JAP69's Blog

Got to thinking about the tall chimneys for the plants. The cuke chimney is already up to almost six feet and I will need taller chimneys for other plants as they grow taller. Will need to purchase some 2 x 2 x 8 foot and cut them to proper height and fasten them to the side of the wooden container. Then take a long bolt with enough washers and nuts to fasten the steel chimney to the 2 x 2. One should be enough for each chimney. When the vines get high enough and there is a strong wind the chimneys could blow over. I do not particularly trust the legs on the steel chimneys to hold the tall chimney in place.

I posted some time ago about working on losing weight. I forgot when it was, last year some time I think when I started using apple cider vinegar with mother daily. Any how it was about 18 to 24 months ago my weight was at 252 pounds give or take a few. Since that time I have continued taking the apple cider vinegar daily with Old Orchard pineapple orange drink which contains 5 grams of carb per serving. I have been watching my carb intake and cutting way back on starchy foods. Consume very little sweet snack food. I sometimes take a couple chocolate chip cookies and sandwich a good serving of peanut butter between them. Once in awhile a half serving of a cinnamon bun with peanut butter spread across the top. Hardly any bread or potatoes at all anymore. Substitute cottage cheese to take the place of potatoes. 

My current weight is down to 212 pounds. waist line has dropped about two inches. Time for some new pants of the appropriate waist size.

May have a day of celebration when I break below the 200 mark.

Was to the doctor about a month ago and all appears to be healthy according to the blood test results. Blood pressure was low so under doctors orders the blood pressure medication has been discontinued.

Would like to get down to 185 pound or there about. It has been about 60 years since I weighed 185 pounds. Something like a 38 inch waist line.

Now if I can discover something to reverse aging, get rid of arthritis and rebuild the skeletal frame to when I was 18 years old would be nice.

Still have a full head of hair yet. It has only slightly thinned the past few years. Full head of gray hair. Started graying in my late twenties.

Seeing how the garden is pretty much caught up I have been doing some small projects that needed doing.

Yesterday I skimmed back some popcorn ceiling that came loose. Had a flap in one section and cracks starting in other areas next to the flap. Peeled back to where it was solid stuck to the ceiling. The ceiling probably has been on there for 30 or 40 years. When they originally did it they never primed the drywall. I probably have about eight square feet exposed. Will need to purchase some drywall primer and sealer plus a can of ceiling popcorn. I have done this before in the bathroom, garage and laundry room. Another day for painting and popcorn repair.

Today I pulled out the frig, removed the back panel covering the mechanical portion and vacuumed in there. Vacuumed the floor and wall plus cleaned the floor. Pushed it back in and removed the air inlet at the bottom under the door and vacuumed the cooling fins. If you do not keep your cooling fins clear of dust lint the refrigerator will not cool properly and need to run longer to get the temp down. Those fins work like a radiator on a car. Cleaned the drip tray located behind the air inlet.

Today I made the cuke box chimney [cage]. The sheet of concrete wire mesh was 42 x 84 inches long not 72 inches long like I thought. The wire mesh squares were 6 x 6 inches giving me seven rows on the width. So I decided to make an octagon chimney for the cuke box. I used the full sheet of wire mesh. I clipped off the wire that goes between the vertical row clipping up enough to have eighteen inches of legs to push into the container mix. I took my big plumbers pliers and folded the horizontal bands to pretty close to a 45 degree angle. I then had some wire mesh left that I cut into nine inch lengths. I then folded the ends of the rods giving me a six inch distance to each fold. Then I just connected them to each end of the octagon chimney crimping them into place which gave me my eight side. Just slid it into the container and done. The height of the chimney is about 5 foot 10 inches from the container mix to the top of the chimney.  Should be high enough for the cukes. Total cost of the chimney $9.00. A sheet of concrete wire mesh 42 x 84 inches is $8.97. So each one of the smaller chimney I made cost $3,00 each.

The cukes I transplanted yesterday perked up and are standing tall today. See how long they last.

Having some of the red leaf lettuce in my salad tonight. Washed it off real good with the hose that I have on the deck and inspected it real good. I had some salad the other night and when I had finished there was a green bug crawling in the bowl. I washed the greens at the kitchen sink too. I will make sure I inspect the stuff from the garden real good from now on.

I had a bag of dust at the house for bug control plus I purchased a small container today that had bug control and disease control combined. I was reading the ingredients on the bag and container to see what was in it. So I was on the net today looking up pyrethrins and permethrin. While doing that I came across an article about chrysanthemums. I thought it was quite interesting as I already found an article on marigolds I posted about earlier. I may decide to get some Chrysanthemum plants to place around the deck area.
I really do not think much about dusting. I think I would like using a spray bottle instead. I think the bag or container said it could be put in water and used as a spray. Would make it easier to coat the underside of the leaves.

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How to Use Chrysanthemums for Garden Pest Control
https://www.gardenguides.com/96723-use-chrysanthemums-garden-pest-control.html

I was walking around the perimeter of the deck dusting the veggie plants for bugs and diseases and spotted a snake scoot across the ground. It went over to the edge of the deck and got part way up [deck is about six inches off the ground] and turned and gave me a look see. It scooted up onto the deck and went under one of the containers. I do not know where it went from there. The snake was about two feet long, brownish in color except for the head which was close to black in color. I just kept on doing what I was doing.

Made six vegetable chimneys since Saturday. I will be staking the peppers and eggplant which is already done. May need longer stakes for the peppers later on. The eggplant stakes are about four feet tall. That should be tall enough for the eggplant. Still need to make the Chimney for the cuke box. Already have one concrete reinforcement wire sheet 42 inches x 72 inches long I have not cut into yet. May need to add more height to some of the tomato chimneys later. Some of the tomatoes reach a height up to six feet or so.

Still harvesting red leaf lettuce yet. Still a lot out there for being only six plants. I only snip off what I need for the day.

Transplanted cukes again today I purchased. Plus I have four seeds in the cuke box that I put in about a week or so ago. Dug one seed up today and it has just germinated. The first transplants did not do well. Get cukes from the transplants or the seed I planted.

Over in the ground boxes behind the back fence I planted two ground boxes with five seed in each ground box of sunflower seed today. The soil felt quite warm in the ground boxes. A couple boxes were not doing well with the plants that are in them.

Chili with no beans.

7 grams of carbs per serving. Added half the required amount of salt.

Store bought chili is loaded with salt.

I like to make a lot of my own stuff as I am the one controlling the spices and salt that goes into it.

An Armillary

I have an old brass lamp that stands about 10 to 12 inches tall which is very decorative and heavy. Probably a lamp design that came from the 1920s era. It has fancy lace work that goes around the lamp I think in two sections. I bought it about 27 years ago in a shop that probably dealt in consignment sales. It has been sitting since I purchased it as I never updated the wiring or the socket assembly that holds the bulb.

I thought I would remove the bulb socket assembly and then purchase some brass or copper tubing about 1/4 to 3/8 inch in diameter. I will bend the tubing something like in the shape of a globe. Maybe 4 or 6 oval loops like the planet earth. I could also take some brass or copper wire and duplicate the Longitude and Latitude lines that encircle the planet earth. I will attach that to the hollow stem that goes through the center of the lamp that currently holds the bulb socket assembly.

I like the design of this sphere. Something like that of an appropriate size that over powers the lamp size. When I get it done I could set it on the table which we have on the deck.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Sandro_Botticelli_052.jpg

Update 11:59 PM

Yep, 1/4 inch copper tubing. about $1.00 per foot

https://www.homedepot.com/p/1-4-in-OD-x-10-ft-Copper-Soft-Type-Refrigeration-Coil-PCLE-250R010/203654086

While out at the market this AM getting my lottery tickets I seen they had their 6 packs of flowers on sale for a whopping whole giant green dollar. I picked out one six pack of Begonias for an extra pail I had available. I put four plants in the pail and put one plant each in a tomato container.

Got my moisture meter out to check all the containers for moisture content. Only the two cauliflower containers were low on water. The plants are getting up to good size now so probably need more watering than the other containers right now. I was just reading up on cauliflower growing. Quite a complex process to grow vegetables.  http://horticulture.oregonstate.edu/content/cauliflower-0

Staked and tied most all the plants that needed supporting. Going to build some chimneys [cages] this coming week for some of the plants.The wind has been pretty brisk this past week.

Seen a flower on one of the sweet million tomato plants today.

I also put a couple Tbsp of Epsom salts around each of the pepper plants that are in the pails to see how it goes. Epsom salt contains 09.8% Magnesium and 13% sulphur. I understand peppers like slightly acidic soil. The PH before adding Epsom salt was almost touching 7. The PH looks like it needed lowering in the soil for the peppers plants anyhow. The sulphur in the Epsom salt will probably do the trick.

 http://homeguides.sfgate.com/kind-soil-green-peppers-71951.html

"Using a pH meter, confirm your soil has a moderate to slightly acidic pH range of 5.8 to 6.5."

Cool temps at night are raising he!! with the pepper plants.
Been down in the low 50s
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Best Weather for Peppers

https://garden.org/learn/articles/view/529/

When I done the transplanting in the ground boxes recently I removed all the wire and screen covering on the ground boxes. I looked over the back fence yesterday and that critter is back digging up a couple ground boxes. So screw it, I am not going to bother with the ground boxes over the back fence. To hard for me to get around with my bad hip and arthritis using a cane to mess with that sh!t back there. Let them go and I can water them when needed using my 100 foot hose without going around to the back. Get anything out of the ground boxes will not need that many trips around to the back to get what grows for eatin.

The vegetables on the deck containers seem to be doing well except for the cuke transplants which appear to be dying off. Will need to do something about that.

Went out Sunday afternoon after the rain stopped. The container mix was real moist and checked the ferlizer content in all containers showing it was a bit low.
Monday [yesterday] I went out after the rain shower and put what I thought was an appropriate amount of ferlizer in each container including the ground boxes.
Just went out today [Tuesday] and checked the fertility in the deck containers and it appears the fertility level has increased to a satisfactory level. Had more rain showers last night to help soak in the ferlizer.

So far all the plants look healthy and growing nicely.

Still have my chimneys [cages] to make for some of the plants.

Just went out about an hour ago to check the containers for moisture content. We have had overcast skies and rain the last couple days. So I wanted to check on the drainage of the containers.

Moisture level gauge was mostly on high moist.
temperatures at 40 to 50 degrees at night and currently at 52 degrees this hour.
Light meter shows about 400 lumen's.

So with the temperature and sunlight lumen's I would consider the container drainage satisfactory. Could be my percentage formula for the perlite on bottom section of the wooden containers and vermiculite percentage on the top half looks satisfactory. The five gallon buckets with just vermiculite was in high moist.

At least the gauge did not jump up to the wet portion of the meter gauge.

We Fight…

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/04/09/we-fight/#more-147876

"On October 13th 2016, presidential candidate Donald Trump delivered a speech that defines this moment in our nation’s history. Part of that speech was put to a video. The entire transcript of that speech is below."

From 08/01/17 to 04/04/18 the cost according to my receipts came to a total of $681.92

I ended up with seven wooden containers 16 x 16 x 16 inches deep with container mix.
One elevated wooden container about 3 feet x 4 feet x 8 inches deep with container mix.
One elevated wooden container about 4 feet x 6 feet x 6 inches deep. Which is now used for the 2 1/2 gallon pails.
Five five gallon pails with container mix.
Five ground boxes over back fence about 16 inches square with soil.
About 25 pails 2 1/2 gallons each with container mix.
Assorted other supplies.

No expansion planned so now it is just a matter of planting and tending to the vegetable and flower plants. Which are already planted in all containers.
No doubt there will be something for a fall crop here in South Carolina.