I went for a run this morning. Matthew W., a fellow blogger, inspired me. He is running a 5k a month.
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| This is probably where the tree will be planted, just a bit west of the southwest corner of their house. |
Southern Belle purchased a shade tree (Platanus × acerifolia cv. "Exclamation!") this morning but Handsome Hombre had taken the truck to work. Guess who was pressed into service transporting the tree to Casa Amor Joven?
Horrock's has their containerized trees marked down 30% and they are getting picked-over quickly.
Blackberries
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| There is not much color contrast between the ripe berries and the green. You have to squint to see them. |
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| "Shawnee" cultivar. Marginally hardy in Michigan. Thorny. |
Corn in Cuba
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| Traditional, Caribbean agriculture. No fertilizer. Source |
Corn in the mid-West
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| I saw this stand on my drive home with the tree. I just HAD to take a picture. |
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| Look at the number of ears! |
I am not going to say it is hot, here
But I will share that I am not worried about my salt consumption.
Rural life in Albania
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Video. Notable for how easy they make canning peaches. Also notable for how under-ripe the peaches are are by US standards. If I were to be doing this in a grid-down environment, I would put ducting around the fire so most of the heat did not blow sideways but ran up the sides of the kettle. Even if an infinite supply of wood was available, the time to cut, split, stack and move it is not. Nor is there an infinite supply of saw blades/chains. If an open fire beneath a tripod/trivet in a 10km/hr (6mph) breeze is 10% efficient and a ducted rocket-stove is 60% efficient...then you only need 1/6th the amount of wood to finish your task.
Also jarring (to me) is that he places the jars into the kettle lid-side-down. Rather than burping air and water vapor, the positive pressure is pushing sugar syrup out of the jar.
There is a huge difference between canning food to win prizes at the County Fair and canning food to make it through the winter. I am not suggesting that you take any shortcuts that increase the risk of food-poisoning. Rather, I am suggesting that 75% of the work-content in some canning books are to improve aesthetics and cosmetic appeal.
A helicopter flew over several times to dump fire-retardant on wild-fires. The mountains east of the AGNC are on fire.
Mrs ERJ book recommendation
If the heat is keeping you inside, Mrs ERJ recommends The Money Tree by Theresa Slack. It is a quick read. It is "Contemporary, Christian fiction". The book explores the challenges of managing money when modern culture tries to seduce you into "Spend, spend, spend".
Let me know if you found this recommendation useful.
Remember to find where the sewer line, water line, etc. are before the tree gets planted...LOL
ReplyDeleteThey have a very small window that is defined by power-wires and a minimum of 15' stand-off from the foundation.
DeleteThe previous owner(s) screwed-pooch in terms of letting trees grow too close to the incoming utility wires but it will take expertise and equipment beyond what I have to fix those problems.
SB would like more shade trees than this one on the south side of the house but that will require the electrical feed from the pole to the house be routed underground. Given the cost of underground rated cable and the distance from the pole to the house, I am not sure that will happen.
"Pergola" and some grape vines create shade in the summer and sunlight in winter... Size the height and width to the area
DeleteSpeaking of modern fiction...........
ReplyDeleteHere in Virginia, we have an invasive species, wineberries. They look like a wild raspberry, but tart and a milder flavor. I think their a Chinese invasive (like many of our invasive species). They tend to bear fruit right after the July 4th holiday. Very hardy.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus_phoenicolasius
My mom let her septic tank go for over twenty years without pumping and had no issues. When I moved into my septic-equipped house I let it go for five years before having it done. This, with three people in the house. The septic guy, a friend of my son's, said to never let it go past three-four years before pumping. At that time, again, there were only three people in the house. There was a small "island" of floating detritus in the tank that time, and a small amount of sludge on the bottom. It was otherwise clear, top to bottom. My oldest son, a toilet paper hog, moved back in soon after. Two years later, the tank backed up into the house. We opened the lid and found the tank PACKED with toilet paper. Three years later, this past May, I had the tank pumped again. Even after waving the red lantern at the family concerning toilet paper use, the tank was pretty much packed again. And yes, the toilet paper is "septic compatible." And this was after treating the system with Roebic enzymatic treatment every six months. Be there when your tank is pumped and see what it looks like. Then use your judgement as to when to pump it again. In my case I won't let it go past two years. Your house will never "unsee" a septic backup! Mine overflowed the shower stall and spread out into the master bedroom while my TP-hog son took a water-hog shower! That stink goes to the BONE!
ReplyDelete