Chilly yesterday, already 67F here at 0942 today. Sitting on the front
porch drinking our morning coffee we were pleased to see leaves on the
pear tree opening up, the decorative kale in the front bed is putting on
seed heads so time to compost them. The Dwarf Barbados cherries are
putting on new leaves and the chard, slowed by chilly days, is growing
like the weed it originally was.

The winter planted sugar snap peas are growing and blooming raucously
now and we may actually get enough of those to at least eat a few meals.
The bunching onions and leeks are finally starting to grow and the fig
tree has new baby leaves. Now, if the blueberries would start their
spring growth it would make us much happier.

Got an email from the berry farm where we pick blackberries that says
their plants weathered the cold and we will be able to pick berries in
the near future. We stopped alongside the highway a few days ago to
check one of our dewberry picking spots and no blooms yet but soon as
they are budding out. They are usually ready to pick in March - April so
we're anxious on that count. I've got plenty of jars and lids, the
canning pots are all cleaned up and ready and I'm stock piling sugar,
already have plenty of pectin on hand and Pickle Crisp is standing by
for pickles, of which we already have a plenitude including the
cauliflower heads I pickled last week, got six pint jars off one head of
yellow cauliflower, the one that looks like it has little pagoda's
sticking off of it, Miz Anne didn't bother to read the label when she
planted them so they looked a little odd until we figured out what it was.

I don't expect to put up much in green beans or pickles this year as we
have plenty in the canning pantry so maybe we will plant something a
little different this month. Bought some climbing beans from an outfit
that sells Native American heirloom seeds, look right nice too, white
with red spots and look like some sort of white bean. May be interesting
to grow and can. We've been buying single packs of various heirloom and
Native seeds on line most of the winter so we're ready.

George

On Sat, 01 Mar 2014 09:55:27 -0600, George Shirley >
wrote:

>Chilly yesterday, already 67F here at 0942 today. Sitting on the front
>porch drinking our morning coffee we were pleased to see leaves on the
>pear tree opening up, the decorative kale in the front bed is putting on
>seed heads so time to compost them. The Dwarf Barbados cherries are
>putting on new leaves and the chard, slowed by chilly days, is growing
>like the weed it originally was.
>
>The winter planted sugar snap peas are growing and blooming raucously
>now and we may actually get enough of those to at least eat a few meals.
>The bunching onions and leeks are finally starting to grow and the fig
>tree has new baby leaves. Now, if the blueberries would start their
>spring growth it would make us much happier.
>
>Got an email from the berry farm where we pick blackberries that says
>their plants weathered the cold and we will be able to pick berries in
>the near future. We stopped alongside the highway a few days ago to
>check one of our dewberry picking spots and no blooms yet but soon as
>they are budding out. They are usually ready to pick in March - April so
>we're anxious on that count. I've got plenty of jars and lids, the
>canning pots are all cleaned up and ready and I'm stock piling sugar,
>already have plenty of pectin on hand and Pickle Crisp is standing by
>for pickles, of which we already have a plenitude including the
>cauliflower heads I pickled last week, got six pint jars off one head of
>yellow cauliflower, the one that looks like it has little pagoda's
>sticking off of it, Miz Anne didn't bother to read the label when she
>planted them so they looked a little odd until we figured out what it was.
>
>I don't expect to put up much in green beans or pickles this year as we
>have plenty in the canning pantry so maybe we will plant something a
>little different this month. Bought some climbing beans from an outfit
>that sells Native American heirloom seeds, look right nice too, white
>with red spots and look like some sort of white bean. May be interesting
>to grow and can. We've been buying single packs of various heirloom and
>Native seeds on line most of the winter so we're ready.
>
>George


It's about 36°F here at 11am. I have onions, Granex and Red Burgundy,
shallots, lettuce, broccoli and spinach in the greenhouse. If they
would quit predicting snow and freezing rain here I might set some of
them out. But they will wait.

I'm waiting to start my herbs and tomatoes since I am running out of
space in the greenhouse. The 3 citrus trees are taking up lots of
space. I also need to clean it out and arrange some stuff.

In article >, George Shirley
> wrote:

> Chilly yesterday, already 67F here at 0942 today.

-37C this morning, wind chill of -50C. currently -27C, wind chill -40C.

I hate you.

--
³Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown, ignorance can be educated, and drunkenness
sobered, but stupid lasts forever.² -- Aristophanes

Dave Balderstone wrote:
> George Shirley wrote:
>
>> Chilly yesterday, already 67F here at 0942 today.
>
> -37C this morning, wind chill of -50C. currently -27C, wind chill -40C.
>
> I hate you.

heh, yeah, we're a bit further south and east of you
Dave, but it is still very cold... it was -26C this
morning (-15F). i think tonight will be a little
warmer and then we might get back to near freezing or
even above freezing later this week.

i'm ready for spring to spring. as a statement of
optimism we bought some of our garden seeds the other
day.


songbird

George Shirley wrote:
....
> pear tree opening up, the decorative kale in the front bed is putting on
> seed heads so time to compost them. The Dwarf Barbados cherries are
> putting on new leaves and the chard, slowed by chilly days, is growing
> like the weed it originally was.

nice thoughts...


....
> cauliflower heads I pickled last week, got six pint jars off one head of
> yellow cauliflower, the one that looks like it has little pagoda's
> sticking off of it, Miz Anne didn't bother to read the label when she
> planted them so they looked a little odd until we figured out what it was.

*grins and chuckles*


> I don't expect to put up much in green beans or pickles this year as we
> have plenty in the canning pantry so maybe we will plant something a
> little different this month. Bought some climbing beans from an outfit
> that sells Native American heirloom seeds, look right nice too, white
> with red spots and look like some sort of white bean. May be interesting
> to grow and can. We've been buying single packs of various heirloom and
> Native seeds on line most of the winter so we're ready.

there are no shortage of bean varieties out there
to try. some are quite beautiful. i have a hard
time cooking them.


songbird

On 3/3/2014 5:38 PM, songbird wrote:
> George Shirley wrote:
> ...
>> pear tree opening up, the decorative kale in the front bed is putting on
>> seed heads so time to compost them. The Dwarf Barbados cherries are
>> putting on new leaves and the chard, slowed by chilly days, is growing
>> like the weed it originally was.
>
> nice thoughts...
>
>
> ...
>> cauliflower heads I pickled last week, got six pint jars off one head of
>> yellow cauliflower, the one that looks like it has little pagoda's
>> sticking off of it, Miz Anne didn't bother to read the label when she
>> planted them so they looked a little odd until we figured out what it was.
>
> *grins and chuckles*
>
>
>> I don't expect to put up much in green beans or pickles this year as we
>> have plenty in the canning pantry so maybe we will plant something a
>> little different this month. Bought some climbing beans from an outfit
>> that sells Native American heirloom seeds, look right nice too, white
>> with red spots and look like some sort of white bean. May be interesting
>> to grow and can. We've been buying single packs of various heirloom and
>> Native seeds on line most of the winter so we're ready.
>
> there are no shortage of bean varieties out there
> to try. some are quite beautiful. i have a hard
> time cooking them.
>
>
> songbird
>
We have a Hopi heirloom lima type bean that is red when harvested, that
should be interesting. It's frosty this morning, where did spring go?

On 3/1/2014 2:03 PM, Dave Balderstone wrote:
> In article >, George Shirley
> > wrote:
>
>> Chilly yesterday, already 67F here at 0942 today.
>
> -37C this morning, wind chill of -50C. currently -27C, wind chill -40C.
>
> I hate you.
>
To make it worse Dave the temps hit 80F by mid-afternoon that day, it
was glorious. Today, not so much, 30F at 0616 today. I'm up early to
eat, take meds and go for a 1040 nuclear stress test. Sometimes I wonder
if getting old is really worth it.

Hate is a passing thing, true love is for ever.

On 3/3/2014 5:24 PM, songbird wrote:
> Dave Balderstone wrote:
>> George Shirley wrote:
>>
>>> Chilly yesterday, already 67F here at 0942 today.
>>
>> -37C this morning, wind chill of -50C. currently -27C, wind chill -40C.
>>
>> I hate you.
>
> heh, yeah, we're a bit further south and east of you
> Dave, but it is still very cold... it was -26C this
> morning (-15F). i think tonight will be a little
> warmer and then we might get back to near freezing or
> even above freezing later this week.
>
> i'm ready for spring to spring. as a statement of
> optimism we bought some of our garden seeds the other
> day.
>
>
> songbird
>
The garden seeds we bought in the fall are lying on the dining room
table so we can fondle them and dream. We have flowers and vegetables
sitting on that same table in their little starter pots in hope that
spring has truly moved closer to us.

George

On Tue, 04 Mar 2014 06:22:03 -0600, George Shirley >
wrote:

>On 3/3/2014 5:38 PM, songbird wrote:
>> George Shirley wrote:
>> ...
>>> pear tree opening up, the decorative kale in the front bed is putting on
>>> seed heads so time to compost them. The Dwarf Barbados cherries are
>>> putting on new leaves and the chard, slowed by chilly days, is growing
>>> like the weed it originally was.
>>
>> nice thoughts...
>>
>>
>> ...
>>> cauliflower heads I pickled last week, got six pint jars off one head of
>>> yellow cauliflower, the one that looks like it has little pagoda's
>>> sticking off of it, Miz Anne didn't bother to read the label when she
>>> planted them so they looked a little odd until we figured out what it was.
>>
>> *grins and chuckles*
>>
>>
>>> I don't expect to put up much in green beans or pickles this year as we
>>> have plenty in the canning pantry so maybe we will plant something a
>>> little different this month. Bought some climbing beans from an outfit
>>> that sells Native American heirloom seeds, look right nice too, white
>>> with red spots and look like some sort of white bean. May be interesting
>>> to grow and can. We've been buying single packs of various heirloom and
>>> Native seeds on line most of the winter so we're ready.
>>
>> there are no shortage of bean varieties out there
>> to try. some are quite beautiful. i have a hard
>> time cooking them.
>>
>>
>> songbird
>>
>We have a Hopi heirloom lima type bean that is red when harvested, that
>should be interesting. It's frosty this morning, where did spring go?

The same place ours did. We had snow yesterday afternoon and low temp
of 17° overnight. It is 21° right now. Sun is coming out, maybe it
will melt the snow.
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

In article >, songbird
> wrote:

> Dave Balderstone wrote:
> > George Shirley wrote:
> >
> >> Chilly yesterday, already 67F here at 0942 today.
> >
> > -37C this morning, wind chill of -50C. currently -27C, wind chill -40C.
> >
> > I hate you.
>
> heh, yeah, we're a bit further south and east of you
> Dave, but it is still very cold... it was -26C this
> morning (-15F). i think tonight will be a little
> warmer and then we might get back to near freezing or
> even above freezing later this week.
>
> i'm ready for spring to spring. as a statement of
> optimism we bought some of our garden seeds the other
> day.

You, I forgive. But George must pay...

;-D

--
³Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown, ignorance can be educated, and drunkenness
sobered, but stupid lasts forever.² -- Aristophanes

In article >, George Shirley
> wrote:

> On 3/1/2014 2:03 PM, Dave Balderstone wrote:
> > In article >, George Shirley
> > > wrote:
> >
> >> Chilly yesterday, already 67F here at 0942 today.
> >
> > -37C this morning, wind chill of -50C. currently -27C, wind chill -40C.
> >
> > I hate you.
> >
> To make it worse Dave the temps hit 80F by mid-afternoon that day, it
> was glorious. Today, not so much, 30F at 0616 today. I'm up early to
> eat, take meds and go for a 1040 nuclear stress test. Sometimes I wonder
> if getting old is really worth it.

Beats the hell out of the alternative, though.

> Hate is a passing thing, true love is for ever.

True dat. Don't get me wrong, I love this part of the world.

But the last two winters have taken their toll... Hopefully spring
comes along in a timely fashion this year.

I'd like a garden again.

--
³Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown, ignorance can be educated, and drunkenness
sobered, but stupid lasts forever.² -- Aristophanes

George Shirley wrote:
....
> The garden seeds we bought in the fall are lying on the dining room
> table so we can fondle them and dream. We have flowers and vegetables
> sitting on that same table in their little starter pots in hope that
> spring has truly moved closer to us.

now i've picked up three new ones to try in
the wild gardens and also some for the more formal
gardens. pak choi, purple top rutabagas and fennel.

i've had rutabaga and fennel before and liked
them (but not grown them) -- pak choi, looks
interesting.

we might hit normal or even above normal
temperatures Friday. that'll be nice.

i was fondling seeds today too, had some melon
seeds dried and had to get them out of the tray.


songbird

In article >,
says...
>
> Dave Balderstone wrote:
> > George Shirley wrote:
> >
> >> Chilly yesterday, already 67F here at 0942 today.
> >
> > -37C this morning, wind chill of -50C. currently -27C, wind chill -40C.
> >
> > I hate you.
>
> heh, yeah, we're a bit further south and east of you
> Dave, but it is still very cold... it was -26C this
> morning (-15F). i think tonight will be a little
> warmer and then we might get back to near freezing or
> even above freezing later this week.
>
> i'm ready for spring to spring. as a statement of
> optimism we bought some of our garden seeds the other
> day.
>
>
> songbird

I don't know. It's a balmy -7C here in Providence, RI right now. I do
wish the time would accelerate. To me the seasons change with
asrtronomical events - the Vernal Equinox comes in 15 days.

On 3/5/2014 11:48 PM, T wrote:
> In article >,
> says...
>>
>> Dave Balderstone wrote:
>>> George Shirley wrote:
>>>
>>>> Chilly yesterday, already 67F here at 0942 today.
>>>
>>> -37C this morning, wind chill of -50C. currently -27C, wind chill -40C.
>>>
>>> I hate you.
>>
>> heh, yeah, we're a bit further south and east of you
>> Dave, but it is still very cold... it was -26C this
>> morning (-15F). i think tonight will be a little
>> warmer and then we might get back to near freezing or
>> even above freezing later this week.
>>
>> i'm ready for spring to spring. as a statement of
>> optimism we bought some of our garden seeds the other
>> day.
>>
>>
>> songbird
>
> I don't know. It's a balmy -7C here in Providence, RI right now. I do
> wish the time would accelerate. To me the seasons change with
> asrtronomical events - the Vernal Equinox comes in 15 days.
>
>
I remember my days, with horror, of sailing out of Newport to patrol
along the Arctic Ice looking for Soviet subs. I liked Rhode Island in
the summer though and I loved the Caribbean cruises we made from
Newport. I just plain don't like cold weather. When I retired I wanted
to move to Belize or Costa Rica but wife wanted to stay close to all our
descendants. Whatever happened to global warming?

George

In article >,
says...
>
> On 3/5/2014 11:48 PM, T wrote:
> > In article >,
> > says...
> >>
> >> Dave Balderstone wrote:
> >>> George Shirley wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> Chilly yesterday, already 67F here at 0942 today.
> >>>
> >>> -37C this morning, wind chill of -50C. currently -27C, wind chill -40C.
> >>>
> >>> I hate you.
> >>
> >> heh, yeah, we're a bit further south and east of you
> >> Dave, but it is still very cold... it was -26C this
> >> morning (-15F). i think tonight will be a little
> >> warmer and then we might get back to near freezing or
> >> even above freezing later this week.
> >>
> >> i'm ready for spring to spring. as a statement of
> >> optimism we bought some of our garden seeds the other
> >> day.
> >>
> >>
> >> songbird
> >
> > I don't know. It's a balmy -7C here in Providence, RI right now. I do
> > wish the time would accelerate. To me the seasons change with
> > asrtronomical events - the Vernal Equinox comes in 15 days.
> >
> >
> I remember my days, with horror, of sailing out of Newport to patrol
> along the Arctic Ice looking for Soviet subs. I liked Rhode Island in
> the summer though and I loved the Caribbean cruises we made from
> Newport. I just plain don't like cold weather. When I retired I wanted
> to move to Belize or Costa Rica but wife wanted to stay close to all our
> descendants. Whatever happened to global warming?
>
> George

Oh it's still going on. Just presenting it's various facets that's all.
Recall four years ago the massive flooding in Rhode Island. That was
interesting.

In article >, George Shirley
> wrote:

> Whatever happened to global warming?

According to all the data, there's been none for over 16 years.

Even the IPCC agree.

Haven't you noticed that the catchphrase has changed to "climate
change" in the last couple of years?

Same scam, different name.

--
³Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown, ignorance can be educated, and drunkenness
sobered, but stupid lasts forever.² -- Aristophanes

In article >,
> wrote:

> Oh it's still going on. Just presenting it's various facets that's all.
> Recall four years ago the massive flooding in Rhode Island. That was
> interesting.

I think you're confusing "weather" with "climate"...

--
³Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown, ignorance can be educated, and drunkenness
sobered, but stupid lasts forever.² -- Aristophanes

My mama done tole me to plant peas and potatoes on St. Patrick's Day.
I've never lived in a place where I could get into the garden that
early. This year there is, so far, no sign that we've *got* a garden.

And it's raised in a frame of railroad ties.


--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://joybeeson.home.comcast.net/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

On 3/6/2014 11:44 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:
>
> My mama done tole me to plant peas and potatoes on St. Patrick's Day.
> I've never lived in a place where I could get into the garden that
> early. This year there is, so far, no sign that we've *got* a garden.
>
> And it's raised in a frame of railroad ties.
>
>
Some years ago we had a 17X26 raised bed garden of railroad ties.
Working in chemical plants I finally took a sample of the garden soil to
the company lab and had it tested. Very high in the chemicals that make
up creosote, the solution that keeps ties from rotting.

The ties came out that day and were replaced with cinder blocks, six
months later there was no trace of creosote in the garden. Our latest
raised bed gardens are made of recycled wood mixed with a neutral
plastic and molded into hollow planks with a rounded top plus steel
trusses screwed to the planks. We don't even use real dirt anymore but a
"Square Foot Gardening" mix of vermiculite, peat moss, compost and more
compost. We've had this garden for a year now and it produces pretty
good stuff.

We will be pulling the played out winter crops this weekend and mixing
up a new batch of Square Foot soil, aka "Mel's Mix" and stirring it into
the older batch. I'm starting to like this Square Foot Gardening thing.
We're producing more product with less work now, that's good for old
people who don't like stoop gardening. I have an Ames Garden Buddy cart
that is also a rolling seat, saves a lot of sore back salve too.

George

On 3/6/2014 9:27 PM, Dave Balderstone wrote:
> In article >, George Shirley
> > wrote:
>
>> Whatever happened to global warming?
>
> According to all the data, there's been none for over 16 years.
>
> Even the IPCC agree.
>
> Haven't you noticed that the catchphrase has changed to "climate
> change" in the last couple of years?
>
> Same scam, different name.
>
Yup, noticed all of it, once Al Gore got into the business of carbon
exchanges and got rich it was pretty much a given that it was a big
scam. Don't get me started on liberals Dave, I would be in trouble.<G>

George, in Texas where it appears we are warming up, maybe.

In article >, George Shirley
> wrote:

> On 3/6/2014 9:27 PM, Dave Balderstone wrote:
> > In article >, George Shirley
> > > wrote:
> >
> >> Whatever happened to global warming?
> >
> > According to all the data, there's been none for over 16 years.
> >
> > Even the IPCC agree.
> >
> > Haven't you noticed that the catchphrase has changed to "climate
> > change" in the last couple of years?
> >
> > Same scam, different name.
> >
> Yup, noticed all of it, once Al Gore got into the business of carbon
> exchanges and got rich it was pretty much a given that it was a big
> scam. Don't get me started on liberals Dave, I would be in trouble.<G>

Not with me... <grin>

> George, in Texas where it appears we are warming up, maybe.

We're supposed to see above freezing daytime temps next week. I'm going
to try and finally get out ice fishing, maybe even tomorrow.

I need to get a couple of northern pike for work... there's a filleting
demo coming up.

The season closes at the end of March and reopens in May, so I only
have a few days to get me some vacuum-sealed perch, walleye and pike
into the freezer, maybe some burbot if I'm lucky.

--
³Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown, ignorance can be educated, and drunkenness
sobered, but stupid lasts forever.² -- Aristophanes

On Sat, 01 Mar 2014 09:55:27 -0600, George Shirley wrote:

> Chilly yesterday, already 67F here at 0942 today. Sitting on the front
> porch drinking our morning coffee we were pleased to see leaves on the
> pear tree opening up, the decorative kale in the front bed is putting on
> seed heads so time to compost them. The Dwarf Barbados cherries are
> putting on new leaves and the chard, slowed by chilly days, is growing
> like the weed it originally was.

You call 67F chilly? Damnation - around here we'd consider that a heat
wave. In fact it's only 44F right now.

On 3/21/2014 3:10 PM, tonypo wrote:
> On Sat, 01 Mar 2014 09:55:27 -0600, George Shirley wrote:
>
>> Chilly yesterday, already 67F here at 0942 today. Sitting on the front
>> porch drinking our morning coffee we were pleased to see leaves on the
>> pear tree opening up, the decorative kale in the front bed is putting on
>> seed heads so time to compost them. The Dwarf Barbados cherries are
>> putting on new leaves and the chard, slowed by chilly days, is growing
>> like the weed it originally was.
>
> You call 67F chilly? Damnation - around here we'd consider that a heat
> wave. In fact it's only 44F right now.
>
>
>
'twas chilly the day before Tony. Houston, TX weather is fickle. Cool
enough for sweaters this morning outside, by 10 AM we were in tee
shirts. We are getting closer and closer to summer here. The vegetable
gardens are planted for spring: Hopi Red climbing lima beans, a Hopi
heirloom bean; summer squash, eggplant, cucumbers, tomatoes and others,
all in the ground and looking good. Fruit trees are leafing out, the
herb garden has a lot of stuff ready to cut and dehydrate, and the @#$%
grass is starting to grow. Oh well, cut grass makes good compost and
that always helps.

In addition, everywhere we look the dewberries are blooming like crazy,
a wet winter and spring makes a good dewberry season and we do love our
dewberries.

George