Back in the day, when blogging used to be much more widespread, Eye Candy Friday was a big thing. I really enjoyed seeing the photos different bloggers posted of things that were pleasant to look at. It's kind of fallen by the wayside, though. Only one of the blogs I follow still does it.
I'm a might tuckered today, and don't really have much to share with you, so I thought I'd do an Eye Candy Friday this week. Here, for your viewing pleasure is my bluebonnet bed.
Like I said earlier, there's not much to report. I finally got all of the red clay out of my raised bed,
but once I got done with that, I was too tired to start filling it up or even to put together the other bed. Those will be my projects for tomorrow, along with getting the hummingbird feeders filled and put out. I think when I put the second bed together, now that I know how thick that layer of clay is, I'll skip the stirrup hoe and start with the shovel.
I tried to sit in my chair for a little while, but the mosquitoes found me pretty quickly, so I came inside and took a shower. Then I sat down and watched Sidekicks in memory of Chuck Norris.
By the way, I received confirmation today that Inspector Gadget will be in the assembly area for the foreseeable future. One of the supervisors back there is leaving and IG will take his place. Sucks for them.
Today was such a gorgeously beautiful day, I couldn't stay inside. It was absolutely perfect for getting outside and piddling in the garden, and that's just what I did.
First thing I did was to check on my little zinnias, and they're doing fine.
There is one cell that didn't seem to have anything germinating, so I planted a few more seeds in it. I'm not sure if the ones I planted didn't grow, or if I somehow overlooked that one. Either is possible, I suppose.
Then I got a wild hair and decided to start hardening my little basil seedlings. My reasoning is that we're experiencing a warmer than normal spring, and they'll do better outside in the sun anyway. If we have a late frost, I can still bring them inside for the night and put them under the grow light until it warms back up.
While I was outside enjoying the day, I said to myself, "Self, those little basil plants are going to need a place to live. Might as well get those other beds put together." I got one done today, and will probably do the other one tomorrow. Now that I've got the hang of it, the next one ought to go much faster.
It wasn't that hard to put together, but it was a bit annoying because there weren't any screw holes pre-drilled. And I couldn't find my rubber hammer. I finally did, but that part took longer than putting the thing together. The kneeling bench my sister gave me for Christmas really came in handy, as well. It made it so much easier than squatting.
The 4 x 4 beds are made of resin and came pre-colored. If I had have remembered that they beds were this dark, I might have painted my other beds the same color. On the other hand, that might just make that whole corner too dark. Nah, I'll leave them as they are.
I think I'll leave this bed right where it sits. There is plenty of space on this side for me to get between the beds and work,
as well as on this side.
Then I got another wild hair and decided to dig out all of the red clay and get back down to regular dirt. My reasoning for that was if the plant needed to grow deep roots, that clay might be an issue. So I got my stirrup hoe and scraped and scraped and scraped and scraped. And I got my dirt rake and raked and raked and raked and raked and I was asking myself, "Just how much red clay did that land scammer dump here?"
I would have kept going, but I was already getting sore, and I had to caution myself not to over do it, so I stopped. Before I came inside, I got my shovel and dug straight down to see how much further I had to go, and it's not that far. Only about an inch more.
I'll take care of that tomorrow evening, then I can start filling the bed.
The last thing I did before coming inside and taking a shower was to mark approximately where the rest of my beds will go.
That way, when I do get the dirt guy out here, I can show him where to stop clearing, and this time, I will point the flags out to him. I guess I just assumed the land scammer would know, hey those flags must mean something, and avoid them, but no. He plowed them down like they weren't even there.
I would have loved to sit outside and enjoy the day for a while, but alas, I have to get up way too early in the morning. Yes, we're back to going in at 4:00 AM. I wish they'd just pick a time and stick with it.
With that, I will bid you good night. I'm going to bed.
They are so much bigger this morning, so as soon as I got home from work, I moved them to the bed where they will live the remainder of their lives. I'll probably bring them back inside at least for tonight. They're saying we could get down into the upper 30s and better safe than sorry. Sometime tomorrow, I'll put them back outside for good. Or until we have another frost, at least.
On a similar note, I gave the basil their first thinning this afternoon. As you can see, some of the cells have quite a few seedlings in them.
It would appear, I spilled the seeds into some -- or else I forgot I'd already put some into them and added more. Whatever the reason, I chose the strongest two in each sponge and removed the rest.
In another week or two, I'll thin them down to one. I reckon I ought to get their outdoor bed put together and filled, too, or they won't have anywhere to live once they outgrow the starter tray. I was going to plant them as companion plants to my tomatoes to try to keep the deer away, along with marigolds to keep the nematodes away -- or whatever it is marigolds keep away. Then I'll have to find some way to keep the slugs away from the marigolds...It never ends, does it?
By the way, it didn't get out of the 40s today, so I built a little fire in the wood box this evening. I guess I was more traumatized by the ice storm than I thought, because I kept having flashbacks to sitting on that couch in the dark, by myself. Of course, now that I have a generator, I'll be able to keep my phone charged and will at least be able to watch TV. Provided the cell towers don't go down or anything...
OK, let's move along to something less maudlin. Look, I found protein coffee!
Nah, it's just coffee flavored protein shake, but it does have caffeine in it. I was kinda bummed when I read that, because I won't be able to drink it in the evenings. But then, now that it's starting to warm up a little, I can take it to work and drink it in the morning. It tastes pretty good, too. It doesn't have that slightly sour whey taste like the chocolate does.
And finally, it being St. Patrick's Day, I couldn't let it pass without an ode to my Irish heritage. Well, slightly Irish...but it's there.
In the midst of all that went on last night, I decided I just couldn't stand it any more. Yes, I'm talking about that scarf. I wasn't enjoying knitting it, and needed something that I could relax doing, so I cast on another hat.
Yarn: Mainstays
Colorway: Blue Blend
Pattern: Basic Beanie
Needles: US 8 / 5 mm
I am going to finish that scarf eventually, but I think if I do another one, I'll choose a much more fun yarn to knit with. Maybe that Neon Stripe yarn I like so much. I think it would made a really sporty scarf.
And when I say all that went on, of course I'm talking about the weather. I do love me some Ryan Hall, but when I'm in the path of the storm, I want the local guy in my ear.
Ryan is trying to cover the whole storm system, but Matt, Caleb, and Gabe cover what is important to us. It's ...when you hear him talking about "This is headed toward my house" or "My cushions just flew off the porch," or "I've driven this road many times," and you see your own little community on his timing list...that's what you need when it's coming your way.
All that to say, we came through the storms all right. A lot of the storm chasers were saying it was a bust, but all of the local meteorologists had said that the most dangerous part would be the damaging straight line winds, not tornadoes. Again why you need the local guys.
I didn't even get any damage other than twigs and small branches down. The south end of town got it a bit worse, with a lot of power outages, and some even lost water. I had my lights flicker a couple of times, but they never went out.
Now, tonight it gets cold. I went ahead and moved my basil back onto the heat mat just in case it got a bit chilly in the house.
They're having to share with the zinnias for the time being, but once the temps warm up, those zinnias will go outside. I'll only bring them in if there's another frost in the forecast. By the way, they're predicting nearly 90 by next Sunday. That's springtime in the south for you.
I don't know if you noticed in the photo above, but do you see what I see? You may have to zoom in a bit. OK, a lot...
OK, I'll help you out. In one of the little cells -- far left, second from bottom -- sprouts! I know they're hard to see, but trust me they're there.
Well, I was up pretty late last night -- the last of the storm didn't pass until sometime after 10:00 PM-- and yes, that is late when you get up at 3:30 AM, I'm going to head for bed a bit early. Before I go, here are some more bluebonnet photos.
Once they're all opened up, I'm going to have me a nice little bed out front.
I hope they re-seed themselves and I get a stand going.
I've done as much storm prep as I can. I've taken down the flag, brought the outside plants back inside,
even MartyMac,
and prepped my safe room with blankets, cushions, hard soled shoes, extra pants and my helmet. Now we wait, and pray that it's not as bad as they say it's going to be.
Pretty much all I've done other than that is to watch as much Call The Midwife episodes as I can before my Netflix account ends. And watch the weather. Ryan Hall isn't live yet, but I expect he will be before long. I'd planned on cutting out and starting to sign some of my Christmas At Sea tags, but so far, they're still sitting there.
They're not supposed to be striped like that. My printer is messed up. I've run the nozzle cleaning cycle several times, and though it's better than it was, it's still not quite right. I don't know what's wrong with it, but it's not bad enough I feel the need to buy a new one. It'll get me by for now.
And finally, the bluebonnets are really starting to take off.
Where on earth has today gone? I can't believe it's this late already, and I don't have anything to show for my Saturday.
I was watching my friend Marcy's latest flosstube, and I am just amazed at how much she gets accomplished. She works a full time job, then comes home and knits, crochets, cross stitches, sews, gardens, and takes care of chickens, plus her home, husband, and son. Not to mention she also films flosstubes and garden vlogs.
I come home from work and sit like a lump. It's almost depressing how little I get done. I feel so useless sometimes.
Some of my friends said they got rid of their blahs by getting outside into the sun, so I went and sat out by the fire pit -- but didn't start a fire-- and read a bit in my book. I'm still reading In The Hurricane's Eye, by Nathaniel Philbrick. Yes, still. It's such a tedious book, but at least I've gotten to the part -- spoiler alert-- where Lord Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown. I've got one chapter left, then the epilogue and I'll be done. Then the book will go back into the Little Free Library on the square next time I go into town.
I don't know why I'm finding this book so hard to read. It's got good information, but as I said, it's very tedious reading. I read one of the author's other books, and it was very readable. I still have In The Heart Of The Sea in my kindle. Maybe I'll read it next, after I finish As You Like It, by William Shakespeare.
One thing I did get done today was that most noxious of chores: I got my taxes done. My return this year is almost double what I got last year, but my state tax return is only $13. Hardly even worth filing for. Except for that whole going to prison if you don't thing. Our governor is trying to eliminate the state income tax, but of course, the Democrats are fighting him tooth and nail over it. They wouldn't cut a tax to save their souls.
I also finally cancelled my Netflix again. I'd only picked it up last March to watch the documentary on the Joplin Tornado, but then decided to re-watch Call The Midwife, so I kept it for a while. They asked me to check which reason I cancelled, and I checked "Other", then in the comment box, I said, "There are too many free streaming sites out there to keep paying for one that I have to watch ads on anyway." I have one more week to watch, then I'll be down to just Hulu Live, and Prime Video. And the tons of free streaming sites out there...
In plant news, see that tiny little seedling right there in the middle?
It was really struggling, so this morning I moved it to a cell right under the grow light, and it has really picked up in just that short amount of time. By the way, they're planted in hydroponic sponges, so I didn't really have to disturb the plants to move them. I've got a couple more that I'll probably move soon, too. They're just a wee bit smaller than the others, and might benefit from being closer to the light.
I though briefly about putting together one of my 4 X 4 raised beds and seeing how it would fit in my garden spot, but decided to wait until after the severe weather tomorrow night. What is it about the Ides of March and tornadoes?
Let's just hope and pray it's not as bad as they're saying it will be.
They the first step is admitting you have a problem, which I totally do not...
Have a problem, I mean. I needed another seed starting tray. Really, I did.
And what do I plan to start in this seed starting tray? Zinnias!
As soon as I got home and got something to eat, I started some of those seeds. I moved my basil seedlings to the cabinet so I could put the new tray onto the heat mat, but that was no big deal.
I mean, I could have moved the heat mat to the cabinet then put the new tray on it there, but I'd have had to move the basil anyway.
I think I'm going to try something different with these zinnias. Instead of growing them inside, I'm going to put the whole tray out into the bed that I'll eventually transplant the flowers into. That way, they'll already be accustomed to being outside and in their permanent location. But, if we get a late frost, I'll just bring the entire tray inside.
That's why they're inside right now. We're expecting more severe weather Sunday, followed by a freeze. There could be another one before it's all over, as our average last frost date is April 4th. I usually wait until the 15th to plant outside, just to be on the safe side.
Anyway, wish me luck, but I brought back-up. I bought a second packet of seeds in case this didn't work. I'll just direct sow them into the bed if needs be.
One thing I didn't like about this tray is that the holes in the bottoms of each cell are a bit too big. A lot of the potting soil fell though them and into the water tray underneath. Of course, it could be that my potting soil was very dry when I first put it in. I probably should have wet it first, but I didn't think about that in time. Oh well, it'll be all right.
Another thing I don't like about the tray is that you have to completely lift the inner tray out to add water to the outer tray if you want to bottom water. But with it being outside, it'll probably be top watered anyway.
I also found a butter tub with some Bachelor's Button seeds in it. They're a couple of years old, so I don't know if they're still viable, but I think I'll plant them anyway and just see what comes up. I'll wait and direct sow them, though, sometime mid-April.
And finally, abrupt change of plans. I'd originally thought about making my perennial bed my fairy gardens, but I think I might make it in my annual bed instead -- which is sitting right underneath Oberon the Fairy King.
Here I was, thinking I'd lost my puzzle mojo. I'd started this one, what? Three weeks ago? I don't rightly remember, but it's been a while. In all of that time, this is as far as I'd gotten.
I was thinking I'd seriously lost my mojo, but today I realized it wasn't that I didn't want to work jigsaw puzzles any more. I just didn't want to do this jigsaw puzzle.
So, as soon as I got home this evening, I broke it up -- what little there was to break up -- and put it back into the box. I might start another one here in a bit. Or I might not. It isn't just my puzzle mojo that seems to have gone on vacation.
I just haven't felt like doing anything here lately, even blogging. I was going to blog yesterday, but I didn't. All I did was get my tornado safe room ready, then go to bed. As it happens, the worst of the weather passed to the South of us, so that's good. Not for the people who got hit, but good for us.
In other news, I've been watching this Great Pottery Showdown show on Roku channel, and it's reminded me that pottery is something I'd always wanted to learn. It's a pretty expensive outlay, though. You need a wheel, and a kiln -- or at least access to one, and a place to throw pots because from what I understand, that clay goes everywhere. I wonder if there is any place around here that offers pottery classes. I know there is a place you can go paint stuff that is already made, but I don't know of you can make your own stuff.
Like I need another hobby...
And finally, just so this post won't be a total waste of your time, here is bluebonnet progress.
Most of my plants have buds opening up. I can't wait to show you the whole bed in bloom.
Today was one of those days I call a Murphy's Day.
You've heard of Murphy's Law, haven't you?
Nothing is as easy as it looks
Everything takes longer than you think
And whatever can go wrong, will.
Yep, it was that kind of day. Whatever could go wrong, did. Incomplete orders, lazy people in tubing (here's a hint: I shouldn't have to wait 6 hours to get two adapter tubes), parts smashed in the machine but sent to the brazers anyway --because of the lazy people in tubing, parts bent wrong...you know, the usual everyday stuff we deal with.
But here is the kicker. I got an order and went to the computer to run out a print, only I kept getting an error message. I walked around to the dispatcher's desk, only he wasn't there. He was off doing what he calls his rounds. So, I started looking for Group Leader Shark and couldn't find her anywhere.
I waited and waited, and finally the dispatcher came back to the department. I took him my pick list and explained the problem. He said, "I'll see what I can do." After a few moments, he came around the corner and said, "I'm going to have to go up front to get a print." To the front office, he meant.
Again, I waited and waited and waited. I thought about setting that order aside and getting something else to do, but there wasn't anything else that was ready. Then I thought about sending a search party after Dispatcher, thinking he must have gotten lost on the way there and back again.
He he he...
After about 20 minutes, he finally came back with my print, then explained that this particular print hadn't been released to the shop floor yet. I'm wondering why they are expecting us to run stuff that hasn't even been released, but then, they expect us to run stuff when they won't buy us the jigs for it, so I shouldn't be surprised at that. So what they had to do was send an e-mail to someone in India --India -- then wait for that person to release the print so he could get me a copy.
Sometimes I think they have meetings to try to find the easiest and most efficient way to do things, then do the exact opposite. And they wonder why we can't run 4500 units per day like we used to. Go figure.
By the way, rumors are swirling around the shop floor that the new boss will be resigning just as soon as he's worked long enough to get his signing bonus. I mean, it's not like he does anything but wander around with a blank look on his face anyway. If the boss doesn't even care, why should I?
OK, moving right along...
Yesterday evening, I was watching a video on YouTube, where a guy does scientific experiments with gardening. It's a very interesting channel.
The one I watched was an experiment to see if a fan really does benefit your seedlings. It's about 20 minutes long, so if you don't want to watch the whole thing, I'll summarize it below.
So, in the experiment, he sets up four different environments, in which the plants, soil, and watering were all identical. The only difference was the fan setup.
Environment #1 had no fan at all. It was the control.
Environment #2 had a fan blowing directly down from above, set to turn on for 30 minutes and off for 30 minutes, then off completely while the grow light was off.
Environment #3 had an oscillating fan set to turn on and off with the grow light.
Environment #4 had a non-oscillating fan blowing directly on the seedlings at all times that the grow light was on.
The results he came up with were that the plants in environments # 3 and #4 were much smaller and stubbier than the other two, and I was all set to run and turn my fan off of my seedlings. However, in his conclusion, he realized that the fans were probably drying out his seed cells, and didn't think to give them extra water.
Not only that, but people in the comments were saying that the fans aren't to make the plants grow bigger, but do have benefits. One of those is that it's to prepare them for life outside in the natural, which is almost always stirring.
Every Southerner knows that if your air is completely still, there's a big storm on the way.
Anyway, you can go read the comments if you're interested, but I think I'll keep my fan on at least during the day.
And finally, a bit of good news, I have a bluebonnet blooming!
And just look at that foliage! I've never had plants grow that big or that healthy looking. I think from now on, this will be my dedicated bluebonnet bed.
If I can't move back to Texas, at least I can have a little Texas here.
OK, it really wasn't that sleepy at all. I guess after all that flip flopping at work about what time we com in has gotten me used to not having consistent sleep hours to begin with, so the time change isn't all that big of a deal. I'll get more confused in the evenings, because it doesn't feel like it should be that late.
But today was kind of sleepy in that nothing really happened. I got my fan set up to blow on my little seedlings.
They are growing so fast, I can almost see them getting bigger by the minute.
The guy on the YouTube channel I watch says the seedlings need 14-16 hours of light per day, but my timer only goes 12 on / 12 off. I'm going to try to remember to manually turn it on and off this year. On when I get up; off when I go to bed. Nothing complicated. Wish me luck.
The only other noteworthy thing I did was to get out most of my sailor hats and give them a wash and dry.
Yes, I do put them into the washer and dryer, because on the ships, that's where they'll be washed. If one isn't capable of holding up, I want to know before I send it off to a sailor. It'd break my heart if his hat fell apart the first time he washed it. This is also why we don't use pastels or whites to knit hats with, because it would be terrible if they got stained up.
I still need to print off the gift tags, fill them out, and attach them -- not using safety pins-- then they'll be ready to pack up and ship off for this year's Christmas At Sea.
I haven't cast on a new hat yet, because I decided to finish this scarf, also for the Seaman's Church Institute.
It's supposed to look like that, because the scarf was designed to fit underneath their personal floatation devices. The ribbing allows for warmth around the neck, while the flat part fits comfortably under a life jacket.
I think once I'm done, I think I'll probably have enough yarn to make a matching watch cap, or beanie. I keep saying I'm going to knit more scarves, because sailors need those, too, but hats knit up so much faster.
On a similar note, I'm up to season 5 of The Great British Sewing Bee, and it occurred to me...I have a sewing machine! And though I was never anywhere near being a professional seamstress, I wasn't half bad. I was thinking maybe I could find some simple patterns for stuff I could sew up and sell at my booth in the Farmer's Market. Pillows, toys, accessories, things like that. Nothing complicated.
Once my seemingly immortal snakes go to that great herpetarium in the sky, I could set up a corner in that room to be my sewing corner. Once I get the room cleaned out, that is. There is a whole box of stuff in there that if you snuck into my house and tossed the whole box, I promise you I'd never miss anything that's in it. But when I start going through it....I keep finding stuff I need to keep just in case I might need it someday.
It's like a giant junk drawer.
By the way, if you need a set of discs to reinstall Windows XP on an HP PC, hit me up. I got you covered.
I put it together this morning, and yes, those are what you think they are. In case you can't see them, they are used coffee pods and a baking rack. It gets the grow light about an inch to an inch and a half from the seedlings, which is so much better than the three inches the other one kept it at. And as the plants grow, I can stack more coffee pods to raise it up a bit.
Then I added a funnel, so I can add water to the tray without having to take the whole thing apart or splashing water all over the place. It has the added advantage of not disturbing the little plants, either.
I'll keep a bit of water in the bottom of the tray so the sponges should stay hydrated, even if the tops get dry. Bottom watering is the best way, because it encourages the roots to grow deep, which makes for a healthier plant. Since I started watching that channel on YouTube, I've been learning so much. It might make a gardener out of me yet.
Speaking of, I went outside and piddled a bit in my garden spot this morning before the storms arrived.
I wasn't going to take a picture at first. You've seen dirt before, but I gave in and did it anyway. Because apparently, I don't think you've seen dirt enough. We got a pretty good rain this afternoon, so we can see how it settles and if there are any more spots I need to work on. Then, once it dries out a bit, I can put those last two beds together and get them into place and start filling them with dirt. By then, it'll be planting time! Mid April is when it's deemed safe here.
While I was outside, I checked on my other things, and they're all starting to grow quite nicely.
This is the orange mint. Or whatever it is.
And the Peppermint.
My French Tarragon
Even my Greek oregano is making an appearance.
The garden sage:
I'd originally thought about cutting that big dead looking stem on the left, but as you can see, it's putting out new growth, too, so I'm leaving it for now.
My lemon balm is really coming on.
The rosemary is looking a bit ragged, but I'm hoping it'll perk up a bit once summer gets here.
The celery got bit hard by the ice storm, and honestly, I doubt it'll ever grow enough to make any edible stalks, but hey, it's fun to watch it.
The garlic looks a bit ragged right now, but I'm hoping the bulbs are OK. Maybe it'll perk up, too.
By the way, that empty spot in the middle is where I want to plant another rosemary. It's a very popular herb. It'll sell well at the Farmer's Market -- fresh or dried.
And, it's not an herb, but look at this! I have buds on my bluebonnets!!!!
Hooray for that!
And this crazy thing thinks it's still Christmas.
On a completely unrelated note, I think I'm going to drop Netflix again. I picked it up last year to watch that documentary on the Joplin tornado, but really, after the newness wore off, the only thing I'm watching now is Call The Midwife and Heartland reruns. I did finally finish Squid Game, and started Cobra Kai, but that one isn't holding my interest that much. Netflix does have some good documentaries, but there are so many free streaming services, I can find plenty to watch without paying for an extra service.
That's why I dropped it in the first place.
Eh, we'll see.
But for now, there is a new season of Call The Midwife up on PBS, so that's what I'm going to watch. That, and All Creatures Great And Small.
