... but I think it'll be awhile before it gets this far south. Which is fine by me. Maybe I'll be harvesting sugar snap peas this year instead of next spring, though I'm not sure if I got them in the ground soon enough.
I've determined that beets just do not grow in clay soil. 90% of them never grew past seedling size, and of the 10% that have decent-sized leaves, the roots are no larger than a quarter. I'll have to do a raised bed and buy dirt if I want to grow them, I think. Not sure it's worth the expense.
The carrots, on the other hand... looking forward to a nice spring carrot crop. I may have to just have a peas, carrots and herb garden, since tomatoes, peppers, and squash don't do to well when we have crazy-hot summers. I'm about to start harvesting, drying, and crumbling basil. I have an enormous amount of it due to the 100% sprout rate of the 5+-year-old seed I sowed in the spring. The rest of my herbs continue to amaze me with their extreme cold tolerance - lots of parsley and cilantro seedlings already up that will sail right through temps in the teens if I mulch or cover them with plastic.
It's cold enough that I've broken out all my winter layers for motorcycle riding. I can ride moderate distances down to about 40F (maybe 30 minutes), with 8 layers on top and 4 on bottom. The thing with riding is that one must dress for a 65mph wind chill! Wind chill of 60mph at 40F is 25F, and the wind is constantly looking for a way inside; any body heat that makes its way to the surface is immediately carried away.
I tell you what, if you want warm gloves for winter, look for Manzella or a similar high-quality brand, and find ones that say 'windproof' and are rated 2 or 3 out of 3 on their warmth scale. Then get a pair of those super-stretchy thin gloves (that look like cartoon character hands when you're not wearing them) to layer under the windproof ones. Keeps my fingers toasty at 40F, and decent at 32F, on the highway. And that combo is waaaaay better than waterproof/breathable (should be windproof too) ski gloves. For some reason the dense fleece of the windproof gloves is so much warmer than the poofy insulation of ski gloves.
I did the local Celtic Fest two weeks ago, and it was about like last year as far as sales. Some different bands, but they all sounded energetic this year, which is a relief - sometimes you get a group playing slow, simple, sad folk tunes, and those just kill the energy of everyone listening. But this year was good, though there were no true rock groups - not a single drum set graced the stage. Alas.
Awhile back the thought occurred to me that I might want to pick up another instrument. I've settled on the violin, because I love the sound of Scotts/Irish/Welsh music, and would love to learn to fiddle like that. Friend of mine still has his violin that he played in high school, so I might wind up borrowing that; I can't really afford to rent or buy.
I donated to Wikipedia today, and if you use it on any kind of semi-regular basis, I encourage you to do so too. It's kind of like an NPR radio station in terms of what they need to keep going, and in what they do for their readers. The information contained within isn't perfect and isn't 100% free of bias, but it is the only repository of information of its kind on the web (that I know of).
I'm recovering from bronchitis and a sinus infection. Went to the doc Thursday after losing two nights of sleep to coughing. Not fun. I think the hydrocodone-containing cough syrup has finally started working, so I'm off to bed.
Nov 19, 2011
Oct 19, 2011
Heading North / Meteor Shower
In 12 hours I'll be in Oklahoma. Looking forward to seeing whoever's there, and puttering around, talking, and relaxing.
The Orionid meteor shower peaks this year in the early morning hours of the 22nd. There are three people in our extended family who were born under meteor showers that I know of; I wonder if there's anyone else? This year will be ideal for viewing as there is only a waning crescent moon. Looks like Friday morning might be better viewing, as NW OK is forecast to have extensive cloud cover on Saturday.
The Orionid meteor shower peaks this year in the early morning hours of the 22nd. There are three people in our extended family who were born under meteor showers that I know of; I wonder if there's anyone else? This year will be ideal for viewing as there is only a waning crescent moon. Looks like Friday morning might be better viewing, as NW OK is forecast to have extensive cloud cover on Saturday.
Sep 6, 2011
Everything's bigger in Texas, including the wildfires
This is one time I'm thankful I don't live in the country. My roommate's brother and his wife lost their house in the Bastrop fire; it was in a beautiful forest of tall pines. Fortunately one of them was home at the time of the evac notice, and was able to get their pets and a carload of belongings out before fleeing. Many others in this fire were not so fortunate. Also, they had gotten higher insurance coverage about a month ago specifically because the fire danger was so high.
Two friends and their 8-month-old daughter have evacuated from their home near the Spicewood fire, and based on a map of fire boundaries, their house may be gone. Another family who are friends of mine left their home last night southwest of Bastrop, when an isolated but still uncontained fire broke out within a couple of miles of them.
Best fire images I've found so far: http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/09/more-texas-wildfires/100141/
For a relatively minor thing on the plus side, for the first time in at least 3 months, the temperatures are forecast to not rise above 90. Last night it was actually cooler outside than inside, so I opened up the house. The A/C has not run at all since 9 last night. Maybe I will get outside and plant something. It's about time to start the fall garden. Beyond a handful of tiny bell peppers and tomatoes, and a bunch of basil, I've not gotten much out of it this summer.
Two friends and their 8-month-old daughter have evacuated from their home near the Spicewood fire, and based on a map of fire boundaries, their house may be gone. Another family who are friends of mine left their home last night southwest of Bastrop, when an isolated but still uncontained fire broke out within a couple of miles of them.
Best fire images I've found so far: http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/09/more-texas-wildfires/100141/
For a relatively minor thing on the plus side, for the first time in at least 3 months, the temperatures are forecast to not rise above 90. Last night it was actually cooler outside than inside, so I opened up the house. The A/C has not run at all since 9 last night. Maybe I will get outside and plant something. It's about time to start the fall garden. Beyond a handful of tiny bell peppers and tomatoes, and a bunch of basil, I've not gotten much out of it this summer.
Jul 27, 2011
Hurricanes
One thing about living down by the gulf is that occasionally a hurricane meanders inland to gift us with some rain. Rarely they keep spinning up into OK and dump a bunch of rain there, too; it's happened twice since '07. Finally, after a very slow start to this year's hurricane season, there's one heading our way.
After hurricanes have been on land for awhile, their west and southwest sides dry up, so we have to hope that it passes south of us (but not too far south) on its way further in, in order for us to get any rain. Tropical Storm Don might arrive early Saturday morning.
http://classic.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at201104_5day.html#a_topad
Even a Cat 5 will weaken enough by the time it gets here that the wind won't be anything unusual (to me, having grown up on the plains), so aside from avoiding driving into water if it floods, there's no danger.
After hurricanes have been on land for awhile, their west and southwest sides dry up, so we have to hope that it passes south of us (but not too far south) on its way further in, in order for us to get any rain. Tropical Storm Don might arrive early Saturday morning.
http://classic.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at201104_5day.html#a_topad
Even a Cat 5 will weaken enough by the time it gets here that the wind won't be anything unusual (to me, having grown up on the plains), so aside from avoiding driving into water if it floods, there's no danger.
Jul 13, 2011
Conventions
A-Kon was a huge success, my best event ever. I was so busy that the 12-hour days at the tables just flew right by. It's good that I have that extra; Anime Overload was horrible, I think because they almost doubled the number of artist tables from last year to this year; likewise with the dealer's tables, and the number of people coming in the door did not increase proportionately. Friends tell me that the next con is supposed to be very good ("It is the land of milk and honey, and money"), and though it's not nearly as big as A-Kon, I'm looking forward to it.
The drought continues; it has rained once since my previous post. Apparently 125 square feet of garden doesn't use that much water; the water bill has been almost flat the entire time I've lived here. I keep waiting for some carrots I left to bolt, so I don't have to buy seed every year, but they just keep happily growing leaves. The grape tomato plants are not keeping a lot of their fruit to maturity, and the pepper plants won't bloom at all now. Maybe time for some shade cloth on the cold-frame.
I have gotten back on my motorcycle after two whole weeks of absence. One of those was spent in Oklahoma, the other was the con and prep / cleanup. I really wish I would've gotten to see more of you all while I was up there, but I thought I was going to get a significant chunk of income from the con, so I felt I had to do that rather than stay longer.
The drought continues; it has rained once since my previous post. Apparently 125 square feet of garden doesn't use that much water; the water bill has been almost flat the entire time I've lived here. I keep waiting for some carrots I left to bolt, so I don't have to buy seed every year, but they just keep happily growing leaves. The grape tomato plants are not keeping a lot of their fruit to maturity, and the pepper plants won't bloom at all now. Maybe time for some shade cloth on the cold-frame.
I have gotten back on my motorcycle after two whole weeks of absence. One of those was spent in Oklahoma, the other was the con and prep / cleanup. I really wish I would've gotten to see more of you all while I was up there, but I thought I was going to get a significant chunk of income from the con, so I felt I had to do that rather than stay longer.
Jun 22, 2011
Rain!
I don't think it has rained here in a month. Earlier this evening I spied lightning off in the distance; a glance at radar showed it teasing us - unless that line developed further south, we'd get naught.
On the way home from a friend's place, I noticed the storms were much closer, but still not much lightning directly west of us. At home, the cloud base here dropped low enough that I could see the city's lights reflected off of it in orange, and then there was constant sheet lightning (lights up the clouds but you don't see any bolts). So I checked radar again, and YES - a huge line bearing down on us! I mobilized to get all the potted plants under the roof-line and set up rainwater catch containers.
Then I laughed in the thunder and let myself get soaked.
On the way home from a friend's place, I noticed the storms were much closer, but still not much lightning directly west of us. At home, the cloud base here dropped low enough that I could see the city's lights reflected off of it in orange, and then there was constant sheet lightning (lights up the clouds but you don't see any bolts). So I checked radar again, and YES - a huge line bearing down on us! I mobilized to get all the potted plants under the roof-line and set up rainwater catch containers.
Then I laughed in the thunder and let myself get soaked.
Jun 9, 2011
Zucchini; A-Kon
I am new to the wonders of zucchini. I think I lumped it in with 'squash' when my age was measured in the single digits, and refused to touch it after that for years. A year or so ago, I had spaghetti squash for the first time, and loved it. Around the same time, I also tried some shredded barely-cooked zucchini, which for some reason didn't taste like I remember zucchini tasting. It was mild and wonderful. I thought it was a fluke.
A few days ago a friend of mine sauteed some thinly-sliced zucs in olive oil, and they smelled too good to not try. They were so good I decided to try cooking them myself, which I did tonight.
I cut up half a red onion and sauteed that in a little olive oil, then added some zucs, black pepper, 3 chopped green onions, and a pinch of salt. Wow. The onions caramelized a bit and the dish tasted slightly sweet. One thing I learned: zucs shrink when cooked. They are also done a little before they look done.
I made a big wok-full, ate some, and have packed up the rest to take to A-Kon, a big anime convention (think Star Wars if you don't know what anime is; it's a gathering of fans of a particular kind of fiction) this weekend in Dallas, where I'm selling my jewelry. I leave in about 11 hours. A-Kon was my biggest event for years, until the Norman Medieval Faire surpassed it this year.
A few days ago a friend of mine sauteed some thinly-sliced zucs in olive oil, and they smelled too good to not try. They were so good I decided to try cooking them myself, which I did tonight.
I cut up half a red onion and sauteed that in a little olive oil, then added some zucs, black pepper, 3 chopped green onions, and a pinch of salt. Wow. The onions caramelized a bit and the dish tasted slightly sweet. One thing I learned: zucs shrink when cooked. They are also done a little before they look done.
I made a big wok-full, ate some, and have packed up the rest to take to A-Kon, a big anime convention (think Star Wars if you don't know what anime is; it's a gathering of fans of a particular kind of fiction) this weekend in Dallas, where I'm selling my jewelry. I leave in about 11 hours. A-Kon was my biggest event for years, until the Norman Medieval Faire surpassed it this year.
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