A productive day

 

My day started off with a shopping trip. I was shopping for running shoes but that did not prohibit me from swinging by the ammo aisle of Dunham's Sporting Goods in Charlotte.

As is typical for a store in southern Michigan, more than half the ammo was shotgun ammo. The surprise is that 95% of the shotgun ammo was buckshot and slugs. I applaud Dunhams. If that is what their customers want to buy, then bully-for-them for supplying it.

High quality thermoplastics that can be warmed up and shaped are underrated. Tent stakes are a great source of very tough, impact resistant plastic that is relatively easy to work with. And tent stakes are inexpensive.

Five gallon fuel containers are running about $20 per. Much of the cost is in the fancy, evaporative-emissions compliant spout. These are called "Racing" containers. The price was not listed but I suspect it was substantially less than $20. Research is warranted.

The Winter Crisp Chinese Cabbage is close to outgrowing its container.

If there is one rule to growing Chinese Cabbage, it is to never stress it, never let it struggle for moisture, fertility or sunlight. Pedal-to-the-metal, start to finish.

Otherwise, it will go to seed instead of producing large, heavy heads of cabbage.

Approximate spacing of 15" between plants and 24" between rows. In metric that is 3.8e+9 Angstroms by 6.1e+9 Angstroms. I watered them in today and will give them another watering tomorrow and that water will be supplemented with fertilizer.

Image taken the next morning. They look a lot perkier. The leaves are no longer limp but are deployed and ready for photosynthesis.

The rug is draped across two picnic tables, two rows of cinder blocks, Yogi Bear, a 12' ladder and an even dozen 4' long slats. OK, I am joking about the bear. I just wanted to see if anybody was paying attention.

Today's big project was to roll up the 12' by 13' rug, move it outside and wash it.

I did something smart. I paid Belladonna and Kubota $10 each to roll it up and move it. Either kid could twist me into pretzels without breaking a sweat. Rather than have me and Mrs ERJ struggle, I paid the money and let them bicker and sweat. It took them about four minutes.

We wet it down.

We soaped it down.

We used the pressure washer to beat the soap into the pile.

We hosed it and hosed it and hosed it to wash out the detergent.

Tomorrow will be a grand day for drying. The relative humidity will be about 50%.