Best/Worse/What did I Learn Today? Come sit awhile and share your day..newcomers welcome

Good morning everyone. Glad to see you joining us Iris. I am living in Amarillo now. I moved here almost a year ago when I lost my husband. Living with my son and daughter in law. I just went through that chemical stress test, trying to figurebout my heart issues as well. My doctors have determined the problems are bad enough to warrant a pace maker or to change my meds. So we are keeping a close eye on things.
We are still dropping into the 30's at night, so we haven't even begun thinking about planting flower seeds.
Quilting keeps us busy for now.
Betty, does your milk come in bags? Here in the us it comes in plastic jugs.

Welcome Iris. Hoping they will get a handle on your health so you can garden to your heart's delight.

LK my MIL got her first pacemaker at 84. Sure did the trick as she lived until she was over 100. They replaced it once in her 90's.

Yes our milk comes in bags and cartons. I buy a 4L bag of milk - 3 individual bags. I am a milk drinker so unlike Betty I don't have to worry about it going sour. In fact I have a glass of milk beside me right now.

Zeke was neutered yesterday. I dropped him off at 8:30 am and was able to pick him up at 2. They let him come home early because they knew I was an experienced dog owner. He was pretty goofy until about 3 am when the real Zeke reappeared. He is still napping a lot but only for 20 min. He's full of P&V again so keeping him quiet for a few days will be a challenge.

If the Weather Liars are right Fri. or maybe it was Sat. will be a great day to work outside. Wonder if the black flies will be early this year. A few turtles have come up to lay their eggs but this is really early for them.

The dreaded ticks have appeared so I started the TH on their meds yesterday. The cost has really gone up. It's $88 per month per dog. Deb what do you use ?

Betty do you think the chiropractor is helping you ?

Be good to yourself today ladies.

Dianne, I don't routinely use flea and tick meds. Living in suburban Chicago, it's not an issue here. If I am sending a dog out, I will put them on Nexgard, but, I don't like giving them meds if it's not necessary.

My Luca won Best of Breed last Saturday in Ohio. He's been out with a handler for a little over a month. One more major win and he'll be a champion!

Deb, he is beautiful. Congratulations
Dianne, maybe getting him fixed will calm him down.

Deb, Luca JUST started showing didn't he?? Goodness, he is really going great!!!!

Dianne, is Zeke wearing a cone? Or do you use something else to prevent the licking and pulling stitches?"

Betty, I hope you continue to feel better.

'Welcome Iris! Nope, you won't find me planting seeds! LOL... I'll be lucky to even plant flowers this year. My sister and I just bought and moved into a house & are still in the throes of remodeling and getting her house sold, it's under contract now & mine finally closed last week.

I met with the septic tank contractor at 8AM this morning in Burbank and I have the sheetrock guy here now taping & mudding at the new house.

Inspectors come tomorrow.for the buyers in Burbank. It was a LONG day and my back is hurting. Too much loading of boxes. What really did it in was having to pull the BIG BBQ from the patio into the garage for Chris to pick up HIS stuff. I finished the conexes, emptying and sweeping them. Marie met me there after taking a load to donations in my truck. We have an enormous pile of stuff to put on Marie's son', Chris's burn pile and I loaded her van with stuff she wanted to keep or send to specific people.

Progress...

Welcome Iris. I'm not planting yet, not in cold Western Canada lol We're still getting LOTS of dry fluffy snow. Wish it were wet, for the farmers. I like in a rural community, but was raised a city girl. As Betty said, a lot of us have known each other for close to 2 decades, but also have some relatively new people, so you're part of our "happy mix" now :)
I'm in the thick of AGM season (Annual General Meeting) and am doing some memorial lap quilts (5, of which 3 are almost done). I am looking forward to growing season though - getting a greenhouse built for me (Hurray!!).
My volunteer jobs are dwindling down, thank goodness. Secretary & Treasure & Casino Chair have all been taken over by 3 ladies, so I'm not on the Executive anymore lol I think Joan was thinking she was going to upset me when she said to me that I was no longer on the Executive - NOPE lol I'm thrilled!!!
On Monday I'm going out for lunch with a friend, to celebrate my 70th birthday. I'm thrilled to have someone want to make my day nice by asking me out for lunch.
Tomorrow we're catering for 125 people at a funeral. Sandwiches, baking, cheese & pickles. I have some more squares to bake tonight, so I'd best get at it.

Iris, so hoping your health picks up to allow you to be able to do some gardening that you enjoy doing.gardening sure takes a lot of. Energy. i am into starting seeds, need to buy more starter soil today as I’ve 5 or 6 needing to be started, trying to start fillers for flower container gardening…
My friend Ann up the highway sells seedlings at a reasonable price early spring so ordered about 50. Church communities also have sales, great place. To get starter shrubs as well. Sharon in Vegas does seedlings and,propogation with much success, she may have suggestion.

Pat, m praying for the day when. You wake and say what would I enjoy doing. The room being added in garage is for long arm right? How is Marie doing rhesem past weeks with all these changes, starting to relax?

Deb, he will soon become champion, will he remain with handler til then or will be soon be home.he is sooo regal looking.

Dianne, does it take about a week to get over this procedure? Bet Zeke is enjoying the extra spoiling. Think next 2-3 days will be in 50’s, did you get all your wood cut up
will have to do looking for a recipe for ticks i had kept for you…your region seems to have it worse.

Lindakay, how are the quilt throws coming along? is your DIL still joying swing as much? Will you give them as you finish them or wait for them all to finished.

My chiropractor visits seem to be helping but this past week my hop is very bad, i go at 8:30 this morning, I’ll ask what he says about it., hurts enough i am using chair lift.

Susan,how did the funeral luncheon go?
Going to try and sleep, maybe another pain killer first

Beautiful sunny day, wind is up or I’d be outside burning.

Having lunch, Lordy my tastebuds are off..eating a few mouthfuls here and there, see how that does.

Chiropractor used a zap machine this morning as i can barely walk, he is hoping that helps. Told me that often as the spine realigns it throws something else out of what so we will deal with that.

Bought a pair of rubber boots, old ones had holes, i must be thinking spring as I need rubber boots to clean the pond lol. Almost swamp time. Did look at the pond and still has a good cover of ice, can’t wait to hear it run.

Checked for what I need for the kids Sunday project, glad i did as all the brad nails I have are either 1” or 2”, I need 1 1/2 so need a trip to Home Depot.

Drats, there was a defect 8n the wood, an ear broke when I was doing scroll saw, gluing it so I just might have to make it for me although I do NOT need more Easter decor.

Ziggy is on back of couch, can hear he purr, sun beams warming him up so I think I might nap as well, Ari comes at 3:30 so that would give me 2 hrs. She is excited to do the hair on Raggedy Ann and Andy, any of you ever do it?

Betty, I have RA & RA hair 2 different ways. ONE, I put yarn over a wide ruler and wound it and then sewed down the middle as I slipped it off the ruler. TWO: I had stitched it loop by loop. LONG loop, then tiny loop to secure, long loop etc.

Marie can be a bit of rebel, if she wants the shed & thinks it's worth the risk of removing it later, then I guess she will buy the kit. I know I can't stop her & it's her money.

The house will likely close in 45 days, maybe less.

Marie's taking her dog Jenny to the groomer and then running all the deliveries: DONATIONS again & then 3 different friends & family. I am home running all the laundry from stuff out of conex so we can donate fresh smelling blankets etc. I am tearing down boxes & moving junk. We have an appointment with cabinet guy to get estimate to put our sewing cabinets in place.

Saturday Knights of Columbus. will go out to Burbank and collect the electric wheelchair, the tear-down scooter & manual wheelchairs & walkers etc. KoC is a Catholic charity that loans out medical equipment. We are donating stuff we bought and no longer have a use for. Hopefully Chris will take HIS stuff home.

Marie's son Matt called and asked to come this weekend to "talk". This ought to be interesting. We don't have a bed for him & we need to get the painting done in the longarm room by Monday to be ready for the next step in there! She asked him to come a different time & he rejected that idea. She told him, bring your painting clothes then. (He won't show up until the work is done). The only question on my mind is HOW MUCH MONEY he wants to borrow or whether he thinks it ought to be a "gift". He makes BIG bucks but works in a volatile business & is frequently laid off & looking for work again, he makes BAD choices financially and has not learned from prior situations. We'll see how this goes! . . .

Iris G wrote:
Yay! Finally started sowing my seeds. Betty, your seedlings look very happy. Good going!

Deb, congratulations! What a lovely dog. Afghan hound? I bet he's really smart too.

I made a Raggedy Anna (Hispanic Raggedy Ann with tan face/hands & brown yarn for hair) for my Hispanic little sister, when I was 8 and she was 3.5. I made a wig of hair braids from the brown yarn, then stitched the wig onto the doll's head with a matching shade of brown thread.

Thank you all, for the well wishes. Much appreciated 😃

Feeling a bit better after my hospital visit. Sometimes, a stress test can unblock minor coronary artery obstruction/s. Hopefully this is what happened, but won't know for sure until my 3D scan images are all analyzed by the medical pros.

Am ok enough for light to moderate activity, so I got outside this afternoon, cleared weeds, dead leaves, cobwebs and pine needles out of pots, put planting medium in the pots, then sowed the following:

Beets (growing for greens, not for roots)
Snow peas
Spinach
Swiss Chard
2 types of lettuce (one dwarf heading, one leaf lettuce)
Broccoli, sprouting type (being grown as a salad green, not for heads)

This message was edited Mar 7, 2024 7:55 PM

Another thing I am happy about accomplishing today is being able to help ID a blue Walking Iris plant photo that a DG'er from FL posted to the Ask-A Dave's Gardener Forum.

See thread here, if interested:
https://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1564530/

This message was edited Mar 7, 2024 8:45 PM

Afternoon, 48f but feels much colder because of the wind.

Dianne do you have a weather watch re torrential rain for tonight and tomorrow, you know me, have to worry about sump pump.a

Iris , the walking Iris is beautiful, bet they were pleased you could help identify.

Pat, am sure any organization would be blessed with such equipment, not everyone can afford.

Hmmm, first thing i thought of when Marie’s son said he wanted to talk was make sure all is in order should one of you pass on, don’t want snags when it comes time.

The hair is turning out lovely, hopefully we will have enough red wool to do both.
Ari is pleased so far.

My eyes are sooo heavy, can’t keep them open so guess i will nap..v should eat first though as tummy is burning but sleep it is

Iris! Good for you! I sure could not have ID'd that plant. And I don't know ANY of the Latin name or genus etc.

Betty, can't wait to see pics of your Raggedy Ann & Andys! I loved making them YEARS ago.

WELL... a few months back Matt announced that he didn't think his mother was supportive enough and favored other in-laws over his wife etc and basically told her to not contact him again! BROKE her heart. I wish I thought he was coming to apologize to his mother and mend fences but I don't think so.

GOODNESS, we ran errands and shopped like crazy people. We got a lot done, met with contractor about putting the cabinets in the sewing room, picked out Formica materials for the counter tops in sewing room and LOTS of other work. VERY productive day.

Raining today! Can’t remember a mid March we have no snow but they say next week 3 days of it but getting closer to garden time.

Big sigh Pat,I highly doubt Matt will be there to reconcile, more so that he knows his mom has $$$ now and finds it in his best interest to mend fences.. With Marie feeling so bad about this is she likely to crave in and give him some? My family has always
been if one get $$ the rest get same, her excuse to say she can’t afford that much at this time. Sounds like Matt is sneaky or his wife is and put him up to it.

You certainly have accomplished much, do you see a far off light at end of the tunnel.


Couldn’t sleep so got up at 4:30am, the boys come at 9 til 11 then the day is mine, well not really mine, as i have to set up for the bunny classes tomorrow. Melanie called me and asked if she and 6 girls could come Thursday night and do the bunny so guess one more visit to Home Depot.

Called hummingbird sewing Center in Barrie yesterday, don’t have the mother board yet, watch them say they can’t get it and it’s scrap. Grrr

Ari will start making clothes for them this week.




Hope you all have a fun day planned and weather is spectacular.

I guess DG is still messed up. I have been checking in daily, didn't see any new post. Now all of a sudden I have missed 3 days.
Pat, you have been very busy. Don't know where you get your energy.
Betty, you are busy too.
Where did you get the raggedy dolls from? They are so cute. Can't wait to see the bunnies.
Iris, glad to here you are a bit better. Don't over do it.
I got my sewing machine back from the repair place. But very disappointed. It still sounds like something inside is loose and it's so noisy.
He told me he couldn't do anything to the longarm machines, because they didn't have feed dogs. They aren't supposed to have them.
Guess I will have to try a different place.


This message was edited Mar 9, 2024 2:09 PM

Pollen, pollen, & more Pollen! LOL

Have been taking things easy today, both for heart recovery and because I'm moderately allergic to tree pollen. This time of year, tree pollen counts in the thousands are typical. So, my strategy is to stay indoors away from the pollen until about 1 hr before sunset. Pollen count is a bit lower then.

Pollen count is also near its lowest around dawn, but going into the garden around dawn is not an option for me currently, because my doctor wants me to get 9 hrs of sleep each night, and I am an evening/night shift worker so I cannot go to sleep any earlier.

Sowed thyme seeds & Basil seeds yesterday evening, in outdoor patio pots. Labeled the pots by placing the empty used seed envelope on a stick, and placing the stick in the pot soil. Simple. :)

Later this evening, I plan to make sure all my germination pots are kept moist enough, and might sow some more seeds if I have enough energy.

Pics of my herb growing experiment (herb seeds sown in garden compost, rather than storebought mix):

How disappointig LInda, THAT repair shop is definitely not one you will be using again!
Iris, simple and effective labeling, good for you!
I hope you have all the energy you need to get your class done Betty! Can't wait to see your bunnies, Your Raggedy Ann & Andy are sure cute.
Matt actually came and he is out there painting the ceiling.... he & Marie are talking while he paints. I am staying IN the house and working on our disaster. We brought home 2 bookcases, I shoved into the garage and one "gorilla rack", it's a heavy duty shelving unit that is 24 deep, 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide. The rack is temporarily set up in Marie's bedroom to clear up floor space and get ready for her new bed that comes Monday. We have to have the longarm room painted and ready for the contractors Tuesday.

Never a dull moment for you Pat. I know you are looking forward to getting it done and relaxing.
It cost me $169.00 for them to do nothing. When I try to sew, it sounds like it's falling apart. It's very loudly clunking something.

A quick hello, rained last night, was up at 5 and saw puddles, then next time i looked the ground had a dusting of snow, 38f is our height

Best place to be it Pat is in the house while they have their talk, am sure it’s all about oh poor me, things are hard, need some $$.shaking my head, don’t know if a man who could keep up with you.

Grrr Lindakay,that is a lot of $$$ charged to get the machine back in same condition. I do know though some of the older l9ng arms sound very tinney, i find my husqvarna’s to me are same..wouldn’t buy another.

Iris, good luck on the seeds, $4 for $1.00 wow
Out packages are between $2.50-5.00

Ohh kids are here

It literally rained all day and into the evening yesterday so no walk. The TH are antsy today but if we do walk it will be a short one. They have lots of things to occupy them here inside.

I haven't been out the lane since Wed. but will go out tomorrow.

Looking forward to seeing your new projects Betty. Are all of the kids into the projects ? Hard to wrangle those who aren't while you work with the others.

Deb you must be very proud of Luca and his handler. He is gorgeous!!

Pat you and Marie are going like gangbusters. Zeke didn't have to wear a cone when he was neutered. I have my own cone that is a flex one if he needed one. To be quite honest I was surprised he didn't bother the site but the stitches were buried. He is all ready to rock and roll.

The last load of wood that was dropped was wet. Grrr! I'll split some for a couple of hours tomorrow as that helps it dry faster. I just need the sun to shine. I've got a dandy bruise with some scratches on my right hand. I was not wearing gloves when I was trying to pry 2 pieces of wood apart that didn't split completely. It was a cold day and as I was prying them apart they split suddenly and my hand whacked back into the metal splitter. Some blue words may have possibly slipped through my lips.

Has anyone heard from Judy or |Liz?

This time change is going to send the TH and myself for a loop for a few days. When I was a kid there was always a chuckle at church as people showed up at the wrong time.

Stay safe and well.

Susan what do you have planned for the week ?

yesterday was our Wellness AGM - I'm no longer the Secretary, Treasurer, but still have to get the computer they own (and I've been using for Quickbooks) ready to pass over. I just found out on Tues that they HAVE a new Treasurer. I'm still the librarian, but no longer on the Exec Board (hurray!!!)
Tomorrow's my birthday, and I'll bake a chocolate cake to take to Coffeetime. For lunch I'm going into town with a friend. My milestone 70th b-day. They sang Happy Birthday to me in church.
As this is the 2nd Tues, they usually do a birthday cake at Wellness for anyone who has a birthday that month. Wed afternoon we'll be having Crib start up again at Silver Willow. Mon to Friday am is Coffeetime, and Friday evening is Games Night.
In other words, things as usual.

Marie said the "talk" went well and if he does not get this newest job, he IS asking for a loan. She felt it was a good talk and things are going much better. Not for me to decide.

Matt got primer on everything IN the longarm room on Saturday and I have MOST of the paint on now. I still have more to finish tonight, mine extension rod was not working and I had to have Marie get me a new one. .

Tomorrow I would like to prime & paint the new garage side wall so I can start moving stuff in the garage.

We met with the realtor and went over the list from the inspection & decided what part Marie was willing to have done. It was reasonable. I was just too tired to wrestle with another gorilla rack and bring it home tonight.

Betty, that was the price for my janome machine. I was told he looked at the longarm, and since it didn't have feed dogs in place, he couldn't fix it. Long arm machines don't have feed dogs. So I brought them home. He didn't charge me for that.

Happy birthday Susan. Enjoy your special day.

Waving as i leave for chiropractor, but before i leave want to wish Susan. Very happy birthday, sounds like a fun day!

Be back in a bit

Happy Birthday Susan !!

Lindakay, likely you will have to find someone who specialized in long arms and better still their brand. When i called hummingbird Saturday i got the feeling getting main frame circuit might b problem, hope not. How are you making out with your donation quilts?

Pat, my biggest problem would be keeping my yapped closed reliving Matt $$$. I’d be suggesting he work for $$ helping you both getting everything done. Are you closer to Matt’s? Yep, couldn’t do it especially after disowning Marie, ‘if his job doesn’t pan out” I’d be thinking he knows it’s a no go. Enough of my preaching..i just can’t wait to see how you will fill in your days once all this work has been completed.

Dianne, last i heard from Liz is she changed jobs and was liking it.
Hope you get sunshine days so TH can work off their energy and you can get more wood done, that being said the sun is out here but wind is strong and cold.
Is the ice left shoreline yet?

Off to soak my hand ps in water, lost feeling in them, not sure why.

Young Peighton comes at 10-noon, had kids changed to mornings seeing March break this week.june just called and asked if I could help her with her sweatshirt hoodie project, said yes but I so could enjoy a nap

We have 19 of the 24 quilt tops done. We are in the process of cutting batting and backings to get them ready to go on the longarm. I will post photos as the get finished.

Betty, did your hands go numb after your chiropractor visit this morning?

Sunny day here but the wind is wicked. I worked about an hour on the wood but it was so cold with the wind whipping off the lake I came inside.

Forgot it was March Break. I have to go into Kingston tomorrow so will go early before moms and kids start to gather at WM and the mall.

Betty do you get the shingles shot? I got it last year but this year the GP is not having a day for shingles and flu shots that I know of......

It's pretty dark here in the early am since the time change. I like to walk very early most days but would need a high powered flashlight right now. I try to have 1 walk a day all by myself much to the TH's chagrin.

LK I forgot - after that insulting house offer you got was there another one? A couple tried much the same thing a couple of days after Warren died. They pulled up and jumped out of their truck but Stormy wasn't having any truck with that. The guy said "since your husband died I guess you are going to sell" I told them to get back in their truck and go as they were trespassing on a private lane. I was steamed.

Pat what are you and Marie up to today? I'm with Betty on the Mike situation.

I fried up a hamburg to go with the TH's kibble. It smelled great so | had a taste. It was as good as it smelled. Maybe a little later I will fry 1 up for myself.

Need to but the wash in the dryer.

Thank you for the birthday wishes!
The day started out well. My daughter Michelle, in Winnipeg, texted me, asked if I was available to for a call, and told me that she sent me an email. She called as I opened the e-card & read the message. I got all choked up & cried. They are sending me a plane ticket to visit her & Lonnie in Winnipeg! Just have to figure out the best time for both of us. I'm SO happy. I haven't seen any of my family since my mom's Celebration of Life, Jan 2018! Michelle had applied for a job that's a Hybrid one - 2 days in the office & 3 at home. If she gets the job (and it seems likely, from their response) then she'll ask for time off during my visit. I'm thinking likely April for me, and she says when the job is settled that we will solidify the visit. Gosh, I'm excited!!!!
After coffeetime this morning, I was taken out for lunch at Smitty's by a friend. We had a good time. The restaurant, knowing it was my birthday, gave me a hot fudge brownie with ice cream & whipping cream. This, after Eggs Benedict! Wow, I needed a wheelbarrow to take me to the car LMAO But it was SO good lol

Happy birthday Susan! :)
I hope you have a lovely, fun day.

Checking in: My health continues to improve. Thank God for that!

Been busy trying to clear weeds from my garden and sow seeds, before it's "later than recommended," according to my local Agricultural Extension service sowing dates and my Farmer's Almanac recommended sowing dates. Running behind on Spring tasks, but having fun playing catch-up as best I can without overexerting myself. :}

Already seeing a few microgreens/ salad greens sprouting up in a few of my pots! About 5-10% germination, a mere 3-4 days after sowing. YAY. :)
I think the bright, fresh (55-75F) weather we've been having is the cause of this unexpectedly quick result.

The 4 for $1 seed packets are here only for a very brief time. About 1-2 days, at my local Dollar Tree store. They appear in the store at planting time. Typically about a month before my average last frost date: early to mid February. These bargain seed envelopes always sell out super fast (understandably!) If I did not live 2 blocks from my Dollar Tree, I might not ever see them available for sale.

Each envelope contains a rather small amount of seed, typically just enough to sow 1 ten foot row, or a few pots, which is part of how this seed company manages to keep the cost so low.

Experts have also told me these seeds are clearance priced due to being older, so they are no good for holding onto. Only useful for immediate sowing. Wisdom has it that if you try to save budget seeds from this company longer than 6 months, they are likely to become nonviable & useless by the end of the holding period.

Personally, I have never tried to hang onto this brand of seeds longer than 6 months, so I can neither verify nor dispute the above theory about seed age.

Sown yesterday 3/10: Impatiens and Alyssum, in the same 12" pot. Firmed soil
down thoroughly as instructed, both before & after sowing.

" " " : Red Shiso (edible Asian herb that resembles Coleus)
Sown in 12" hanging basket.
" " " Ornamental Cabbage seeds. Sown in same pot as Freesia.
" " " Genovese Basil seeds. Sown in same pot as Thai Basil
cutting, just in case the cutting fails to thrive.

Transplanted 3/11: 1 small Freesia, grown from seed. Moved from 12" hanging
basket into center of 1 gallon pot.

" " 3 Mexican petunias, dwarf purple. Moved from 14" pot into a large tree planter, at the base of the tree.

" " : Thai basil, rooted fresh herb cutting from grocery store (HEB),
Moved from plastic cup on indoor windowsill to 1 gal patio pot.

Thanks everyone, for your support!
Iris

Dianne, there haven't been any new offers yet. Hopefully soon.
How is your hand from the wood splitting?
Susan, you must be so excited about your trip.

Dianne= kidneyguy?
Healing prayers going to the gardener with an injured hand.

Yes, kidneyguy is Dianne. She lives in Canada.
Betty, I just talked to Judy. Her cousin Joyce passed away this morning.
Judy and Steve are busy packing up Her home in Illinois, to move north. Steve says 21 days left till the move.

Lovely sunny day. A bit nippy as the breeze is off of the lake.
tomorrow.

Will start back working on the wood. I'll probably get this finished just as Shamus is ready to drop off another cord. My hand looks better and most importantly is not painful when I use it.

LK how is your weather? Did you get much of that wicked weather?

Those wild fires worry me. Years ago there was a wild fire in eastern Ontario but it is weird as the fire travelled underground several miles to flare up in my area. I am super cautious with the ashes when I put them out. My system was skewed this year as we didn't get much snow. In the past I would dump the ashes where Dave would plow so they would be covered with snow. I managed to work around that.
I'll still have to have pancake fires to help take the dampness out of the air.

Oh Susan that is an amazing gift from your DD and DSIL.

Betty are you getting this sunny weather too? Is it today or tomorrow you go to the chiropracter?

Susan, happy to hear about your fabulous gift from your family! :)

Dianne, glad your hand is feeling better.

Linda, my condolences to Judy.

Weather here: low 70s, winds 10mph, (carrying LOADS of tree pollen)!
Overcast yet bright, AKA 'partly cloudy'.

Quite a few sprouts popping up in my Microgreens and Salad Greens pots. They are still too small to ID, so no photo yet. Perhaps tomorrow.

Sowed mixed 2023 Nasturtium seeds (Livingston brand/ACE hardware) in several of my pots, 3-4 seeds per pot. Especially in the pots of edibles (salad greens, herbs, snow peas). Nasturtium plants are supposed to help repel bunnies & other rodents.

Bunnies etc and other wildlife can be garden pests where I live; we are rural- near wildlife habitat. My landlady does not allow dogs nor other pets. A pet terrier did a great job of keeping rodents out of my garden, back when I was a homeowner- but having a dog is not currently an option for me.

I plan to sow some Romaine lettuce and Arugula seeds tomorrow or Thursday, after I clear a space for them in the cottage garden. Out of room in my pots for sowing!

My mom in law wants me to plant tomato plants this year, but honestly, I doubt I will bother. They are a huge amount of work, compared to herbs and wildflowers. Digging in soil amendments, frequent watering, etc... As we have both a partly shady yard AND a shortage of bees/pollinators in this area, tomatoes seldom provide a good crop, even after I have done everything correctly. Very poor return on investment. I'd much rather have assorted lovely flowers and tasty or useful/medicinal herbs, and these plants are also better for our pollinators than tomatoes.

Just out of curiosity: Any of you folks ever get a decent crop of tomatoes grown in 60% shade? If so, what tomato variety/varieties did well for you in the shade? I read someplace that certain cherry tomato varieties can do well in shade, but would like feedback from other gardeners.

Thanks,
Iris

Iris, you have been a busy gardener!

Susan, your gift is an AMAZING Bday gift! WOW!!

Linda, continuing prayers for a good offer soon on your home. 19 tops done! YOU ROCK!

Dianne, sorry to hear about your green/wet wood. Dry wood is sooo much more fun to split!

I had a dental appointment to address a broken tooth this morning. Before leaving I had to prepare the longarm room for the contractors. I finished painting the trim (to have ready for installation) and took out all my ladders and cardboard (used as drop cloth). realistically I figure it will be AT LEAST 6 months and likely longer before we finish up the remodeling projects.

Marie hired grandson Brandon, he is out there painting the garage side of the new wall. ONE less job for me. All the electrical is now done, outlets & lighting.
Matt lives 4 hours away, and he thinks he will be offered the job he wants.... we'll see. I know it's hard to sit back and watch the whole situation but it's her money & her son. She will do what she thinks is best and I know IF she does loan any money it will come with some conditions AND counseling about future actions.

Dropping in with a quick ‘hi’
Guess Sunday did me in, been on couch sleeping past 2 days.

Although i didn’t go outside today Dianne, Marie and June dropped in and said it was a gorgeous day, so much so that Greg who you know is an avid snowmobiler broke down, out his machine away and came over for a visit riding his spider, unheard of mid March. Hoping tomorrow I’ll be up to picking tree limbs, wind still too strong to burn.

Iris, goodness you are well ahead of the game, you will have salad fixings for the entire summer. As for tomatoes I planted different kinds and did not get a tomato due to the shade they were in, this year I will purchase a few container plants, they are very expensive but I love tomato sandwiches. Good luck trying some.

Pat, knowing you it won’t take that long to get those projects done, yuck hate dentists. Did you know we now have a dental plan to go along with our health plan? If your household income is less than $90k it’s free, then depending on 8n come over $90k you pay a small portion. I don’t have my package as yet from SunLife insurance to see if it covers plates, hope so as I need new dentures.

Susan, how wonderful to receive such a birthday gift, after all you’ve been through it will do you good to spend time with living family.

Dianne,worry about you chopping that wood and being alone, do you carry your cel with you just incase?do you usually get wood at this time of year? I worry when I burn in my fire pit as well, with bushland behind me and so many roots underground you never know. It’s early but I will turn water hose on to drench around the pit if i burn. Greg was saying there isn’t even any frost in the ground this year, great for me re sump pump.

Oh Lordy Lindakay, you have been busy, that is quite an achievement, project will go quickly once on the frame. The move Steve is talking about is that Joyce’s place on the reservation? Steve and Judy take so much on.

Sharon, are you getting nice weather, imagine your gardens are ready to be showcase of your neighbourhood.

Sorry if I’ve missed someone, tummy is burning, maybe hot tread will help

Afternoon, high of 52F° this afternoon
Went to chiropractor for 7:30am, pick up a plank and cut 3 bunnies, 3 more to go..not sure if I mentioned, a lady who usually brings her kids to my workshops called and asked if I had 4-5 kits I could sell her, didnt but I picked wood up this morning, by tonight she can get her kits.

Couldn’t resist going outside, so overwhelming the amount of work that needs done, i burnt a pit full of scrap wood and limbs, cut down some dead flowers branches and 2 whelk barrels of leaves raked up.

Now with Dr. Ho on the couch for the afternoon, hoping it eases the pain, yep I know, NOT something I should be doing but has to be done.

Another day like today I will empty the pond so on nice days the leaves can dry.

Hope your day is going well.