Randomness
16 Apr 2025 09:22 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ursulas_alcoveYesterday was a day of weather, aches and pains, and random power outages. Not every day is a productive day. We do the best we can. Dishes got done anyhow. Errands were annoying with every traffic light out. My guess is the rain followed by a wind storm knocked down trees. The traffic lights were out for 2 hours. The house had power fluctuations but thankfully we had power.
I learned I really shouldn't knit without back support. I am out of shape. My husband is an epileptic. What that means is that we don't have chairs. Over the years, seizure after seizure has cost him a lot of his memories and caused me a loss of furniture. Hospital bills while they sorted out his medication were extremely painful so the furniture never got replaced. It is what it is. No back support. I have weaving benches or the floor. Treasure your memories. Not everyone gets to keep theirs. I do my best to help him rebuild his neural pathways.
Quince
Today's chores are all over the map. Every bed in the garden wants something done all at the same time. I started making a list and gave up when it got too long. Gardens are all about timing. The trees typically need to be planted by April 15th to ensure survival as dry season approaches. The weeds are overwhelming. Purple dead nettle as far as the eye can see. Some thistles thrown in for good measure along with yellow dock. My area is 2 weeks away from last frost. Melons, cucumbers, and squash need to be started. Tonight will see frost for sure. The dewpoint is 32 and the temperature will hit 30. All the potatoes in grow bags must be put undercover. We'll lose quinces and apples. I can't cover them adequately. Someone down the hill has tree covers that look like giant hair nets. I wonder where you get something like that? They may have made them themselves because they fit perfectly.
Apple
I am running out of potting soil and pots. The goal was to move everything out in waves. Plant the cold weather crops into the ground and the reuse the pots for the warm weather plants. The weather didn't cooperate. Not all of the cold weather plants can go in the ground until tomorrow. Some of the beets went in with the rest of the strawberries. But the additional work that one small section caused! The Siberian elm tree removal went okay. Four hostas started popping up. Those got moved to the back. The soil in the back is pure clay and solid as a rock. I worked to put the hostas around a hazelnut tree. The thistles and other weeds were thick. Then back to the front to put in the beets and strawberries. Soil had to get mixed to replace all the hosta holes. Nothing is ever easy. Bed preparation is really a chore on its own.
Lupine, Purple Carnations, and Celosia
I'll pot up the above picture next. There is also a tray of snapdragon ready to harden off. The first level of the terrace should do them nicely. Again, bed prep, weld and St John's Wort need to be moved, probably also yarrow. A little soil improvement is in order too. I'm thinking perlite to loosen the soil. We'll see. It looks like I'm focusing on plants that I know where I want to put them, but really, it's just random. Flowers mostly go into the front yard but some will end up in the back to attract pollinators to the rest of my crops.
Every year, it's more and more random. I think, "Oh, I'll have it in hand by last frost date, May 3rd". Then, it becomes "Surely I'll have it looking nice by Memorial Day". But I still have to get all the warm weather plants in which are in the back garden, like tomatoes. The front gets neglected. Then surely by Flag Day (June 14th) but I still have all these plants and it's almost the 4th of July! giggle We know how this works.
Several of the plants to go in the front are perennials. I shall conveniently avoid having to do this in the future if I can get them to take. That is always the trick. Drought, frosts, and destructive animals have taken their toll. The deer decided that crocuses taste the best this year. Go figure!
Well, it's a plan anyway.
I learned I really shouldn't knit without back support. I am out of shape. My husband is an epileptic. What that means is that we don't have chairs. Over the years, seizure after seizure has cost him a lot of his memories and caused me a loss of furniture. Hospital bills while they sorted out his medication were extremely painful so the furniture never got replaced. It is what it is. No back support. I have weaving benches or the floor. Treasure your memories. Not everyone gets to keep theirs. I do my best to help him rebuild his neural pathways.
Quince
Today's chores are all over the map. Every bed in the garden wants something done all at the same time. I started making a list and gave up when it got too long. Gardens are all about timing. The trees typically need to be planted by April 15th to ensure survival as dry season approaches. The weeds are overwhelming. Purple dead nettle as far as the eye can see. Some thistles thrown in for good measure along with yellow dock. My area is 2 weeks away from last frost. Melons, cucumbers, and squash need to be started. Tonight will see frost for sure. The dewpoint is 32 and the temperature will hit 30. All the potatoes in grow bags must be put undercover. We'll lose quinces and apples. I can't cover them adequately. Someone down the hill has tree covers that look like giant hair nets. I wonder where you get something like that? They may have made them themselves because they fit perfectly.
Apple
I am running out of potting soil and pots. The goal was to move everything out in waves. Plant the cold weather crops into the ground and the reuse the pots for the warm weather plants. The weather didn't cooperate. Not all of the cold weather plants can go in the ground until tomorrow. Some of the beets went in with the rest of the strawberries. But the additional work that one small section caused! The Siberian elm tree removal went okay. Four hostas started popping up. Those got moved to the back. The soil in the back is pure clay and solid as a rock. I worked to put the hostas around a hazelnut tree. The thistles and other weeds were thick. Then back to the front to put in the beets and strawberries. Soil had to get mixed to replace all the hosta holes. Nothing is ever easy. Bed preparation is really a chore on its own.
Lupine, Purple Carnations, and Celosia
I'll pot up the above picture next. There is also a tray of snapdragon ready to harden off. The first level of the terrace should do them nicely. Again, bed prep, weld and St John's Wort need to be moved, probably also yarrow. A little soil improvement is in order too. I'm thinking perlite to loosen the soil. We'll see. It looks like I'm focusing on plants that I know where I want to put them, but really, it's just random. Flowers mostly go into the front yard but some will end up in the back to attract pollinators to the rest of my crops.
Every year, it's more and more random. I think, "Oh, I'll have it in hand by last frost date, May 3rd". Then, it becomes "Surely I'll have it looking nice by Memorial Day". But I still have to get all the warm weather plants in which are in the back garden, like tomatoes. The front gets neglected. Then surely by Flag Day (June 14th) but I still have all these plants and it's almost the 4th of July! giggle We know how this works.
Several of the plants to go in the front are perennials. I shall conveniently avoid having to do this in the future if I can get them to take. That is always the trick. Drought, frosts, and destructive animals have taken their toll. The deer decided that crocuses taste the best this year. Go figure!
Well, it's a plan anyway.
