It's become clear to me through posts and PMs that there are some gardeners here just waiting for the chance to discuss gardening!
So, I was thinking... how do you use gardening, or how does it affect you if you need a break, need some respite, need to relax, need inspiration....how do you use it as a therapy tool in caregiving?
What are your activities: Do you go out and pull weeds, read a magazine, design new beds? Look through garden catalogues? Go to garden stores?
And what interests have you added to your gardening? Visit estate or garden displays? Do you go to garden shows?
Does anyone design and plant Knot Gardens? Raised bed planters? Assistive gardens? Pollinator gardens (and have you thought of ways to help the bees and butterflies?)
Are your gardens primarily for pleasure or food, or a mix of both? Do you grow plants for medicinal purposes? Which ones, how do you harvest and process them? Any suggestions?
Do you grow plants that can be used in crafts, such as grapevines for wreaths and lavender for lavender wands? Do you make herbal products such as creams, lotions, chapstick?
What else can you share about gardening and the means in which it nurtures your soul?
I was reminded of when we used to make ice cream. I still remember the laborious hand cranking ... but the thought of dipping spoons into the freshly churned ice cream, not laden with all sorts of chemicals and whatever, was enough to keep us going.
Is anyone making homemade ice cream these days?
It was through an online forum, best I've ever found, but has since been closed down to cede its readers to one of those social media sites.
My father of course used a woodburning stove on the farm, and my brother learned to use one when he set up housekeeping. I've often wished I had a wood burning cooking stove, but the issue of the odor would be problematic as I'm allergic to smoke.
Veronica, thanks for sharing your experiences with a generator as well. What caught my eye and made me realize I need to get one for my father is the issue of oxygen.
Few questions:
1. First model: would storage be in a garage, preferably attached, or can a generator be out in the open? I would think it should be in a garage but if the garage is detached, is there a voltage drop for, say, a 30 foot distance of the generator from the house?
Dumb question, but what does the cord plug into? Is there a special outlet installed for the generator? I'm trying to visualize how the generator connects to the house's power supply to provide electricity when the power is out. And what actually powers the generator? Gas? Battery?
2. Re the second model, how does the electric start operate if the power has failed? Is there a battery backup that would power the electric start?
8 kw does not do the whole house just the essentials, fridge, freezer well pump,furnace, a few outlets and bathroom lights. We have used it a surprising number of times, usually for just a few hours. We could easily manage without it as we have a wood stove and camping cook stove but would have to be sure to have sufficient water stored.
It was not cheap but for older people especially with oxygen a sensible investment if you can afford it. No TV, phone or Internet but we have cell phones. Hubbies electric car can't charge but I hate that thing anyway.
We did have our generator professionally installed because you have to have a separate sub panel installed for the equipment of your choice to go through.
When we owned a farm the whole house could be switched. There was a big plug that connected to a large tractor with a switch on the main panel. Never used that one though.
Explored the use of a hand pump for the well but it takes a lot of strength if your well is over about 100 feet. I imagine there are battery powered pumps now the lithium batteries are so good for tools etc.
It's great to have one for power outages. There are 3 levels.
The simplest is a small 2000 to 3000 watt (2KW TO 3KW) which is easy to start, run a cord in the house and operate the tv, fridge and a couple lamps.
Next step up is 5 TO 8 KW, on wheels that can be rolled out of the garage and plugged into the house panel. A qualified electrician needs to wire up an ESSENTIAL CIRCUITS panel for lights, heat, pump etc. I recommend an electric start model. Pull starting one this size is for the very able bodied.
The best and most expensive is a stationary, whole house generator which will start automatically when the power goes out. These are usually 12 to 20 KW. Depending on the location of your existing electrical panel, installation can be expensive. They are usually hooked up to your natural gas or propane service so you need a plumber and an electrician.
For most people generators are seldom used but it is a great luxury to have. I feel very smug when I roll mine out and power up the house while my neighbors are trying to eat up everthing in their freezer before it goes bad.
Pammzi is right, generators would be wise to own in emergencies.
I definitely do keep an eye on my Charlie-girl when we are outside, she's so little, she can easily get into trouble when she gets up into the wooded area of our backyard, and I don't know what might be lurking up there! Little trouble maker! Lol! An eagle could swoop in and carry her off, as she isn't even 5#. It really could happen!
Very hot today! Barometric pressure is on the rise, making my arthritis hurt, especially my hands and knees! Ouchy!
I always thought the squirrels nibbled pine cones like corn on the cob, complete with the leftover "cob" in the middle.
I have 2 great big bags of those Ponderosa Pine cones, that we collected a few years ago on a Car trip to Reno, through the Sierra's. I Like to put them in my fireplace with lights, as we don't light fires anymore. I Love them too! My pine cones aren6fit for decorating yet, if any survive the squirrels, they grow to about 4 inches, and are thin, not big fat ones like the ponderosa type!
The squirrels in my town are not ordinary squirrels, they are Super Squirrels! They laugh at soapsuds and hot sauce, they have cheerfully eaten my supposedly poisonous jade plant and come back for more. I really don't mind sharing with wildlife, but these furry little pigs don't share, they take it all!
I'd like to leave a legacy for the pollinators as well; bees especially need our help these days.
What are your favorite flowers?
CM, if I knew of a way to keep squirrels from raiding trees, I'd share it. I don't think pans or things that jingle in the wind would scare them. Unfortunately, like some other animals, they've adapted well to suburban environments.
On a totally unrelated subject, does anyone have rain chains? I first saw them outside of a medical building on the hospital we go to. They're copper, beautiful, and lend a personal and somewhat quaint touch to a building.
After learning more about them, though, I was cautioned by folks on a DIY forum to be concerned b/c of their copper content. It seems that thieves like to steal other people's copper and sell it.
Guess I'll have to find another material to make some rain chains.
Given the intensity of this summer, it wouldn't surprise me if we had an equally intense winter. The 2015 - 2016 was certainly drastic in some areas.
At least I'm not flooded out though. I feel for the people in southern Louisiana and bordering areas.
I'd like to remodel a portion of my living room to add a wood burning fireplace.
Curious - how many of you have back-up generators?
And on another issue, is anyone considering xeriscaping after suffering through an intensely hot summer?
Interesting that the garden area fared much better than the lawn, which hasn't been amended by years of compost.
Stacey, if you and I lived closer, I'd be over to your house with bags and bags and collect all your pinecones for you. I like to use them in decorations as well as on wreaths. Several years ago I began painting them, just tip painting the edges and tying them with matching ribbon to hang on artificial indoor trees or placed in baskets as table decorations.
CWillie, I haven't tried this, but I'm wondering if a spray of dish detergent and water, or some other soap mixed with water, might discourage the crop raiders? I would think they would enjoy the taste of soap.
Otherwise, look up how to make friends before they conk you on the noggin with a pine cone.
They are very smart and demanding. Have fun.
This year, the very first time in 20 plus years, this pine tree has a huge abundance of unripe pinecones, hanging heavy like bunches of bananas, it's Crazy, but what is worse, is that the squirrels Love them, and are eating them at a rapid rate, all starting in this past week, and dropping down onto our patio, all the waste, which is albeit fragrant, but so messy, and driving my little doggie quite Crazy! I don't know how long this will last, but probably until the pinecones are all gone. I may need that airgun, or tranquilizers for my dog! This has Never happened before, so Weird!
At my last house I had a whole row of hazel trees, CW, and did I ever get a solitary nut off them? Not a chance!
Have you got an air rifle..?
My raspberries typically fruit in July; there are hybrids that fruit again in the fall. This year was so dry they didn't produce berries at all.
Mulberries are longer and darker than raspberries and often are on trees that grow much larger than raspberry bushes, which really produce canes rather than branches. The trees are nuisance trees; they spread like wildfire and are hard to kill, and they're extremely invasive.
Mulberries are tasty and make nice pies and jams, but the stems don't pull out easily as do cherry stems, so it's a bit of a nuisance to bake with them. They are juicy and tasty though. If they grow close to and overhang a driveway, they make a nasty mess as they fall off easily. Birds and raccoons help disperse them, so if you ever plant them at home, you'll end up with a lot of volunteers.
I wouldn't eat any wild berry though w/o comparing it to a wild plant list or something that clearly identifies the berry.
Cwillie, don't worry one second more if you didn't get chocolate cake. After sharing 1/2 piece it was so rich could not finish it, not that good, it was dry. Save dessert for a smoothie, make it yourself. Top with whipped cream.