Stole this from Jane - too cute not to share. My Love/Hate relationship with Raccoons continues...
Posted on 10/01/2026 6:56:54 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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Its so good I decided to chunk up and freeze some of the leftover table tomatoes. I’ll put enough in a freezer bag for a potful (4 servings). I am done canning and dehydrating.
Your post triggered an idea: I may this fall let a few tomato plant branches, esp. from the “viney” F1 Hybrids, go all the way back to the ground, bury a foot or so of the branch a couple feet short of the end growth, and see if that will root in loose soil, and if so, cut the thing at the parent end and transplant it into a pot as a starter for next spring.
Diana, this “should” work, right?
I love not having glasses any more. When I was in HS, I begged my parents to let me wear contacts. They finally gave in and said I could if I earned the money to pay for them. So I did that.
When LASIK came around, I traded in my contacts for that procedure. Eventually I needed readers, and used those for maybe 8 years. When I met this ophthalmologist, I could tell he knew his way around an eye. Trust is a big factor when doing eye surgery. I trusted him completely to do a great job, and he did. He nailed it. I have had zero vision problems since then. It’s been a godsend, truly. I am six years post surgery, and couldn’t be happier with my decision. It’s the best money I’ve ever spent.
Do you have electricity to your coop? We have a heater that the self-watering metal can sits on and keeps the hen’s water from freezing. That way we only have to change water every other day. (We just have 10 hens right now.)
At my old coop, I always had 4 self-water cans going at a time in the winter months. Two were in the coop and two were on the enclosed back porch thawing out. If it was REALLY cold, they were in a corner of a kitchen thawing out. The Labs we had at the time really enjoyed drinking from them, LOL!
When I was taking care of Dad, he was blind as a bat due to cataracts, glaucoma and mac degen. I could NOT get him to cooperate, even on the cataracts. I’d have him all scheduled and ready to go, then he would refuse to get in the car.
He was 100% blind by the time he died. :(
Grandpa (his father) had the Mac Degen and towards the end only had peripheral vision. Whenever I saw him, which was often, he’d say, ‘Sit to the left of me so I can see your pretty face.’ I miss that guy! :)
I NEVER take my eyesight for granted.
I like your Ag Reports from Kansas! You’re in the Belly of the Agri-Beast, for sure!
That’s the way they (illegally!) root climbing roses, so it might work. ;) I seem to remember that you have a place to keep tomato and pepper plants alive over winter?
Good luck! Let us know how it goes. Be vigilant for white flies and fungus gnats on your transplants. IOW - don’t over water! :)
You can always just take cuttings now and root them in water. They’ll usually root within a week to 10 days. Tomatoes are basically weeds. ;)
Burying the vine might work. My dad did that successfully every time with a climbing rose bush. You might want to take a very sharp knife and just cut a small slit and bury that part.
Stole this from Jane - too cute not to share. My Love/Hate relationship with Raccoons continues...
:-)
He’s too cute not to share 🧡
Happy October, ALL!
I worked with someone who had her cataracts removed and no longer needed glasses. Glad it also worked out for you!
Paul; If you have any determinate varieties growing at this late date do not use them in your experiment. Choose indeterminate varieties. (You might have already considered this.)
*** I NEVER take my eyesight for granted.***
Neither do I. I was legally blind as a teenager. These implanted lenses are nothing short of a miracle for me!
My mom had macular degeneration (dad died before that was an issue for him) and hubby has it from both his mom* and dad. Our ophthalmologist has recommended eye vitamins, which we take daily religiously. I have told our (adult) kids that they need to do this, too. They will get it from all sides! It’s so important. Vital! I have no idea if they listen to me or not.
* Mom in law (98 y o) has Mac degen and it’s very much impacting her life. In the Spring she asked for a new TV, because “this one isn’t bright enough anymore.” Her children indulged her, but she still can’t see much. I think the realization that her vision is very poor is messing with her head, and she is losing the will to live the last month or so. She just went to the hospital for 2 days. She has a case of Bell’s palsy. Please pray for her, and for my husband and his siblings. It is only a matter of time at this point. Will she make it to 100 as she wishes? Or will she say enough is enough, take me to Heaven, please, Lord Jesus!
Everyone is stressed.
Thanks!
*** Stole this from Jane - too cute not to share. My Love/Hate relationship with Raccoons continues...***
Raccoons are too cute to hate, and too destructive to love. (Reminds me of some of my family members!)
So true!!
The best tomatoes have the deepest red color. They’re juicier, sweeter and more flavorful, with high levels of lycopene, one of their biggest nutritional benefits.But what exactly is lycopene, and why is it so important? .. The antioxidant has long been linked to significant health benefits, but a new study published in Antioxidants suggests its effects may be even more powerful than previously believed.
WebMD notes that lycopene has previously been believed to improve heart health, reduce cancer risk, improve skin health, provide pain relief and improve fertility in men.
Now, research is suggesting that the antioxidant plays an important role in brain function—particularly in middle-aged adults.
The study enlisted 47 adults ranging in age from 40 to 55 years old. Participants were assigned to two three-month interventions separated by a one-month washout.
Each day, they were to consume 0.5 grams of tomato paste for every kilogram of body weight, while also consuming a control lycopene-restricted diet...
At the end of the trial, study authors determined that tomato intake improved selective attention and associative memory. - https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/general/scientists-fed-people-tomatoes-3-months-later-their-brains-had-changed/ar-AA2c1bRQ
Early Saturday - no sun for today. It’s raining and very cool, November weather ... in October (boo). It should be a rainy weekend, then for next week, cool during the day & cold at night with potential frost & maybe some freezing. I’ll have to keep a close eye on things & harvest my zinnia blooms if we’re getting a freeze.
I got the last 4 bags of compost to top off my 4th metal bed. I’ll plant the ‘native’ seeds in about a month & see what happens next spring. The country market down the road has rudbeckia on sale, but not on sale enough for me to part with my money - maybe I could try making them an offer.
Headed to Walmart - I need a couple of things. At Aldi’s, I bought a can of German soup as ‘emergency’ rations (for when I’m too tired to cook). I opened the can after mowing Thursday and what a pleasant surprise - the soup was excellent. It was Lentil with chickpeas, sweetened with raisins & apricots. I am putting on a pot of Nagi’s lentil soup today & will be adding chick peas, raisins & apricots (if I can find apricots). Lentil soup generally doesn’t impress me, but it’s cheap & has a lot of fiber & protein.To find a lentil soup that’s ‘tasty’ is just great. It’s definitely soup weather. I have the Monastery soup book - will have to get it out & refresh my memory on the recipes.
Prayers up for you and yours.
Based upon the home made Tomato Soup, Salsa and V-8 Juice I consume in a year, I should be a Mensa member, LOL!
I only eat a few fresh tomatoes per season, either on salads or in BLTs. I seriously never just, ‘eat a tomato’ on a plate.
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