Cooked Italian Pepper Plants - May 24, 2010

Word of the Day

's up - The question, "What's up?"

It's amazing how the cold virus can keep a person from doing much of anything...much less blogging. Eventually, I hope, someone...anyone...will come up with a cure to the common cold but until then one does one's best. Thankfully, my new Kindle has been helping to keep my "woe is me" feelings somewhat tamped down. I'm currently dealing with the coughing fit stage of my cold which isn't all that bad until I try to sleep through the night. Oh well, as an avowed insomniac, I'm used to sleepless nights.

We've been suffering a series of unseasonably HOT AND HUMID temperatures here at The Lake. HTP and I have been enjoying and depending upon our air-conditioning. I woke up this morning to 70 degrees. The rocks that support my the terraces holding the hill by my garage and supporting Blueberry Hill were sweating. Weird...really weird! The mosquitoes have been loving this atmosphere. Me? Not so much.

Regardless, HTP and I drove into The Big City on Saturday to visit with HTP's Mom and help HTP's Sis and Bro write Thank You notes to those who sent gifts and flowers for HTP's Dad's funeral. Afterwards, HTP and I attended an Open House at our nephew's house to celebrate our niece-in-law's MBA. And then...HTP and I and #1 Son enjoyed an All-You-Can-Eat Sushi dinner before HTP and I (and Kylee) headed on back to The Lake.

I was excited to receive my Burpee Italian Pepper plants on Monday but... Our unseasonably HOT temperatures cooked the plants. I'd ordered three Giant Marconi Italian pepper plants and three Godfather Italian pepper plants. *sigh* The three Godfather Italian pepper plants didn't make it. They arrived in a gooey, slimey, mushy state. The Giant Marconi peppers arrived...damaged. I'm not sure they'll make it or not. I called Burpee this morning and they promised to replace my plants but...they don't have any more of the Giant Marconi pepper plants. *sigh* However, they will ship out six Godfather pepper plants (because they don't have any more Giant Marconi available)...after Memorial Day. *sigh* OK. I went ahead and planted the three Giant Marconi pepper plants, knowing that they may not thrive...and I even planted one of the three Godfather pepper plants that didn't look quite as cooked as its brethren. If they grow, they grow...if not...oh well...at least I tried. I also planted the remainder of my container gardens. I still need to plant the Kaleidoscope carrot seeds (shipping pending), the garlic, the Swiss Chard and my six replacement pepper plants (after Memorial Day). I noted that my peas and some of my beans are starting to sprout. At least the hot and humid temperatures are good for something.

A late afternoon rain helped lower our temperatures dramatically. Before the rain...88 degrees...after the rain....70 degrees. Nice. 70 degrees with high humidity doesn't feel nearly as nasty as a humid 88 degrees....97 degrees on my south-facing deck. However, the mosquitoes...well...the mosquitoes are LOVING the humidity and are growing into enormous, man-eating, blood-sucking creatures. I started out the morning, wearing capris. I discovered that it was just too warm to wear capris so I changed into shorts (really brief short, shorts), and now...I've changed into sturdy jeans...with socks and shoes...because I'm not willing to expose that much bare skin to our local man-eating mosquitoes.

Random Thought of the Day

Why put a towel in the dirty clothes basket if when you get out of the shower you are clean?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Gratitude is merely the secret hope of further favors.

- Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613 - 1680)