It's Time To Say, "Good-bye"....

This is the last post for this blog (99 44/100% sure).  My efforts are being directed to my website -- Grow-YOUR-Vegetable-Garden.com rather than to this blog.  Very few people actually read this anyway.  I enjoyed the experience.

Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress

Brrrr....

It was 11 degrees at 8:00 a.m. this morning.  It's now 23.  As I was driving to Southern Valley High School to substitute for one of the science teachers, I was constantly scanning for ice on the road.  I didn't want an incident like last year when I exited the highway sideways.

It did not look too cold out as I was driving along, except for the ice that is still on the outside mirror of my F350.  The sun was peeking through the clouds.  It looked beautiful.

Okay, it's not technically winter yet, but we have had a late start on the cold weather.  Last year we had snow at the beginning of October and the year before that at the end of October.  This is the end of November and we have had only three minutes (literally) of snow.

My daughter in Katy, that's near Houston, Texas, has actually had a fire in the fireplace already this year.  Her vegetable garden is still producing an abundance, so don't feel too sorry for her.  The poor thing did have snow last year--I saw the doctored photos myself.

Soon we will be hopping over what the snowplow plants on our curb.  The girls will be slipping on the sidewalk dedspite warnings to be careful.  I'll be looking at the frost patterns on the windows.  But it will be warmer this year than last under the house (see previous post concerning the crawling cold air).

Until later...

Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress

Can Cold Air Crawl?...

Not anymore!  The crawl space under my house needed a new cover, a cover to prevent the now cold air from crawling in.  So I finally did what I had planned last spring.  I made a super duper crawl space cover.

But you are only seeing half of the picture.  The underside is even better!  I didn't want water leaking in or cold air whistling through the cracks so I...

insulated it and surrounded the insulation with upholstery grade plastic, the really thick stuff.  If you look closely at my left hand, just above the ring finger, you will see something that I am famous for--blood when working.  I always manage to gouge, cut, scrape, poke, stab, or saw myself.  You can't see where I managed to have the cordless drill with screwdriver bit installed plow into my thumb.

I also made a useful, but not pretty, handle for the cover.  The lid fits fairly tight and I know I'll need the handle to lift the lid with.



Right now, outside temperature is 40, under the house 59.  I also replaced the battery in the remote underhouse thermometer and installed a vertical piece of 1/4" plywood (salvaged from the dump) in front of the hole that actually has to be crawled through to get under the house.

Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress

Some Salsa on the West Side Story...

Yesterday was a very unusual day, in fact, the week has been strange since Wednesday morning.  I'll start there.  I normally get up at 6:30 a. m.  I know that is late but, hey, I'm semi-retired.  Anyway, I woke up and it was dark.  That's not unusual right before the time change from Daylight Savings to Standard Time.  I use my phone for an alarm, reached over to see the time and...IT'S, OH MY, 7:23!  I have to leave at 7:35 to go do some semi-work.  Out of bed, put head under faucet, brush some teeth, get dressed, and out the door.  I made it to school on time.

My phone had been set on silent so as no to disturb anyone on Tuesday evening, but I forgot to reset it to the annoyingly loud whistle that I use for phone ringing and alarm beckoning.  I'm just slightly hard of hearing.

Thursday morning finds me up at the right time and arriving at school at 8:15 a. m.  While walking through the commons area, I see the teacher forwhom I am supposed to substitute.  I inquire about subbing for her and she says that I will sub for her----at 11:30----I'm 3 hours early.  I look at my pocket calendar,  Guess what time I had written there.  11:30.  Oh, well.

Friday I was still reeling from confusion, but nothing unusual happened.

Saturday, that's yesterday,  I used up the final part of my tomatoes with just a few tiny ones left over.  And, what did I make?

That's right, salsa.  It was my first attempt at that.  I was going to do that earlier this season, but got sidetracked.

I had to show you what the last of the tomatoes looked like next to the 5 pints of homemade salsa.  Do you have any idea how long it takes to dice 10 cups of tomatoes from tomatoes that size?  By the time you cut out any bad spots, cut out the stem area, finely dice them, well, much longer than I thought.  Now the jars have to age.  I made that up.

So, that is half of the title for today's post.  And the other half?

Until yesterday, I had never seen West Side Story.  Have you ever been to a local high school play/musical?  It was terrific.

Some highlights:

• Maria (played by local singing wonder Caitlin) has a terrific voice.  I was truly impressed.
• Tony (played by Elvis, a genuinely nice & talented young man) was superbly done.
• Bernardo & Riff (played by twins Joel & Reid) as the opposing gangs' leaders did a fine job.
• Clarice (played by the multi-talented Makayla) really had to act to play the bad girl type since that is just not her.
• Doc (played by Maclane, a medalist in the recent state cross country event) looked & sounded quite the white-coated type.
• Officer Krupke, Ms. Glad Hand, & her assistant (played respectively by Sarah, Kyla, & Cheyanne) added some female charm to a large cast.

I could go on for each and every member if I thought you would read it.  But I have to mention just one more, my personal favorite of the entire cast...

• Anita (played by Heidi), with her black wig and comedic flair, showed some great talent.

Of course, all comments are the highly regarded opinion of this author.  Yours may differ.  Write about them in your blog.  The show included dinner (for a price, of course).

I almost forgot to mention the hard work of the show's directors, teachers Senja Stephens and Pam Breinig.  They did a great job.

Until the next time...

Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress

That Corn Is NOT Dead....

And, we are not suffering from a drought!  Corn looks like this when harvested.  In fact, it has to dry ouy before harvesting to be taken to the ethanol plant.

Having said that it is supposed to look like that, that doesn't apply if you want to eat corn-on-the-cob.  And who doesn't like hot corn dripping with artery-clogging butter?

Anyway, the corn harvest is nearly finished here in Nebraska.  The weather has been nearly perfect for the crop gathering.  The farmers have been BUSY in the fields, taking advantage of the good weather.

 

          

 

Is it any wonder that Nebraska is called the Corhusker State?  I guess the above provides some hint as to why.  And speaking of those Huskers, Go Big Red!

Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress

Attention! No Pictures Today....

     Today's post has NO pictures.  There is nothing wrong with your monitor.  Why are there no pictures?  I've been busy, had to work 5 days last week.  Things like that will interrupt one's schedule for leisure.  In fact, I'm writing this post while teaching a college-bound English class.  Really I are.

     Seriously.  I'm substituting for an English teacher today.  This is first period and they have a worksheet to do on Huckleberry Finn.  I never read the book.  I think some in this class haven't either, but the worksheet is on chapters 29-31.  Some openly admit slacking off due to lack of interest.  I think they will do well in life.  HA!  Not unless daddy's rich and can afford to live in Anguilla, or at least to visit there.

     There ARE rich persons in Nebraska, like Warren Buffet, a personal friend of mine.  (Yeah, like he hangs out with me.)  And, Nebraska has many beautiful sights to see and sites to visit and a policeman who cites speeders.  (Isn't English wonderful?)  Sorry.  I lost focus.

     This time of year, autumn, is a very nice time.  There's plenty to see in the rural areas if you like watching harvesting like I do.  I know that it's just the city boy speaking, but I still enjoy watching others work.  I find it amazing how things grow around here.  Of course, I'm told that some years are better than others.  I like the better ones.

     Changing subjects, my daughter and son-in-law just got back from Virginia.  They live in a HUGE metropolis in the Republic of Texas.  Why were they in Virginia?  They are looking for their forty acres that are not in a huge metropolis, Superman fans notwithstanding.  I'm hoping to see some pictures and cutesy stories on her Countdown to a Simpler Life blog.  You should take a peek.

     This blog is supposed to be about Ed in Nebraska, so...

Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes....

     My neighbor around the corner only had one, that's right one, tomato plant that made it to tomato adulthood.  And, she is just now getting tomatoes.  It's the end of October for crying out loud.

     The poor bush is all spread out, never staked, never dated--sorry, off track.  I suppose it's not politically correct to talk about some of the tomatoes I've dated in the far distant past.





     And, just to make matters worse, her tomatoes are bigger than mine.  Just look of this handful of tomato just waiting for some corn meal and hot grease (trying to take away some of the appeal).



     Did I mention that she had a BUNCH of tomato seedlings that all died but one?  Oh well.  She has tomatoes now and wants me to make a green tomato pie.

Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress

Well, That Just Frosts My....

     Tomatoes.  That's Right.  Last night we had a frost.  I picked all the tomatoes that had even a hint of a tint of anything except green.  And I picked 4 zucchinis, 1 cantaloupe, 5 acorn squash.  I'll give anything else a few days to produce or be pulled screaming to the compost pile.  My green peppers are pathetic--haven't eaten ONE yet.  The plants have flower buds and small, not-worth-the-effort-to-clean, peppers on them.
     So what should I do now?  Ah, reminisce from the first vegetable garden by the head of household in Nebraska.

     This brave zucchini sacrificed him/her/itself on the grill.  Many indistinguishable comrades, like lemmings, did the same thing.  Some others, however, led a more complicated end.

     Some became as bread to a hungry nation, er, household, such as the just-right-for-two-loaves guy below.

     And, speaking of bread, we were talking about bread weren't we?  Focus.  Okay.  I made homemade bread from scratch, and, no, I didn't grow any of the ingredients in my garden.

     I also tried some recipes that I am so glad that I did.  I know not to again.

Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress

It's Time To Crank Up....

     "Crank up what?" you ask.  Fall is in the air.  Leaves and twigs are beginning to fill our yards. Tree trimming should happen before frost sets in.  Therefore, it's time to whip out the trusty chain saws.  Although trusty may not be the right word here.  At one time, for a month, I worked for a tree trimmer in my youth.
     As it turned out, I discovered an amazing fact--I'm not cut out to be a tree trimmer.  Too many allergies.  Olive trees can be killers, literally, and not just from falling branches, but from the dust that is naturally on the leaves.  I also learned how easy it is to break a window with a ladder on the first day of work.  I'm much smarter now.

     I don't have a good picture of trees here in Nebraska.

So I'll just use this one from Costa Rica.  It's not that we don't have trees, I just don't have a post-worthy one on hand.  I'll mark that down for my next project--takes pictures of Nebraska's trees.  I sort of got off the track, like the time I got stuck in some of Nebraska's super slick mud in my 4X4 F350.  I have a picture of that, but am a little embarrassed to post it.  Maybe at a later time.  Maybe.

Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress

    

Junk By Any Other Name....

     I know, I know, that's taking liberty with a famous saying.  And?  What sparked my liberty taking?  Well, it started out as a trip to the town dump, which is divided into green waste and not green waste.  I know that you are wondering, probably, what junk I took to the dump.  The problem is, or was, that I didn't have any good junk to throw away that wouldn't fit into the dumpster in the alley, which I like since I don't have to remember to put the trash out for Tuesday pickup.
     When one doesn't have good junk to throw away, what does one do?  Go to the dump with an empty truck and bring home the good junk.

     In there, that is the back of my beloved Ford F350, is the good junk I brought home.  The things that caught my eye first were all those good pallets.  Now I took a lesson from Tornado Tim, that's my son-in-law (He's an engineer, but still nice enough.) about pallet picking.  Several pallets were there so I could be extra picky, no old pallets for me, only the slightly used.  Oh, yeah.
     There were some windows from a storm door and a screen, also.  The most costly item that can just barely be seen is a solid wood exterior door, or a workbench top if you look and it the right way.  It's such a good door, I may have to use it for the front door of the house--after it's painted red, of course.

Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress

Danger in Nebraska....

     There's danger lurking in Nebraska.  It is a deadly weapon being controlled by a warm smile.  It seems innocent, yet it seems unbelievable.  Where does this danger lurk?  Do the governmental authorities know about it?  Is it a terrorist plot?  Well, no, but it is terrifying.  My youngest started testing out her learner's permit for driving.

  

      Okay, it's a small, blue Kia, but it is still a deadly weapon!  I know.  I rode with her for the first time today, and I thought that I might die right there.  My wife wouldn't go.  She told me today that she never rode with any of our other children when they were learning to drive.  She left that up to me.  Have I mentioned that I had a heart attack at the age of 53?  I understand fear.

     So, all of Nebraska, well maybe not all, needs to watch out for a little, blue Kia with a happy, smiling, brown-haired driver.  Of course, around here there is not much traffic, a few cars, farm equipment with triangles on the back, and trucks loaded with the latest produce of the earth freshly harvested.

Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress

Hay, Hay, Hay....

     "You have to make hay when the sun shines."  I think I heard that somewhere...more than once or twice.  Until I moved to Nebraska, I really paid no attention to haymakers.  But how's this for hay?

     I know, I know, the photo runs right out of the frame.  If I make it smaller, you can't see it very well.  That picture is a first for me, first inserted photo in a blog, first stitched panorama, and first photo taken from inside of a cemetery of what's outside the cemetery.  I hope you get the general idea that there's a LOT of hay in that field.  Are those just tiny bales of hay? 

     Like the hat?  I wore it just for these hay pictures, but I didn't go out and buy it for the occasion.  I actually have several straw hats, including an official Toby Keith straw hat that I bought at Cracker Barrel.  I can see that I'm getting off the subject, which never happens.  Well, it did happen once before when I was cliff diving in Kentucky, but that's another story.  Anyway, you probably guessed that those are not small bales, but just how big are they?

     Those bales are actually shoulder height to me and I'm 74" tall.  Never mind how much I weigh, but I am losing weight.
     And who took the pictures where I'm in the picture?  My darling youngest daughter, who is eligible to drive this coming Saturday, with her permit and an adult, of course.  Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress

The Shortest Distance To Chinese Food....

     Before moving to Nebraska, we had friends already living here.  In fact, they were born here, but their family had moved to California a looonnng time ago.  As things happen, they moved back to Nebraska, one by one.  I guess you could call them replanted natives.
     Anyway, my wife was best friends with one of those natives and talked to her often, much to the delight of the phone companies.  What in the world they can find to talk about at least thirteen times a day I have no clue.  However, one of the things batted back and forth is the subject of eating out, as in mostly you can't in the town I now call home.  Oh, there are places to eat, one of which closes at 2:00 pm.  And another isn't open for breakfast, another has homemade doughnuts on the one morning a week that they open before lunch.  The doughnuts are good, by the way.  We also have one franchised eating establishment, Subway.  This town is not without amenities.  But no Chinese restaurant run by real Chinese, or anyone else for that matter.  So what to do when one has a hankering for Chinese food?
     In one or more of the many phone calls, our friend, my wife's best friend, says that she is going to KANSAS for Chinese!  What?!  My wife says that her friend must be crazy to go to another state for Chinese food.  I concur.
     Now I live in Nebraska.  That nice little town in Kansas is only 32 miles south of where we live; and the Chinese food is good there.  I do prefer, though, the Chinese food in Nebraska, even if it is 38 miles north of where we live.  But, they have a Wal-Mart next door, and Sonic, McDonald's, Taco Bell, and KFC within a 5-minute walk.  That's if you are in the mood for fast food, that is.  So sometimes we go clear to another state for Chinese food.  Don't ask how far we go for Mexican food.  Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress

Crank, Crank, Crank Those Knuckles Raw....

     You'll just have to use your imagination for this one (I haven't gotten into posting pictures for everything like she does at countdowntoasimplerlife.blogspot.com).  My wife bought me a hand crank shredder at a yard sale or the thrift store, her two favorite places to shop.  The thing is made of aluminum, has five different cutters, and works fantastic.  This evening I shredded about a third of the zucchini sitting on the kitchen island.
     Why did I name today's post what I did?  Did I mention the cranking hand shredder my wife bought for me?  That's right--it will shred vegetables or fingers with equal ease, however, I don't usually need a bandage for the vegetables.  I made a note to myself that says basically to keep my fingers not so close to the whirling blades.  Another note is not to crank so fast so fingers can be yanked out of the way before too much skin has to be found.
     Here in Nebraska, if you can't grow zucchini, you probably drool profusely while someone feeds you.  The second easiest thing to grow in a backyard garden is weeds.  They love Miracle-Gro.  I used a weed and feed on the lawn, but the weeds thought the label said, "Feed the weeds."
     I baked a cherry pie today.  Don't get too excited.  It was from a neighbor, sort of, Mrs. Smith.  She leaves them at the grocery store here in town.  Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress

The friendly hand wave....

     Have you ever been on a busy freeway or interstate interchange?  If so, you probably have had 'nice' people wave at you as you deftly squeezed in front of them or went slower than twice the speed limit.  I know you know what I'm talking about when I say you got a 1-fingered salute.  It's not really a wave, but it is usually accompanied by distorted facial expressions.
     Here in rural Nebraska people wave--just for making eye contact.  They can do it while holding a cell phone to their ears, drinking a pop (Midwest term for soda), and driving.  I don't think it's legal to do all at once, but I have never done such a thing myself.  Oh, I wave.  It makes my wife laugh.
     Nebraska, at least outside the major cities (both of them), has very friendly drivers.  And what may they be driving?  They drive things that I have no idea how they are used.  Combines.  Sprayers.  Tractors.  Balers.  Ferraris.  Okay, not Ferraris, but worth more than a Ferrari.  Most of the used vehicles for sale around here are green and yellow, both colors preceded by the words "John Deere."
     I like Nebraska and I like the small town that is now my home.  Nebraska--less people, less stress.

The first post....

Okay, I'll post first to get you started.  My name is Ed and I live in Nebraska, but I guess you could have figured that out by the name of this blog (it's not a trick name).  I'm a retired school teacher, but I enjoy being a substitute teacher here in some VERY small school districts.  If you are or ever have been a teacher, just give me a quick post.  Your comment will not be graded.  More to follow day after day.  Next time, I'll talk about the friendly hand wave.