Begging For Zucchini

What happens when you take a short trip and leave the garden unattended for a couple of days? Monster zucchinis try to take over the place. Rusty and Bucket like raw zucchini and know Jo usually gives them a slice of the overgrown squash before tossing the rest in the compost. They are waiting not very patiently for their treat.

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Begging For Zucchini

Garden 2009: First Picking of Green Beans

Jo picked a little less than a half bushel of green beans Thursday afternoon. We've eaten some, but most went into the freezer. We should get two or three more large picking and then production will fall way off. Eventually, we'll leave the wire covering off the beans and let the rabbits have a treat, though I don't know what they've done to deserve a reward.

Jo also harvested some yellow squash, zucchini and cucumbers.

I made a trip into town Thusday. We were just in town this past Saturday, but I decided to make a special trip to buy a new thermostat for our hot water heater. The thermostat that's currently on the heater works okay most of the times, but every so often gets the water way too hot.
While in town, I made several other stops: Mailed a package, paid bills, went by the bank and, of course, bought groceries again. With all that running around, I managed to forget about buying the thermostat. Doh!

The price of gasoline jumped a dime per gallon since Saturday, up to $2.59/gallon. I reckon gas is bound to go up with Labor Day and our fall show season approaching.

We had to send our camera back to Olympus for a rebuild. The main control knob became so stiff it could not be turned. The photo above is from our archives. It was taken by Jo on 6/17/07.

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Garden 2009: First Picking of Green Beans

Journal: Saturday, 12/20/08

►  Not too bad here at the moment: Light south wind, clouds starting to build and 40ºF/4ºC @ 4:00 AM.  Bedtime.

►  Let the caffeine consumption begin.  (Overcast, moderate south wind and 47ºF/8ºC @ 10:30 AM)

►  Overcast and moderate south wind continue. Wood stove going to take the dampness out of the air. (53ºF/11ºC @ noon)

Sometimes it's amazing how quickly dogs can learn something you aren't even trying to teach them, something you don't even want them to know.  We have two windows on the north side of our house:  A small one in the bathroom and a full-sized window next to the kitchen table.

From the kitchen table window, one can see the garden, the gate at the end of the trail coming down from our upper pasture and the bird feeder (made by Jo) hanging just outside the window.  Long ago the dogs learned to occasionally look out this window to see if there were any cows at the gate or deer in the garden.  If critters were seen, the dogs barked.  Rusty and Bucket don't care anything about the birds at the feeder or even -- surprisingly enough -- a squirrel in the bird feeder.  Jo and I use this window for watching and, occasionally, photographing the birds and deer.  We don't care anything about the cows unless they've gotten out and are in the yard.

Now Rusty and Bucket (especially Rusty) are learning that if Jo or I is looking out the kitchen table window, there may be something outside for them to bark at, so they rush over and look outside too.  If they see critters at the gate or in the garden, they bark.  Their barking will scare away deer in the garden and their rushing over will frighten birds at the feeder.  If Jo or I were trying to take a photo, too bad.  Our subject is gone.  What's worse, the dogs are beginning to learn that one of us picking up the camera might mean that a barkable creature is outside and is reason enough to rush over to the window.  Dogs!

►  The wind has shifted to the north and is blowing briskly.  Temperature is beginning to fall.  Overcast skies remain.  47ºF/8ºC @ 3:00 PM.

►  Back from walking the pasture/woods loop.  We had a close encounter of the cow kind that got the dogs all upset.  Nothing serious.  She was just heading down a relatively narrow section of trail as we were going up -- probably didn't get within ten feet of her, but that's too close for the dogs to keep their cool.  Both Rusty and Bucket were off their leashes at the time, but I saw the cow first and we were able to get them releashed before they noticed the cow.  (37ºF/3ºC @ 4:30 PM)

►  Skies clearing and the temperature is falling fast.  Forecast temps revised downward. (27ºF/-2ºC @ 10:15 PM)

►  Chilling down.  23ºF/-5ºC @ midnight.  A northwest wind gusting to 30 mph/48 kph doesn't help with keeping warm.

►  Weather Summary:  High = 54ºF/12ºC.  Low = 23ºF/-5ºC.  Temperature @ midnight = 23ºF/-5ºC.  Our skies were overcast all day.  The wind shifted to the north and became gusty during the afternoon.  Temperatures dropped slowly and steadily.   Clearing occurred after dark permitting a rapid drop in temperature.  According to NOAA we have a north wind blowing at 10-15 mph and gusting to 30 mph.



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Journal: Saturday, 12/20/08

Journal: Friday, 10/24/08

Early Morning:

Started Jo's kiln on a bisque firing. 49º F (9º C) at midnight.

Late Morning:

Sunny, but a gusty south wind trumps the sunshine if you are outdoors.. 54º F (12º C) @ 11 AM.

The garlic Jo planted a couple of weeks back is up and doing well. Unfortunately, so are the weeds. The garlic will remain green, but go dormant over winter, then take off growing again as soon as spring arrives.

Afternoon:

Jo just toted a jug of hot water over to her pottery studio. It's chilly enough she wants her throwing water warmed. There's no hot water in her studio so she usually puts a kettle atop her kerosene heater, but that water isn't warm yet. 60º F (15º C) @ 2PM.

Back from PM walk. South wind has laid a bit. A few cumulus clouds scattered around, all the better for adding interest to pix. 60ºF/15ºC @ 5 PM.



Losing the ball yesterday meant today's session of fetch with the dogs was played with a new tennis ball, a ball that still bounced. We usually play with the same ball until it's way, way past dead -- until the cover comes off.

This maple is one of the prettiest trees along the road we walk most afternoons.

(Speaking of playing fetch with a tennis ball... The Chuckit is one of the greatest inventions I've run across in a long time, unless you enjoy having hands covered with dogs slobber, of course.)

Evening:

Another fire this evening. The temperature was down to 44ºF/6ºC at midnight.

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Journal: Friday, 10/24/08

Journal: Sunday, 10/19/08

Early Morning: Blog post on Nature in the Ozarks:  Cloudless Sulphur butterfly (Phoebis sennae)

Late Morning: Getting into the downside of our last cold front:  A little warmer, a few high clouds around and south wind picking up.  64º @ noon.

Afternoon: South wind picked up some more, but the day was still what I'd call nice.  We've really enjoyed these sunny days, which is good because rain moves into our forecast by mid-week.

Played with the dog:  During the longer days of summer, I figure Rusty and Bucket get enough exercise.  They spend more time outside and come out into the garden with Jo and I in the late afternoon.  While we work, they play -- at least part of the time.  However, starting about now and through the winter, the dogs spend almost all their time just laying around in the house.  So, in the winter when the weather permits, I spend a little time playing fetch with them after our afternoon walk.

What's amazing is how much Rusty and Bucket remember about our little ritual, not just the basics of chasing the tennis ball and bringing it back, but also which dog plays first, where we play, how we end a session and, especially, when I dispense dog treats.  You'd think we last played yesterday instead of six months ago.  I wish they remembered how to behave even half as well.

Evening: I often take a little nap in the early evening which is my mid-day.  This evening I didn't get my timer set right and ended up sleeping for two and a half hours.  I guess that was good since I evidently needed the sleep, but I didn't get much else accomplished this evening.

Temperature range:  71º/49º.  56º @ midnight.

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Journal: Sunday, 10/19/08

Journal: Friday, 9/5/08

One of the many varieties of binder weed blooming at the present time. Binder weed is a vine closely related to the Morning Glory. Many gardeners hate binder weed with a passion because it is weed that's difficult to eliminate. I love them blooming along side our road.

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► Started Jo's kiln on a bisque firing. The damp weather we've been having is causing Jo problems over in her studio. (No I'm not referring to the drips. She's more or less learned to live with those.) Whenever she throws something like a mug, it must dry a bit before she can attach a handle. Nothing is drying. The work she threw yesterday was still as wet as when it came off her wheel. She's building up a backlog of thrown work that needs more attention. She doesn't have room for a backlog. (66º @ midnight)

► 10:00 AM: So far, the forecast for today is proving to be accurate. Our skies remain overcast. The current temperature of 65º feels a little chilly since I'm dressed as I would be for a temperature in the nineties.

► Took pity on the dogs and bathed them inside because of the chilly temperatures and breeze outdoors. The dogs don't particularly like being bathed, but tolerate it. Dog bathing works best if both Jo and I participate, one to hold the dog in place and the other to do the actual bathing.

While Rusty and Bucket don't like baths, they certainly find them invigorating. After a bath they run, play/fight, shove furniture around, bounce off walls and just make all around nuisances of themselves.

The sun has made a few very unconvincing attempt at burning through the clouds. (72º @ 2 PM)

► Walked up the road taking photos of fall wildflowers. Skies have finally cleared to partly cloudy. (72º @ 5 PM)

► Almost tripped over a copperhead as I rounded the corner of the house. We both thought we were alone and we were both startled by the encounter. He tucked tail and disappeared under the wood rack while I watched. Copperheads are common around here in the summer. I see them most often at dusk, a time when we are both out and about. They are just beginning a night of hunting while I'm trying to finish up chores, pick up tools and complete my day outdoors. Last summer, copperhead sightings were frequent. I haven't seen nearly as many this summer. Everything in nature seems to run in cycles, most of which I do not understand.

► Jo and I spent a little time out in our soggy garden late this afternoon. She harvested a few veggies. Many cherry tomatoes had ripened over the past couple of days. All but a very few were split. That happens when a lot of rain falls. I just checked things out a bit and picked hornworms off the tomato plants. It seems another hornworm siege is beginning. Also found four hornworms covered with parasitic Braconid wasp cocoons. (68º @ 7 PM)

► Chilling down a bit this evening. (61º @ midnight)

Journal: Friday, 9/5/08

Journal: Wednesday, 8/20/08

Midnight: Rain. Tuesday was overcast all day and looked as if it could start raining at any minute. The rain held off until midnight, though.

2:30 AM: Rain continues. So far, just a nice and gentle rain.

4:30 AM: It must be bedtime since I keep dozing off at the keyboard. Still raining. 70F (21C).

10:30 AM: Gentle rain still falling. Only 1.5” so far, but it’s had a chance to soak into the ground instead of running off down the creek. 69ºF (20ºC)

Jo has a big cast iron pot of black beans cooking on the stove.

12:30 PM: Fully caffinated now. Time to move on to my next exciting agenda item: Bathing the dogs.

3:00 PM: Bucket and Rusty bathed and the mess from bathing them cleaned up. Jo washed all their bedding too, but I don't see how it's going to get dry since our solar clothes drier is not working at all well today.

4:00 PM: Overcast skies and light drizzle off and on during the PM, but we were able to take our routine walk up the road to the gate and back. We only got a little damp.

8:00 PM: Moderate rain falling again.

11:30 PM: Rain continued for a couple of hours, but I haven't made a trip out to the rain gauge yet.


Weather Summary: 74/68 ... 1.5 rain ... overcast with rain or drizzle all day.

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Journal: Wednesday, 8/20/08