Gloomy Saturday Sky

Back in the day when blogging was a much bigger thing, one of the blogs I followed -- I can't even remember which one -- started a thing called Saturday Sky.  She said, "We all live under the same sky," and thought it would be fun for everyone in her blog circle to photograph and post what the sky looked like where we lived.  

As the blogosphere shrank, things like that fell out of favor, and eventually I stopped doing it.  Until today.  This is what my sky looked like all day long. 

We are expecting storms, but no severe weather -- at least not down here.  My friends who live in Michigan and Wisconsin are getting hit pretty hard, but we haven't had much at all this year.  I'm seriously considering de-safefying my safe room.  

Even with the looming sky, I was able to get the last of my plants safely tucked into their beds before the rain started. 

I measured where I want to put my tomato plants, and set them there, though I didn't plant them yet.  They're still too small.  Just to be on the safe side, I covered each one with a Walmart sack.  They're saying we could get some heavy rain, and I didn't want my little seedlings to get pounded into mush.  

Once I'd set those into place, I managed to fit six basil plants in this bed, and put a marigold at the foot of where those tomatoes will eventually go once they're big enough.   I had a few basil plants left over, so I fit them into the raised bed where I'd put the others. 

Two of the smaller ones seem to have died, so I pulled them out and replaced them with these bigger ones.  I ought to have plenty of basil, but I don't know what I'm going to do with it.  I have plenty of pesto from last year still in the freezer.  I keep forgetting that I have it, which I shouldn't do because it's delicious.  

Back to the garden, I had planned on putting a pineapple sage in the other half of this bed, but now that will have to wait until next year, because I had three more cayenne peppers that needed a home.  Two of them went here. 

and the other one went here -- where my second lemon balm was meant to go.  That will also have to wait until next year. 

Oh well, it's all part of the learning process.  Maybe by next year, I'll be more organized.  Maybe next year, I'll start my own pepper seeds, too.  Anyway, everything is now planted and my little garden is done for this year. 

I'd debated on whether to give everything a good watering before I came inside, because we are supposed to get some rain this evening.  In the end, I did water because I figured with my luck, the rain would go all around me and we wouldn't get but a trace.   It's still early as I type this, but so far we haven't gotten anything but sprinkles. 

While I was out there, I noticed that sure enough, the little peppers that looked almost dead yesterday have perked right up after a night without the harsh southern sun.  

The seed packet said 6+ hours of full sun, but the way they droop in the afternoons makes me wonder.  I'm hoping that once they grow a bit more and develop a stronger root structure, they'll be better able to handle it.  

It looks like my French Tarragon is ready for its first harvest.  

I might cut some in the morning and hang it to dry.    

You know what's sad?  I'd cut and hung some herbs last year, but got so depressed after what that land scammer did, they're still hanging.  Maybe when I'm done here, I'll take them down and put them into some ziplock bags.  That way, my hangers will be ready for this year's herbs.  

OK, moving right along.  I finished piddling in the garden, then came inside and between bits of housework, I knit on my newest sailor hat while watching The Great Pottery Throwdown Christmas special on Roku Channel. 

And in piano news, I decided to go ahead and pick the Faber course back up, even though I'm still learning the last three pieces in the Alfred's course. 

I'd thought I would go back to the beginning and start over, but when I pulled the book back out, I realized I was more than halfway through.  So, I scrapped that idea pretty quickly.  I've also decided I'm not going to watch Mr. Let's Play Piano Methods videos for this book any more.  I've noticed that for the most part, all he does is change the fingering, because he doesn't like the fingering the books use.  The really funny...or sad...part is that his fingering is usually more complicated than what the book uses.  

The Faber book has QR codes you can scan and it'll take you to a video of Mr. Faber playing the piece, so you can at least know what it's supposed to sound like, so I'll just go with that.  

And finally, I'd intended to post an Eye Candy Friday yesterday, but I completely forgot so I'm posting it today.  Here you go:

Now, if you'll excuse me, I just found Lark Rise To Candleford on Roku Channel, and I need to watch it.  

Laters. 

It's Lit!

It's lit!  It's lit!  I went outside late last night -- well, late for me, but it was already dark -- and my little fairy house is lit!  

Isn't it cute?  I'm thinking maybe next year, I'll even get another one for the other side, and the little gray house my brother sent me for Christmas can go in between them.  I can't do it this year, because I didn't allow space between the zinnias for such a large house.  Well, I suppose I could move the bee pond, but I don't really want to.  

Maybe I'll go ahead and buy the other house and put it into the bed where I'd planted the bachelor's buttons.  It doesn't look like very many of those are going to grow, so there'll be plenty of room in there.  I could put the house in place, then dump the rest of the seeds throughout the bed...Hmmm....

Unfortunately, I didn't get out and get the little stone pathways put into place.  I'll try to get them down tomorrow.  Even if I don't, there's no big hurry.  I have all summer to do that. 

And of course, Oberon the Fairy King was right there watching over everything. 

On a similar note, my little pepper plants seem to be settling in right nicely.  I have noticed that they are definitely perkier first thing in the morning.  

I walked around a few moment ago and they're quite droopy.  However, I checked with my moisture meter, and they aren't dry, so I'm going to leave them alone.  One of the videos I watched says that's a common mistake new gardeners make -- assuming because the plant is a bit droopy, it's dry.  So they overwater and end up doing more harm than good.  The videos mostly say to be patient and let them develop a strong root system, and most of them will be OK in the end. 

While I was out there, I dug up my garlic and hung it to cure in my utility room. 

That may not be the best place for them, but it's the best place I have right now.  Then, I planted the little rosemary cutting I'd been rooting, and yes, it had developed some roots.  

That's all that is going to go in that bed for now.  Since rosemary doesn't seem to attract too many bugs, I don't think it will need any companion plants.  I know it looks like a lot of space between them, but from what I've read, rosemary can get quite large.  By the way, fresh rosemary makes a fine hot tea just by itself, with maybe a tiny bit of sweetener of your choice.  

I also didn't plant the other three cayenne peppers yet.  I'm thinking about putting them into my tomato beds, since they seem to make good companion plants for those.  The only thing, with the tomatoes, peppers, basil and marigolds, that bed is going to get a bit crowded.  Maybe tomorrow I can get out there and mark exactly where my tomato plants are going to be planted, then I can see where to put everything else.  

The big project for the day was to begin cutting up the last of this debris from the ice storm. 

And the first step in doing that was to put on my protective Kevlar arm sleeves and gloves.  

Don't want a repeat of last time when I tried to cut my arm off.  Alas, I did all of that prep and got to work, which is when I discovered both of my chainsaw batteries were deader'n hammers.  I brought them back inside and put them onto their respective chargers, then went back outside and just enjoyed the day for a while. 

A couple of hours charging time, a new chain on the chainsaw, and in short order I had a nice little pile of pit sized firewood where storm debris once was. 

I might go start stacking it here in a little bit, or I might watch TV for the rest of the day, and stack the wood tomorrow.  

I started a new series on Prime called Young Sherlock.  It is, as you may have guessed, about Sherlock Holmes.  I've only seen one episode so far, but it's pretty good.  They are also showing a series of Father Brown on PBS, so I have those to watch as well, and there is a new series called The Count Of Monte Cristo, also on PBS.  I've watched the first episode, and have really enjoyed it so far.  

I might go watch some more after I finish episode three of The Hollow Crown, which is Henry IV Part II, by William Shakespeare.  

Oh, and I still need to practice my piano...

I guess I'd better get to it, then. 

Talk to you later. 

Here There Be...

I'm free! Well, until Monday at least.  Yep, I took a rare spring vacation day tomorrow...no particular reason, but I still had two unscheduled days off.  Since they don't roll over, so I have to use them or lose them.  After tomorrow, I'll still have one, so I'll probably pick a random day in June or July and put it in then. 

I'm also about to max out on my ETO (Earned time off).  At the end of this month, I'll have 22 hours.  They cap those hours, so even though they do roll over, once I hit 24, I can't earn any more until I've spent some. 

Boy for someone who hates my job as much as I do, I sure have a hard time taking days off, don't I? 

You know what else?  After all of my bluster and blow, I didn't knit a single stitch yesterday.  Since I have tomorrow off and don't have to go to bed in the middle of the day, I'll be sure to rectify that tonight. 

I also went and did my weekly shopping today, so naturally my first stop was the garden center.  I'd intended to pick up three cayenne pepper plants, but the ones they had were pretty pathetic looking.  Instead, I bought a six pack which cost about the same as three individuals.  

I waited until the sun started going down before I went out and planted them in the bed. 

The three of them that fit, that is.  Plus I put two more marigolds into the bed so all of the plants will be protected -- and the bed looks more balanced this way.   I'll have to find room in some of my other beds for the rest of the cayenne plants.  I think if I pull up my onions and stagger them, I can fit them all into the same bed with my lemon balm.  I'll figure it out. 

The next thing I did was to get my zinnias all settled in to their new home in the fairy garden. 

I still need to get my fancy rocks out and make the paths and stuff, plus replace the driveway rocks in the bee pond.  By the time I got done, I was drenched in sweat, so I figured that can wait until morning, when it's cooler.   

Once I got finished, I gave everything a good watering because they took the rain out of our forecast for tonight.  Oh, we still have a chance of a scattered shower, but nothing to speak of.  They've even lowered our chance of rain for Saturday from 100% to 60%.  Thank goodness for hoses, that's all I can say. 

And here there be dragons!  As always, faithful Oberon is there to watch over it all. 

And finally, before I go watch TV and knit, I saw this in my social media feed and it absolutely cracked me up.  So much so, I had to share it with you. 

 Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a snack before I get busy knitting. 

Laters

WIP Wednesday

Well, I've got good news and bad news.  Right before the end of shift, Group Leader Shark came around and told those of us who were coming in at 4:00 to start coming in at 5:00.  The good news is that I get to sleep an hour later.  The bad news is, that's one less hour of overtime I'm getting. 

It's beginning to look like this will be one of those years when we don't get much overtime.  I know some people like that, but I need the money for all this fixing up my house needs.  It's hard enough saving up with the overtime.  I don't see how I can do it without. 

Wow, I sure didn't mean to go off on that whinge fest.  Let's talk about something more pleasant. 

I think I figured out why that one little cell of tomato seeds never germinated.  It's because one of the others ended up with six seedlings.  I must have planted one twice, and skipped the other.  Oh well, it's planted now, so maybe we'll have seedlings in a few days. 

By the way, my tomato cages arrived right on time yesterday, and I'm thinking I might try to get them in place this weekend, even though my seedlings are still too small to transplant.  But with the cages marking where they will be planted, I can see where to plant the basil and marigolds.  I know, I know, I keep on saying the same old things, but it's so hard to be patient now that the weather is finally warm enough to start gardening. 

In knitting news, since today is Wednesday, I thought I'd drag out all of my active WIPs and give you a proper WIP parade.  First up, the newest Sailor hat:  

Yarn:  Red Heart Super Saver Jumbo Stripes

Colorway:  Neon Stripe

Pattern:  Basic Beanie

Needles:  US 8 / 5 mm

Secondly, my sock yarn hat: 

Yarn:  Euphoria Knits

Colorway:  I don't know.  The label is illegible

Pattern:  Sockhead

Needles:  US 2.5 / 3 mm

Third, a scarf I keep forgetting I have.  My ex mother in law sent me this yarn a few years ago when she was de-stashing.  

Yarn:  Life DK by Stylecraft

Colorway: Teal

Pattern:  Trekking Is For Necking, from the now defunct Nipperknits blog

Needles:  US 6 / 3.75 mm

Finally, a scarf I'm knitting for the Seaman's Church Institute.  

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Yarn:  Red Heart Supersaver

Colorway:  Hunter Green

Pattern:  Seaman's scarf from the SCI website

Needles:  US 8/ 5 mm

I need to focus more on knitting and spend less time playing games on my tablet.  At least with knitting, I have something to show for it. 

But if I'm going to have something to show, I'd better get off here and get to knitting. 

Laters...

The Old Man

I'm not sure what my deal was yesterday, but I was so tired when I got home, I went to bed shortly after 6:00.  As you may have surmised, I didn't even blog.  

I was going to tell you that we had to do a survey at work yesterday.  No big deal.  We do it every couple of years, but this time, I think they must have had my clock number flagged or something, because the website kept kicking me out.  Nobody else was having this problem.  The rest of the department was done and back out on the floor, and the next group was coming in and I'm still sitting there having to re-log in every 30 seconds.  It was probably the fifth time I got the Your log in session has expired message, I just told the HR lady, "Forget it.  I'm not even going to do it.  It's not worth it when it's all going to end up in the garbage anyway."  And I got up and walked out.  

Still waiting to see if I'm going to get fired for it, but I'm wondering about the timing of it.  Imagine giving a survey to an employee you just chastised for saying something negative, then turned around and told that same employee that her department isn't a priority to the current management team.  Did you really think I was going to say that it's all sunshine and daisies out there?  

Not only that, I'd gotten halfway to work when I realized I'd forgotten the book on my kitchen cabinet. I'd briefly thought about going home to get it, then going in to town, but you know me.  Once I'm home, I'm home, so as soon as I got home, I put the book into my car right away, so that after work today, I could take it down to the square and put it back into the LFL.  

While there, I looked through what they had in there, but didn't see anything I just had to read.  

On my way home, I stopped by the Lee Tartt Nature Preserve and walked down to the deck overlooking the swamp and sat there for a while. 

Sometimes, my soul just needs to be in a swamp. 

I could have sat there all day, but alas all too soon, it was time to come home. 

I was sure to stop and pay my respects to the Old Man Of The Swamp before I left. 

He's looking a bit bedraggled, and appeared to have some damage from the ice storm -- including a tree that is now draped across his face.  I'm sure they'll spruce him up before too long.  

Oh, and before we get too far away from the topic of books, I found another one by Nathaniel Philbrick on my Kindle that I'd bought five years ago and completely forgotten that I had.  Apparently, I'd also read part of it, but since I didn't even remember I had the book, I surely didn't remember reading any of it, so I started over. 

Now, on to more boring garden stuff.  If I'd had more energy yesterday, I was going to tell you that my peppers have definitely perked up since I planted them. 

Funny story, I'd gotten my moisture meter out and was going to give the peppers a deep watering.  I watered, and watered, and watered, and the needle never moved.  I was thinking, "Boy this dirt must have really been dry."   I watered a bit more, and that's when it hit me.  My meter was set on light, not moisture.  Yep, I was tired. 

This afternoon, I went ahead and put the stakes into place so I won't disturb the roots when it comes time that they need to be staked. 

Now for a bit of sad news.  One of my basil seedlings has died, 

and two more are struggling.  I moved these two over to where they could get some shade from the harsh afternoon sun, but honestly, I don't think they're going to make it either. 

Maybe that's why I plant so many of them.  I'll still have enough to plant with my tomatoes  provided too many more of them don't die.  By the way, I finally gave up on that fourth seed cup, since I still haven't seen any signs of life.  I pulled the hydroponic sponge out and put three more seeds directly into the dirt in the bottom of the cup.   We'll see if they do anything.  

More bad news, something has found my lemon balm and is busy chomping away at it. I gave it a good dusting of diatomaceous earth and moved the marigolds nearer to it. 

If it looks like they're helping with pest control, I might plant one or two in that bed.  At this rate, I'm going to have to buy a few more flats of marigolds.  Good thing they're one of my favorite plants. 

Along with zinnias, which are recovering quite nicely from being pinched. 

Soon, it will be time to put them into the bed.  In fact, I may do that Friday, since I've taken a day off work.  I'll also harvest my garlic, because I'm pretty sure it's ready. 

I'm not really sure, because this is the first time I have ever tried growing garlic.  I'd bought some last year, and didn't use it all.  When it started growing on my kitchen cabinet, I took a chance and planted it.  I also need to cut my onions back again.  I'll probably put that into the compost, because I've got plenty in my freezer. 

And finally, just so this post isn't a complete waste of your time, a bit of humor to end the day.  

Nice try Grace.  I don't even have DirecTV, and even if I did, I'd update things through the website.    

I thought about calling her back just to mess with her a bit, but I'm not quick enough on my feet for that.  

And for the conspiracy theorists in your life:  

I guess that's it for today.  I'm going to go get me something to eat before heading for bed.

Goodnight. 

Feeling It

All that yard work I did yesterday, yeah, I'm feeling it today. Even so, I managed to get out early this morning and spread the fire ant treatment stuff.  I was supposed to water it in, but I decided to pray for rain instead. 

Before I get into all the boring garden stuff, let me show you this:  

It was such a lovely day outside, I sat in my chair and knit a bit before the bugs found me -- which didn't take long.  Then I came inside and watched TV for the rest of the day. 

Now, on to the boring garden stuff.  As I had hoped, my plants have perked up a bit, 

especially this little marigold.  

I suspect it just needed a good drink of water.  I'd been watering them, but I must have missed its cell.  To prevent such things from happening in the future, I found an old tray and put the others into it, so I can bottom water them all. 

I had watched a video on YouTube about mistakes gardeners tend to make in April, and one of the big ones is overwatering or underwatering.  They recommend deeper, less frequent watering, so what I did  was to get my moisture meter out and measure the soil a few inches down.  It was good, so I didn't water the ones already in the beds.  

On a similar note, I noticed that some of the basils I still had in the hydroponic sponges had died, so I stuck the remaining ones into my empty planter.  

I still have 14 of them that I'll need to do something with.  Some of them will go into the tomato bed, but I don't know what I'm going to do with the rest.  Any locals want some sweet basil plants?   I don't know what I was thinking planting so many.  I guess I did it because I expected most of them to die.  Now that I know more about how to start seeds, next year, I won't plant so many.  And I'll start my tomatoes earlier.  

Right now, three of the four cups have germinated something.   

I'm not going to give up on the fourth one just yet, but if it doesn't germinate by the time the others are ready to put into the beds, I'll just buy one.  Provided there are any left in the garden center.  If there aren't, maybe I'll just roll with three plants. 

I was also pleased to see that my little zinnias don't seem to be suffering any from being pinched. 

I don't know how well you can see in this photo, but some of them are already starting new branches. 

In the midst of all of that, I finished reading In The Heart Of The Sea.  It was pretty good, which makes me think the other book was an anomaly.  I might try to read some more of his works, provided some of them end up on a daily deal or something. 

And finally, if you haven't watched Mercy on Prime Video, I highly recommend it.  It's edge-of-your-seat intense, and focused on telling a story, not on cramming as many obscenities into a two hour period as possible.  In fact, it's so intense, I need to watch an episode of Great British Sewing Bee to relax my brain.

That's just what I'm going to do.  

Laters...