No Heat for Several hour this Morning

Strange thing this morning. Each night we turn off the furnace. I was up a little after five. I turned on the furnace and it did not start. I turned it off and on several times and still no heat. I showered in a cold bathroom, put on my jacket. After breakfast I called Andrew Brown. He called back would be in Holden a little later this morning.. He discovered that there was no power at the furnace.  He checked the circuit breaker.  It was off.  Last night I turned off the furnace instead of the out door lights. I felt rather stupid. If you have heating and air problems, call Andrew. 

The temperature was 64 when I got up and then dropped another degree before we got the power back.

I planted more  Vates Blue Scotch Curled Kale Seeds. 

And more  Ruby Red Swiss Chard Seeds.

I transplanted the Vates Blue Scotch Curled Kale plants that were planted several weeks ago.  This is a 1706 tray.  I used the cone for a dibble and made hole in each sell.  Then I put a kale plant in each hole.

This is how it looked after I finished.  They should be standing up in the morning.  

This is a tray of transplanted Swish Chard plants.  I didn't use the dibble here.  I laid the plant over the cell and used the back end of tweezers to push them into the soil.  It was much faster.  We will see how it worked in a couple of days.

This is a tray of lettuce that is ready to be transplanted.

I transplanted them in house six.  I spaded a row next to the main isle where I then planted them.

Another picture.  It took me quite awhile to put the drip line down.  I got it working and let the water run for nearly four hours.  There is no heat in house six now.  Hope they don't freeze.

A view from the west end looking east.

There are three different tomato plant that I put them in larger containers.  There are two each.  Banana cherry, Purple Plum, and large orange Roma.

Late this evening I got these 2x4's at the construction site down the road.  they were in a dump trailer.  I got permission from Andy Bray.

These two tractors are decorated with red Christmas lights.  They really look good at night.


Comments and questions are welcome.

Transplanted Corn and Lettuce

One of the car headlight burned out last night on the way to the temple.  I compared prices at Amazon and at Murdock Hyundai.  I first thought that I would order the lights and replace them myself.  Carol thought that I should go to Dearden's in Fillmore.  I followed her advice.  They fixed in for about $40.

Our chickens are having a difficult time.  The timer clock hasn't been working properly.  One time the light was on during the day.  Another time is was one when I got up at four in the morning.  I thought that I might need a new clock.  I looked on line and found some good timers at Amazon at a good price.  If the lights to come on at the right time in the morning, I will order a pair of times with free shipping.

I worked on the small table part of the morning.  It turned out to be a unique design.  I can easily make a part lists and put it together much faster.

I finished the table for the paper shredder in a rough sort of way.  I made the top for it out of a couple of piece of old plywood.  I wanted to see if it were the right height and the right table size.  I shredded a lot of papers.  Tomorrow I want to do some finish work on it. Sanding and staining.

I planted more sweet corn.  Two seeds per cell.  I bumped one six packs and tipped it and that knocked most of the seeds out, but not all the soil.  I put them back in, and some of the cells may have more than two and there may be some that have only one or nonel

The lettuce, the three six packs of corn seed and some geraniums.  Some are getting their first true leaves.

Thining Lettece

The lettuce has been doing well.  I planted it three to five seeds in each cell.

With tweezers I pulled all of them out except one.  They are still small, but should grow quite fast.  

I found a lady bug in house six this afternoon.  It was on a dry leaf.  I picked it up with the dry leaf between my thumb and finger.  I took it two house six where three peppers plants lousy with aphids are.  When I got there the lady bug was gone.  I went back to house six and found it.  It is now on the pepper plant.

Another photo

And one more. Will it be there tomorrow?  That is the question.

I clipped off all of the dead stems and leaves from each plant.

This photo for some reason has not color.  It is a picture of the carrots.  Over the last couple of weeks it looked like they needed water.  I poured on them two buckets of water.  Maybe they will perk up some.  It is too late in the season to grow anymore, perhaps the will come back next spring.


Comments and questions are welcome.

Finished Pea Trellis - Almost

trellis

I removed a lot of plant material which is now stacked on the compost pile.  Above were bush beans.  The beans were old and tough.  I pulled them to make way for some pole beans.

The Italian parsley was out of control.  I cut some and gave it to the chickens.  They didn't like it much.  The rest went to the inhouse compost pile.

Above is the inhouse compost pile.  Monday, I severely  pruned a tomato plant.  Today, I put the pruned branches on the compost pile.

I carried two 4 x 16 rolls of welded wire.  I cut them into 2 x 16 rolls.  I put three of them together to make 2 x 48 foot rolls.  That is enough trellis for two rows of peas.

I went for a walk and the above photo and the two below were taken during my walk.  Above is a garage or shop someone is making.  They poured the footings and foundation several weeks ago.  The then put in tubing for gas, water, and electrical.  The last couple of days they filled the floor with dirt and gravel.  Soon they will pour the floor.

Above is manger for feeding cattle.  It is identical to what my dad had when I was a boy.

Above is a shed that I found interesting.   I would like something like it, but smaller for some of my supplies.

I watched a video on planting lettuce.  It was recommended that I plant it in six packs.  I have a lot of these.  I filled them full of potting soil and got them soaking wet.  I used my finger to compress the soil in each cell.

I planted one six pack with pole beans.  It is top left corner of the tray.  The other eleven are planted with lettuce.

I covered the beans with thick layer of vermiculite, and lightly covered the lettuce.

The photo doesn't show, but the corn is coming up.

Comments and questions are welcome.

The Lawnmower Died

This morning after doing some of the watering in the garden I began work in house one.  It is the same old story.  Prune and drop.  I used a small step stool to reach the high wires.  There was not room in the next row for the step stool.

I built the small stool.  It is twelve inches tall.  It is light weigh and easy to move and easy to stand on.  It is made out of 2x4's,  The top is made out of tongue and grove siding that I found at the dump  It took me a couple of hours.  After I solved the design problem it went pretty fast.

The

 This afternoon I drained the oil and put in a new quart of new oil. When I turned the key, the battery was dead.  I put the charger on and then got the weed whip, but it would not start.

The lawnmower started but it wasn't easy.  I started on the front lawn and mowed around it and the mower slowed down and stopped.  After it rested a while I got it started again.  I could mow ten feet or so and it would slow down.  I could keep it going by shutting the blade and then stopping the forward motion, and then I pull the throttle half way back.  I would then give it full throttle engage the blade and in a moment or two I could mower another ten to twenty feet.  The process was repeated.  I finished the front lawn, and then the east lawn,  I dumped the catcher and mowed the west lawn.  I mowed 3/4's of the back lawn and it quit.  Carol said that it was shooting flames out the exhaust.

The lawnmower quit early in the spring.  We drained the gas that was in the tank.  Some of it ended on the lawn.   A dead spot has been on the lawn since then.  There is a lettuce plant growing in the dead spot.

It was our turn to help clean the church.  I vacuumed the chapel while Carol cleaned the rest rooms and kitchen.  It took us about an hour and one half to do that.

I just went out to turn off the water in house one and six and lock up the hens.  The driveway was wet. So we got what would be called a trace of rain.


Comments and questions are welcome.

Surprised - Frank and Diane

Nyleen and Miles came this morning.  He brought his clippers and I got a haircut.  Also, they came for a dozen tomato plants.  We were visiting and relating temple experiences.

The surprise, Nyleen and Miles saw a man walk past our south door.  I thought maybe it was a custumor, but the surprise was Frank.  I walked out the nursery and began the work of transplanting the cucumber plants in house six.

I stared out this morning by working in house one.  It was much cooler and I had a lot to do.  I wanted to brace the posts.  I had used a 1x4 and drilled holes through each end and drove screws through the hole into the posts.  Today I ripped the 1x4's in half.  

these hog panels were being held up by two 6 1/2 tee posts.  I soaked the ground where the

This is where I will plant two rows of grrapes.  The photo above is taken from the west end of the garden looking east.  The two tee posts, one on the left and the other on the right, and a blue twine is tired to the ones on the east end.  I used and eight foot 2x2 to measure the distance between each post.  the rows are six feet apart.  I marked the location of the post by removing a shovel full of soil.  The grape plant will be planted between each post.

 Diane cleaned a row in house six for the cucumbers.  The cucumbers were planted eighteen inches apart. The drip tape was put down and the water turned on.

 We got a package from Maison, our grand daughter, containing two mother's days cookies.  One above and one below.  Eric and April ordered them to give to Carol for mother's day.

 Maison's business card is above.  She has a talent for decorating cookies and cupcakes.

At the end of the day, the cub scouts came and I explained the nursery business to them and named most of the plants that we have.  I gave each of them two shopping bags with a head of leaf lettuce in each bag.



Comments and questions are welcome.