I dropped by our Menards again a couple days ago. The selection of 6-pack veggies for $2.99/pack (plus 11% rebate if mailed in) was better:
Tomatoes quantity was about 3x last week, and more varieties. I only picked up one pack of Early Girls: I never have a lot of luck with them as out hot summers seem very rough on them. But, we’ll see. I may try heavier fertilizer to speed ‘em up as much as possible, and plant a couple in pots in a spot that gets a bit of shade from 3 pm on. Most sections of the 6-pack had 2x and one 3x plants in them - got the 3x separated & repotted today, and the one 1x potted in a bottom half (w/ drain holes) of a 2 liter soda bottle. (I re-use lots of those for gardening. the top halves become funnels for rainwater collection.)
No sweet banana peppers, so I went with “Red Baron”, whatever that is, and Golden Bell (shortest to maturity). Lots of hot peppers on hand, but my Thai hots from seed seem to be doing well so far.
I picked up a 6-pack of Swiss chards. I have never tried those - it will be interesting to see how they do. Several small plants per section - do I separate them? Yikes.
Other new 6-pack arrivals were watermelons (I passed), head lettuce (passed), green beans (passed), a few cauliflower (passed), a few herbs (passed), and a few onions (passed - I have red sweets purchased earlier & seem to be doing ok.)
It looked like a lot of 4-1/2” and larger pots of all sorts of stuff came in, and the 4-1/2” pots were on sale, which turned out to be a big 16 cents off. Bah! Lunchbox orange and sweet orange bell peppers were gone (rats). I found 2x Ichiban eggplants in a 4-1/2” pot - snagged it for my wife, as she likes those, and 4x “Japanese cukes” in a 4-1/2” pot — decided to give that a try.
Our Menards had 4 sections of annual flowers in 6-packs compared to the one section of 6-pack veggies. Sheesh. I don’t really have much time for lots of flowers - will put out a few more seeds, and have some Zinnias started, and see what happens. Plus we have lots of perennials and the iris and peonies are flowering now - yay! Still waiting for the butterfly weed plants to get going & have a few more seeds in a couple old 6-packs. And I moved a couple more small buckeye trees coming up from nuts from existing trees. Prob will try to slightly bury some more buckeye nuts out in an opened up (tree came down) spot at the edge of our little (~ 1/4 acre woods. Prob should try to start some walnuts from nuts at the far end of the woods. We have volunteers a few years old in “wrong” places to deal with too. Why do the squirrels bury all of them where walnut trees are a problem?
Found a pack of bluegill in the back of the freezer - likely way freezer-burned by now. Fertilizer they shall become.
Our “new stray” cat literally jumped and snatched a mouse caught in a trap yesterday, right out of my hand as I was carrying the newly deceased (literally a couple minutes B4) out of the house. He ran off with it — I guess he enjoyed it... As fast as he hit it, I’m guessing he may be a good mouser. Good! Maybe I should get him fixed, dump our lazy cat outside (esp. because even tho’ fixed he occasionally still pees in the house - really a PITA! I’m tired of ME always having to clean / refresh the bloody litter box for my daughter’s cats. I’m tempted to clean it one more time and put the dang thing (litterbox) in her bedroom and tell her she can’t close the door on the cats. The food bowls too... She “forgets” to feed ‘em 90% of the time too. “Forgets” as in “I’m busy on the computer with my friends - Dad will do it.” Bah!!
You’ve been busy!
As for the Garden Centers gearing up, now is certainly the time. I was ‘in the biz’ for 18 years. If you’re not fully stocked with anything and everything right before Mother’s Day (whether it’s early or late that year) you may as well pack up and go home, LOL!
And no matter how many lovely offerings you put out, there will always be that ONE customer that wants what you don’t have or is illegal to propagate and/or sell. ;)
Our Farm & Fleet has been newly remodeled and is having a ‘Grand Re-Opening’ Sale, so we are hitting it today. We had one HUGE list but last night split it into two. The place will be packed so I suggested we ‘Divide and Conquer’ first thing, and then go out for Pancakes. Beau thought it was the Best. Idea. Ever. EVER! :)
*** The food bowls too... She “forgets” to feed ‘em 90% of the time too. “Forgets” as in “I’m busy on the computer with my friends - Dad will do it.” Bah!!***
You have a couple of choices here. If you’re trying to teach her responsibility, make it her responsibility and stick to it.
Another option is an automatic feeder. We finally got one, and it’s been very helpful.
I think there are similar things in the litter box department.
Maybe make your daughter earn the money to pay for them if these are to be “her” cats.
Or you can keep on going as you are.
Tell her that she takes care of the cats or they find a new home.