Posted on 02/01/2025 6:55:11 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
The MONTHLY Gardening Thread is a gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located.
This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.
It is impossible to hijack the Gardening Thread. Planting, Harvest to Table Recipes, Preserving, Good Living - there is no telling where it will go - and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to/removed from our New & Improved Ping List.
NOTE: This is a once a MONTH Ping List, but we DO post to the thread all throughout the month. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Gardeners are welcomed any time.
We are lucky that we didn’t come down with anything while we traveled to be with the kids last week. Hubby had to go to Houston for a few days immediately after we returned from California. I had been adding extra zinc to our vitamin ritual every day while we were traveling, and this time it worked like a charm. Soooo many people at airports, buses, etc were coughing and sneezing, and birthday boy had a mild virus while we were there, but was getting over it a day after we left. One woman on the airport bus was so sick, she probably shouldn’t have been in a public place, but maybe it was her only chance to get home.
We have 2” of fresh snow on the ground that we woke up to today. It’s supposed to get into the single digits again. Yuck! Snow in this amount looks pretty. Temps this cold just bother me.
Usually around Valentine’s Day/ President’s Day my two sisters from Florida and their hubbies come up for a visit. We have dubbed it Sisters Weekend. This year, due to unforeseen financial circumstances, the trip was called off, so we just did a video call yesterday. No indoor go kart races this year for the boys! Rats! The six of us get along famously, at least for a couple of days.
We did decide we need to plan a beach trip to the Panhandle this summer or in October. Planning to try a new spot. Maybe Perdido Key, FL or Orange Beach, AL. If anyone knows anything about either of those spots, we’re open to doing separate condos or one big house. I’m going to start checking into things this week.
Hope you’re all feeling better soon! Love the poem, Q!
I’m loving loving loving have farm fresh eggs from our chicken lady. I don’t know why I didn’t do this years ago.
The timing couldn’t have been better for Beau to install the coop in the barn and for us to get laying hens again.
It still cracks me up that he’s so enamored of these chickens! He LOVES his girls. :)
His brother is goofy about his chickens, too, so it must be genetic. “What are you doing today, Chris?” “I’m cooking down squash for my girls!”
At first I thought, ‘Your Girls? They’re all adults. Can’t they cook their own squash?’
He meant his hens, though he has three daughters, LOL!
I like the way everybody gets eggs in a quiche.
That’s funny!
Dragged myself to the grocery store a while ago - needed some things & stocking up for the big snow storm predicted Wed-Thurs. I hope it fizzles, but with all the models in agreement, a fizzle is not likely.
I found a 2-pack of broilers on sale for $10, $5 off. One of them is going in the pot for some Jewish Penicillin (chicken soup). I’m not Jewish, but I’ve heard enough stories about it to give it a try, plus just the thought of this soup is appealing, especially since I have no appetite right now. The sun is coming & going so the sunlight helps make things a little cheerier.
My ‘12 Months of Monastery Soups’ book should arrive Tuesday - looking forward to trying some of them.
As I read your post, the sun peeked out from behind some clouds. I am a sun-loving organism, and if I don’t get enough sun, I manage to get by. I need lots of light in my rooms. It was one of the first things I noticed when I moved to the Midwest. People here are comfortable in dark colored rooms, and I always have to have windows everywhere to let as much light as possible in.
This winter I added theanine to my morning vitamins, and I take it with coffee. I don’t know if it’s just a placebo effect, but it is definitely helping my seasonal winter depression. I’ve hardly had any of those days this winter. It’s helping me be more productive, maybe more focused. So whether it’s placebo or not, I plan to continue taking it it the morning.
Soups are especially comforting in cold weather, especially homemade ones. Enjoy yours!
When I had cats, they would find ‘sun puddles’ on the floor & snooze, all warm & cozy ... I envied them.
I used to get SADS in the winter. Vitamin D helps with that. Once I started hiking in the mountains pretty much every weekend in the winter, SADS went away & I also never got sick.
About 6 weeks ago, I broke my coffee habit. It just didn’t taste good to me any more. Now, because I need some caffeine, I drink tea in the morning & often, have a cup in the afternoon. Tea is a source of L-Theanine so I’m getting some that way - I didn’t realize it until you mentioned theanine & I looked it up. :-)
I normally take extra D in the winter but I realized the other day that since I’ve been taking the theanine, didn’t really notice the SADS which is always my signal to take more D. Daily walks for a couple of miles. Rarely get sick, like you, though it happens occasionally.
I’ll be honest. I have a little coffee with my cream and sugar. I never drank coffee until I moved to the Midwest, only tea. Hot tea in the morning, and sweet tea the rest of the day. That’s how it was growing up in the south. I have learned to have much less sugar in my tea than I had growing up.
We still have one cat. He loves his sun baths wherever he can find them. Doesn’t matter where.
I only had a meal plan made until today, so this storm has me caught off guard a little bit. I don’t have any fresh potatoes left in the bin, so I will have to make do with what’s in the freezer, and canned veggies, too. I have enough of most everything so I will just try to be creative and work on getting rid of some of the stuff in my pantry. It needs to be rotated anyhow. Perfect time to use things up. (Can’t tell you how long it’s been since I ate canned food. Hardly ever do that, but I don’t feel like getting bundled up just to be with the masses at the grocery store.)
We’re having terrible wind here - will last through the night & tomorrow. Our huge trash can blew over, the cover blew off the grill & limbs are coming down all over the yard & patio. My niece has had a tree blow down on the dog pen fence & her power is coming & going.
I just put on a pot of split pea with ham soup - if the power goes off in the middle of it simmering, it will be easily salvageable. I can’t smell anything (nasal decongestant spray kills sense of smell) so I can’t really taste anything either. I had a casserole I wanted to make, but I’m waiting until I can taste/enjoy it. Warm soup, whether I can taste it or not, should be comfort food.
“My ‘12 Months of Monastery Soups’ book should arrive Tuesday - looking forward to trying some of them.”
You are gonna love it. It’s one of my favorites! :)
I ordered it due to your recommendation! :-)
I very much dislike winter without power, but it does happen. However, I will say, there was one year, on Christmas Eve, our power went out, back in Ohio. Winter snow/ice storm. We didn’t know how widespread it was.
We went to Christmas Eve Mass (not Midnight Mass, but 5 pm) with our kids (middle school to freshman age). As we entered, we were given held held candles. Being wintertime, it was already dark. The church had no power either. It was probably the MOST BEAUTIFUL Christmas Eve Mass I’ve ever been to in my life! All we had was handheld candles to provide light for us. Totally incredible! I can only imagine how dark it was that night for Mary and Joseph. What an incredibly humbling experience that was.
Thankfully, we had a working fireplace in that house. We gathered blankets and a couple of sleeping bags near the fireplace to keep warm. I don’t remember anything else about that Christmas except for the candlelight Mass and the warmth of the fireplace. Power was restored on the 26th, so just a day and a half without power. Not terrible. It was our first Christmas in that house.
Going back to the soup, I know the warmth of the soup will help you feel better, whether or not you can taste it. Feed a cold, starve a fever, right?
In this house, we have a WBFP, a gas stove, and a generator that can carry both freezers, our refrigerator, a microwave, and one double outlet to plug a light and a cell phone in to. It’s enough to keep us going through downtimes, which have never lasted even 24 hours here. Knock on wood.
I hope all is well and stays well for your family.
Oh, goodie! I know it’s a favorite of a number of people here.
The ‘Saint Basil Soup’ (which has no ‘Basil’ in it) is one I turn to when inspiration is low, but we still NEED some soup. :)
It looks like the hardcover version from 1996 costs less than the paperback version (1998). Which one do you have Diana? Qiviut?
Creatine: A Treatment for Memory and Mental Health
I never used it for intensive bulking up type training, but still use it several times a week.
Thanks, Pete!
My book has the newer cover - I think I ordered hardcover. I should get it Tuesday, then I will know for sure. Used - very good, $6.88 with tax & free shipping.
Ok thx. I’ll wait till I hear back. Sounds interesting!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.