Note to self...

Eleven Golden Russet apple grafted on the east end of the row and marked with orange yarn.

Nine King David apple on the west end of the row and marked with yellow yarn.

Four Tolman Sweet in the middle of the row and marked with green surveyor's tape.

Three Ashmead's Kernel in the middle of the row and marked with pink yarn.

Big shout-out to Cummins Nursery

I reported that Cummins Nursery was running a 40% Off clearance sale on their scion.

I ordered three scion of two different varieties.

I expected to get 30" of scion (3, 10" pieces) of each variety.

I received 7 pieces that were 15" long of one variety and 9 pieces that were 15" long of the other. They are very clearly trying to empty out their coolers and make a good impression on their customers.

Well, I am VERY impressed. When I think 30" of scion is a good deal and my supplier ships me 135" of scion...I sit up and take notice.

Disclosure...I receive no compensation or kick-backs from this business. They don't know that I am included on many lists of the top 25 most-read bloggers in southeastern Eaton County. 

A curious thing

Golden Russet and Tolman Sweet were selected from seedlings very early in the English settlement in New England. Likely the seeds were only one generation removed from Jolly Old England.

If those Gen-Zero seedlings departed from Bristol, a "high runner" port for English sailing to North America, then the lowest temperatures observed since accurate records have been taken was 6 degrees F (-14.4 Canadian).

In spite of originating from such a balmy climate, both Golden Russet and Tolman Sweet are credited with being able to shrug-off -30F (-34 C) and still produce an acceptable crop of apples.

Ashmead's Kernel apple is from a seed planted in Gloucester, England some time in the 1700s. The lowest temperature recorded is -4F (-20C). And yet, Ashmead's Kernel is also capable of enduring -30F.

If you were to look at Dorset, England (where many, many cider apples are processed and seeds are available by the hundred-weight), the record low is 22F (NOT MINUS) or -6C. 

Even more interesting is that all three of these apples are Medium Season to Very Late Season. If you ran a regression, you would find that the very, very hardiest apples are early ripening apples. The tree has time after the apples drop to squirrel away carbohydrates (God's antifreeze) from the last rays of sunshine. Varieties that ripen late are under a heavy handicap as they try to simultaneously pump the fruit and seeds full of carbs while they prepare their buds and stems for winter.

So why would there be multiple genes in these apples (not just a single exception, either) that gives them 30 degrees Fahrenheit more resistance to cold than it would ever seen in its ancestral homelands? 

A short fable (and math problem) and a few pictures

This is the time of year when things start moving more quickly. Blink your eyes and you miss something.

A wizard planted a lotus seed in a corner of the pond that supplied the king's kitchen with fish. Every day, the plant that sprouted from the seed doubled in size. After ten days, the lotus plant only covered one-millionth of the pond's surface and the Royal Advisors laughed at the wizard's demands for gold. After twenty days, the lotus plant covered only one-thousandth of the pond. Still, the Royal Advisors scoffed at the wizards threats of dire hunger if they did not pay him tribute.

On what day does the lotus plant cover half of the pond? On what day does it cover all of the pond and smother all of the fish? 

The 2026 garden

A broccoli plant, two weeks from seeding

A Stupice tomato plant also two weeks from seeding. Stupice is a "potato leaf" variety which makes it easy to keep track of.

My Lovage seedlings don't look that hot. I think they are very sensitive to how deeply that were transplanted. I planted two more seeds in each cell where the plant was struggling. Lovage seems to have a form much like peonies or asparagus. That is, they throw up shoots from underground crowns.

I also planted another "flight" of broccoli seeds.

In family news, one of my brothers told me that he would gladly take six tomato plants if I had extras. Well, of COURSE I have extras!!!

My sister informed me that she LOVES duck eggs for baking, so I have an outlet for those, too. That same sister wants to plant some rhubarb plants but is pinned down for time. They had a massive remodel done on their house and the building permit expires at the end of this month. I suggested that she put out feelers at the small, country church they are now attending. Rhubarb self-seeds like crazy if you don't keep weeding your patch and there is probably some 80 year-old lady who would be delighted to let her dig up as many seedlings as they wanted.

Four hours T-on-T today!!!! PR for 2026

I managed four hours time-on-task work today.

I spent three hours planting 75 White Pine seedlings and 25 Norway Spruce seedlings. Of the two, the Norway Spruce went into the ground much more quickly.

I was planting the White Pine into pucker-brush that had been brush-hogged. No above-ground brush to fight with but I still had to contend with many roots.

The Norway Spruce was planted into sod. The Norway Spruce have a smaller, less expansive root system that goes into the hole without argument and drama. 

The trees were planted on 8' centers. The White Pine were planted in multiple rows (windbreak) with the centers off-set. My customer was downcast when I told her that we need to put cages around the White Pine to protect them from the deer and rabbits. 

I spent another hour grafting pears. Grafting is not high-calorie burn work.

Tomorrow's work-ticket looks like planting another 25 White Pine and more grafting.

I wonder if the mental health crisis that Gen Z is experiencing would disappear if they performed 3 hours of hard, physical labor six days a week. Our bodies were not only designed for arduous labor, we NEED work to stay regulated. 

ERJ: Social Animal!!!

"Social connection" is one of the key factors for continued brain-health into old age. The difficulties are that the longer I live, the lower my opinion is of humans and that my friends keep moving away and/or dying.

Nevertheless, Mrs ERJ suggested that we go to a local social event. It was held yesterday evening. By some accounts, it was a success.

Kids were running like maniacs, women were screaming and men were shaking their fists. I really need to work on my parking skills. Not too long ago sidewalks ended at the road with curbs and not gentle ramps that made them look like driveways. Just sayin'.

Inside the event I made Mrs ERJ proud. They served pasta with marinara sauce and I didn't get any of it on my shirt. Nor did I walk around with my fly gaping open.

We will have to do that again but it will probably be after the venue's lawn heals up from the tire tracks I left in the very, very soft ground. People in small towns have very long memories.

What does Israel want?

 

A map showing various ethnic groups in southern Iran

It is pretty clear that Israel, for reasons of their own, are sabotaging US efforts to a rapid conclusion to the military operation in Iran. Dropping a bomb on the home of the moderate Iranian who was negotiation with J.D. Vance was not a very subtle hint.

One reason for not wanting a rapid resolution is that Israel sees no path in which a viable "Iran" is not a mortal threat to Israel for at least two generations. That means removing the source of the funding for Iran's nuclear ambitions: Their Gulf Petroleum Revenues. The most likely solution that would be tolerated by Israel would be to parcel or "partition" the country now called Iran into many, weaker regions with those regions administered by other vested interest in the region.

That is not something that can be done quickly. 

Forgive the exceptionally crude graphics, but the marked up "map" is one concept. The dashed black line is through the center of the Persian Gulf. The solid red line separates the partitioned states from historic Iran. The solid yellow lines separate the partitioned states from each other.

The dark-green region (less the fertile plains of Dezful) at the top of the Persian Gulf becomes Kuwait-East. The pink, gray and light-green region southeast of Kuwait-East becomes a protectorate of the Saudis. The dark-green region southeast of that becomes a protectorate of the Arab Emirate and includes the north end of the Straits of Hormuz. The mostly orange region that is on the south end of the Straits of Hormuz becomes Balochistan and is a protectorate of Pakistan.

Regions on the west side of Iran to the north are also chipped away, Kurdistan and so on.

The precedents for this are the partitioning of Berlin after WWII and the fragmentation of the former Yugoslavia. 

Fake News Friday: NYC outlaws tipping

New York Mayor Mamdani announced that "tipping" will be outlawed in New York City because tipping embodies structural racism and gender-norms. Inequities in tipping are micro-aggressions that target wait-staff who do not conform to the dominant culture's expectations.

"In a rich city like New York City, no person should receive less compensation because they chose to wait on fewer tables than their coworkers, ignore  customers or choose to costume differently" Mamdani announced.

"In our efforts to make New York City more equitable and fair, we are also criminalized "flirting" as a sub-set of the New York State code for hostile workplace environment. Businesses will be fined $1000 for every time a patron "flirts" with a staff member or a fellow customer or leaves a tip. We are done turning a blind-eye toward businesses that do not conform to NYC values of kindness, diversity, equity and inclusivity."

"Henceforth, a 40% surcharge will be added to every bar and food tab to ensure every waitress makes a living wage and to cover the cost of administering these new rules." 

Shopping for seasonal items

 

Quicksilver expressed a desire for a "Mermaid's tail".

We went to the Walmart in Charlotte today to find one.

Alas, they haven't received their seasonal shipment of shimmery, purple tails that enable underwater breathing.

Quicksilver was unimpressed with what was in-stock.

A big shout-out to Ben in Sporting Goods for his help.