Posted on 09/01/2026 5:40:17 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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Hot and dry continues here in the Middle of Misery. Rainfall to the north and spotty showers to the south, but nothing here.
I got the old chicken house moved to its new location on Saturday. Removed some damaged siding yesterday and made a trip to the Lowe’s for replacement materials. I’ll piddle at putting it back together today. I don’t move too fast these days and the heat slows me down even more. With any luck I’ll have it back in shape by the end of the week.
I pulled EVERTHING out of the camper last week. Fired off a bug bomb inside it to get rid of the crawly things. Used the leaf blower to get rid of the duff. Washed all of the bedding. Washed all of the dishes. Scrubbed the kitchen and bath, then started repacking. All that’s left to be ready for the annual four night pilgrimage to Lucas Oil Speedway is to install full propane tanks and check the air in the tires. With the shape my back is in I’m not really looking forward to three nights in the bleachers but I’m not staying home.
Medial Branch Block test injections last week were a success - cleaning out the camper in one go was the activity test for that. RF nerve ablation treatments at L4/L5 are scheduled. Right side will be done late September, then two weeks later they will do the left side. Hopefully that will bring some longer lasting relief.
Garden is about done. Tomatoes, peppers, and bottle gourds are still going. Pole beans are still going but I’ve put up all we need so I’ve been giving what I pick off those to the chickens. The cabbage seed I planted a couple weeks ago failed to germinate. Upper 90°s every day so that’s not really a surprise. Mrs. Augie says we have enough canned and frozen greens so no need to do a fall planting of kale. Still need to pick up the soaker hoses.
It’s been so hot that Howard hasn’t been making his 30-minute lap around the property in the mornings. He goes out, barks a little, does his business, then wants back inside where it’s cool. lol
We will hit 90 deg. F here, but the dewpoint will drop to the upper 50’s, so, basically there’s no heat index for the big picnic today, PLUS, there should be a 6-7mph breeze. Hold on to those paper napkins / paper towels!
Wifey had me help a little with the Lumpia (spring rolls), then I have a few chores like making sure the chickens have plenty of food & water, hose off the car (more chaff from the grain elevators “snowed” on us last night), then it’s “off” to the picnic. Hopefully we’ll get back early enough for me to change the oil and do some other work on the car... Assuming I still have some energy left and I’m not too full to move!
Agghh! AND climb up to replace yet another “Great Value” LED light bulb (60 watt) that is failing.
The “Great Value” isn’t so great when they fail in a year!
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FINALLY .... something garden related to post!
My friend came for lunch & to visit. She has a lot of plants/flowers around her yard & belongs to a garden club. She especially favors native plants. She came bearing gifts! From her yard, she dug up a cutleaf coneflower. I looked it up & planted it in an empty metal bed where it will have plenty of room & appropriate sunlight.
She also gave me seed packets from a county extension office demonstration garden:
Ironweed (purple)
Joe pye weed “Baby Joe”
Beard tongue (blue, pink, purple, white)
Prairie sundrop (yellow)
Yarrow (pink)
Native seed mix Indigenous landscape - 2 packages
I’ll have to look the seeds up for soil, sunlight, planting info. I know I love Ironweed - had it at the Old House.
The goal is for all 4 metal beds to be like a cottage garden - loaded with perennial, deer resistant flowers, attracting butterflies, bees & hummers. It was exciting to get something in that empty bed!
‘Natives’ are definitely what is needed for that ‘Cottage-y’ feel in a garden bed. :)
I never did get the rest of the lawn mowed, but the Tomato Soup is done and just needs to be re-heated and canned.
Both Farmer Dan & Junior Farmer Ryan moved that dog condo today and also made a shade porch from a pallet for Dolly. Suffice to say she is not the least bit happy with having her freedom curtailed - but smooshed on the road is no way to live, LOL! I gave her ‘too much rope’ and she’s getting tangled around stuff, so I will get her a shorter chain when I go to town tomorrow for a food/canning and pet supply run.
Got everything in pots watered and even though we cleaned out the tomatoes on Saturday, it looks like there is still plenty of work ahead for me!
We picked a date today (October 11th) for our Jung Family Reunion party out here at the farm. I’m starting a list of things I want cleaned (mainly carpeting) before The Big Event! So far at least a dozen people are interested in coming. Such good people. It was a great job with a great staff of Gardeners, each with their own special niche. :)
Ya had a clear shot from the porch, Ma! That’s good eatin’! ;)
Change of plans today due to the weather. We were just supposed to get ‘showers’ but so far two rather large storms have blown through with another starting soon. No outside playtime for the dogs, today, but they’ll survive. ;)
Was going to go to town and run errands, but instead I canned that Tomato Soup and it turned out so well I’m starting on another batch!
https://diynatural.com/homemade-canned-tomato-soup-recipe/
I got 6 pints out of the above recipe, and there was enough left for a cup of soup for my lunch. So good!
Next up is a batch of granola. It’s staying in the high 60’s with all the rain, so turning on the oven today is OK.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/275749/grandmas-homemade-granola/
I’m a little puzzled by your reply. The plants dry out later in the day - early morning is when they are most wet with dew, it’s foggy or most humid, etc.
Is it more the case that plant sap gets pushed to inside surfaces of the flowers when it gets hot?
It’s supposed to hit 98 deg. F here this afternoon - I don’t think a lot of ripening will be happening...
The big Filipino-American picnic had a beautiful day last Monday! There was a “TON” of food, but attendance was a bit light. No one seems to know why - maybe people were scared off by the previous week’s roasting (hot weather.) Or, maybe they wanted to mow without getting broiled. Hmmmm....
Food-wise I think we exceeded the prior weekend’s church party - that had about 4x the attendance! Somebody had a huge rice cooker: One of the gals said “I’ve never seen a rice cooker that big!” (The inside “pot” had to be about 18 inches diameter!) I’d guess it was “big Chinese buffet” size.
There was so much left food over, when I collected some to bring home, one of wifey’s Filipina friends kept telling me “Take more! Get more!” Then she handed me one of those 14” x 11” aluminum roasting pans to fill up. That was in addition to what I already had, and wifey snagged. I think I brought home about a week’s supply of food, if it doesn’t go bad... There wasn’t enough room in our 3/4 full fridge, so I have some of the leftovers in a medium-large size cooler and am changing out (medium-large) cold packs every 8 hours or so.
The best score was a large (50 oz.) plastic container (I’d brought a few containers) of possibly the best beef and broccoli I’ve ever eaten anywhere. :-)
3:00 & I’m pooped already. I got the final 1.5” hole drilled on the upright (2x4) for the clothes rack I made mom for the yard sale. I bought a Milwaukee Hole Dozer drill bit 2 years ago & never used it - I did not have the piece to connect it to the drill so that required a $30 purchase (ouch!) at the Farm Bureau last evening. My old drill & battery overheated so only one hole got drilled yesterday and the 2nd one happened this morning. I found a piece of pipe to hang the clothes on - no sagging!
Everything is labeled with size & price - I made tags for the hangers so they are very visible. No digging for labels or pawing through clothes. Anyone who buys 3 or more pairs of jeans will get a deal. Dad’s clothes are all about the same size so the right size person or persons will have to come along ... same for shoes. We have a few odds & ends for a card table, but the clothes rack takes up most of out allotted space.
I can tell I am not a “yard sale’ person ... I’ll be glad when it’s over. We have a space in a small community center & they go 8 - 2. People with tables in their yard will be out there all day.
Contractor made it by today. I like him - very knowledgeable. His brother, who works with him, does electrical work so he can fix a couple of our outlets that went ‘dead’. He’s going to get mom’s bathroom shower reworked for safety & then do a sunroom/porch on the portion of our patio that is under the balcony off an upstairs bedroom - it will be a great space.
At the Farm Bureau yesterday, I got enough cow manure compost bags to get the dirt level in one of my metal beds up where I want it. This is the bed where the cutleaf coneflower got planted. There is one metal bed left (of the 4) that needs compost & then all I have to do is plant stuff ... seeds, any perennials I can find on sale that are deer resistant, etc. My niece sent me pics of the greenhouse they’re building from the old windows off her house - it looks great - roof should be going on this week. The greenhouse will transform her flower business for the better. I am envious!
Busy Lady! Our greenhouse was a kit and was about $2K. You can find them smaller and cheaper - but your windows in the ‘shed’ will be a real boon to you when you want to set up something for plant starting. ;)
You hadn’t mentioned a yard sale! Hope you are successful!
The yard sale just came up Sunday when mom found out she could get a space at the Community Center. I didn’t need that on top of everything else, but she’s wanted a yard sale here at the house & I talked her out of it so the Community Center location solves a lot of issues. She’s happily in the garage, sorting through boxes from our move ... most of it will have to be for next year since the 5’ clothes rack takes up the majority of our 8’ alloted space this year.
Just came in from the pepper patch - enough for red jelly batch #2 :-) Going for #3 now with green peppers still on the plants & more blooms.
Farm Bureau has manure? I guess I should check ours.
The lightning (well, actually the thunder) that woke me up seems to be “done” for the time being. We didn’t get much rain, and radar shows lots of t-storms around, so I am torn: Would I rather get more rain or more sleep?
It’s a cow manure/compost mix. The brand is Timberline, $4.99 a 1 cu. ft bag.
I think they also have Black Kow Organic Compost and Manure, Soil Conditioner, which is about a dollar more per bag. I think Walmart carries it, too.
There is PLENTY of cow manure next door at the Cow Palace & I’m sure the guys would give me some, but it’s fresh & stinky, not composted. If I ever get a compost pile, I might get some CP manure and let it age.
All of my red Jalapenos are in the freezer. I’ll tackle jelly, later.
Today is another round of Tomato Soup, a batch of V-8 and another double batch of Salsa.
Make it stop, LOL! :)
On Sunday, Brennan is coming out to set up field cameras for deer hunting; I’ll give a lot of garden produce. He’s young. He’s broke. He has his Wedding out here next October! :)
And then? Planning already for next year and LESS tomatoes. (Famous last words!)
I picked up 4 more tomatoes & 2 bags of green beans Tuesday that originated with the friendly farmer. He gave them to his fiance who gave them to her mother, who then gave them to me. As soon as mom is out of the kitchen, I have to deal with the tomatoes: remnant of original 40 + 4. I’m going to peel & freeze them (I personally don’t like peels).
Next ‘biggy’ today is getting the truck out of the barn & loaded with everything going to the yard sale - we can set up early after 5:30 tonight & at a minimum, I think we’re looking at an hour of work getting our space organized.
We have showers today so I’ll be dodging those loading & unloading. There are showers off/on the next 2 days so glad we are inside & not dealing with outside tables.
I am getting VERY frustrated. I have several projects I want to get done around here regarding my gardening structures & plans & “stuff” keeps coming up. June & half of July were ‘no go’ for these projects & that seemed to morph into August (plus brutal heat). This month, two funerals, company, now the yard sale, mom wants to travel out of state for her birthday (2 days on the road), then cooking for Homecoming at church. That puts me past the 20th & I still have to mow, do canning, get the gate reversal project finished, insulation is in there somewhere which will disrupt a day, etc. Aaaaarrrggghhh!!!
Ah, I see. I tried to research our FB - I don’t think they do anything like that.
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