Posted on 07/01/2025 5:32:22 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
I have since seen crows land up there on the transformer, they just haven’t gotten fried yet. It looked like the power crew guys pulled off a carcass (wings/feet) & there was a big pile of black feathers at the base of the pole. The murder of crows that hangs around here was very disturbed for a couple of days - extra noisy, cawing, etc. I think they were missing their ‘friend’!
Yes, the garden is about half the size at least but manageable. I have had to water a lot but everything is doing well. West Michigan. No ripe tomatoes yet.
And this is what I get for complaining about the heat. My three days off next week will be mid to high 90s.
We've got some regular household trash to burn so I guess we'll set it across the top of the leaf pile to help them burn. Soon too because the first storm is already in Springfield, 80 mi away. I'll reburn to finish it up next week.
I'll be able to drive that full circle around the house in about an hour. Will need gravel before I do it too much.(or a long spell of dry weather;~)
Swedish researchers have determined the reason why mosquitos do not like Catnip (catmint). (
https://www.acs.org/molecule-of-the-week/archive/n/nepetalactone.html
MOTW update: May 3, 2021 cis,trans-Nepetalactone is the primary psychoactive ingredient in catnip (Nepeta cataria). In 2009, it was the starting material for synthesizing (+)-englerin A, a promising kidney cancer drug candidate. It has long been known that catnip repels mosquitoes; but until this year, the repellence mechanism was unknown. Marcus Stensmyr and co-workers at Lund University (Sweden) discovered that nepetalactone activates a receptor in mosquitoes that makes them feel pain. Cats, among many other animals, have the same receptor; but clearly the effect is different for them."
What did Robert Browing say? "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?"
Yes, true! This is my little slice of Heaven on earth.
Early smaller varieties are usually more heat tolerant. Super Sweet 100, Homestead, Black Krim and Arkansas Traveler which I have tried and are good. Determinate Yakui Hybrid does well in heat and produces large blocky canning/paste type tomatoes on a 36-40 inch bush. Productive and better for canning and sauces than eating.
Look at Dixie Red, Solar Fire, SuperSioux and Summer Set which I have not tried.
Now that the threat of severe weather has passed (two dry days in a row again!) and I now have enough Cucumbers to weigh in at 8#, I am making a batch of Pickle Relish, today. I am down to my last two jars, so it’s time!
Cukes are all ground up and mixed with Kosher Salt, then they sit for 2 hours, then I drain them, then I add all the other spices, sugar and vinegar and cook them all down together. Then can them in 1/2 pint jars - which I still need to dig out!
This makes enough to last us for a good 2 years. I don’t do cukes in a big way unless it is Pickle Relish Season. Additional cukes will become Bread and Butter Pickles, which are our favorite.
The two varieties I grew this season are doing really well. I am growing ‘Tasty King’ and ‘Burpless Supreme’ both from Jung’s. The ‘Tasty King’ looks more like a traditional pickle with the bumpy skin and some prickliness. The ‘Burpless Supreme’ is long and slender and smooth, but not as long as the English Cucumbers. It is nice and sweet and is pretty much ‘burpless.’ We had some on our salads with dinner last night. It stays nice and straight, so would make good spears if I end up motivated to can some.
I usually grow ‘Diva’ and ‘Summer Dance’ or ‘Sweeter Yet’ just for eating but I knew I was using these for specific products this season, so that prompted the change.
Same reason I planted TWO pole supports of Pole Beans - it’s a Dilly Bean Season, too.
Weather? Temps have dropped like a rock - into the 60’s and 70’s - and no sun for the next week or so, either. Not good news for the tomatoes. :(
Never did rain here. Slid past North of us.
I successfully drove around the house, barely. Moved a few things further back and took out a couple of small trees to make it a little less barely. I’ve wanted a wrap around driveway for several years now. Won’t be wide enough yet for UPS/Fedex but will work for me, the mail carrier and visitors in cars.
Still got a long ways to go on clean up around here and it’s something that just doesn’t go all that fast. Doesn’t help that I brought a bunch of mostly junk back here when I cleaned out the neighbor’s barn and offloaded it right up here near the house until I could go through it.
Pulled a few things out of the shop, up out of the goat manure. Nothing of any real value because I already got that out of there a long time ago. Need to get everything I can find so I can start scooping more manure out of there. It’s 5-6” deep on the sides.
Every week of 3 days off just needs to become 2-3 days of cleanup and work on the tunnel soil for a while. Virtually free and needs to be done.
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