Things are still looking up - as additional relaxation over Christmas holiday thankfully brought more improvement to my health. It seems that the knees are the last things to get well, and I still can't squat down to do anything. I'm certainly glad the off-season doesn't require tending to anything in the garden, because it would be impossible to do some things.
However, I did manage to (gingerly) fill the remaining compost bins (5 out of 6) with bagged ingredients, and of course layered them with UCG's, grass clippings, and the various bags of leaves and such. No bags remain, and I hope to find some curbside bags next week, hopefully. They're needed for later, as I really want to get another cycle going in early May.
Another thing on my mind is the upcoming tomato plant propagation, and is only 2 months away from becoming a reality once more. Instead of starting 350 as last year, i'll likely do about 100, I guess. It'll be exciting to grow more varieties this time, but i'll not grow 32 plants like last year. Sheesh....I figure 12-14 will work just fine. Besides, I need lots of space for the many melons that'll be grown. :-) Anyway, i'll reveal the tomato plant list in upcoming weeks.....
In other news, it snowed big time on Christmas Day, and I shot a video of Jude enjoying herself in it. Hope you like it!
Take care, and happy gardening!
EG
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Somewhat better
It's unbelievable what Lyrica did to harm my body, and thankfully it's slowly but surely getting out of my system. Although still not 100%, the only limitations are kneeling down, climbing stairs, and this unbelievable pain in my right knee and lower back. Walking has become much better, but running would be completely out of the question. Needless to say, it's been rough over the past 4 weeks. In all, i'd say my health is back up to about 80% from normal.
I'd like to thank everyone for the thoughts and prayers, and know that they have been well received.
Today even allowed me to do some work on Jude's pen, as I constructed a roof for it with pvc pipe and a new tarp. The existing one was ripped to shreds by the elements, and now the rain won't make her life miserable. The little stinker took off on me the other evening, and after 3 hours of searching - i'd finally given up.
However, a trip to the front door at 3:30 the following morning revealed her patiently standing there waiting for me. Yeah....it was a sad night for me, but all is well again.
About the garden - most things died from the 10 degree night experienced a while back, especially since I was helpless to take care of things. But, the carrots in the greenhouse are doing great. Yay!
The compost piles could really use some attention, but doing so is just not possible at this time. I hope to be able to put some bags of leaves in the truck this next week, because many more are needed for this composting cycle.
I can tell you one thing for sure - my life has been forever changed, and no big projects will likely be possible in the future. Only time will tell, I guess....
Anyway, that's it for now.
EG
I'd like to thank everyone for the thoughts and prayers, and know that they have been well received.
Today even allowed me to do some work on Jude's pen, as I constructed a roof for it with pvc pipe and a new tarp. The existing one was ripped to shreds by the elements, and now the rain won't make her life miserable. The little stinker took off on me the other evening, and after 3 hours of searching - i'd finally given up.
However, a trip to the front door at 3:30 the following morning revealed her patiently standing there waiting for me. Yeah....it was a sad night for me, but all is well again.
About the garden - most things died from the 10 degree night experienced a while back, especially since I was helpless to take care of things. But, the carrots in the greenhouse are doing great. Yay!
The compost piles could really use some attention, but doing so is just not possible at this time. I hope to be able to put some bags of leaves in the truck this next week, because many more are needed for this composting cycle.
I can tell you one thing for sure - my life has been forever changed, and no big projects will likely be possible in the future. Only time will tell, I guess....
Anyway, that's it for now.
EG
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
I'm still here
It's been several days since anything has been posted (about 2 weeks I think), and the reason is because of my health. It seems that after performing a small miracle with the FM condition, the medication has since turned against me. Constant muscle spasms in my ankles, entire legs, back, and arms have rendered me almost helpless....It's all I can do to get in/out of my truck and drive to work each day, and once there, every step taken is accompanied by all of the muscles in my legs trembling, and as you can guess - excruciating pain. Frequently traveled distances from 2 weeks ago now take at least 5 times longer to accomplish. I can't take care of the garden, or anything else tended to in my normal daily routine. Except for my girl Jude, of course.....I'm sure most of you know that I would walk through the flames of hell just to give her the playtime expected each day, so I gingerly make my way to her pen twice a day to do just that. Anyway, tonight revealed that my right ankle is so swollen that it's doubtful that a shoe can be put on it tomorrow morning, but somehow i'll make it to work. Please do not feel sorry for me, as i'm sure it will all be worked out in the upcoming days. I just felt the need to let you know that i'm still here, but have another issue to deal with. God Bless you all, and i'll try to give an update when there's something new to share...
EG
EG
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Some random things from my world right now
Cold, wet, and dreary days have finally arrived for the season, making it quite difficult to become excited about performing any work outside. The amount of rainfall received over the last couple of days has been substantial, meaning the entire backyard is a complete mess. However, since that's where Jude's pen is located, the trip to let her out twice a day still takes place regardless. A break in the weather allowed for a few photos to be taken the other day, and this first one is of the 4 compost bins that have been filled so far. With plenty of UCG's still available (in the clear bags in front of the bins), layering the remaining 2 bins to the right should take place once their contents have been removed. Man, I dread it - because it's hard to hold a dogfood bag open, then place a shovelful of finished compost inside. Some help would certainly be nice, but that's not about to happen.....
Photo below - At my place of employment, a guy spends a little time each day cleaning up the "back forty", and was about to put some special pallets into the large dumpster headed to the area landfill the other day. Well, a quick glance revealed to me that these were no ordinary pallets. On top of each was a shallow "box" that was created by butting pieces of thin, galvanized angle iron - then nailing them to the pallet. The original design was intended to keep a box of some kind from shifting during transit, but I knew what my intentions were...ha! So, I asked the guy to load them into the back of Big Red, and they went home with EG. A new work table for outside will eventually come from the steel next spring - especially since there's already a little stick welder on hand. I'll have to post some pics of it for Kris, but not of me knocking myself in the head with it. Ha!
I also got around to installing a couple of wheels and tires onto one of the coldframes, so that relocating it wouldn't cause any stress on my problematic back. Oh yeah, i'm sure it looks pretty funny, but just had to raise one end - then roll it wherever I wanted. Some detachable handles will be added later on for easier maneuvering, because it was not the easiest thing to steer with nothing in place. The axles will need to be cutoff some too, and of course flat washers with cotter pins installed, also.
Once in place, about 2-3" of homemade compost was layered inside, then carrot and napa cabbage seeds sown. (Napa cabbage seeds shared by Thomas) This should provide something from the garden when the other things have completely played out, and also give me a reason to go out there everyday during the months of February and March of next year.
In other news, my (almost) 77 year old Daddy (that's what we call our fathers in the deep south) has recently shown a great interest in sharing stories from his childhood, and what it was like to grow up in such hard times. He was born in 1934, and as you can imagine - times were brutal. Anyway, I have created a blog for him to record everything with, so that us children (4) and his grandchildren (5) can read about his experiences for years to come. It's sole purpose is for keeping in touch with memories of where we came from, and in no way would I ask you to read - or even follow it. To make it easy on his part, I am the administrator of the site, and correct any grammatical errors before anything is posted. (I think he needs a new keyboard or something, because his drafts have capital letters all over the place!) Anyway, if you would enjoy hearing stories about life in rural Alabama during this period of time, then I encourage you to read some of his entries. You'll quickly realize that we take alot for granted these days, and might even learn a thing or two. Anyway, the site is Accounts from my life, and you're welcome to visit it. I'll have to remember to put some old pictures on there later, too......
Well, that's about it for today, take care, and happy gardening!
EG
Photo below - At my place of employment, a guy spends a little time each day cleaning up the "back forty", and was about to put some special pallets into the large dumpster headed to the area landfill the other day. Well, a quick glance revealed to me that these were no ordinary pallets. On top of each was a shallow "box" that was created by butting pieces of thin, galvanized angle iron - then nailing them to the pallet. The original design was intended to keep a box of some kind from shifting during transit, but I knew what my intentions were...ha! So, I asked the guy to load them into the back of Big Red, and they went home with EG. A new work table for outside will eventually come from the steel next spring - especially since there's already a little stick welder on hand. I'll have to post some pics of it for Kris, but not of me knocking myself in the head with it. Ha!
I also got around to installing a couple of wheels and tires onto one of the coldframes, so that relocating it wouldn't cause any stress on my problematic back. Oh yeah, i'm sure it looks pretty funny, but just had to raise one end - then roll it wherever I wanted. Some detachable handles will be added later on for easier maneuvering, because it was not the easiest thing to steer with nothing in place. The axles will need to be cutoff some too, and of course flat washers with cotter pins installed, also.
Once in place, about 2-3" of homemade compost was layered inside, then carrot and napa cabbage seeds sown. (Napa cabbage seeds shared by Thomas) This should provide something from the garden when the other things have completely played out, and also give me a reason to go out there everyday during the months of February and March of next year.
In other news, my (almost) 77 year old Daddy (that's what we call our fathers in the deep south) has recently shown a great interest in sharing stories from his childhood, and what it was like to grow up in such hard times. He was born in 1934, and as you can imagine - times were brutal. Anyway, I have created a blog for him to record everything with, so that us children (4) and his grandchildren (5) can read about his experiences for years to come. It's sole purpose is for keeping in touch with memories of where we came from, and in no way would I ask you to read - or even follow it. To make it easy on his part, I am the administrator of the site, and correct any grammatical errors before anything is posted. (I think he needs a new keyboard or something, because his drafts have capital letters all over the place!) Anyway, if you would enjoy hearing stories about life in rural Alabama during this period of time, then I encourage you to read some of his entries. You'll quickly realize that we take alot for granted these days, and might even learn a thing or two. Anyway, the site is Accounts from my life, and you're welcome to visit it. I'll have to remember to put some old pictures on there later, too......
Well, that's about it for today, take care, and happy gardening!
EG
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