Tag: gardening

  • 20111104-Weathery Ways

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    Today’s weather is beautiful! The sunshine was warm enough for Maw and me to work on trimming off the sweet potato leaves of mostly holes, which we placed into a regular five gallon bucket. We worked on five containers while Erik did his pre-installation inspection for both our main roof and patio.

    There were at least three light planes that flew over head around 10:50am, 11:00am and 11:05am. The fluffy, puffy clouds of white and some big ones of gray were in the crispy, clear blue skies. Geese from early this morning and during our yard work were seen and heard!

    Afterwards, Maw cooked those leaves while I was left to clean up by sweeping MORE leaves from the backyard and dumping those into the old, rusty red wheelbarrow, which has a cracked left handle.

    Then with a dolly, I moved the heavy containers of plants from away the house and towards the lemon trees and kumquat tree; so that debris from next week’s removal of the old roof won’t hurt Maw’s plants.

    After eating a late lunch of steamed, soup sweet potato leaves, I moved Maw’s frozen cacti plants/containers from the front yard. The blustery winds was strong here.

    I saw a spook sitting inside his mini-SUV of white color and sped up my activities by moving the rest of the containers indoors instead of walking it all the way to the back yard one-by-one. Of course, I gave him my complimentary middle right finger.

    Then Maw harvested lots of LARGE chayote squash from her backyard. The three vines are growing up and over Shrimpsei’s CB, by the way.

  • 20111102-Weathery Ways

    Amazingly, the weather was pleasant. But the winds were calm after yesterday’s blustery wind conditions. After breakfast and two phone calls for the repair of our leaky roof at around 10:00am, I did my gardening. First I raked the leaves off the grass. Then I swept the larger leaves into the wheelbarrow. Then I used my Task Force electric blower for the rest. Later, I removed dead leaves/material from the containers of Maw’s plants. At 12:30pm, I’ve finished the yard work and took a shower. At 2:00pm, we ate a late lunch. At 3:00pm, we said the rosary. For the rest of the evening, Maw is embroidering the boy’s two new baby pillows for the EX-mass season, Paw took a nap and I vegetated upstair with my PATHETIC weblog sites.

  • 20111101-Weathery Ways

    SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
    in effect until Wednesday, Nov 2, 8:00 AM

    http://www.accuweather.com/us/ca/san-jose/%5Bzip code here]/city-weather-forecast.asp

    “…BIG CHANGES IN THE WEATHER WITH SHOWERY…BLUSTERY AND COOL CONDITIONS FORECAST FOR LATE THIS WEEK AND INTO THE WEEKEND

    A COUPLE OF COLD WEATHER SYSTEMS DROPPING SOUTHEAST FROM THE GULF OF ALASKA WILL BRING PERIODIC SHOWER CHANCES…ALONG WITH COOL CONDITIONS…TO THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA AND MONTEREY BAY AREA LATER THIS WEEK AND INTO THE WEEKEND. THE FIRST COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO SWEEP ACROSS THE AREA ON THURSDAY. SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE LIKELY ACROSS THE REGION ON THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT AND SOME SHOWER ACTIVITY MAY LINGER INTO FRIDAY AS WELL. BLUSTERY NORTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON…USHERING IN A CHILLY AIRMASS. BRISK WINDS WILL CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WILL ONLY BE IN THE MID 50S TO MID 60S…AS MUCH AS 20 DEGREES COOLER THAN TEMPERATURES EARLIER IN THE WEEK. SNOW LEVELS WILL DROP AS LOW AS 3000 FEET BY THURSDAY EVENING AND THERE MAY BE A FEW LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS ON THE HIGHER MOUNTAINS LATE THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. HOWEVER…LITTLE OR NO SNOW ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED.

    SKIES ARE FORECAST TO CLEAR ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND THIS WILL SET THE STAGE FOR SOME VERY COOL OVERNIGHT LOWS. WIDESPREAD FROST IS POSSIBLE IN THE VALLEYS OF THE NORTH BAY ON FRIDAY NIGHT…AND ALSO IN THE INLAND VALLEYS OF MONTEREY AND SAN BENITO COUNTIES.

    ANOTHER COLD WEATHER SYSTEM MAY BRING MORE SHOWERS TO THE REGION SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY.

    PERSONS PLANNING OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES LATER THIS WEEK AND INTO THE WEEKEND SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR COOL AND BLUSTERY CONDITIONS ALONG WITH SCATTERED SHOWER ACTIVITY. AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS…AND THOSE WITH SENSITIVE VEGETATION…SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS FOR POSSIBLE FROST FRIDAY NIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY MORNING.”

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    Yeah! The winds keep blowing and the leaves keep falling! That will keep me busy with the electric blower! I love the blustery winds. It’s quite uplifting and it feels like I could fly as I close my eyes in thanks and gratitude. The air is clean and fresh. The skies during the day and night are crispy and clear, too.

    But Maw and I stayed indoors while blogging and keeping busy with house chores. We were planning to lower the second open shed of orchid containers. But it was too windy for us. Paw on the other hand enjoyed walking around in the backyard with his spacious cement area, which was cleared two days ago of a make-shift shed. He even harvested some persimmon fruits.

  • 20111030-Weathery Ways

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    After spending time deleting Categories and Tags from my other WordPress.com weblog site for Plinky Prompts and Daily Posts and after eating breakfast, I decided to give the parakeets a bath. Maw was eating her cereal and later joined all of us in the backyard. Paw was eating his breakfast indoors. The two boy parakeets took a liking to the birdbath. The two girl parakeets kept fighting with each other. After washing the bird and drying the bird cage, I noticed the dead mouse head and grub and took a picture to share on my blog.

    THEN, after Maw’s suggestion, Paw decided unwillingly to join us in dismantling one of the two open “shed” for Maw’s containers of orchid plants, which have not been giving us flowers. Maw and I worked on the removing the nails and staples from the make-shift, black mesh coverings. Since Maw is totally disabled and out of breath, I ended up removing most of the rusted nails from the HARD oak wood and the green, wavy plastic “roof” pieces. This went on until a late lunch at around 2:30pm. At 3:00pm, Maw helped to chisel th HARD oak wood so as to free the stuck nails. Earlier she was helping to re-wrap the old wires from the old orchid shed.

    THEN, Maw had to rest and cook us dinner, including a late suggestion/request for hot soup, which Paw likes after a hard day’s work under a VERY mild weather with crispy clear blue skies of little to gentle winds. It was HOT under the mid-afternoon sun while I tried to remove the rest of the nail and I had to drink my energy drink of potassium and salt to keep from spasming, which did happen on the inside, right section of the rib cage where the sternum ends below.

    THEN, I caught Paw struggling with the arrangement of another open shed. I quickly removed/dumped on the cement/slabs below the plastic containers (still in good condition) for Maw’s plants and some left-over wood. He spaced out, walked away and then returned to help me drag the slightly heave make-shift, wooden shed to its new location away from the side fence and to the original location of the old orchid shed. Now he has a nice pathway for walking. The shed is well organized with the LONG pieces of two by four woods on the bottom “shelf” and the plastic plant containers on the top “shelf”.

    At 5:30pm, I’ve finished, dumped my clothes to be washed downstairs and hurried upstairs to take my shower. And now I’m done with this blog entry just a little bit after 6:00pm. My back hurted during the ordeal but no real pain could be felt just yet but I suspect later on the endorphine/pain killer will have worn off. So I’ll take something to keep from aching tonight.

    Our tools were: one crowbar to yank the old wooden pieces apart, one steel-head hammer to pound back the nails, Paw’s idea of using one small piece of wood to help provide the torque and needed force to remove nail, one dull pruning sheers to cut the old wavy roof, two chisels to split the OAK wood and release the stuck nails, one “fish” knife to free old staples from the bamboo of the mesh covers and one long nose pilers to yank stubborn staples and cut twisted wir twines. The end.

  • 20111026-Random Pics

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    Here are some old pics taken by my cellphone. One of bitter melon harvested by Paw. One of Maw skinning a chayote squash. One of egg sandwich with tomato and onion for breakfast

    Posted from WordPress for Android

  • Releasing critters…

    After a late breakfast, we starting the Halloween decoration on our front porch only. We were slow throughout the activity. By tuning into the AT&T channel 5129, we listened to Solid Gold Oldies and danced to Fats Domini, Chuck Berry, Elvis, Everly Brothers, and more songs from the mid-1960’s. We read some historical facts to each songs and giggled to the YOUNG photos of these song artists.

    Afterwards, I swept up dried leaves from the back yard and saw that the old aluminum garbage can had to go. So I stomped on it lightly to flatten it, causing the bar from the top perimeter to slipt. So I grabbed a plier and proceeded to rip the bar for recycling. Then Paw helped to hammer the rest to fit nicely into the current recycling bin (or hard plastic).

    Of course, two pale baby spiders appeared from underneath the top areas of the bar. They probably belonged to the BLACK WINDOW spider. All three were safely released from the old aluminum garbage can into the persimmon tree. The BIG spider is so smart that it tucked itself nicely into the bottom crevices when I tried to gently coached it out with an old persimmon tree branch.

    Later, I saw a baby daddy long leg spider appear from near an old watermelon pit, which I wiped away from behind a countertop item. I scooped up the pale baby spider onto the same sponge and released it onto a leaf our fruit tree out back.

    At 3:478pm, I saw the same black fly early this afternoon/morning. It kept looking at me as it perched on one of the wooden blinds upstairs in the computer bedroom. I telepathically told it to go to the opened window to the left so that I could release it through the closed screen. I sensed that it was ready and got up. And sure enough it went behind the blinds and paniced as I coached it to go towards freedom and into the outdoors upon my quick/jittery hands of opening the screen.

    So you see folks. Look, listen and act. You are your own god. When an animal and critter stares, relax and the answers will manifest. Then act quicklyand sure footedly without panicking. And hopefully all will be well.

    The weather is pleasant. The skies are crispy, clear and blue. One chemtrail appeared at 10:53am as Paw hooked up my lighted pumpkin and ghost decorations of the upstairs window above the landing. He barely reached the top hooks. The chemtrail went from north to south. Light-weight sylphs appeared and the chemtrail did not stick in the skies.

  • 20111013-Weathery Ways

    At 10:25am, I finished doing Thursday’s yard work for pick-up by the city tomorrow morning, Friday. The weather was amazingly warm and the sunshine was unusually bright and white.

    At around 8:45am, we had arrived home from this morning’s eight o’clock mass. I quickly got undressed with my gardening clothes, which I had laid out early this morning. Then I quickly prepared the table and got breakfast ready. The hot water for Maw’s hot tea and Paw’s two slices of wheat toast were done.

    I was up and hurrying and at the same time ate my breakfast while standing. I had a piece of left over Subway sandwich from yesterday. (We bought two orders of $5 footlong sandwiches at Subway — Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki and Tuna. Paw is still doing yard work. I’m hungry because it’s past 1:36pm.

    At around 1:25pm, I eyed a BIG brown spider. It had crawled on the window and behind my computer workstation. Instead of vacuuming it up, like I’ve done with Maw’s spider of BIGNESS two nights ago, I used my blue-colored, plastic, tootbrush holder to scoop up the critter and placed it outdoors and onto a horizontal branch of the OLD persimmon tree.

  • American growth…

    I disagree with Timothy Geithner. In order for America to grow, trimmings MUST be made. Visualize, if you will, pruning back your plants and removing dead leaves, branches and fruits. Likewise, cut spending in areas that are NOT productive but do so carefully for you can hurt a plant/society if you are rough and trim too much, too fast.

    Posted from WordPress for Android

  • 20111011-Weathery Ways

    At 13:30pm, Paw hollered that it was time to say the “rosary” and had  finished the yard work out back at the same time. After lunch today, I used the almighty “walis” to sweep up the dried leaves, twigs and branches off the ginger rocks. That went on for about two hours. Two hours ago there were fluffy, puffy whale-like, wall-like clouds of white. Now it’s showing crispy, clear blue skies. While sweeping out back, the winds blew gently enough to keep the slightly damp dirt/dust from kicking up. The winds were kind enough not to offend me with MORE leaves that continue to fall ever so slightly. Paw had helped sweep up the gutter on the inside part of our street-side fence.

    Maw washed the dishes and cooked some more food while I worked for those hours. I kept thanking the “weather” and pals for another nice day like Saturday.

    Of course, this morning was cloud but no smell of rain, except the strong cat urine on the tree lines located across the front lot of the parish. The drizzle of mist wasn’t strong enough to spot my eyeglasses.

  • Harvest of two veggies…

     

     

     

    [slideshow]

    Yesterday, Paw harvested eggplants (purple and albino/white) and two BIG chayote squash. Here are photos.

    (Paw threw away the perfectly thriving eggplants.)

    Posted from WordPress for Android

  • Corrupt fruit…

    [slideshow]

    In last month’s “daily companion”, I was meaning to share my thoughts of a Biblical verse on “fruits of labor” and photos regarding GMO, a corruption of food.

    Attached are two photos showing mutated tomato from our garden out front.

    And earlier image showing a red basin of tomato included a tomato with a severe, extra protrusion, making itlook unfit for selling or eating.

    The mishappened shape of the tomato could be pressure from growing up against its own stalks. But I believe it’s one of those unlabeled GMO products being sold on the market.

    Luke 6 KJV-http://kingjbible.com/luke/6.htm

    Posted from WordPress for Android

  • 20110908-More Spooks

    “Thank you, “anak.” ~Paw said through his home-made washable mask by Maw.

    From just after 9:00am to past 11:00am, I’ve completed my duties as “yard work support” using: the electrical blower to remove leave and other dirt and debris from the backyard; a metallic dust pan and “walis” to scoop up yard waste from the ditch and into the rusting wheel barrow; and an old rake of green color with some missing prongs to gather the dried leaves from the sycamore trees across MY long stretch of road and from our eucalyptus tree.

    Of course, I had to flick off a “rice rocket” (Acura gray 2-door sedan), which contained two stupid Asians — a couple of young lovers, of course. As for the SJPD patrol cop, I almost whacked it with my “walis”. At around 11:00am. I heard it picking up speed but had my back turned to it while I was sweeping up the remaining leaves off the wheelbarrow and into a nice mound for tomorrow’s morning pick-up.