Tomatoes on the Deck - August 10, 2010

Word of the Day

Tangentman - Any individual prone to suddenly change the current subject of discussion without either warning or due cause. This is usually done to bring the discussion to a subject either close to the tangentman's heart, or to make the tangentman the centre of the discussion.

Woodtick Count - 30

The weather here at The Lake this week can be described using two words. Hot and Humid. With dew points in the 70's, it isn't uncommon to wake up to windows fogged up with condensation due to the indoor air-conditioning. It's not exactly like walking out into a huge steam bath but it's darn close. Actually, I wouldn't really mind it too much if it weren't for the mosquitoes.

I'm heading out this afternoon to see a guy about a couple of eyes. I haven't seen an ophthalmologist for three years. I think it's time to get my eyes checked...maybe get a new pair of glasses. These days you can't just walk into Walmart, hand them your glasses, and ask them to make up a pair of glasses with the same prescription. Why? If you're happy with the glasses you have and the only problem is that the ones you currently own are all scratched up or you broke the rims or something, why can't they just make up a new pair for you. It's not like they can't figure out what your prescription is by putting your glasses into one of their neato machines. But....it has been three years. I suppose I could go see the Walmart optometrist but I figures since it's been three years I'd better go see a guy who could identify any real problems that my eyes could be subject to because of my aging body. However, I may go over to Walmart when it comes to taking care of ordering new glasses. There really isn't too many choices when it comes to getting glasses here at The Lake. Or...maybe I can wait until I get to make a trip into The Big City. We'll see.

Random Thought of the Day

Why do people never say "it's only a game" when they're winning?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The truth is that there is nothing noble in being superior to somebody else. The only real nobility is in being superior to your former self.

- Whitney Young (1921 - 1971)

Wild Turkeys - August 8, 2010, Picture taken by T-Square

Word of the Day

Tangentalize - To go off on a tangent or bunny trail in a conversation.

Woodtick Count - 30

Turkeys! Several years back the powers that be decided to re-introduce wild turkeys to the area where we live. They've been very fruitful and have multiplied. It isn't uncommon to see rafters of turkey wandering up and down my driveway or hear them calling out in the woods.

The other day four large adult turkeys and all their off-spring came strutting out of the woods, heading straight for my tame raspberry bushes. It's fun to see them but I'm not going to let a rafter of wild turkeys come in and strip my tame raspberries bushes of all their fruit. Not happening. I went outside to chase them off and Kylee got her first experience with wild turkeys. She loved it. She chased and leaped and ran and grinned. She loved it. Me? Not so much. It was hard getting her to come back inside after all that fun and after I finally got her back inside, it was hard getting her to settle down. Since then, I've been a bit more cautious about letting Kylee outside when I see anything that she may decide to chase (herd). Unfortunately, Kylee is a lot better and seeing things than me.

Interestingly enough, Kylee doesn't bark when she's in pursuit of whatever she happens to see and want to chase. Sure enough, a few days later, I took Kylee outside for our morning "perimeter check" and off Kylee shot like a bullet. Some turkeys had decided to overnight in our backyard, in the wooded buffer-zone between our house and the lake. Off she ran, chasing and leaping, all four legs of the ground and grinning, tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth. *sigh* Thankfully, she does come back when she's called...eventually. Heaven help me if she actually manages to catch on of these wild turkeys. They're bigger than she is but so far they've flown away rather than face a 20# bundle of energy. Also, thankfully, Kylee hasn't learned to stalk her prey.

This morning, I was quietly sitting on the couch, watching TV and crocheting when Kylee stiffened up and sat at full alert. She bobs her head when she's on alert and makes this chuffing noise in her throat. It's weird. Anyway, she shot off the couch and raced to the window. Her head nodding while she chuffed. Sure enough. I looked outside to see a huge turkey pacing back and forth on my lawn. Meanwhile, Kylee raced back and forth between the windows and our front door to stare, nod her head and chuff. Needless to say, I didn't let her outside to "play".

Of course, as usual, I'm slow with my camera so missed any interesting shots of the turkeys. However, my folks had a visit from a rafter of turkeys this morning as well at their place across the lake. T-Square is a lot quicker than me when it comes to getting a Kodak moment shot. Most of the turkeys had escaped into the woods before Dad got his shot lined up but he caught three of them. Me? Zippo....again.

Random Thought of the Day

Why is it called a funny bone, when if you hit it, it's not funny at all?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

I can't listen to that much Wagner. I start getting the urge to conquer Poland.

- Woody Allen (1935 - )

Ms. J and Kylee - July 2010

Word of the Day

Syntheticity - An object's state of being synthetic. To possess syntheticity is to be a synthetic thing. As opposed to organicity.

Woodtick Count - 30

There's so much to do these days. I really should go out and pull weeds...or spray them...but that would mean that I'd have to go outside and brave the mosquitoes again. *sigh* Oh well, I did spend a great deal of time outside yesterday despite the mosquitoes. I watered all my container plants. I dead-headed my geraniums and got rid of all the radishes that I'd tried to grow in my tomato pots. They didn't do. What a waste of time and effort! I can't grow radishes here in Wisconsin. I used to be able to grow wonderful radishes back in Arizona. Here? They all grow to tops with now bulb. I think I'll bring all my radish seed back to Arizona when HTP and I go back this fall. Waste not, want not. And besides, it won't take up that much space. Oh well....I digress. I picked all my tomatoes. Lots of cherry tomatoes. And then, I mixed up some fungicide and sprayed all the tomatoes and my zucchini plants. I've given up on my cucumber plants. Actually, nothing seems to want to grow in my dog kennel garden this year. *sigh* I did pick some beans but although HTP and I have enjoyed having them with meals, there haven't been enough to can for the winter.

I made squash blossoms and fried green tomatoes for breakfast...for me. HTP wanted a more traditional fried egg breakfast. Mom gave me some of squash blossoms from her garden and something (raccoon?) knocked a perfectly nice green tomato off one of my plants. Waste not, want not. Yummy! I probably won't be running out to pick green tomatoes to fry up on a daily basis...or ever...but the one I fried up this morning was wonderful.

So, today I'm going to can tomatoes because HTP and I can't eat them all fast enough. Plus, the reason I planted so many tomatoes is that I'm running out of my home-canned tomatoes and need to stock up again. Some for here, some for there. Some that will stay here in Wisconsin, and some to bring back to Arizona.

Random Thought of the Day

Do you yawn in your sleep?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Meetings are indispensable when you don't want to do anything.

- John Kenneth Galbraith (1908 - 2006)

Brewing Prickly Gooseberry Wine - D Buddy, Ms J (D Buddy's Daughter), and Me - July 2010

Word of the Day

Symbolify - The act of relating something to something else.

I haven't blogged in ages! Sorry about that. I just haven't felt like blogging. Blame it on the new Kindle that I bought. Every spare moment that I've had in the last few months has been spent reading.

Highlights for July? Sarge, D Buddy, and D Buddy's daughter came to visit over the 4th of July. Sarge and D Buddy hired a U-Haul and moved all the stuff that they'd been storing in our basement. D Buddy's daughter spent a lot of time playing with Kylee. She also picked out some yarn for an afghan which I've started to crotchet for her. I'm hoping to have it completed by Christmas. I hope.

We had fireworks off the dock. D Buddy, #1 Son, #1 Son's girlfriend, Sarge and D Buddy's daughter all participated. I sat in relative safety on the deck. The operative word in the last sentence was "relative". However, due to all the rain that we've had this year....nothing caught on fire. I've been picking up bits and pieces of fireworks that the wind blew all over our deck and yard since said firework display. We're going to have to be more careful when it comes to the direction the wind is blowing next time.

While D Buddy, Sarge and D Buddy's daughter were here, we went out to pick the wild gooseberries. I'd already picked and juiced the black currants and the red currants. I promised D Buddy's daughter (my step-grand-daughter) that I'd save a bottle of the gooseberry wine that we started while they were here...along with a bottle of each of the wines that Sis and I have started this year. It's tradition. I gifted bottles of wine for each of my grandchildren that Sis and I made during the year that they were born. I couldn't do that for D Buddy's daughter because Sis and I hadn't even started our little (growing out of hand) hobby at the time she was born. However, I decided that I could save a bottle of each of the wines that we brewed this summer for her (to be enjoyed on her 21st birthday)to commemorate the summer that HTP and I finally got to meet her.

My garden is NOT growing well. I've had a couple of meager picking of green beans and peas. The weather has been ideal for blight. I've been spraying my tomatoes on a semi-regular basis but I've lost a couple of my tomato plants to the blight. Some of my tomato plants have only produced tomatoes with blossom end rot. *sigh* For all the hassles of growing things out here, I've decided that the only tomato plant that really works out here is my First Lady tomato plants. Oh well...next year. Tomorrow I plan to spray all my tomato plants AND my zucchini plants for blight and mildew. Sadly, my zucchini plants have been suffering from the heat and humidity. I've harvested only two zucchini from my plants. Maybe I'll just have to buy zucchini at the farmer's market from now on. Ditto when it comes to cucumbers. I've got LOTS of cherry tomatoes but even those plants are suffering from the blight.

This summer has been a fungi summer. Lots and lots of wild mushrooms. Sis gave me a huge sack of wild oyster mushrooms which HTP and I have been enjoying. We also harvested a nice giant puffball. And today, Sis and I harvested six pounds of something they call, "Chicken of the Woods". Unfortunately, I'm afraid that I'm one of the few people who end up with gastric distress when they eat "Chicken of the Woods". So...after cooking up my share of the fungi, tasting it, and finding myself with gastric distress...I'm going to give Sis my portion of our find. Maybe she'll give me more of those wonderful oyster mushrooms that only seem to grow on her side of the lake.

Meanwhile, Sis and I racked and blended all the wines that we started this summer. We're collecting and recycling wine bottles so we'll be able to bottle Dandelion Wine, Rhubarb/Strawberry Wine, Rhubarb Wine, and Wild Gooseberry Wine. And...today...the UPS guy delivered my order of corks. We're set for years to come when it comes to corks.

Tomorrow? Tomorrow is another day. Will I blog? I'll try. Habits are a hard thing to break and a harder thing to form. I've got company coming to visit in a bit more than a week and I haven't made up the beds in the guest rooms.

Meanwhile, Kylee has finally learned (knock on wood) that it is better to "do her thing" outside. In other words, dare I say, Kylee has been housebroken. Knock on wood. She is one exhausting dog. She's been spayed. She's up to date on all her vaccinations. And...I've only had to dose her twice with hydrogen peroxide....so far. She weighs 21+ pounds. I think she's full grown, but she's a bundle of dynamo energy.


Random Thought of the Day

Do Chinese people get English sayings tattooed on their bodies?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

And so faith is closing your eyes and following the breath of your soul down to the bottom of life, where existence and nonexistence have merged into irrelevance.