71F and 99%RH. Looks like some sun poking through.
Well then, plan for the day is yard and garden. I guess I need to figure out what I’m planting this year.
Carrots did well. Beets did well in the window boxes, maybe I’ll do a bed this time. Turnips and radishes showed some promise but I let the soil stay dry too long. I’ve got what I need to add irrigation to the window boxes this year. My dad had irrigation for his actual window boxes for flowers, I guess I can figure out some drip irrigation for my veg.
Zukes did really well in one bed, but crossed with the cukes and the result wasn’t good eating. I think I’ll just try zukes there this year.
And I’ll do some pepper plants in pots, like most years.
Maybe I’ll try a tomato or two, and just hope it doesn’t get too hot.
All subject to change and availability of course.
What’s going into you gardens?? Who’s going to try containers this year? AT LEAST get some herbs going…
n
Hmm, domestic gas explosion, or bomb making failure?
I don’t know if the area is one known for vibrant diversite’…..
“Paris apartment block EXPLODES sending huge fireball shooting across the street destroying 26 homes as firefighters battle the blazing inferno”
n
“He also said that there was ‘no gas supply into the building’, but that ‘bottles of gas or a barbeque may have caught fire on a balcony, causing the explosion.'”
Maple sap is almost done because it’s too warm at night. We will have slightly over 7 gallons of syrup when this last batch is processed. A really good year!
We plant about 8 Heritage (ugly lumpy) for sauce and freezing tomatos, determinate Defiant for eating (grows well in 12 inch pots), Sungold and another big cherry for snacks, Blueberry (dark blue cherry tomato) for kicks and flavor. Experimenting with Cherokee Purple tomatoes this year, Tomatillas, Sugar Snap and flat peas, green beans, squash, broccoli, zukes, Japanese cukes, cabbage, carrots, 3 large tubs
for potatos, experimenting with Potato Onions, and I’m sure to forget something.
We start the early planting about 2nd week of May.
I’m going to get an elevated bed for our new house to plant some herbs (thyme, basil, parsley, dill, oregano) and small tomatoes. I’ve already got rosemary and chives from the old house. I may add a lemon verbena bush in a container if I can find one.
Hmm, domestic gas explosion, or bomb making failure?
ANFO requires careful handling. The locals are probably climbing the learning curve like the IRA around Belfast in the 70s.
Propane tanks for grills, camping stoves, or home cooktops are not going to spontaneously explode without serious mishandling. The US standards for those are extremely high; the EU standards are probably beyond ridiculous.
@MNDave, dang, that sounds like a big and delicious garden!
@ech, you moved your plants? Were they in pots or did you dig them up?
n
BJ’s dime drop on Bernie is long overdue.
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/presidential/caucus/2019/04/06/bernie-sanders-says-states-should-felon-voting-rights-election-2020-iowa-caucus/3388679002/
Backyard is still under a foot of snow except next to vertical structures.
Haven’t stomped out to the green house. The fabric made it thru it’s 4th? winter shockingly. We will need to replace it this year. The question is are we clever and do it during the spring, while it is dry but chilly? Or procrastinate to end of summer while it is wet and chilly. I know my preference. Will see if the husband is in accordance and physically up to the exertion (shoulder has bedeviled him the last few weeks – I can do most of the work but at under 5’ I need assistance with the overhead work).
We typically grow tomatoes in the greenhouse, corn is sometimes attempted. Terrible yield on both because, hey, Alaska. The garden itself is usually potatoes, kohlrabi, and kale if I put up the electric wire. Because the dogs go after the kale like a fresh haunch of elk and leave none for us.
I don’t have any starts going. If I jumped on it today we could probably have something ready to go for Memorial Day however I’ll be gone for a week and that’s one more burden for husband and child to swing while I’m gone. They’ll already have hands full with three dogs, homework, housework, piano and school.
Our rhubarb is poking up thru the snow. Love seeing it wake up year after year.
We are going to raise a small batch of meat chicks this year. Means clearing the accumulated stuff from the coop and run. We gave away our laying hens fall of 2015 because LIFE. Naturally their shelter became convenient storage. Child wants to know if she can name and make pets of the meat birds. Sure say I, but they’re going on the freezer at 8 weeks. She says sure and can she eat the hearts. Good kid.
I want to do either FFA or 4H with her. We are in the middle of Anchorage so that means rabbits or chickens. Some folks do goats in town however reliably enclosing goats is difficult. They are terribly clever beasts. Shetland sheep are theoretically possible however it’s a lot of work for not much meat (dress out to 25 lbs and are voracious eaters).
Kiddo has developed an aversion to dirt and discomfort. Gotta reverse that before it’s permanent.
Earthquake – I’ve got a thing partially written. It’s mostly been a non event which makes it harder to write. The socialist response has been interesting and should probably take it in that direction.
Today – write the last four logic gates for project one of nand2tetris then kick the family out of the house so I can concentrate on how I borked my WordPress site. I haven’t even looked at it yet so not sure if I’ve got a simple fix or a ball of yarn to untangle. Keeping Rick’s kind offer in my back pocket.
Rain did not hold off, so I’m inside today.
A guy I used to work with died yesterday. It made the national news. Checking with friends, I must have worked the same gigs with him for a couple of years at least in my home town, but I can’t place him, which sucks. RIP Chris.
n
I was thinking about kids dying yesterday, and how it seems that fewer do-which is great.
I had two cousins die in accidents before I was out of high school. My (younger than me) wife did not have any. Every day in my high school we prayed for the recovery of a kid who got brain damage in an stupid accident. We had another classmate drown while drunk. A couple of kids from the neighborhood died from suicide and stupidity. This was during the roaring 80s. During hard times I’m sure it will go back up.
Like most of the folks here, I’m definitely feeling the change, where suddenly it seems like I’m going to more funerals than weddings. It’s the natural consequence of living long enough, but man, it does suck.
n
I assume the friend of yours who died was the man at Coachella, Mr. Nick.
One of the consequences of long life is losing all yur friends and loved ones. When my Mom passed in her 90’s, all she had left were two sons, and my older brother is not doing to well. At least her mind was sharp. I dread ending up a slobbering idiot lying in my own feces.
Yep, worked at the same company during the same years.
n
added- and I’ve got one good friend working at Cochella right now, who I haven’t heard back from, and possibly more than him. I’ve kinda lost track of many of my production buddies.
@nick The rosemary is in a big pot. The chives are in small planters. I will probably dig them up and reseed as they are getting puny. I moved them myself.
added- and I’ve got one good friend working at Cochella right now, who I haven’t heard back from, and possibly more than him. I’ve kinda lost track of many of my production buddies.
I get the impression that lots of the media are waiting for something bad to happen at Cochella. I have no doubt that every TV/cable outlet has big background video packages ready to roll.
I was thinking about kids dying yesterday, and how it seems that fewer do-which is great.
Helicopter parents. That is good and bad.
Over The Hedge: a smile is a frown upside down
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2019/04/07
Heh.
Coachella is a really big deal. There are a large number of Massively Wealthy and high profile attendees, as well as the acts themselves. They have a REALLY big security package (with .gov and .mil help), and the modern equivalent of a MASH unit onsite during the events. The entertainment industry is a lot bigger and more important to the US economy than most people realize.
n
We got some high wind, heavy rain, and thunder and lightning, but the worst seems to have moved thru.
Still not working outside though.
n
BJ’s dime drop on Bernie is long overdue.
Let’s not neglect Creepy Uncle Joe:
The Most Disturbing Thing about Joe Biden
Spoiler alert: It’s not his “handsiness.”
Let’s not neglect Creepy Uncle Joe:
The dimes have been dropping on Uncle Joe. BJ will continue until Plugs drops out.
In addition to being “hands on”, Biden has issues with plagiarizing his speeches.
The entertainment industry is a lot bigger and more important to the US economy than most people realize.
We were the only people from the US in our tour group going around the “Dallas” mansion last summer. There are still places in SE Asia in which the show is relatively new.
My grandson got flown to Coachella last year with a college friend with rich parents.
Considering all the high profile attendees, and the copious drug/alcohol abuse, they do a great job of providing a safe experience. Pretty $$$$$. Large groups, not my thing, and festivals are like going to work for me, so no interest.
Last time my buddy offered me a gig there was 3 years ago, and I wasn’t interested.
n
We’ve had a bit over a half inch of rain today. Pretty much what I wanted…. to water the wild flowers and knock down some of the pollen. And of course, water the trees.
I think the damn grass in the back yard has grown two inches today. Without any sun.
All of 61F today. Tomorrow is suppose to be sunny and 82F. We will see.
We ended up with just over 1/2 inch. Sun broke thru briefly and dried us some of it, but temps dropped too. It’s a chilly damp 68F atm in my yard.
Just had a pork loin roast for dinner. It was 3 pounds cut out of the bigger loin I bought for $1/pound. Some potatoes in the oven with the roast, and some steamed broccoli rounded out meal. Dinner for 2 adults and 2 kids, <$12 US. Compare to McDonalds where my wife spends $26 for her and the kids. Or $36 at Jack in the Box for me and the kids. The loin was 10 pounds. I cut it into two small roasts, and the rest as pork chops, vac sealed and froze the result. We'll get 3 or 4 main dishes out of that $10. A chest freezer and a vac sealer will pay for themselves, while letting you stock up and take advantage of sales, and you will likely eat more healthful food. n Or take the money you save and buy gubs.
Here’s a cool technology- APRS or Automatic Position Reporting System (sometimes Amateur Packet…) It uses GPS for position, ham radio to send packets to gateways, and then the internet to combine and report the data.
https://aprs.fi/#!mt=roadmap&z=10&call=&others=1&timerange=900&tail=900
That’s a map that shows the active APRS transmitters in Houston. Note all the WX dots. Those are weather stations that also use the APRS system to report their packets….if you click on the symbol you can see the data they reported. With a receiver and software, you can directly receive APRS packets from hams and plot their positions locally too. APRS also has a text messaging function.
I picked up two APRS capable radios at an estate sale and will be getting that all set up when I have the time…. and I’ll share my experience then.
n
Considering all the high profile attendees, and the copious drug/alcohol abuse, they do a great job of providing a safe experience. Pretty $$$$$. Large groups, not my thing, and festivals are like going to work for me, so no interest.
ACL is getting up there in terms of profile, but the crowd and acts still skew older. Consider the opening night last year — David Byrne and Hozier opening for Sir Paul.
Older has the money.
n
Compare to McDonalds where my wife spends $26 for her and the kids. Or $36 at Jack in the Box for me and the kids.
Vantucky, with $11/hr. WA State minimum wage and nearly 10% state/local sales taxes, ran $50+ regularly for Wendy’s for four of us. The dominant pizza chain was Papa Murphy’s since they can accept food stamps.
(One guess where Papa Murphy’s is headquartered. Bingo!)
If you want a taste of the future in the US, you can’t go wrong with a trip Clark County, WA. Now with pandemics!
I get get the 4 for $4.00 and would spend less than $20.00, with tax, for four of us. If the exchange students didn’t like it spend their own money.
Ok, the world is weirder than weird.
Hurdy Gurdy music. And a pretty
irish lassgerman lass.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyIXR3s8OtY
n
Hurdy Gurdy music. And a pretty german lass.
I’ll see your Hurdy Gurdy and raise Natalia Tena (Osha/Tonks) on accordian covering Huey Lewis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ7hfBZRk2w
Molotove Jukebox tops my list of acts to see live in the near future.
Sultans of Swing, with one of my new favorite singers…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0RV0kgdqJU
or
“Everything you hear on this track was created by one voice, one violin.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSLPH9d-jsI
or
Mean Mary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CNB5OLUPM0
I can’t believe the music on youtube. Hours have slipped by.
n
This one grew on me until now I have it in the car and sing along….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPfeOAhDfbM
n
Ricky Koole – Ik draag je wel naar huis
(Who knew Dutch could be such a sexy language?)
Gardening, hmmm, not me. We have a division of labor: my wife is the gardener, I’m the groundskeeper. So I’ll mow and leaf-blow and weed-whack and haul stuff. She’s the one who makes things grow.
She made a good discovery for a new vegetable about two years ago: kalettes. The plant creates little, leafy buds in the autumn, and that’s what you eat. Sort of like brussel sprouts, but open instead of dense. What turns out to be really nice about kalettes is that you just leave them on the plant, and you can harvest them all winter long. Having fresh, leafy green vegetables from the garden, in the middle of winter, is really nice! Fried in a pan with a bit of soy sauce and garlic – yum…
Meanwhile, the little plot of asparagus is already threatening to take over the world. It’s delicious just now, but in a month we will be heartily tired of it. We’ll freeze some, but basically stop cutting it when we can’t stand the sight of it any longer.
Peas are just sprouting. She’s going to try sweet corn again this year, but we’ve always had pollination problems in the past, so I’m not hugely optimistic. Plus all the regulars: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, salad, beans, etc… It’s taken years to get her garden establish, but it’s incredibly productive now.
That Sultans of Swing track is just wrong, despite the talent. It’s not Mark Knopfler. I did like that Ricky Koole one.
My daughter is starting some seeds for us – Japanese eggplant ant tomatoes. The garlic looks like almost all of it survived, and we’ll do the usual cucumbers and beans. I’ve got three 4 by 8 raised beds. I am avoiding stuff that takes too much room, like zuchinni.
I love Mark Knopfler and I love the Sultans of Swing original version. I love Mary’s voice in the cover though, and both of their playing is ‘good enough’. Better than good enough, in my opinion. I’m surprised how much of pop music works well in Leo’s covers. Most of it I like better than the originals. It’s well done, with a sense of humor, but not parody, and it brings a fresh appreciation to the tracks. That’s my story anyway, and I’m sticking to it.
Someone in a youtube comment said that ‘if you have 1000 fans for your music in the whole world, youtube lets you find them.’ Holy cr@p is that right on.
n
I’ll offer these from my latest trip down YouTube’s rabbit hole.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iFBXjRbVl0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clgTSuDSqWU
I’ll raise you three gals on the bagpipes!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXm8JdC4k4c
Or Tuatha Dea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R8HJYUXw4A
Besides being Pomplemoose, this video has some amazing low tech projection work. Brains and creativity over tech.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=173&v=i7X8ZnmLfM0
especially cool after 1:30
n
”
I’ll raise you three gals on the bagpipes!”
Ha! already saw that one.
Never saw the second link, the tuatha are one house of the fey, if you believe the old stories.
I do dig the steampunk, carny, traveler vibe in the costuming….
n
BTW, did you notice the predatory looks from the men in Pakistan or wherever that vid was shot? NOT happy to see her walk thru their market….
n