Freeze coming on 4/21/2021

Howdy all.

After all the planting I’ve done, even though I knew it might be trouble with the late winter weather here, I am getting bit with a snow today. Ouch.

Here is what the greenhouse looks like this morning.

I don’t even want to go outside — this is from the patio door — it is a solid 30 out there… Brr.

Overnight, the lights flickered a couple of times, and were out for about 10 minutes. Fortunately, they came back on. But, if they hadn’t, last week the generator was installed, and I even chained it down to the ground.

It can run with the tent on it. Being dual-fuel, it is set to gasoline at the moment, and I have 2 20lb propane tanks that can be used too. Still waiting for a “working” regulator/switch-over. The first one leaks horribly.

Notice I added an exhaust vent to the front of the box. UGH!! Just noticed I have one of the panels in upside down so the handles aren’t lining up well. Hey, just proves it was HAND-MADE by me.

But, back to the greenhouse and plantings. I have onions popping, and lots of other plantings going.

I even added some irrigation — this is when things were first popping.

Last year’s spinach and this years starting. I do have some moss issues. Have to handle that…

Radishes popping and a few beans/peas if you look real close.

Cucumbers sprouting too. Sadly, I have some transplanted cucumbers outside the greenhouse, in fabric planters. I did throw covers over them to try and retain the heat, but if they don’t survive, I have more in the house to put out. They may even be bigger and stronger since they have had lots of light and warmth.

Pepper plants need to be thinned down to 1 or 2 per fabric planter segment. Oh, those are onion sprouts in the bed behind.

Tomato plants need to be thinned too. Most took from the transplanting. Didn’t expect that. Post-Freeze I will see which are left and pick the winners. Still have some inside just in case all are losers.

Also, over the last few weeks, I did fill in the low areas of the yard with top soil. Smoothed it all out, added grass seed and straw. Here is a picture just after doing that.

Should say, this was after the second application of seed and straw. I hadn’t rolled the ground after putting the top soil down (just tried smoothing it) and it was quite lumpy. After a couple weeks it has lost a bunch of the straw, and is about 1/2 grass seedlings. Added more seed and fluffed up remaining straw. — The birds are getting fat eating all of the seed!!!

This shows why I had to redo and roll the topsoil. I’ve learned.

One other thing I did get done, was to move my blueberry and raspberry plants from the planters on the deck to a new home out by the fence. It is a raised planter 2x8 foot and about 2 1/2 foot tall. I put in a base of lots of compost and soil, with a layer of self-watering potting soil, and then the bushes.

Oh my, those self-watering planters they were in, weighed a lot. Even after dumping all the water, they must have been in the 150 pound range of wet soil and plant and pot. I could not lift them any more. — Old age has arrived. I had to use my dumping wheelbarrow and push them off the step into it, roll over to new bed, and fight like heck to get plants out of pot into the bed.

Much work. But looks so good.

They even have a little room to spread out some more. I will likely add another planter like this, at a right angle off the front. The combined beds will hide the compost bins, near the fence.

And for those looking for a more personal update…. A couple weeks back, the dentist pulled out an old bridge from 25-35 years ago, because it didn’t fit so great anymore. The temporary one is an annoyance. But, the replacement is to be put in a week — yippee. That is the last of the major work on his list.

However, then it is Kitty’s turn. When I adopted her, they said she had a heart murmur and some bad teeth (both, just like her new servant!!). So, I need to get her in to have the heart checked out. That can’t be done at a normal vet office. I found a place called Just-for-Cats which is a cat hospital between here and Cleveland, that can do both the heart checkup, and if it is not an immediate threat, the dental cleaning and possible extraction(s). Come mid-May, that will be the next major items on my personal list.

Kitty is becoming more and more used to having this human around her. Shoot, she doesn’t always immediately hide when people come in the house. She is still not a cuddle-buddy, and doesn’t like to be held still, but is tolerating more and more each week.

She is the best companion for this grumpy old man.

She saw me about to take the picture, and closed her eyes and tried to push camera away..

Nowadays, when I am on the couch watching some Netflix series for hours, she’ll lay down on her blanket and roll over for me to rub her belly as she sleeps. And then bite me for doing it for too long!!!!

I guess that’s about it for now.

I sure wish winter was over and we could all

Enjoy Life