From indefatigable gardener OpieJeanne:
Yes, I know, but ‘Sauerkraut Bait’ isn’t as funny.
Also from Opiejeanne, a visual jest for us Terry Pratchett fans…
… who remember what happened to Mr. Pink in The Truth.
***********
What’s going on in your garden(s) this week?
RAVEN
It poured all day including the 4+ hours I stood in it and watched my Dawgs. We hadn’t had rain in what seem like a couple of months so the garden needed it badly.
mrmoshpotato
Is that a potato? That is one ugly potato – that I would totally buy, cut up and boil or roast.
satby
We had one light frost that didn’t kill or even hurt anything so I’m still waiting to lift my summer cannas and dahlia bulbs. The dahlias are still blooming, so they’re a keeper for next year, though I need higher supports for them. Tomatoes are still slowly ripening too. At some point in the next week we should get a killing frost, so I’m going to be figuring out where in the basement I can store all the begonia, dahlia, and canna tubers over winter. Once they’re all pulled out I can plant the 125 spring bulbs waiting to go in. But it was lightly raining when I took the dogs out this morning, so maybe not going to get much done today.
WereBear
LOL. You garden like I used to!
satby
@WereBear: and that’s after I give about 30 of them away!
Funny story about the new family member. As a former semi-feral he’s doing well, but he prefers me to clean his litter box nearly hourly or he looks for alternatives. He figured out what my elderly dog’s potty pads are for and that they’re replaced promptly after use if I’m home, so he’s now also using the potty pads ?. Can’t really fault his logic.
Dorothy A. Winsor
Did Opie Jeanne grow all those cabbages? I’m in awe.
mrmoshpotato
@satby: How many square feet of ummm…..flowers?…is 125 bulbs?
M31
At 39 cents a pound those are some fine $50 cabbages. Is that in Alaska? Summertime daylight hours make for happy slaw
Jeffery
My bulb order of 380 bulbs arrived and I don’t have the wear with all to dig up the area I want them in. I have a call to a friend’s lawn guy to see if he will dig up the spot. If he says no I expect I will give the bulbs away.
satby
@mrmoshpotato: They’re mostly daffodils, crocus, and snow glories, though there’s a few tulips that I will plant near the house and surrounded by daffodils just to keep the critters from eating them. So I plant most of the small bulbs (crocus and snow glories) in the lawn itself to naturalize (spread). They bloom and die back before the lawn needs to be mowed. Some (about 25) daffodils and the few tulips will go in the front bed which is about 2′ by 18′, with the rest of the daffodils planted randomly in clumps around the border of the yard near my fence. This is the third year I will have planted so many. In another year it’s going to be time to dig up and separate the first bunches of daffodils I planted, because they naturalize too and the clumps flower better if you break up them and replant them.
Just like with the rescue pets: every year I say enough, and every year something special comes along and entices me ?
satby
@Jeffery: oh, no! Another alternative is to see if there’s any garden clubs in the area that might be willing to help you out, or if you’re old enough the Senior Services in your area probably have listings for yard help.*
If you’re not a senior but are temporarily disabled, the Senior Services can also refer you to yard help so give them a call. Another thought is to see if Habitat for Humanity has any volunteers that would be willing to come help plant them for a donation of some of the bulbs to one of their projects. We do yard work here to finish off the houses, so they might.
satby
And opiejeanne, that’s a very impressive pile of giant cabbage! Where was that? I hope a sauerkraut factory.
M31
@satby: also, a giant pile of very impressive cabbage :-)
rikyrah
Good Morning, Everyone ? ??
joel hanes
I’ve spent much of the week thinking about George W. Bush.
I’ve been slowly “clearing brush”: cutting the incursion of very small trees and wild grapevine out of the long country road ditch in front of my sister’s place in Iowa, and dragging them to a brushpile, where they’ll decay into forest floor humus over the course of the next five years or so.
On alternate days, I’ve been gathering the seed of native prairie plants, and seeding the cleared area with big and little bluestem, Maximilian sunflower, stiff goldenrod, yellow coneflower, rough blazing star, asters, round-headed bush clover, compass plant, wild bergamot, common milkweed, and indian grass. Throwing in some left-over “super pollinator mix”.
We’ll mow it a couple times next year to suppress the woody stuff, and the year after we’ll see what kind of prairie stuff blooms. It’s always chancy: prairie perennials mostly germinate and bloom in “favorable years”, and sometimes it’s four or five years until you see the bloom of something you barely remember seeding.
I wish I could burn that ditch (grassfire and herbivore browsing are the forces that maintain natural prairie grasslands against woody incursion), but safe controlled burns require preparation, equipment, and a big crew of young people.
Ken
Also remember that in the novel, reincarnation isn’t serial in time – you can come back before, even during, your current lifetime. So feel free to project whatever face you want on that tuber.
Gvg
@Ken: I think it was Mr. Tulip. I don’t remember a Mr. Pink…..looked it up, the other one was Mr. Pin! No k.
debbie
Any day that starts with Maddy Prior is a good day.
zhena gogolia
Steeleye Span. Opening for Jethro Tull in Kansas City MO in about 1971. Guy comes out before the concert and says, “Somebody has stolen Steeleye Span’s costumes!”
That’s all I can remember about Steeleye Span.
satby
@rikyrah: Good morning ?!
WereBear
@satby: Don’t I know it. Like I’m often consulted about cats who use the bottom of the bathtub. I work to clear up their litter situation, but I also let them know that if they force the cat to an alternative: it’s a place we would have chosen!
WereBear
@Jeffery: I plant in trenches and in bulk, back in the day. But yeah, digging is inevitable.
Major Major Major Major
Those are some big cabbages. I still don’t have a garden… some day. I should get on a waitlist for a community plot…
I’m off to San Francisco, where my friend reports that the San Pedro cacti I left with him are yellowing. Anybody know what to do about that? I’ll be seeing them this evening. Bad sun, I’m guessing, and maybe repotting some of them.
pinacacci
I love cabbage
ETA it keeps forever, it’s great cooked or raw, it is awesome as coleslaw, it is sublime sauteed with fresh ground pepper. I salute the cabbage.
debbie
@Major Major Major Major:
Overwatering?
scribbler
@WereBear:
Do you have any suggestions about a 13 year old cat that has started pooping on a guest room bed? Nothing unusual going on in his life. Litter is clean, he seems healthy…
Citizen Scientist
Here in southeast PA, I planted a few end-of- season discount flowers for my pollinator garden, moved some existing rudbeckia and coneflowers, and cleared out the bed beneath my weeping cherry and laid down mulch. That tree hasn’t looked well for a while, and via my research, it’s likely not getting enough water due to the understory stealing most of it. Next weekend is time to finally take down the tomato plants and plant garlic. Also planted some beets and radishes last week. Happy gardening all!
Major Major Major Major
@debbie: or bad drainage, yeah. He was underwatering before. Could be overwatering plus winter approaching.
Booger
@Major Major Major Major: Could be advice about the old cat on the guest bed, too.
Spanky
@joel hanes:
Me too! I was at it all day Friday until I noticed sharp pain in my elbow, so now I’m nursing tendonitis in my dominant arm. Getting old (er) sucks.
The good news is that we’re getting soaked by the remnants of Nestor, so no outside work for me anyhoo. Then tomorrow it gets sunny, and all that rain might (and I hope not) wake up the drought-struck lawn, sooooo ….
Major Major Major Major
@Booger: I don’t think you can overwater a cat.
joel hanes
sharp pain in my elbow
maybe time to augment the simple loppers with a big compound-leverage set
or maybe just a bit past that time
Amir Khalid
@Major Major Major Major:
Indeed not. And if you try, the cat will take evasive action.
laura
I’m suddenly craving stuffed cabbage leaves.
The Dia de los Muertos Party is on the 1st, and the back yard is a riot of color dahlias, marigolds, zinnias, coleus and giant amaranth. We have been fertilizing for forced blooming and I’m hoping that the gardenias will do one last hurrah of blooms and scent.
The milkweed got so heavy they slumped over were covered with aphids a week ago. Yesterday they were heavily polka dotted with ravenous ladybugs eating all the aphids. Today we’ll be taking down a small barrier fence back behind the garage because we’ve only got one bathroom so gentlemen are encouraged to wizz outdoors. It’s going to be in the 80’s this week, so we’ll string lights in the orange tree and the gates. Start building the ofrenda or alter of offerings in remembrance of loved ones both family and friends – and hope for no rain til the 2nd.
WereBear
@scribbler: Is that the most private place in the house? How many beings does he share the place with?
Keith P.
Maybe the man is really tiny.
RepubAnon
@mrmoshpotato: No, that potato was meant to fry. Let it fry, as an homage to the Anhk-Morpork Times.
scribbler
@WereBear:
He shares his space with one person, and no other animals. I guess it probably is the most private space (the home is a fairly large 2 bedroom apartment). Any advice is much appreciated!
Major Major Major Major
WereBear
@scribbler: There’s something about it he prefers to his litter box. Cleanliness, placement, access; if he is a reactive kind of cat, it can be the smallest thing.
One case only got solved because I visited the clean and quiet mudroom where the box was, and instantly asked, “How long has that suncatcher been in the window?”
Turned out, as long as the cat problem had been occurring. The shifting light outside created unpredictable changes around the whole room, which is what the humans liked about it. But it freaked out the cat.
Moved the thing to a different window, problem solved :)
oatler.
@debbie: Did you ever hear the “Silly Sisters” album she made with June Tabor?
WereBear
@scribbler: Also, cats don’t act sick unless they are really sick. When was his last checkup? This can be a cry for help. And it’s easy to bring in a sample, ifyouknowwhatimean.
WaterGirl
I thought Cole slaw bait was a reference to John Cole and that his gardening was being featured this morning. :-)
debbie
@oatler.:
No. I’ll have to take a trip over to youtube.
mrmoshpotato
@RepubAnon: What massive fry cutter do you have?
ETA – And what weird French fries it would make.
scribbler
@WereBear: He’s going in for a checkup next week, just in case there’s something medical going on. Thanks very much for all of your suggestions!
CCL
185 bulbs. 70 down; 115 to go.
J R in WV
@scribbler:
A couple of suggestions:
Put a plastic sheet on the bed, or even a “waterproof” mattress cover spread over it, and a big clean litter box on that.
Or — close the bedroom door with the cat on the outside. Of course, no telling where he’ll decide to go with that door closed!
After using the new B-J system all day yesterday, I was shocked ot have to enter my nym to post this comment!
Amir Khalid
English Premier League Sunday:
In a few minutes today’s only match kicks off: Man United – Liverpool. Liverpool are without Mo Salah, out with an ankle injury caused by a wild tackle from Leicester City’s Hamza Chowdury. But the visitors still look way too strong for the hosts.
Jeffro
@Major Major Major Major: I’m still reeling over her weird “Highlander movie dialogue” tweet trying to call out Hillz. What an unsatisfactory timeline this is!
(But in the end, I’m eternally grateful she took the bait and exposed herself so badly.)
On a somewhat related (election 2020) note…I hosted both RWNJ dad and bro for some football & family time yesterday. Good times (probably since we talked almost zero politics). The one thing that was funny, though, was on the mostly safe question of “no commentary please – just who do you think has a decent shot at the Dem nomination”, here’s the responses I got:
– RWNJ Dad: “I guess Biden, Bernie, or Warren…although I think there’s a 50/50 chance of a brokered convention where Clinton comes in and takes the nom”
– RWNJ Bro: “Warren if you make me choose from the current candidates…but I agree with Dad and think Clinton actually has a better than 50% chance of being the nominee. Oh and Biden’s done, he’s toast.”
They just will. not. give up this fever dream of Hillary swooping in and emerging with the nom. It’s so wacky!
No discussion of trumpov’s impeachment, Ukraine, Doral, etc etc. Probably just better that way actually – they would have said dumb things like impeachment driving up GOP turnout, trumpov ‘becoming presidential’ by canceling the Doral plan, and so on.
Oh and while my dad had no clue about the whole Gabbard/Clinton thing (much less Tulsi being a useful idiot for the Russians), my bro thought the whole thing was baseless – didn’t come to her defense, but he blew it all off. I guess when you support the GOP you have the luxury of not worrying about the Russians kneecapping Dems.
J R in WV
We had an all night long gentle rain, .64 inches of rain, great sleeping weather.
BUT, the twins, the new puppies, woke me up to go outside over and over, went to the door, yipping shrilly, stuck their noses out far enough to be sure it was still raining, turned back into the warm cozy bedroom. Maybe 3 or 4 times, especially after sunrise, while I was aiming are sleeping late, late.
They’re really great puppies, nearly identical but for more white/gray freckles on the little girl. BooBoo was smaller than her brother, but they had been fed from the same dish at the goat farm, and now she gets her own bowl of kibble, and is catching up to brother CooCoo…
Older white dog is still pissed about not being an only dog, after wife was so sure she needed a pack. Much loud aggressive barking and snarling at times when twins want to sniff her butt, but still wagging her tail, I think she’s settled on being pack leader, she’s nearly twice as big (a little fat) as the twins, she’s 75 pounds and the twins are 40-somthing pounds and gaining. Big feet, though.
It’s been a very long time since we had a puppy, and have never had two from the same litter before. They’re very close, often sleep in a tiny puppy pile. Come winter I still bet Alice will pile up with the twins..
JPL
@J R in WV: Sweet
Aleta
Also found on Pierce’s twitter:
YT: Jeff Miletich 233 subscribers
Dedicated to Congressman Elijah Cummings, R.I.P.
youtube.com/watch?v=SBoE9ZSMrpo
Willie Walker, Paul Metsa, Sonny Earl celebrate 8 years of playing Thursday Happy Hour at Shaw’s Bar & Grill, Nordeast Minneapolis, Mn. 10/17.19
Aleta
@J R in WV: I love your stories of two new pups. Footloose and underfoot and taking off, ‘such a lot of world to see’
emjayay
@scribbler: Close the door.
Elizabelle
@J R in WV: We’ve got that wonderful rain now, in Central Virginia. Enjoying listening to it. Steady, steady, steady.
Pics of the pups one of these days, please. I wonder if they miss the goats. Or vice versa.
SiubhanDuinne
Trump tweet this morning:
“Mark Esperanto.” HAHAHAHAHA!
Amir Khalid
Manchester United lead Liverpool 1-0bat halftime. Mane had the ball in the net minutes later, but the goal was ruled out for handball.
Chyron HR
@SiubhanDuinne:
(Eddie Murphy tapping forehead) They can’t say they were misquoted if you get their name wrong.
oldgold
This year, at the request of the younggold, I dedicated a portion of West of Eden to attracting butterflies. Like most of my gardening projects, it was less than a wild success. In fact, not one butterfly was observed hovering in or near West of Eden. One of the younggold, fool’sgold, claims I planted an oleofly garden. Oh well, I did get the last laugh – more about that later.
Elizabelle
@SiubhanDuinne: Jebus. Well, he made the DOD’s day today.
RepubAnon
@mrmoshpotato: More a reference to Mr. Pin’s fate in the Discworld book The Truth (archive.org/stream/TheNewDiscworldCompanion/Book%2025%20-%20The%20Truth_djvu.txt):
Patricia Kayden
Me too.
Barbara
@J R in WV: I remember having a puppy that DID NOT want to go outside in the rain. I also remember how same puppy all grown up looked at me as if I had lost my mind when I got a second dog to keep him company. It all worked out.
debbie
@SiubhanDuinne:
And they’ve already walked back the bit about bringing them back home. They’ll be staying in Iraq.
opiejeanne
@Dorothy A. Winsor: The cabbages are at a roadside market. I was in awe at the size of those things and promptly thought of Cole and all the fun he could have with just one. Mr opiejeanne is in the photo for scale. They were grown locally, which surprised me. When we’ve grown cabbage we get the smaller, grocery store size ones, except when we grow the small varieties.
We had a bumper crop of potatoes, carrots, and garlic. The potatoes are resting in the garage where it’s cool, under burlap, and the carrots are still in the ground, being eaten as we need them. The garlic was cleaned and packed raw in olive oil in canning jars, and refrigerated.
opiejeanne
@M31: Just outside Seattle. Locally grown. I thought of Alaska too when I saw them and was surprised when the clerk told me they were from a local farmer.
opiejeanne
@satby: It’s a roadside market that started in 1938. It’s called Yakima, which is kind of funny because it’s in Bothell. Yakima is the other side of the Cascades. The market is open from March through the end of October, when it closes down for the winter. In December they reopen to sell Christmas trees.
YAKIMA MARKET
J R in WV
The terrible twin puppies are outside, probably just lying around on top of the big rocks and boulders. Older puppy is crashed out amongst the pile of puppy trash, which I’m not cleaning up every day. They like to chew, so there’s a pile of cardboard boxes for that, and a few cans.
Only two shoes so far, one pretty destroyed, one just a little hole in the outer layer. So I had to visit my fav show store, I hate buying shoes. So many I buy turn out to be unacceptable two weeks later on.
The puppies are great, nothing they do can put me off puppies. I will do some photos, at least a couple of them lying in a pile of shredded cardboard and tin cans — may remind them of the goats? That’s actually an urban myth, goats will try on anything, but won’t eat nasty stuff, they just have a high level for nasty, weeds and brush, even briars are sweet to them.
mrmoshpotato
@J R in WV: Obligatory
stinger
@joel hanes:
I have a rural property and would love to (re)establish prairie, but the necessary burns put me off for the reasons you list. And I’ve been called “W” by friends when I mention that I’ve been clearing brush!
Amir Khalid
Adam Lallana has equalised for Liverpool, who will be happy if they come away with a draw even if it cuts their lead over Man City to six points.
Amir Khalid
And it ends Man Utd 1-1 Liverpool.
opiejeanne
@J R in WV: I heard that goats like to eat the labels from tin cans, not the cans themselves. I don’t know if that’s true. I’m working a jigsaw puzzle and had to cover it with a towel after one of my darling cats licked the design off of one piece. I can’t tell where it goes, not until the puzzle is complete.
Amir Khalid
How much does one of those giant cabbages weigh? And what would you do with it?
J R in WV
@opiejeanne:
I have discovered that putting cleaned raw garlic in jars of former dill pickle juice, preferably with hot red peppers, is an excellent thing to do. Not all of the garlic, but enough to snack on from time to time.
opiejeanne
@Amir Khalid: I think they’re more than 25 pounds each, and the sign says they’re good for kraut, as in sauerkraut. I thought of our host tackling one of those things.
opiejeanne
@J R in WV: Good idea. We did that with some of our cucumbers and threw in a few small garlic cloves.
WereBear
Laughed and laughed, I did.
mrmoshpotato
@Amir Khalid: Giant. pot. of. bigos! :) (Polish hunters’ stew)
GregMulka
3 weeks ago we planted 4 Dwarf apple and 4 Dwarf cherry trees. I was going to be digging a smallish water feature in the middle of them but my wife found a rescue dog instead so no lining this fall and no hole. The Saucer Magnolia from the Arbor Day Foundation arrived earlier this week so that went in the ground yesterday. We should have the forms for the concrete raised bed walls finished this week. We’re clearing brush from the area next to the driveway were the raspberry plants and beehives will go. Bulbs in the ground next week around the magnolia. Operation Get Rid of as Much Grass as Possible continues apace.
Ruth C Wright
Humorous vegetables are always good for a laugh. God bless Sir Terry Pratchett!