Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Consistently wrong since 2002

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Everybody saw this coming.

Bark louder, little dog.

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

White supremacy is terrorism.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

Come on, man.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

This fight is for everything.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

No one could have predicted…

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

You are here: Home / Garden Chats / Sunday Morning Garden Chat: The Garden in Winter

Sunday Morning Garden Chat: The Garden in Winter

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Blessings be upon intrepid photographer & Balloon Juice correspondent Ozark Hillbilly:

Been awhile since we had garden pics so I thought I’d send some in.

At top: Just a pretty little window looking down into on of my hollers.


The homestead from the back.


My granddaughter gave us this a couple years ago, it is very prominently placed.


I am going to replace these gates if it ever warms up. Really!


This home is currently vacant. But at the rent I charge, not for long.


Once the snow is gone and the ground thawed out, this will get quite the work out spreading 6-8 yds of compost.


Notice the wood chips that stop at the snow? That’s as far as my chickens would go.


The Magnolia buds here are not happy with this winter sun.

My seed orders have come in this week. I’ll send you something on that in a week or 2 to get people going.

***********
Something to look forward to, for sure. Haven’t placed my mail-order tomato orders yet, but I’m hoping to do so this week!

What’s going on in your garden (planning) this week?

Reader Interactions

159Comments

  3. 3.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Gonna hit 39 today, not too bad for January. Weds will make up for it. Calling for a high of 11 then. Our snow is all but gone now (got to 50 yesterday) but other than the top 1/2″ the ground is still froze rock solid. I have several garden projects waiting for a thaw:

    A summer chicken yard so I can rotate the birds
    A roof over our pop-up camper is in limbo awaiting diggable ground
    The new water feature needs to be placed but also awaits diggable ground
    The above garden gate is long overdue
    And I need to finish the green house

    But today I need to pick up a rank of wood (or 2) ahead of the approaching arctic.The 2+ cords I put up that would have lasted either of the last 2 winters is down to a rank and a half so now I’m buying it. At $45 a rank it won’t even hurt. I have 2 hams curing and am going to smoke them this week. so I also have to hang pipe from the new fire box to the smoker barrel. I got a couple other odds and ends to accomplish today so I won’t be as bored as I will later this week when I go into hibernation.

  4. 4.

    swiftfox

    Who rents that unit – wrens?

    Since we will be returning to our regularly-scheduled programming tomorrow, I’d like to thank everyone who supported government employees during the shutdown.

  7. 7.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @swiftfox: Carolina wrens to be specific. I’ll have several pairs nesting here and there come spring. Same with flycatchers. I also have several blue bird houses. Every spring a pair or 2 will show up, begin housekeeping and then… disappear after a few weeks. Not sure why.

  9. 9.

    Baud

    In a garden in winter, honey
    Don’t you know that I’m lovin’ you
    In a garden in winter, baby
    Don’t you know that I’ll always be true

    Cool pics. You have a good eye.

  10. 10.

    raven

    Love your estate! I replaced three window panes that got broken in the July hail storm but I still have to glaze and paint them. It’ll be near 50 today so it’s not all that bad but they are freaking our about the possibility of SNOW during Super Bowl week!

  12. 12.

    JPL

    Beautiful pictures’ We might have a rain/snow mix on Tuesday, and I’m prepared to stay in for as long as necessary.

  15. 15.

    JPL

    @raven: Local news says the European model is showing just a trace if any. The normal areas north might get one to two inches. That’s the date my first grand son is suppose to be born, so I hope they are correct.

  22. 22.

    JPL

    @raven: Well I’m prepared. My son dropped off Nona yesterday, just in case I was not able to pick her up. Nona and Finch both sleep in crates with the door open. Nona prefers to sleep right next to Finch’s crate door though. She’d love to climb into his crate but Finch is hesitant.

  24. 24.

    WereBear

    @JPL: I hope Trump is scared.

    But I have even more rage for the RNC bigwigs who gave him a pass on everything. I remember when just ONE of the things Trump did would have been enough to disqualify him.

    Nice pics, Ozark Hillbilly. Though I have plenty of snowy evergreens of my own. What really sucks is our weather pattern which is most unusual, where we get a bunch of lovely snow and then lose it in a crummy thaw.

  25. 25.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Today’s Head/Desk moment:

    “There has to be an argument, doesn’t there, that says instead of Dublin telling this country that we have to stay in the single market etc within the customs union, why doesn’t Dublin, why doesn’t the Republic of Ireland, leave the EU and throw in their lot with this country?”

    -BBC Today presenter John Humphrys

    Yes, the Irish should be willing to commit economic suicide just so the Brits aren’t alone.

  26. 26.

    Baud

    @JPL:

    That might be true! Stone could have been a volunteer, an independent contractor, or could have been paid by a third party.

  30. 30.

    JPL

    @Baud: All of the above. I wonder if there are tapes of trump’s and Stone’s late night conversations. If so I wonder if they are x rated.

  31. 31.

    Cermet

    Good morning Jackals and thanks for the pics, fellow jackal OzarkHillbilly.

    Why not put Ireland under the loving jack boot of the British to grid them into ground again – what could possibly go wrong? They have enough potato’s to go around now, don’t they?

    Simply cannot fathom why the lame media is so down playing the Russian invasion of our democracy and that the orange fart cloud is bending over for that vile, murderous slime called putin. I understand that the fake news or fox news is the propaganda arm of the reptilian party and feeds their zombie audience only the information and bull shit they need to remain both stupid and angry, yet even they (the fake news fox) seem completely untroubled and happy to destroy our country if they keep their profits (aside: amazing how the right-wing uses lies like fake news to describe real news organizations while they do exactly what they are accusing others of doing!)

  32. 32.

    Tenar Arha

    Good morning. I saw the dawn today, and said ugh ?. I’ve been up since 3:15 AM bc traveling.

    Why yes, I’m heading out to the land where Jewish people retire, but on business. Let’s just say I’m not looking forward to it. At least I get to see family, and maybe I’ll even get to the beach/pool/maybe even visit the mouse a bit.

    @OzarkHillbilly: These are lovely. After following a few farm/backyard chicken accounts online, chickens seem way smarter than the apocrypha I grew up with.

  33. 33.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    @JPL: Phase 2 will be: “I don’t even know Roger Stone, I won’t recognize him if he was standing next to me.”

    Phase 3 will be: “Roger Stone was really a Democrat and a bigly supporter of Hillary.”

    Phase 4 will be: “Yes, Roger Stone just pleaded guilty to treason, but that’s not even illegal.”

  34. 34.

    JPL

    @Cermet: The Washington Post has a new poll that says half the country lack trust in the Mueller investigation. If you include the some confidence column though the results are different. Only 22 percent have no confidence. I have no idea why they went with the headline they did. hmmm

    Americans support investigating Trump, but many are skeptical that inquiries will be fair, new poll finds

    The poll was conducted before the arrest of Stone.
    link

  35. 35.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Tenar Arha: They are capable of learning, but they are still bird brains, creatures of instinct. I caught a young Coopers Hawk in the coop with them. Every single chicken was in there with it, huddled in the corners, and the door was wide open.

  37. 37.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @JPL:

    but many are skeptical that inquiries will be fair,

    These would be the same people who were screaming “Lock Her Up!”

  38. 38.

    Immanentize

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    Thanks for the short tour. That’s the problem with having a lot of land and solitude — leads to a lot to do. When you next send in photos, could you please show us your green house? I am very interested in that….

  39. 39.

    Immanentize

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    So, the BBC Today has become FOX East? Anyone who heard that probably thought, what a dumbass idea, but many didn’t think through the fact that the same applies to Brexit. But it’s right there in his words “throw their lot in with us” is not a victory chant.

  40. 40.

    Tenar Arha

    Whee! Hello Virginia! I can clearly see the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel from 28,000 feet.

  41. 41.

    Ken

    @swiftfox:

    I’d like to thank everyone who supported government employees during the shutdown.

    And be ready to resume in three weeks.

    Actually, I have a hope it won’t happen, or won’t last long if it does. Full credits to Pelosi, Schumer, and the Democrats for holding the line, but the shutdown ended damn quick once air traffic was affected. I don’t thing the controllers will give it a month next time, and I suspect that other Federal workers might be similarly emboldened.

  42. 42.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Immanentize: If you look at the “homestead from the back” shot, you can see the base on the left side with blue barrels on it I used for growing lettuce, spinach, kale, and eggplants last year. It took a little while but I now have the money that should allow me to finish erecting it this year. No doubt it will make for a good garden post then.

  44. 44.

    Butch

    Well, minus 18 right now here in the UP and we’re actually a couple of days away from the coldest part of the week.

  45. 45.

    Immanentize

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    That is BIG! I am jealous. I always thought a greenhouse would be a wonderful project. My Grandfather had a smallish one and I always loved the smell and lighting inside. Please do share as it goes up.

    I am just trying to put together a cold frame from old windows…. First time ever for me to do so.

  49. 49.

    HinTN

    The forecast here is for snow Tuesday, which will make for an interesting dilemma for the schools. Normally they close at the most minute threat of flakes but last week they were closed due to flu. I’m not just vicariously interested because we’re keeping the 16 and 10 yo sons of a friend, which makes for a very different household dynamic, and thus have skin in the game.

  51. 51.

    Tazj

    They are lovely pictures. I’m trying to appreciate the beauty of winter. It was sunny here yesterday, and it looked so pretty with the bright white snow on the trees and the ground. But I’m bracing myself for a week of single digit temps and more snow.

  52. 52.

    Immanentize

    @Plato:

    Is Cole still a fanboi of assange

    Why are you taking that bullshit and mean attitude?
    It’s not funny at all. What is your beef with our host?

    Are you still a jackass?
    Why yes it seems you are.

  53. 53.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Immanentize: 14’x24′. The back side of it will be water filled barrels painted black and staked 6′ high as a heat sink. I have water and electric run to it now with plans for minimal grow lights (just for starting my seeds) and minimal heating (for prolonged deep cold spells)

  57. 57.

    satby

    Good morning everyone! Love the pictures Ozark!

    My long travel day followed by getting up early again to work the market caught up with me: I slept 10 hours last night. We had a couple of inches of snow overnight and it’s 7° out right now. Wednesday will be the worst day with a high of -10°, Thursday warming all the way up to a -1° high. Last year it was 51° on this date. Crazy how the weather patterns are all over the map.

  59. 59.

    NotMax

    Chose to switch on the space heater a short while ago. Down somewhere into the low to mid fifties outside at the moment.

  69. 69.

    satby

    @zhena gogolia: @debbie: I always liked winter but hate driving in it. I didn’t mind taking the train though. Now that I don’t actually have to drive anywhere if I don’t want to, I can enjoy it on its own terms.
    And if you haven’t tried microfiber fleece, try it. Keeps you warm like nothing else.

  71. 71.

    NotMax

    @Immanentize

    Try never to use it on any other than its lowest wattage setting. Maui Electric execs ain’t getting a bigger yacht on my dime if I can help it.

    Just now looked at the current temperature atop the volcano. 31° F. Normally gets chilliest overnight around 5 or 5:30 a.m., still a ways off.

    ;)

  72. 72.

    NotMax

    @satby

    Lived in St. Paul for two years. Intimately familiar with arctic cold (and wind chill). It’s all relative, and 35+ years here, plus no insulation in the cottage coupled with drafty jalousie windows feels, while not bone chilling, decidedly abnormal.

  73. 73.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Fun with blood thinners, I blew my nose and the next thing I know my keyboard has blood all over it.

  74. 74.

    Elizabelle

    @satby: re taking the train — presume you are speaking of Chicago?

    Something I had never thought of: yes, the elevated train is there because it’s a densely populated city, that predates autos. But also, it’s a city with hazardous driving conditions a lot of the winter. What a blessing to have the trains.

    D’uh.

    But I think of Richmond, which used to have a very good trolley system from the late 19th century suburbs to city center and — they tore all the tracks out. All these private cars in the south, and we do have snow from time to time.

    I think riding the trolley (or train) would have a lot more cachet than riding the bus.

  76. 76.

    NotMax

    I blew my nose and the next thing I know my keyboard has blood all over it.

    Opening sentence for a Stephen King novel? Although he’d include the brand name for the keyboard.

  77. 77.

    geg6

    They are talking -7 degrees for Wednesday night here. These photos are lovely but, damn, living through this stuff sucks.

  80. 80.

    satby

    @NotMax: I was teasing a bit, because the same situation applies to homes in Mexico. The morning I was leaving Jano’s house, it was 38°, and things get pretty cold inside. It warmed up quick when the sun rose though. All the way to mid-60s by noon, though to them that’s still chilly.

  83. 83.

    NotMax

    @Elizabelle

    History trivia:

    Dunno if you saw this when I mentioned it here some years ago, but remain amazed that downtown Chicago was raised up several feet – before electricity. Reports vary, but some state some areas/buildings by as much as fourteen feet.

  85. 85.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @satby: My in laws condo in Majorca did not have any heat. The 2 weeks we were there in Dec there was only one day where the temp got above 50 (never below 32). Monse and Jose were a couple of tuff old birds but mostly they were just too cheap to run a space heater.

  89. 89.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @jeffreyw: I named the cowbirds “Cock” and “Sucker”, the bluejays “Theiving”, “Sons”, and “Ofbitches” and the squirrel who has figured out how to get on top of the feeder (jumps from the tree almost 10 feet away) is “Youmothafucka!”

  90. 90.

    Immanentize

    @NotMax:
    Jalousie windows -. Not rated for insulation value. When I lived in Miami Beach, same thing — if it were in the 40s our little gas heaters would be cooking….

  91. 91.

    NotMax

    Mom (91 in mid-February) update:

    Cast taken off wrist after a month. Doc says bones all healed. Hand (the left) still sore and she’s mentioned she cannot bring the fingers of that hand together – yet. Sure that’ll come along. Meanwhile, still advised not to drive for at least another 2 weeks until enough strength returns to allow her to maneuver the steering wheel. Laid a (very) mild “I told ya so” on her about asking her doctor to approve a handicapped parking placard. Finally, she has agree to ask.

    Meanwhile, elevator in her building intermittently on the fritz (supposed to be replaced next month, elevator inspector informed the building co-op board that he would not sign another certificate for 2019). Without the cast now, she can make use of the handrails on the stairs, a significant improvement over the past month.

  92. 92.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @JPL: 15-20 minutes with tissues packed into the nostril fixed it. My waste basket however looks like something you’d find in a slaughterhouse.

  96. 96.

    Immanentize

    @NotMax:
    And in Boston, Back Bay used to be a tidal bay fed by the harbor and the Charles and Watertown was surrounded by water.
    “Land, Katie Scarlett…”

  98. 98.

    satby

    @NotMax: yeah, that’s because Chicago is fairly level with the lake, most of the lakefront was originally a marsh (which I’m sure you knew). Flooding is always a potential problem, one they tried to fix with this. Construction of which collapsed part of the suburban street my parents had bought a home on and cased lots of damage to our new house.

  100. 100.

    JPL

    @rikyrah: Of course they would. Is that even legal because it sounds like forced labor to me.

    Imma verified what I thought. With the current Supreme Court who knows what would happen though.

  104. 104.

    danielx

    brrrrrr….brilliant sunshine and 8 degrees outside. Kept wondering when winter would show up, and now I’m ready for it to leave again.

  106. 106.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    @NotMax: Should I send you a down throw in case it gets really bad? I’m sure they’ve sold out already there.

  108. 108.

    Geoboy

    @rikyrah: That’s a great way to guarantee that what teachers Oklahoma is able to attract are the worst of the worst of the worst.

  109. 109.

    NotMax

    @OzarkHillbiliy

    Yeah, filing under “goes with the territory” likely the wisest choice. Might recommend increasing fluid/electrolyte intake as an interim measure to replace what was lost.

  110. 110.

    Immanentize

    @debbie:
    Not government center so much, but there was nearly a Back Bay crisis in the 80’s. The whole of the Back Bay is built on wood piles driven deep into muck. Not rock, but bay bottom. Like with some amazing archeological finds, muck preserves the wood. In the 80’s the water table started sinking, exposing the top couple of feet of the piles to air which could have been disasterous. Solutions were found, and we no longer have a dropping water table problem thanks to Henry Ford, etc.

  111. 111.

    Robert Sneddon

    @OzarkHillbilly: There’s a YouTube somewhere of someone who had a squirrel jumping out and landing on a bird feeder in his back yard. He set up a really neat geek trap for the squirrel, a compressed-air gun pointing up at the flight-path the squirrel took coupled to a camera and computer. When the camera spotted the squirrel jumping the compressed-air gun would fire and blow the squirrel off-target without harming it. it tried a few times more over a period of a few days then gave up.

  115. 115.

    MattF

    @OzarkHillbilly: Umm. Me too. Xarelto, and don’t ask me how to pronounce it. If I nick my face while shaving… it’s not pretty. I mean, it wasn’t all that pretty to begin with, but the red splotches don’t help.

  116. 116.

    Immanentize

    @debbie: IIRC they both bolstered the piles putting in new ones where possible made oF concrete AND pumped in water to keep the levels up. But with climate change, Back Bay is in danger of becoming Venice. New much hand wringing.

  121. 121.

    JWR

    Just wanted to ruin your morning by telling you all that Our Favorite President is up and tweeting about illegals voting while undocumented. Guess he wants to take the heat off before the Sunday morning shows.

  122. 122.

    Another Scott

    Beautiful pictures, and thanks for the water barrel info. I toy with the idea of getting a greenhouse occasionally.

    On the gates, remember that the diagonal needs to go from the bottom hinge to the opposite corner (to push it up). ;-)

    Keep warm, everyone!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  124. 124.

    NotMax

    @MattF

    Styptic pencil stings like a sonuvabitch but does the job.

    Does anyone – ever – purchase a replacement, new one? They last forfreakingever.

  125. 125.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @rikyrah:

    An Oklahoma bill would make it illegal for teachers to walk out and protest, and would prevent them from ever teaching in the state again

    The horror! They might have to go someplace else!

  130. 130.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Ken: I’d love to see some Irish official go on RTE & float the notion of offering Ulster & Scotland (& Wales too for that matter) the option of “throwing in their lot with them” by forming a loosey-goosey Gaelic Islands Confederation that would remain in the EU. Heck, offer the Limeys membership as well – on the others’ terms – once the Breakshitters come to their senses & understand that without the EU they’re just a rump of a small insignificant island off the coast of Europe.

  134. 134.

    JPL

    @JWR: I read that TX Secretary of State sent information to counties about 95,000 people who need more documentation before voting next time. There is zero proof that they are illegal.

  136. 136.

    MattF

    @JPL: Don’t think so. This was the guy who tried to get out of washing dishes because (he claimed) he didn’t know how.

  139. 139.

    debbie

    @JPL:

    Speaking of, I heard his Spanish-language message to the people of Venezuela. I don’t speak Spanish, but it seemed to me he mangled it (“vayan” instead of “vaya”). Has there been any mockery?

  144. 144.

    WaterGirl

    @MattF: Pence has completely ruined the word “Mother” for me. Bastard! I can hear or see lower case mother just fine, but as soon as it’s capitalized all I can think of is creepy Pence.

  145. 145.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @MattF:

    Xarelto

    Z-uh-r(short)elt(long)o is how I say it and they all know what I’m talking about so I guess that is reasonable close. Being a carpenter, working with all kinds of powertools I keep battlefield bandages (the kind with clotting agents) and a tourniquet in the first aid box.

    Last year I was picking up some 6″ exhaust pipe and cut my hand to the bone. By the time I got to the cash registers I had blood all over my hands and there was a trail behind me. The poor cashier just started stuttering when I asked if they had a first aid kit. Somebody found some paper towels and that with some stretch wrapping slowed it down enough for me to get to the hospital 40 miles away.

  146. 146.

    WaterGirl

    @Another Scott: I’ll bet that Ozark knows that, but I sure didn’t. I just rushed to my windows to see if that is the problem with my two gates. :-)

    That is not the problem, but I am glad to know this.

  147. 147.

    Garald Desargues

    Thank you for sharing so much beauty with us. Your pictures made my morning. I really love the views, and I’m sure you know how blessed you are to be surrounded by that natural greatness.

  152. 152.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @satby: On the first day of school, when every other competent teacher has already signed a contract to teach for the year some place else.

  153. 153.

    WaterGirl

    @satby: I can’t do anything today, but I am billing one of my clients tomorrow, so I should be able to contribute later this week.

  159. 159.

    Mary Ellen Sandahl

    @OzarkHillbilly: A comprehensive book i have on bird feeding is enjoyably informative about various species’ behavior; it says that house (aka English) sparrows often evict bluebirds from bluebird houses by hanging around in a Trumpian manner (the book doesn’t put it this way exactly, but paints a picture of bully tactics) so that the mild mannered bluebirds pull up stakes and look for someplace more peaceful. With all the wood-edges you seem to have, there would be plenty of other potential sites they’d like.

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