The 2011 warm weather garden plan

Schuyler and Amy - welcome, and thanks for following my blog!

Any hardcore backyard gardener will tell you that countless hours of planning for the following year's garden takes place in the off-season, and even though plans change several times - we take delight in putting it all together. Shoot....even after the "final plan" is accepted, we still make changes when planting time arrives. Lol. It's our way of tweaking things to get it perfect, although the outcome is frequently far from just that.
Anyway, my planning is done with software called Autocad, then imported into another program for easier viewing. So, without further adieu - I present to you the 2011 warm weather garden plan, which consists of only 190 square feet of growing space (but tons of trellises, of course!) You can click on the picture to make larger....

In the 4 foot by 25 foot raised bed at the top, we have from left to right :

Onions on the corners, French Orange and a giant variety of cantaloupe (which will be grown vertically up both sides of the trellis, of course), followed by the most peculiar planting of sweet potatoes ever done on the property. Space has been allowed for the foliage to spill outward, in hopes that things won't get too much out-of-hand as the season progresses...With the way I pamper things in the garden, i'm sure it'll be just fine.

Next, we have more onions - then watermelons (most likely congo and sugar bowl hybrid) grown vertically up both sides of their respective trellis. BTW, if you're a new visitor to my blog, get used to the word "trellis", because there's alot of them in my garden....Yeehaw! I'm the self-proclaimed king of vertical gardening! Ha!

Next, we have okra - because I couldn't think of anything else to put in those 4 squares. Oh well, we put alot in the freezer each year, so it's completely ok by me....

To the right of that will be 2 zucchini, and 4 yellow crookneck squash grown in 2ft x 2ft blocks. One must really keep them in their own alotted space, or things get out of hand rather quickly with these spacehogs. But, I do it this way every year with good success. I ain't skeered......

Next is onions and carrots on the corners, then Waltham butternut squash grown vertically up both sides of a trellis. Those little buggers are quite a treat during the cold months, and we like 'em alot....

Then there's 20 okra, which will of course be the burgundy variety.

And completing the big box will be onions and carrots on the corners, then "Cool Green" honeydew melons grown vertically up both sides of their respective trellis. If you've never tried this variety before when grown to perfection - you're missing out.....Yum!

Next, we have the area that will house nothing but homemade self-watering containers (located in the center of the drawing). It's a level spot sitting directly over the septic field lines for our home, and is 18ft long and 3 feet wide. All tomatoes, corn, and cucumbers will be grown here, and from left to right we have:

Tomatoes - stupice, red siberian, brandywine (red), goose creek, pineapple, green zebra, rutgers, giant belgium, cherokee chocolate, black from tula, cherokee purple, paul robeson, and brandywine black. You can bet that this section will receive alot of pampering, because it's gonna be the most visited part of the entire garden, I bet. All of the seeds for these were shared by my gardening friends Dan , Megan , Robin , and Charles.....I'm sure there's someone i'm forgetting, and if so - sorry....

Corn - 60 plants, peaches and cream variety....The best variety of sweet corn that I know of. It'll make you wanna slap yourself silly while eating it....hehe. Ouch!

Cucumbers - 12 plants, straight eight variety - grown vertically on a trellis, of course.....

Then, there's the 4ft x 8 ft raised bed by the blackberry patch where 3 different varieties of watermelons will be grown vertically up the trellises. They are: Mountain hoosier (1 plant), Moon and Stars (2 plants), and a giant variety shared by Cheryl  (1 plant). A couple of those varieties can reach 80 lbs., and i'd like nothing more than to sling one that big!

That's followed by a couple of self watering containers in the same location where 2 different varieties of sugar baby watermelons will be grown vertically up the trellis.

And lastly, jalapeno (2 plants) and bell peppers (6 plants) will be grown in the homemade containers by the shed.

Whew.....that was alot of explaining to do! Anyway, that's the plan, and I aim to stick to it the best I can. Lol. Hopefully...

Take care, and happy gardening

EG

The seedlings

Things are going well with the seedlings in the propagation systems right now, even though ambient temperatures are much higher than preferred. The main thing is to watch the soil moisture closely while the seedlings are young, because what little bit of soil exists in each cell dries out more quickly than one would expect. Anyway, i'd like to show you their status as of last weekend - which was when these pictures were made..
Photo below - Here's a little orange bell pepper seedling growing in the propagation system made from a cat litter bucket. Seeds were shared by ShawnAnn, and germination was excellent. Thank you again, ShawnAnn!

Photo below - Here's a few Brandywine tomato seedlings growing in the largest propagation system. The first true leaves are beginning to emerge, and will be potted up over the upcoming weekend.They're checked on every morning at 6 am, and again at 5:30 pm when home from work each evening. Temperature data is evaluated from the previous 24 hours, then erased so that recording can start again. Although unnecessary to most, the data gathered while away is valuable information

Photo below - speaking of the data acquisition, here's the main screen for the touch panel that controls all of the propagation systems automatically. The temperature value at the bottom left-hand corner is of the system with the heirloom tomato seedlings inside, and 66.8 degrees is really good for them at this stage of growth. As stated before, the system is of course homemade, and controls everything automatically (ventilation fans based on temperature, lights on/off at strategic times over a 24 hour period, etc). All that's needed by me is ample watering, and lord knows i'm not the best at doing that...lol

Photo below - A couple of cellpacks were also started for marigolds on Sunday, and will be transplanted throughout the garden to repel insects as well as add some aesthetics to the area. Just because i'm big and brawny doesn't mean my garden can't look pretty, too...

Lastly, i'd like to say that the seedlings will be potted-up this coming Saturday into some pretty large cups, and i'm sure the little plants will certainly appreciate the extra growing room. Of course all 3 large propagation systems will be needed to accomodate them, but they're ready for the new arrivals. Ah....gotta love this time of year....

Take care, and happy gardening

EG

More trellis equals a happy EG

Sheryl - welcome, and thanks for following my blog....

It's no secret that vertical gardening is what my garden is all about, because heck - i'll grow anything possible vertically, or at least attempt it. Since the 2 trellises in the middle of the main raised bed were originally only 4 feet tall and sticks of all kinds were fastened to them for beans to run on every year, I decided to do something more permanent. Two foot pieces of scrap 4x4's were placed on top of the existing posts, then pieces of flat metal screwed into each half to keep them rigid. For the sake of this picture, I went ahead and took the photo before all 4 sides were fastened together.

Photo below - as stated the other day, a couple more swc's were constructed over the weekend, and as you can see in this picture - one more yogurt cup was needed to finish this particular piece. After a trip to the grocery for some milk, and 1 single 6 oz. cup of this brand of yogurt - it was completed and stored for later use. Which brings me to the following conclusion - fat free key lime pie yogurt tastes like crap! Blech.

Photo below - here's one of the new swc's ready for some screws to keep the sides from bulging outward when filled with soil. A 1-1/2" fill pipe is normally installed - but none was to be found on the property. However, this 3/4" thin wall was available - so that's what it'll get. No biggie....filling with water will just go a little more slowly, but that's ok by me...

In other news, the summer garden plan is finally completed, and i'll post a picture of the layout next week sometime. It's undergone countless changes over the winter, but i'm finally satisfied with it. Perhaps the most interesting planting will be the sweet potatoes, because it'll be a first time with doing them this way. I hope to do well with them this year, because people seem to really enjoy the harvest videos with me and my sidekick Jude each fall.

Take care, and happy gardening

EG

Ready or not, the trees are budding out

The contents of my newest compost bin have shrunk significantly (30%), and it'll get turned next weekend, probably. As the contents of all bins decrease in size, they'll be consolidated into 3 or 4 bins during the summer months. With that being said, this newest one will be the first to be emptied, and hopefully a late planting of beans will go in there. History in the garden has shown that green beans do so much better after the hottest part of summer has passed, so I expect we'll be putting alot of them in the freezer during September and early October....

Photo below - I just knew it would happen.....sigh....this is my Santa Rosa plum tree, and it's too early for this to be happening. Stupid weather...it messes things up almost every year. If it weren't for the blackberries and grapes, we'd having nothing to look forward to in the orchard.

Photo below - Ok, this might not look like much to some, but it's huge to me! Green foliage on the rhubarb means that it survived the winter in the maleshift container it was planted into last spring. Never having grown (or eaten) it before, this should be the year that I get to try one of those proverbial rhubarb pies everyone speaks of. Shoot....who knows? I might even like it....

Photo below - here's a few of the carrots that were transplanted into the main garden last weekend, and they're still doing great as of today. Whoever said that transplanting carrots was difficult must've been crazy, because this was simple to do, and no damage was done to the seedlings....

In other news, the trellis extensions are finally in place, and some wire mesh will be attached to them next weekend. In all, the extensions have allowed me to gain 5.5 feet of vertical space that is of course 4 feet wide - which is essentially just like having another trellis on the main raised bed. As previously stated, this will be a gardening season like no other...

Things in the garden right now

Megajoel - welcome, and thanks for following my blog!

Since a few squares were vacant in the upcoming garden (and I was really wanting to pack things in tight this year), some onion sets were purchased at Lowes - then transplanted into their new home. Homemade compost was mounded pretty high before the plants went into it, and after settling some later, should be just about level with the rim of the box. The area in the center of the 2 plantings will be utilized for melons later, which will of course be ran up the trellis.

Photo below - Thanks to the warmer temps of late, the napa cabbage in the coldframe is really beginning to experience some growth now. When they get just a tad bigger, the coldframe will be removed - exposing them to the elements.

Photo below - here's a couple of planters with carrots and onions in them that have been in the greenhouse all winter. The carrots will be transplanted into some more available squares in the main raised bed that otherwise wouldn't get utilized later. In all, I guess starting them in the greenhouse during the early part of winter was a good idea, because it's allowed a quick start to the early spring garden...

Photo below - here's the only surviving cole variety plant that was sown in the greenhouse, too. It appears to be cauliflower, and has since been put into one of the 4 gallon swp's that had been vacated.

In other news, a couple more self watering containers were constructed on Saturday, and it appears that I may have enough now. If not, there's plenty of 5 gallon buckets ready to go, and they'll just have to do for a few tomato plants this year.
I also got some highly anticipated melon seeds in the mail from Cheryl, and we could have some whoppers growing on trellises later. I sure hope so - thanks again, Cheryl!

Take care, and happy gardening

EG

More gardening plans

Welcome, Stacey and Amy - and thanks for following my blog....

No pictures today, but I promise to take several over the weekend...

Observations

1. My propagation setup isn't intended for use during days with temperature ranges of between 50-75 degrees, and some tomato seedlings have been lost because of it. Due to the confinements of each unit, heat from the lights normally keep the contents quite warm - even on nights when temps plummet to the 20's.....However, a little too much heat is being created right now under the current circumstances...

Since more than 1 cell was planted with each variety of seed, this usually isn't a problem. But, I've lost both cells of White Tomesol, Amana Orange, Giant Oxheart, and Black Krim - which bothers me just a tad......Oh well, at least there's more than enough of the others to take their place in the garden later.

2. Since 60 corn plants will be grown in swc's this year, i'm thinking about growing the sweet potatoes in a 4' x 4' section of the main raised bed. In reality, it's the only place to put them - especially since their containers will be occupied by peppers...

3. Trellis extensions are being added to the main raised bed this weekend so that the melon yield will be enhanced, but it's definitely gonna make the garden look weird! Believe me, it really throws off the symmetry of the raised bed - but will be much better in the long run. Besides, it's the only way to keep the numbers up with a smaller garden.

A few flower seeds will be started as well - mainly marigold and poppies for my daughter...

Anyway, that's about it for now - but be prepared for lots of pictures next week!

Take care and happy gardening,

EG

Beautiful, but problematic weather

Michelle and sherrijerrick - welcome, and thanks for following the blog.....

Even though most people would be ecstatic about the following 10 day forecast after the winter we've had, it bothers me quite a bit. Why? The fruit trees will most likely bloom, then another coldsnap will keep the bees from pollinating the flowers.....sigh. It's just too early in the season for this to happen, and my prediction is that commercial fruit growers (and myself) will suffer because of it. For those not familiar with the contents of my little orchard, I have : 2 plum trees, 2 pear trees, 2 apple trees, 3 muscadine grape vines, 3 blueberry bushes, and 1/4 acre of wild blackberries.....Even though there's alot of possibilities, mother nature usually stymies production each and every season.....

Things are pretty relaxed around the property right now, but lots of little chores still take place each day. Onion sets were planted yesterday (52 total) in the main raised bed, being placed in otherwise unused squares, and it was either that or some flowers of some type to repel harmful insects later...
On the tomato propagation cycle, there's a few that didn't protrude from the soil after germinating. This is due to cold temps as of late, but thankfully cells with multiple seedlings can be divided to put in their place. It happens from time to time, and you just have to adapt to the situation....
Also, the remaining muscadine grape vines have been pruned, and my pruning chores are finished for the year (except for the continuous pinching of new runners throughout the summer).

A couple of new swc's were constructed last weekend, and around 3 more will need to be built before the gardening season begins in April. Since the garden is being reduced to only 190 square feet this year, more swc's are advantageous to keep the harvest totals up. Also, i'll likely record the harvest weights this time around - especially since so many melons will be grown. 600 lbs. is what i'm shooting for, but we'll just have to wait and see if it can be pulled off. At least 75% of all veggies will be grown vertically, and I still need to make some extensions for the shortest trellises in the main raised bed. That'll be addressed the next time i'm at Lowes (if I can think of it), and i'll likely do 2 foot extensions on each.
Anyway, that's about it for today...

Take care, and happy gardening!

EG

Stuff growing in the coldframe

Christian - welcome, and thanks for following my blog!

Around October (I think) a couple of things were sown in the coldframe being used this year, and after a long, cold winter - are finally beginning to show some real progress. Napa Cabbage (seeds shared by Thomas ) was sown, and also some carrots that were left from last year's seeds. All have finally germinated, and hopefully will have time to reach maturity before planting corn in this same area of the raised bed on April 1st.

I've also had some time to remove a portion of the native soil from the 28 foot long flowerbed constructed last year for the wife. This is gonna take a while to do, especially because of the current frequency of rain....If you look closely, a couple of wires are exposed that go right thru the thing, too. Those are the telephone and cable wires going to our house, and only flowers can be grown in this part....

Photo below - one thing that keeps bothering me, is what to do with the 8 landscaping timbers that were leftover from the project....I mean, the garden is big enough already. However, I could use them to make the swc/swp location taller - then if I ever decided to make a raised bed out of it, just need to dig it out and refill with compost.....Hmm....

In other news, a quick browse through the seed rack at my local Lowes revealed that they have Boxcar Willie and Black Krim tomato seeds now available...can you believe that? It kinda bothered me, because one of the rare black tomato varieties that us heirloom tomato growers truly appreciate is no longer "special".....at least in my mind. I may be over-emphasizing the situation, but really like the fact that several varieties grown in my garden have never been seen elsewhere in the county by other gardeners...

I went in there to buy fertilizer for the fruit trees, and almost picked up a large bag of 34-0-0....however, after reading the label, it was 10% sulfur - which will lower soil ph. In my location, we never add sulfur for the majority of things, because of the ever-present acidic properties of the native soil. As a result, lime has to be added most years, which would be counter-productive. I bet everyone that purchases that stuff doesn't even know the error of their ways, either.....sheesh....

It also snowed for the 5th time of the season on Wednesday night, and all kinds of cars were in ditches the following morning. I sure hope it's the last time for the year!

Take care, and happy gardening!

EG

Life on the propagation front

Things are in full swing on the propagation front finally, allowing me to try out the cat litter bucket system with a full blown grow cycle of pepper seedlings. Just for reference, i've got another one with tomato seedlings in it too, which will be for one of my gardening buddies at work. Anyway, the one in the photo below has my peppers in it, and so far are doing really well. It seems to be the perfect system for 12 seedlings - but only time will tell.

Photo below - with only a 60 watt bulb mounted in the lid, the bucket is flooded with light to grow these plants to around 6-8 inches tall. You can enlarge the photo to see the tiny seedlings that have emerged already, and a few more should pop up in another day or two. The wire looking thing wrapped around the contour of the enclosure is the sensing bulb of the thermostat - which of course will bring on the ventilation fan if needed. It's set for around 75-80 degrees, which should be perfect for peppers. If you'd like to know how this system was constructed, you can found out Here .

Photo below - here's some of the cellpacks sown with heirloom tomato seeds,which of course are being grown in the largest propagation unit. With two 8ft fluorescent light fixtures suspended above them in an enclosed space only 23 inches wide, this system is by far my favorite to work with. It'll hold 192 seedlings grown in 2"x3" cells, or around forty in 28oz. plastic cups. It's obvious that popsicle sticks are my choice in plant markers too, and I usually cut them in half to make them go further....

Photo below - I wanted to show you the light rope that was placed under sand along the bottom of the unit. At 22 ft long, it makes 3 passes along the almost 8 ft. long system, and warms the entire enclosed space to about 7-8 degrees warmer than if without. Anyway, i'm very pleased with it so far.

Photo below - As you can tell from the 2 temperature values, the system being used is about 15 degrees warmer than the shorter unit currently not being used. This is due to the added heat from the rope light - as well as the lights themselves.

Since temperatures have been consistently cold, the lights are still on constantly. This might be strange to most people, but I do it this way every year. As long as you keep a check on the soil moisture level, the seedlings have no problems whatsoever with it. I've even had tomato plants exposed to 25 degrees before, and they came out just fine.
In other news, it seems that a couple of my closest friends were shopping around for someone to build a deck onto their home the other day on facebook, and i'll likely get the opportunity to do it. I really don't perform much work on the side, but after seeing professional builders trying to get the job, I just had to offer my services. Besides, a deck built by EG will be much stronger than most, and they usually entertain alot of people with cookouts and such....Wouldn't you want yours built "EG strong"? Code calls for a weight rating of 40 pounds per square foot, and mine is around 70. Hehe....It'll support a truck....Ha!

Well, that's about it for today......

Take care, and happy propagating!

EG

Doing some pruning while the weather was good

A break in the weather allowed me to work outside for a little bit, and I just had to take advantage of it by pruning a few things. The muscadine grape vines were the first to tackle - and also the most time consuming. So, while Jude ran around catching pieces of vine that were tossed into the air, I proceeded to take care of the first one on Sunday. It looks so much better now....

Photo below - here's what the other ones look like, and will be much more difficult to prune than the first one. Since this trellis system has 2 vines growing toward each other on the same wires, it'll get a very progressive pruning next weekend..

Photo below - One thing that also has to be addressed is this tendril that was discovered while taking photos. This girdling is on one of the main trunks as it leads fom the ground up to the trellis itself, and is a show-stopper if left unattended. A person really has to watch out for these things....

Photo below - Here's my Santa Rosa plum tree, which needed very little pruning this time. If a person isn't careful, they'll prune more than needed, and end up with very little fruit in the end. I mostly wanted to show it to you for the shape - as you want it to have a "vase shape" to it, with the center opened up to allow air and sunlight to penetrate it. This tree is in it's 7th year of being in the ground, and it's taken alot of pruning to get it shaped up nicely.

Any new growth that becomes crossed up or tangled is removed too, and all growth at the top is left alone. Besides, no fruit will form that high up, and the tender leaves are enjoyed by the pesky japanese beetles. As long as the rest is left alone, it's no concern.

In other news, tomato seeds have begun germinating, and are now in the confinements of the largest propagation system. Lights are left on constantly until all have emerged from the soil, because failure to do so will make the seedlings leggy.

Take care, and happy gardening!

EG

Addressing this year's SWC area

Remember the area where the corn and sweet potatoes were grown last year? Well, it's gonna become the location where 95% of the swc's/swp's will be located this time around....It'll be used for tomatoes, corn, and cucumbers - but first had to be leveled back up again, then weed barrier put down. At 16ft long and 3 ft wide, it'll hold 12 swc's made from 31 gallon totes, and of course is sitting directly on top of the septic field area for our home. I think it's a good way to utilize the area that otherwise wouldn't be possible for gardening, and the whole thing can be dismantled for unforseen maintenance issues that could pop up later. But, that's just me - as I know lots of people that wouldn't dream of putting anything in this area....

Anyway, lots of native soil was wheelbarrowed (is that a word?) to the location, and scrap roof shingles were laid on top as a weed barrier....That white piece of plastic was aqcuired from the trash dumpster at work, and should work really good, too....

Photo below - Another cage that was resurrected from a pile of mangled wire next to the woods. The thing is - I really don't know what it will be used for. heh. I bet bush cucumbers would work well with it, and that just might become a reality later in the growing season...

In other news, it's been really cold the last few days, so the light in the cat litter bucket propagation system has been going non-stop to keep the little pepper seedlings warm. Since this is a brand new system that's being tried out, it's pretty much trial and error at this point. I'm still waiting on about half to emerge, and hopefully that'll happen even though the temps are still cool in the shed.

Also, the fruit trees, bushes, and vines can be pruned now, and i'll most likely start on them on the first weekend that weather permits. With freezing rain predicted today and tomorrow, that'll probably be next weekend - which is February 12th. If anyone in my area would like a tutorial on pruning, let me know and i'll let you watch. Anyway, i'm always glad to get things pruned, because the out of control growth gets on my nerves quite a bit. (OCPD) The trees go really quick, but the grape vines take alot of time to do.

Take care, and happy gardening!

EG

Birth of the peppers

When tiny radicles emerge from their seed casings each year during the germination process, I can't help but get excited about it. It's without a doubt the easiest part of the whole propagation cycle - because a damp piece of paper towel in a closed container is all it takes to make things happen. All of my seeds are germinated this way, and doing so eliminates waiting 10-14 days for the same thing to happen when planted into cellpacks filled with soil. Anyway, pictured below are some jalapeno pepper seeds with their radicles protruding, so into some soil they went......

Photo below - here's 12 cells planted with seeds germinated from jalapeno, green bell, and also orange bell pepper shared by ShawnAnn . Even though we're not big pepper eaters around here, it's something that can be grown in the problematic squirrel haven, and who knows? We might even grill a few sometime later this year....I'm sure several of my hispanic friends at work will take care of any jalapenos we don't use, too...These 2 cellpacks have been placed in the cat litter bucket propagation system already, and I noticed that several have even peeked from the soil after only being in soil for 2 days.....I'll probably have to run the light 24 hours a day to make sure they stay warm enough, because a daily high outside temp of 38 just won't do during the rest period.

Photo below - the growing containers have already been put into place, and just for the purpose of taking this picture - their little cages have already been installed. At the time of transplant, of course the cages will be removed, then the containers mounded with homemade compost. The little green wire cages were fabricated from some larger cages bought several years ago, and should provide excellent support for the plants as they grow upward. Overall, i'm really pleased with the outcome - now if I can just grow some nice transplants to put inside......

In other news, all leaves on hand have been added to the compost bins, and only the occasional turning of the piles and additions of nitrogen need to be performed for the remainder of the decomposition cycle. As each bin shrinks significantly, they'll likely be consolidated to keep the piles to a good size.

Also, a few things that were sown inside the coldframe have begun to sprout, although no significant growth can be expected for several weeks. The cold temps just don't allow much to happen, but thankfully early spring is just right around the corner.

Lastly, some of the tomato seeds have germinated, and will be planted into soil most likely on Saturday.

Take care, and happy propagating!

EG

Inside EG's brain - a quest for personal gratification

Frequently, people ask me how I come up with all kinds of ideas, and build things the way I do. Well, i'd like to explain a few things to those readers that might not know me very well. I'm not like most people, and have trouble communicating with others that speak of topics that don't interest me. However, that which does interest me - completely occupies my thoughts and efforts until it is fully understood. So, I am driven to achieve excellence in anything I attempt or aspire to do or become. Building things is a way for me to make good use of the many things that were studied/learned  throughout my life, and most things come pretty easy. In my spare time I like to invent/build things that can be used around the property - which is of course a neverending process. There are 3 reasons that allow me to be this way, and please - don't perceive this explanation as an intent to highlight myself , because that's not the case. Sometimes we wonder what makes an individual the way they are, and this is my effort to let you understand how an Alabama redneck is capable of certain things and what goes on in his mind each and every day.

1. There's an adequate amount of spare time away from my 50 hour work week to tinker with things, and the kids are all grown up. Having children at an early age does have some advantages. Plus, if I have accomplished something new around the property each week, it makes me feel good about myself. I just can't sit still for any length of time, and always want to construct something that will somehow enrich my life, as well as those around me. I literally work on something everyday - whether it be an autocad drawing, contruction project, or outdoor activities. Besides, television programs don't interest me one bit - unless it's something relating to weather, news, or educational.

2. I have OCPD , which is the fuel that motivates me to do things better, faster, and more efficient. Oh boy...this one is difficult to deal with at times - but, i'm better at counteracting it since I was diagnosed almost 3 years ago by a specialized physician. It's truly a case of Dr. Jekyll/ Mr. Hyde, and i've learned to deal with the negative aspects of it, thank goodness. However, it's a constant struggle that is awoken to each day, and there are even personally written sticky notes strategically placed in my bedroom so that their words are the first things faced with each morning....
Although rarely observed by others, the experience of inner turmoil within this syndrome is immense. High standards are applied two-fold within the OCPD sufferer's expectations directed toward themselves. Failure for me is never an option, and just isn't acceptable in my mind. Each day is filled with small rituals that seem to go unnoticed by others, but are absolutely mandatory for me to perform. Of course, there's a different one for each individual situation - like...I can't leave anything on my plate at dinnertime, and the plate even has to be turned a certain way while eating. Another would be that when eating from a salad bar, exactly 8 packs of crackers have to be used - and also opened before starting the salad. Although none come to mind right now, there are literally thousands of more rituals I deal with. It's just not fair, and I hate every one of them.....

3. The average man generally has one trade they excel in - at least from my observations. However, I have mastered at least 5 different categories of skilled trade, and always apply myself to learn every little detail about each. This has been possible through higher education, on the job training, and LOTS of reading. Of course, the driving force behind this is the OCPD, and no amount of knowledge is never enough....

There's over 400 books in my personal library, whether it be on paper or an electronic copy - all of which are concerning either gardening, electronics, home repair, air conditioning/refrigeration, industrial electricity, plumbing, hydraulics, carpentry, welding, or PLC programming. Some books have been read from cover to cover at least 100 times, and I keep them on hand for reference only. Being littered with page markers and even words highlighted throughout allow me to quickly get to the useful portions without having to go through endless pages of words that aren't relevant to my needs. Every book is done this way during the initial reading - which is due to the efficiency problem that the OCPD demands, I guess....

My brain activity really never slows down, and is constantly trying to solve problems, or come up with a way to make or do something. It's really not fair, as I've never known what it was like to just be "normal". This is why I struggle to get the right words out when making a video - my brain is constantly trying to exchange words as they come out for an improvement in reception. All I know, is that it makes me sound like a bumbling idiot sometimes...

I am a "numbers person", meaning that numbers totally fascinate me, and I have all kinds of numbers embedded in my brain from even when I was a child. Instead of presenting a credit card, driver's license, hotel points card (3 different ones), or frequent flyer points cards, I have simply memorized them all. Yeah....some of which are 16 digits long.....It's weird, I know! Just like the Nintendo Gameplayers Hotline phone number that I used a few times over 20 years ago (which was 206-885-7529). Even though I haven't used it in over 20 years, the info is retained in memory. Anyway, I work with various numbering systems that are used by PLCs - like decimal, binary coded decimal, octal, and hexadecimal. Although some sound kinda strange, in reality they just have different formats, and represent the same numbers using different characters and symbols. (Kinda like shorthand for math, I guess)

You'll notice that my garden doesn't have plant markers for things - because the entire thing is memorized each year.... Maps aren't used when driving in a never before visited city either, because I memorize the way to go before leaving my house. I know... this one almost drove the wife insane when vacationing in the Bay Area of California a few years ago. Ha! Planning is essential with everything, and nothing is ventured into without a thorough understanding of it first.

Anyway, if anyone has ever wondered what makes me the way I am, now you know. I'm really weird!!!!

In closing, i'd like to say that if you know anyone that has been cursed with this mental affliction, they really could use a hug. Although their usefulness is unlimited - the invisible personal hell that they battle each day is both relentless and unbeatable.

Take care,

EG