps. DH treated me to a birthday lunch. My cough is better, but still there, my nose looks like the red nosed raindeer. So now I'm 77, its old but on the one hand I don't feel much different, other than physical, than I did years ago.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Its been a nice day today here, sunny, mild temps. DH treated me to a birthday lunch. My cough is better, but still there, my nose looks like the red nosed raindeer. So now I'm 77, its old but on the one hand I don't feel much different, other than physical, than I did years ago.

Happy Birthday, Judy!

 

[Meemur]

Happy Birthday!

 

[kyrsyan]

Happy Birthday!

 

[philkar]

Happy bday Judy! Beautiful day here today. Planted more onions in the ground and lots of herbs in the greenhouse. Makes me hum! Forsythia and daffodils blooming!