Free Republic

Most folks know how to ‘block’, but this is a nice summary of the 3 methods. I tend to wet or spray block and I definitely have ‘rust proof’ T-Shaped pins!! The one item I have not blocked yet are doilies - I plan on doing a fairly ornate one for a fair project, so I need to bite the bullet & practice on some doilies I’ve already made. The fair doily also needs to be mounted on some sort of board (fabric-covered foam board or heavy cardboard is what I’ve seen the most) .... that’s going to be “fun” to figure out as well.

3 Ways to Block your Crochet Projects
https://www.cosyrosieuk.co.uk/3-ways-to-block-your-crochet-projects

For all those who love fabric and sew:

Retired Astronaut Launches a Fabric Line Inspired by Her Views of Earth From Space
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/retired-astronaut-launches-fabric-line-inspired-by-her-views-of-earth-from-space-180979941/

Brief excerpt:
Living in space fueled Nyberg’s creativity even more and “forever changed” how she looks at Earth, she tells Women’s Wear Daily. The 30 new organic fabrics depict different landscapes she photographed while gazing out the window of the space station’s cupola, ranging from swirling ocean currents to dense forests. For quilters who are eager to put the fabrics to good use, Nyberg also created quilt patterns meant to compliment the fabrics.

Ed Dowd and an actuary have run the numbeers using CDC data - the 25-44 group has an excess mortality of +47% - more than died in all the years of the Vietnam War. These people did not die of COVID, suicide, or drug overdoses. It’s very interesting how the peaks in the deaths correspond to the mandates and approval of boosters - the jab or your job. It turned out to be the jab or your life for many of these folks.

Several other statisticians have tried to replicate what Ed has done and they HAVE been able to do it. Other age categories also have excess mortality showing up.

Ed is on twitter and GETTR. here’s a link to his info/charts on Twitter (he’s working on a website):
https://twitter.com/DowdEdward/status/1520174420911816704?cxt=HHwWgICssZyl35gqAAAA&fbclid=IwAR2vSOh8QhCuTEdvByCuAbtY9u7gHSWYcrrd9WQrz5WM7HPmybjCr63LG6s

Thanks

👍

WHY is Oz even running? Not enough notoriety on Oprah? Wants to step up to the pork trough & line his pockets along with the rest of the ‘politicians’? The guy just looks sleazy to me (always has since I first saw him on O) & I think, if elected, he’d be the Turkish Muslim version of Mitt Romney, back stabber extraordinaire.

Sure, Trump wants ‘name recognition’ and is backing people he thinks can win to get the ‘numbers’ to be the majority in the House & Senate ... but then he’ll have the ‘numbers’ not cooperating with his America First agenda .... pretty much what happened to him his last term. If McCarthy & McConnell aren’t replaced with MAGA leaders, it’s going to be same ‘ol, same ‘ol for sure. The Repubs are such wimps in such great numbers, even if they take back the House & have a decent majority in the Senate, I don’t expect much from them. All these “investigations” that they would do? I’ll believe it when I see it .... the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior (or so it’s said) .... all I can think of is the ‘do nothing’ Benghazi hearings, etc.

I suspect Kathy would cause The Turtle some heartburn - sounds good to me. I’m rapidly getting to the place where I don’t think we can “vote” our way out of the crisis the country is in - the Biden Regime is pushing the populace into a ‘survival’ situation - no gas, no money, food shortages, weaponizing the rule of law, no free speech, actual democide ... at some point, the unrelenting multipe crisis pressure is going to break the peoples’ normal willingness to let things play out via the elections process (which is now thoroughly corrupted) & people will be pushed to the point it’s so bad, they feel they need to fight to preserve their lives. This country has “been there” before and I think we’re headed there again.

If a Trump or DeSantis would manage to overcome the election corruption (2020 has NEVER been “fixed” - can’t even get many people to admit it happened), they would make things better in the short term, but big things, big big things need to happen to turn this catastrophic mess around.

Sorry for the negativity - most days I can ‘beat it back’, but today is not one of those days. Headed outside to see if being in the midst of ‘nature’ will improve the mood.

My SIL’s collie has discovered the “joys” of chasing squirrels LOL!

She’s visited a couple of times lately and she’s not on the front porch long before she spots a squirrel somewhere & is off and running. If you say “squirrel” or “deer” in an excited voice, she knows what is going on. For “deer”, she’s checking the fields .... for “squirrel”, she’s looking in the yard.

Last summer, when I was dog sitting, I didn’t see her nearby & started looking. Through the gate into the back fields, there is a slight rise ... she was lying down on that rise where she had a good view & alertly looking at the back fields, waiting for deer to appear near dusk. She figured out that when it was time for shutting the chicken coop door, etc. then deer were likely ... she did that several times when I was doing evening chores.

Curious ... how far away was the dump? I have read you have to take squirrels at least 5-10 miles away to keep them from returning. Some references say they can travel 15 miles & one even said 25!

True story - friend of mine was overrun with squirrels so he was trapping & relocating. I think he was up to 30+ or more in a fairly short period of time. He had periodically noticed a strange pickup truck parked briefly along a wooded spot just up from his house so one day he decided to watch & see what was going on. You probably guessed it - the guy was releasing squirrels! So friend Bob is trapping like crazy & removing squirrels, only to have someone “restocking” about as fast as he could trap!

More wildlife - we are overrun with squirrels this year (I haven’t been doing any trapping). Several have gotten very bold & are coming up on the front porch - my mom chased one off the other day.

So the most comfortable place for my leg/knee is on the couch where I also have a great view straight out the front storm door. There have been visitors....

Just now, a squirrel jumped up on the storm door glass - hit it with a pretty good ‘bang’ so obviously wasn’t trying to climb, but come in! There was another squirrel with it on the porch - I had to get up & chase them off - cheeky little buggers.

Of course, there was the little fox kit who also hit the glass one night around 11 & was peeking in for a few seconds - super cute. A very handsome male Cardinal also visits a couple of times a day - seems to like hanging out at the top of the steps on the porch, occasionally on the railings.

The rain showers have arrived - noticed it was raining when chasing the squirrels off the porch.

Ahh ... rhubarb! My brother, as a young teenager, went to Canada with an elderly gentleman & some family for a couple of months to help out (be the ‘muscle’) with work that needed to be done at a cabin on a big lake. A young (late teens, early 20’s) Mennonite girl went along as a cook. My brother had a wonderful time - worked 1/2-3/4 a day, then went fishing and/or swimming. He slept on a screen porch - cool nights, but great sleeping with plenty of blankets.

So what does this have to do with rhubarb? My brother came home after his months in Canada with 2 things: a Canadian accent and a LOVE for rhubarb pie. Evidently the Mennonite cook was a veritable whiz at all things pie, rhubarb in particular. My poor mom was tasked with learning to make rhubarb pie, but hers were never close to the Mennonite pies. To this day, my brother gets rhubarb pie or cobbler on special occasions.

Fog advisory this morning, then rain in the forecast the next 2-3 days. I checked on the garden (herbs & tomatoes only planted) last evening & all the plants look super happy. I would like to put down weed barriers around the tomatoes today & maybe sow some seeds (radishes, etc).

This year, there is a pair of crows hanging around. I see them daily in the field in front of the house & they like the bird bath that is fairly close to the garden. They’ve been in the pasture where the garden is located, walking around & picking up bugs, worms, etc. So the garden fences need to go up fairly soon - the crows are curious & will be in the garden checking things out before I know it. The ‘murder’ of crows hanging around had grown to 11, so only 2 is a change.

The bluebirds nesting nearby have made my big trellis in the garden a favorite high spot to perch - the males are in breeding plumage & super blue, just gorgeous.

I have large round cages I made out of wire panels that are used for concrete reinforcement. They are good when the plants are smaller, but when they get large, I don’t like what happens.

First, you have to make sure to pull the branches out of the cage, otherwise they tend to stay growing inside - even pulling branches out, inside the cage tends to get thick with growth which is not good.

Second, as branches growing outside of the cage get heavy with tomatoes, they typically don’t break off, but bend in a sharp crease over the wire.This cuts off nutrients and that branch slowly dies.

The large cages are better than the small cone-shaped commercial ones. I’ve been considering just staking the tomatoes which is what my SIL does. I think the cattle panels would be the best of both methods.

Actually, I am taking apart at least one round cage (zip tied so taking apart is easy) to see if I can straighten the wire enough to use it like the article shows & repurpose the wire. Also, I think I found the lumber to make another trellis & the old wire could be used on a new trellis. I think our local Tractor Supply can order the panels so I may be able to get them in time to use this year.

Glad to hear all the positives since there is a full on attack on her by all the usual suspects. Hannity & Greg Kelly have become unhinged & foaming-at-the-mouth rabid RINOs where Barnett is concerned.

I believe Barnett is the only one addressing “medical freedom” - has it on her website (so I heard - haven’t checked it out personally). Any candidate not addressing this issue is a non- starter for me (not in PA so no vote in this one).

As crisis upon crisis piles up, FJB sells us out to WHO, WEF, and the Regime is more than obviously “America last” .... I take that back ... it’s America under the bus .... the people are being backed into a survival corner. No gas, no food, no medicine, no freedom, weaponized ‘rule of law’, invasion of our southern border by criminals who are given what should go by rights to American citizens, a tyrannical Regime ... and much more. All that being said, I am more of the opinion every day that we can’t vote our way out of this, either because there will be no election or it is so corrupted that the FJB Regime & more like it to follow, will prevail.

Looking forward to trying the cattle panels!

The tomatoes are planted. Of course, as soon as I stepped outside, it started sprinkling fairly significantly, but I put on a rain hat & kept going. I mulched them in pine needles to keep the dirt from splashing on the leaves since more & heavier storms are due the next 2 days. I did not get the cardboard weed barriers down (more pine needles go on top of that - makes for a very neat looking raised bed), but that can wait. The herbs I planted May 3rd look great - first time I’ve been out to see them close up.

I am going to try to get the tomatoes in now, soon as mom gets the golf cart! Definitely “warmed up” - getting downright humid! No showers in the immediate vicinity per radar.

I have been dissatisfied with my tomato cages the last couple of years. So I saw this & if I can find the panel(s) & figure out how to get them here (brother’s trailer would work), this is what I’m going to try. They’ll work for my pepper plants, too.

https://oldworldgardenfarms.com/2020/05/10/stake-tomato-plants/

You are very fortunate that your doctor treated you - glad you recovered! :-)

Great picture - so pretty! I really love having/watching the birds. We are loaded with bluebirds this year - several nests successfully fledged last year. Dad put up a few new boxes this spring around the edges of our fields & a couple do currently have nests in them.

Wind gusting so hard yesterday I did not plant tomatoes. I had a ride to the store this morning (can get my leg/brace in the truck & drive myself, but the rod in the back of the brace kills me the whole time I’m driving - easier to be a passenger) & I badly needed to go - just got home & no sooner in the door than it’s raining at a pretty good clip - bummer! If I can get out between showers or if it’s just a drizzle, I’ll still try to plant today.

My brother who lives 2 hours away sent me a message this morning, whining (justifiably) about how terrible his garden looks - he has a pretty good green thumb. They have been colder & more frequently overcast than we’ve been - usually we are colder. Anyway, it appears people are coming to terms with a colder & later spring this year - like Melissa (I like her blog & videos).

What Coldest May in 50’s Years Means for Food Production, Garden Set Backs & Going With the Flow!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t76ALFkl4-c

Died of being denied access to safe therapeutics. Died of being trapped in rest homes with infected persons.

+++++++++++++

Also known as “murder” & “democide”.

Estimates by doctors who actually TREATED COVID patients early and kept them out of the hospital COVID death wards, are that 85 to 95% would have survived if given early treatments that proved to work in their practices. I saw comments by a doctor (Tyson) last night, whose survival rate was 99%+, including patients with comorbidities, that 95 to 99% could have been saved.

People responsible for this mass murder on the front end need to ‘swing’ and I mean that literally. When people find out that they’ve been given poison death shots, one very reasonable doctor predicted that many will not be waiting for the rule of law to provide the justice they seek.

Sharyl is definitely not paranoid & has had very high level analysis done on her computer & evidently on her husband’s as well. You should read her book “Stonewalled” for the details. Deep in the operating system of her computer were planted 3 classified document that could be used against her if & whenever needed - sounds like the child porn plant was a similar situation. Her work situation was also compromised, phones tapped, etc - verified by experts.

At the time, the Obama regime was very unhappy with her - she was reporting on stories such as Fast & Furious, Benghazi, etc. & they wanted to shut her up, big time.

“Stonewalled”: Chapters 1 & 6 to see what was being done to her. Planting child porn on the husband’s computer is beyond evil. She’s got a big lawsuit against certain people in the government responsible for going after her - Rod Rosenstein ring a bell?

If you go to her website, she updates the lawsuit status.