sb158 | September 12, 2009
Happy Birthday Nick! I know I missed your birthday, technically, but I did get this posted while it was still your birthday in MY time zone…
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sb158 | July 31, 2009
This is just a Happy Birthday to my second grandson. As of today, I now have 2 teenaged grandsons. Can’t be right; I can’t possibly be THAT old. Sigh…
In any case, Happy Birthday, Kyle. Love Ya! Hope you’re having a great day.
sb158 | July 26, 2009
it’s time. (Cue scary music) I have to update my version of Wordpress. If I disappear for a while, you’ll know why. Went fine on my local copy, so I’m hoping…
I keep a copy of my blog running on my PC at home, and always try out new stuff there before I screw with the online version. Anything can happen, and I sure don’t want to kill my blog…
Also time to be making some more monster pots. Been putting this off because it makes a giant mess I have to clean…but it’s time to start the flowers I want, so I gotta do it. The pots I made back in April or so are holding up well so far, so it’s time to try again. I need a few 14″ pots, as well as a small trough in which to plant some creeping thyme and other herbs. I’m gonna use the top of a small BBQ grill as the form for that one. Wish me luck!
Later, time for Hubby’s birthday cake.
EDIT: Well, so far so good. I’ve updated and the blog hasn’t crashed. Now I’m trying a new toy, a video player… just a little e-card for Hubby.
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sb158 | July 9, 2009
I told my daughter I’d take a pic of Hubby’s (almost) finished picnic table, so here it is, Jen:
Mouseover to see bigger pic; click the thumb to see the really big pic.
Just needs to be stained and it’ll be done. Already had a couple offers to buy it, too!
As for the garden, just been keeping up with the routine chores. It’s been hot, so watering is critical, and been cleaning aphids off my peppers every other day. Been cleaning them off everything, actually, but they seem to really like the peppers.
Got a few more cukes coming along, one will probably be ready tomorrow, the other the next day, and more shortly thereafter. I did harvest an actual ripe Heatwave tomato, too, and more are starting to ripen. The Silvery Fir Tree tomatoes are a major disappointment. The tomatoes are tiny, and split every time we get a little rain shower. Admittedly, that’s all too rare, but still…
As soon as the few tomatoes left on the plants ripen, I’m pulling them out and replacing them with another variety of bush tomato I started a few days ago. They haven’t even sprouted yet, and won’t be ready for a while, but I’m hoping they’ll do better than the others.
And now a few pics of garden progress since my last post:
The Kentucky Wonder pole beans I planted to grow up the arbor thingy are finally doing so. The french filet pole beans are not doing well at all, and the bush beans are even worse. The Contender beans bit the dust a while ago. They look like they have some sort of disease, and something still keeps eating just the leaves. KY Wonder have some disease resistance, so that may be why they are doing better. I bought some bush beans that have good disease resistance, and have them germinating in paper towels at the moment. I’ll put them out soon as they sprout. The other ones will probably end up being my post for Garden Blogger’s Death Day this month.
As if keeping up with the watering, harvesting, and debugging weren’t enough, it’s already time to be planning my fall garden. I’m supposed to have planted tomato and pepper seeds to put out come late August for my fall garden. I did start the tomato seeds, but am undecided on the peppers. Mine are just now starting to blossom and fruit, and should last until frost, if we ever actually ever get one. Unless, of course, the aphids eat them before then! If I start more, I may have to pull producing plants; if I don’t and the aphids kill them I’m SOL. What would you do?
I have to be thinking about all the cool season crops, like lettuce, parsley, potatoes, etc, and still find room for the fall hot weather crops. Gonna be a tricky juggling act, for sure. Then there are all the perennials I want to start, too…and the herbs…Oy, giving myself a headache thinking about it!
That’s about all the garden news, so here’s a personal note…
Today is my middle daughter’s birthday, so Happy Birthday, Chrissy!
My son and his girlfriend were here from the Thursday before the 4th until yesterday. He’s moving back here, as he’s applying to a local police force. My brother-in-law’s son has a relation on his wife’s side who is already a cop there, and he says they really need people. So I guess Mike will be staying until he actually gets hired, goes to the police academy, and actually starts working. Be nice having him here; he’s my “baby” and I like having him around – most of the time!
Whew! Think that’s just about enough for this post. Didn’t start out to write a novel; hope you didn’t get too bored!
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sb158 | June 16, 2009
Been home about 10 days. Spent a couple days getting readjusted to the (much) lower altitude and (MUCH) higher temps and humidity. Then I had a bunch of catch up to do in the garden. Surprisingly, I only lost a few plants, and they were the ones I half expected to expire, anyway. Then there were the ones the dog ate, but that happens…
Thoroughly enjoyed my trip. Colorado Springs is an amazingly beautiful place, and there is so much to see in the area. We went up Pike’s Peak, visited the Garden of the Gods, saw the Air Force Academy, and went to Seven Falls. Saw lots of other stuff, too. Spent a lot of time with my wonderful, adorable grandsons, which was the best part of the whole deal, apart from watching Jen graduate.
I took more than 200 pictures, which I will be posting in a gallery eventually. I took one of them and made the wallpaper below:
Click the thumbnail to see full-size and download.
Now, back to the garden. (more…)
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sb158 | May 4, 2009
Much better day today, since the guy fixed the AC first thing this morning. Good thing, too, cuz hubby bought this gadget that collects weather information. The gadget said the high today was 101. Felt that hot, for sure.
So I finished my two Monster Pots, as I mentioned. Here’s a pic of the jasmine pot: (more…)
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sb158 | April 8, 2009
I finished most of my garden bed today, despite the higher temps and humidity. Surprisingly, I didn’t hurt quite as much as I thought I would. The bath in Icy Hot must have helped. LOL.
I have only about 10 sq ft to finish, but I don’t think I have enough “mixers” to finish. (more…)
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sb158 | March 26, 2009
Been really involved in getting this blog ready for public consumption. I used Wordpress, about which I knew nothing, and I wanted to make it “gardeny.” Learned alot, mostly by trial and alot of error, but here ya go. Finally got it looking, and working, mostly like I want it. A few minor fixes, but good to go. (more…)
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