A Very Windy Garden Update

I’m happy to report that my tomato, pumpkin, and cucumber plants are looking good. The Jungle Parrot sweet peppers look a bit feeble but not terrible.

They all need daily time outside to harden off for outdoor transplantation. I set them out three days ago for half an hour. But that’s all I’ve managed.

All my comings and goings left poor
Polly exhausted...

Today’s even more extreme wind gusts (up to 31 mph!) would be detrimental, to say the least. I have my fingers crossed that this pattern changes but the forecast isn’t looking too good. Oh, well. All I can do is try and all the while hope for the best.

She had zero strength to offer sympathy
to my tired, mildly frustrated self.

Do you know we Midwesterners have a saying “April showers bring May flowers”? Why, instead, did March “come in like a lion” and never leave? What happened to the “going out like a lamb” part?

-

Two Simple, Satisfying Fixes

My first annoyance involves cooking. A few years ago I introduced my husband to corn meal mush. Usually fried in a pan, it should end up crispy on the outside with the center warm and creamy. But all the yummy crispness ended up stuck to my pan. My disappointed husband didn’t make a fuss but I wondered if air frying would work better with the remainder. As you can guess, success!

Fun facts about the Amish:
You may well know that the devout never drive motorized vehicles.
Neighbor/family groups hire drivers for long distance travel.
Meanwhile, the surname of Yoder is extremely common.
So, what do outsiders call these transports?
‘Yoder Toters’, of course (true story).

Another nuisance regarded my laptop. The keyboard has a ten-key number pad, which I find useful. However, the Num Lk button doesn’t indicate whether it has been activated or not. I’d roll my eyes every time my effort to key in a digit instead moved my cursor. Carefully pried off and turned upside with a dot of hot glue, it’s not pretty but will never fool me again.

While I doubt my husband would appreciate my fix, I decided he doesn’t need to know.

How the number lock kept getting turned off is a mystery…

Have you ever eaten corn meal mush? Do you own an air fryer?

-

Dragon No Fly

The inspiration for my title is courtesy of Pam Jackson. On this post she mentioned both dragonflies and the equally beneficial crane flies. You should take a look at the interesting facts she reveals.

That said, I have two really awesome dragon kites, each with a wing span longer than my short self is tall. Trips to North Carolina’s Outer Banks provided so much joyous success I purchased a second after my first started unraveling at the edges. Sadly, we haven’t returned in over a decade due to various circumstances.

Courtesy of this Amazon.com seller;
I could not find one of my flying images...

While our fickle Southwest Ohio winds aren’t often conducive to kite flying, seeing flags flying strong decided me to take my old ragged beauty out. I won’t bore you with all the (painstakingly edited) details of my failed adventure. lol Suffice it to say I forgot my two trusty kite reels had both been broken; the higher tech one actually dropped ball bearings from its rigging while I was out.

Meanwhile, thinking of this title made me want to hear “No Woman No Cry” by Bob Marley and the Wailers. Listening to their greatest hits album that night made me miss the Outer Banks even more. At least back then, reggae played a large role in the laidback beach culture. I do intend to return someday, somehow.

Have you ever flown a kite? Do you believe the legend that Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity by attaching a metal key to a kite string?

-

Optical Illusions from We Rate Dogs

Click to Shop weratedogs.com

 

Fond Old Memories, a Precious New One, & Sad Yet Beautiful Decay

Before moving for more lucrative employment in a big city, my father worked at our small isolated town’s sole industrial plant and also did other jobs to provide for his wife and us four kids. The side gig I remember most was at the town cemetery.

As a groundskeeper, he sometimes brought us all along to help. On summer days I relished sweeping and dusting inside the mausoleum’s cool marble interior while my three older brothers toiled in the heat. To this day I find comfort and peace in cemeteries and decided to explore one where a friendly neighbor was buried over fifteen years (?!) ago.

My old friend’s plot is just over this bridge…

Cool find, no?

I did not expect any wooden crosses...

Sadly, I found the windows alone clean and undamaged...

I left untouched the various sweet mementos...

Frankly, most of these trinkets look in better shape than the dirty, decaying building. Cobwebs were everywhere, leaf debris littered the floor, and even some mud dauber wasp nests clung to a few chamber facings.

Interestingly, the range of interment dates inside and out on the grounds was staggering. I found abject decrepitude amid modern monoliths.

The one in the foreground was so illegible, making
an imprint would not recover anything...

To my astonishment, a bird flew in through the open door and all the way to the back before turning around. Unfortunately, the creature didn’t dive below the oddly placed archway. Hitting solid rock, it tumbled two stories to the concrete below. Smart phone already in hand, I took a quick disturbing video before offering aid. Feel free to scroll past to the clip I filmed moments before he or she flew off into the sunlit trees.

How I managed to get my phone and take footage is a mystery. The bird continued gripping my finger that entire time.

Should I offer to sweep and clean up a bit? Do you think doing so without permission would be considered trespassing?

-

Cinderella Potatoes

My husband and I watched a YouTube video featuring the aforementioned side dish. Yesterday I got around to making it. While not difficult it was time consuming. But the end result tastes wonderful! I’ll make this again sometime in the future. In the meantime we still have three whole potatoes since my husband and I split a single one.

I think the hollow skins look like edible canoes...

Do you think you would enjoy this silky, savory treat? Have you ever heard of a potato ricer?

 

-

You Win Some, You Lose Some

Last autumn I looked at my asparagus plants and deemed them destroyed by my accidental weed killer overspray. I was wrong! I’m planning to harvest some soon.

The small, tender stalks are to the right,
blending into the background...

Unfortunately, the Merlin cucumber plant didn’t survive. I haven’t even tried investigating what might have happened. Instead, I’m focused on moving forward.

Alas, his mythical magic
could not save Merlin.

And my tomato plants are moving forward, for sure. I’m delighted to report that replanting the leggy ones super deep has them perked up. The youngest sprout has not yet developed secondary adult leaves but looks healthy, as do my pepper and Swiss chard seedlings.

The reddish hues are not a problem, but rather
 caused by our broad spectrum lighting...

Do you know that perennial asparagus plants can live for many years? And that the stalks can be harvested from early spring into late fall?

-

Garden Hopes & Surprises

I’m still crossing my fingers that my gangly tomato seedlings survive. One did manage to stand straighter. We still have plenty of time to order plants from the Burpee company (I think and hope if needed).

Meanwhile, I saved seed pucks from last year’s failed attempts. To my surprised delight I discovered that one of the Merlin cucumber seeds sprouted after its long dormancy. Since our friend Phoenix swears by the Straight Eight cuke variety, we bought a packet for this year.

My bonus Merlin cuke is topmost right,
foremost are tomatoes refusing to sprout,
in the middle are my rainbow Swiss chard.

We also decided to try our luck growing lemon cucumbers. As the name suggests, this heirloom breed we hope to propagate is round and yellow with a sweet taste enjoyed both raw and pickled.

We look forward to tasting any we can harvest...

Isn’t it amazing how life finds a way? Had you heard of lemon cucumbers before now?

-