UPS delivered my apple root-stock today...

My root-stock for fruit trees showed up today. I planted seven in the "serious" orchard to replace losses.

The only ones that were available when I got of my dupa and looked were "seconds" or "regrades". From a practical standpoint, it means that I will lose a year of production because I cannot bench-graft them and toss them into the ground. I need to plant the root-stock and give them a year without the added insult of grafting them.

One work-around is to bud them during the summer. Working with sharp utility knives on work 4"-to-8" from the ground is not very attractive. I have a new pair of glasses and the bifocal component is not what I am used to.

However, I can plan for success. Planting the root-stock on an angle will present the stem in a more favorable way for budding. I can chip-bud near the end of June or T-bud around August 1.

I ended up with two kinds of apple root-stock. One is MM-106 which is mechanically very easy to graft (the wood cuts well) and is a vigorous grower. It has flaws. It is sensitive to viruses and is not sufficiently winter-hardy under super-productive, late-season apples like Gold Rush or Yellow Delicious. It is also susceptible to collar-rot which occurs in poorly drained soils (clay or low-spots). It is, however, very productive and well-rooted. The graft-unions are very strong.

The other apple root-stock is Geneva-210. As far as I know, there are no serious flaws except this root-stock that it is intolerant of neglect. It produces free-standing, very productive trees where most of the fruit can be picked from while standing on the ground. It is easily shaded by trees and even nettles. It suffers if the sod is not controlled and the tree must compete for moisture. If you really want a lot of apples, you almost have to irrigate. The up-side is that you can figure on 10 pounds of apple per foot-of-row almost every year.

Crows

I was watching crows this morning. I saw two of them flying with dead rodents. The first one was a dead chipmunk. The second was a mouse. I didn't know they were such efficient predators!

Potatoes

May 1 is still the target date for potatoes going into the ground.

One of the professionals who I respect is of the opinion that most non-professionals plant too soon. "Sure you can plant your corn May 1 and your potatoes even sooner, but they will sit there until the soil warms up. Most people would be better off waiting until the soil warmed up and then tilled down the weeds...and then planted."

His point is that most duffers don't have access to the herbicides that make super-early planting viable for professionals. If, however, you are on a first-name basis with your hoe, then you are good-to-go.

Tomatoes

I believe that I am going to tuck some of my excess tomato plants into my food-hedge.

Last year's tomato supports will be repurposed to an assortment of climbing bean varieties. The twine will be augmented with trashy-brush I have been cutting. Beans evolved climbing brush. It is what they are designed by our Creator to do.

The nightshades will index east and I will plant only 200 feet-of-row of potatoes (sigh!).

"Talls" like okra will be planted beside the corn.

Mrs ERJ gave me the OK to plant 20 dozen Bodacious sweet corn for freezing. Mrs ERJ likes sweet corn and you cannot throw a cheaper party than one where you, the host, provide sweet corn and melon and a camp-fire.

Molasses-Spice cookies

I am not a big "recipe" guy but I was able to pull the bacon out of the campfire and ended up smelling like a Rose.

Dry Ingredients

• 2-1/4 cups Great Value Pancake mix
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp cardamom

Wet Ingredients

• 3/4 cup warm butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 egg

Mix the dry ingredients together.

"Cream" the wet ingredients together.

Mix the combined dry ingredients with the "wet" ingredients.  You will probably have to use your hands at some point.

Pack down.

Refrigerate.

When ready to make cookies, roll a golf-ball sized wad into a ball, flatten and put onto an air-bake cookie sheet. Make however many cookies as you wish.

Cook at 350F for 10 minutes and not a second more. Let cool for three-to-five minutes before removing from the sheet with a spatula.

These are not intensely flavored cookies. They are pleasant and light and not overwhelming. Think "Mary-Anne from Gilligan's Island" cookies rather than "Carmen Electra or Cardi B." cookies.

Physical fitness

Mrs ERJ and I heading off to the gym

Mrs ERJ and I are alternating days that we go to the gym due to our watching Quicksilver.

I dislike running outside when it is windy. It is a personal quirk. On the plus side, it is now warm enough to lift outside.

I am still building "foundation".

Honesty compels me to admit that the treadmills do have advantages over running on the road when building up "foundation". Primarily the heart-rate monitors.

My stamina varies by a surprising amount from day-to-day. I suspect it may be partially related to hydration status.

I use the heart rate monitor to stay within the sweet-spot. Some days I can run "fast" for four minutes and "recover" (i.e. walk) for a minute for an hour. Other days I need to make adjustments, increasing the length of the recovery times and decreasing the "fast" times. Since five-minute increments are easy for me to manage I usually increase my walk-times until my BPM gets close to 140 and then run for the remainder of the five minutes.

Reconnecting

One of the guys from the old neighborhood reached out to me a few days ago.

He is exactly one year older than I am and has an interesting history.

He worked as a common laborer for about ten years. Then he entered a 12-step program. He networked. He found mentors. He moved up the corporate ladder. The ladder he was on was vaporized due to internal politics. He moved. He is now the equivalent of a VP in a think-tank near the Beltway.

He is a shining star of the economic mobility that the US can provide as long as the individual is willing to take personal responsibility.

He shot me an email and asked "How are you doing?"

At its very best, the internet is a tool of the angels.