Whatcha Up To???

[w_r_ranch]

As it is still way to wet to work in the garden, I pulled the T-posts that supported the oak trees that I planted 5+ years ago.

Cut the last of the re-bar that I need for the irrigation system upgrade & treated them with the acid (prep for painting them).

Harvested more asparagus.

Finished applying 'Ironite' to the trees & also to the asparagus bed.

Watered everything in the greenhouse.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Processed the carrots I harvested last week.

Made bread.

Painted the re-bar.

 

[Mr_Yan]

Voted early. My ballot was number 7 fed into the machine. But it's Illinois so voting means nothing the party machine has it figured out weeks in advance.

Anyway. Got ten minutes of hard rain in the early after noon and expect more. The home page for the local TV station leads with:
First severe weather risk of 2016
Severe storms producing large, dangerous hail and an isolated tornado or two are possible between 7 pm and 10 pm this evening.

 

[ErnieCopp]

I picked the last dozen Avocados from the first crop. Haas variety, very good, but very small, so i hope they grow larger as the tree matures.
Will not ripen on the tree, so difficult to know when to pick. They then ripen in 7 to 10 days.

Ernie

 

[wolffman]

For the 4th growing season in a row, the garden was snakebit from too much rain. Today, I replanted corn and beans. Earlier this week I replanted some potatoes that had rotted out. We have a really good weather forecast for the next 2 weeks. Hopefully the pattern will hold.

 

[ErnieCopp]

A big long flower bed where i plant Statis is just too sandy to germinate the seed and perpetuate the planting, using drip irrigation, as no water washes them down. So i am converting to sprinklers. Got a lot done, but did not finish,

We were warned that El Nino was going to flood us out, but wound up with about 3 inches here for the season. A lot of the rain from up north will come several hundred miles to this area, but very expensive by the time it gets here.

Ernie

 

[wolffman]

Luke was a big help today. He's getting old enough to really help me out.

 

[Mr_Yan]

Watched yesterday's snow melt.

Put the final coat of paint on the base trim upstairs.

Put the carpet runner on the stairs.

Taught myself how to tie nets which I plan on using as trellises for peas and other small plants. I may even tie myself a hammock.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Finished washing & putting up Jake & Harley's stuff. Put their bowls & favorite toys in a box that will be buried with their ashes next week... the 'healing' process is starting.

Planted the spaghetti squash, cucumbers, green beans, radish & cilantro seeds.

Watered the hanging baskets.

 

[Mr_Yan]

40 F and slightly raining today.

Stripped down my daughter's old bike and gave it the first coat of red spray paint as it will be my son's bike this year.

Working more on my trellis net. There's a serious risk that my garden will look like a bad seafood shop.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Set the tomato stakes. Planted & tied up half of the tomatoes.

Took all the flats of flowers out of the greenhouse.

Started installing the new risers around the trees. The Toro spray nozzles suck (their QC has gone totally bad in 20 yrs, half of them didn't even work), so I tossed them... that was a waste of $60... I ordered high-end. turned brass ones from a small shop this evening.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Fed the cattle.

Got half the corn planted before it started raining...

Completely broke down my favorite Ruger 10/22 & cleaned it. Replaced the batteries in the scope & the laser.

 

[wolffman]

Good weather on the coastal prairie the last few days for getting seeds to pop out of the ground and young tomato plants. Crossing my fingers that the patterns hold.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Constant drizzle here.

Made bread.

Picked up the boy's ashes.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Received the new brass spray heads yesterday & as luck would have it, they were a different sex than the adapter I had (my fault since I'm brain dead lately)... As much as I hated it, I drove into Houston this morning to pick up 36 adapters. I can't believe I used to make that drive everyday.
Upon getting back to the ranch, I installed them & the new spray heads (wow, what a difference!!!). I still have to install stuff in the 2 front yard flowerbeds before I can say this project is done...

Dug a deep hole for Sunday morning...

 

[Mr_Yan]

Mad 100 soil blocks and used child labor to place the seeds. Here's what we did
5 eggplant
20 kale
5 chard
20 peppers
10 basil
25 beets
15 marigold

Snowed a little over night. Just above freezing here now. Blowing HARD outside.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Cut grass.

Fed cattle.

Watered flowerbeds, trees, hanging baskets, garden & the remaining stuff in the greenhouse.

Refilled the bird feeders.

Refilled the chlorinator in the septic system.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Planted the flowers around the trees & between the tomato plants. Then planted the artichokes in the garden.

Watered the garden, the newly planted flowers & the back flower bed.

Buried the boys.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Sprayed RM43 (long lasting Round-Up) around the home site. I still need to do the fence line, but that was enough for today...

Watered garden & newly planted flowers.

Made a loaf of Italian bread & a loaf of pepperoni bread.

 

[Mr_Yan]

Got a new knife and hook knife in the mail today. A Morakniv Companion HD and a Morakniv 162 hook knife - both carbon steel blades and made by Swedes. Promptly went to basement and carved a small rough spoon from cheap pine.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Sick as can be today... started about 0300 hrs.

 

[whistech]

Sick as can be today... started about 0300 hrs.

Mr. Ranch, I hope you get to feeling better soon. Hell to be sick this time of the year.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Took it easy today... I did make a batch of Italian 7-Layer Cookies just to do something.

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Watered the garden.

 

[ErnieCopp]

Direct planted myy melon seeds and soaked the very dry ground for two hours, one hour each day, and watered the lawn. Rain had been forecast, coming up from the South, but been disappointed so many times i did not expect it.
But have been getting steady rain for last four hours so i hope it continues. It washes the water treatment chemicals out of the soil and really perks things up.

Ernie

 

[w_r_ranch]

Made bread & hamburger buns for tonight.

Made a pot of pinto beans.