It's Snowing!

Just an extremely short post to let everyone know that it is snowing here in south central Nebraska.

Surprises & Didn't Plants....

First, you may be wondering what didn't plants are.  They are plants that you didn't plant, myabe last year, but not this year.  This growing season was pretty mixed up here in Nebraska.  At least in my backyard.  We had a late spring frost, a neighbor became seriously ill, and I went to Texas for a couple of weeks so I could enjoy there drought.

My garden suffered.  I mean REALLY suffered.  In fact, it was pretty much non-existent.  However, my rototilling apparently kicked into overdrive a few cantaloupe plants.  Last year, I had minimal success with my cantaloupes.  They were small, delicious, but scarce.  Without replanting this year, I ended up with more and bigger cantaloupes.  AND, I still have some growing.

  This one is about softball size, but most of the ones I've picked have been twice this size (by volume, not diameter).

Here's another one. 

 

I also have some didn't plant tomatoes, but no pictures yet since they are still green.

And speaking of green, here's a nice shot of some peppers, although I am not sure what kind they are since I planted a package of variety peppers.

Now, I did intentionally plant some cucumbers in our small patio planter just outside the back door.  They did fairly well (picked 3 cucumbers yesterday, for instance).  The strange thing about cucumbers is that one can pick all to be seen and then one or two days later it's "Whoa, where did that come from?"

My wife asked me to come sit outside on that little patio and had me scan the fence.  As I sat there thinking that something was wrong with the fence that my very kind son-in-law, Tornado Tim, built for us last year.  As I looked back and forth, I saw it.

 

  There it was--standing on the top rail of the fence.  It had sent a clinging, twisting tendril onto a tree branch.  A cucumber grew where I hadn't looked!

Now I ask you, "Did that make me smile?"

 

 



I guess you can be the judge of that.

Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress



The Word For Today Is Green...

Think of something green.  What was it?  Money?  Envy?  The science experiment in the back of the refrigerator?  Nah.  You are off in the wrong direction.  Here's my green for the day.

Yes, that's a cucumber growing right outside the back door.  It's not the first, but we've already eaten the others.  And what else is green?

 

I'm sure you recognize what is commonly called a praying mantis, although some like to say preying mantis, but I believe that was just the husband talking.  Let's see, are there any other green things with which to dot this blog?  Ah, yes.

When the aforementioned cucumber heard that it was headed for the salad, the vegetable union stewards paid me a visit.  All three of them said that I should address them as MR. PEPPER.

Do you think I should do it?

  The first Mr. Pepper.

The second Mr. Pepper.

And the third Mr. Pepper who said that I would be watched.

Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress



I'm Back in the Blogging Business

Okay, it's not really a business at this point.  Besides, I'm retired...but not dead yet.  I've been busy for the last week or so building a platform bed with storage underneath.  My youngest daughter (a junior in high school) often has 1, 2, or 3 other teenage girls staying over.  Picture 2 or 3 of them on the bed at the same time, lying there watching television or playing video games.  Or engaging in too much horse play.  Now think of collapsible bed--not manufactured that way.  I'll build a better one.

Two reasons exist for building it myself.  (1)  They are way too expensive!  (2)  I wanted something STRONG, really strong.  No unintentional collapsing here.  (3)  They are way too expensive!  I know, I know, I said 2 reasons and gave you 3, but 1 and 3 are so similar that I counted them as 1.

Yes, those are 2 X 4 cross-members, joist brackets, and 2" screws.  You can't see the screws, but they are in there.  I made each panel, head, foot, left side, right side, in the garage and painted it there (4 coats).  I also made the 2 cross members in the garage.  I did this so I only had to bring the pieces into the house and add the final screws.

The sides are 1/2" plywood and the top piece (actually 2 pieces) is/are 3/4" plywood.  It has 3 doors with brass hardware that open for storage (much needed in our small house).  When we left California, we left behind a 5 bedroom, 2 bath, 2,200 sq. ft. house.  Here in Nebraska, we bought a 3 bedroom, 1 bath, 1,300 sq. ft. house.  The really big difference was that we left the house payment in California and paid cash for our Nebraska house.

 

The above pictures give you a little idea of the glossy black finish.  And, the picture below shows you what the new full-size (replacing a twin size) platform bed looks like with mattress, sheets, pillows and such--ignore the labels on the comforter.

Total cost=about $150.00 since I had some of the materials.  I counted that in the cost but had to estimate.  The mattress was an additional amount yet to be determined.  My daughter loves it and that is the best part of this DIY project.  Her old twin bed is for sale on craigslist.com.

P. S.  The green cube at the foot of the bed is so that her dog, Baxter, can get up on the bed.

Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress

My 2011 Seeds Have Arrived....

Seeds from Burpee's have arrived today!  I'm already planning out my garden for the spring, which will not be here for a while.  Average Last Spring Frost date is the beginning of May.  That means that I can start my cabbage seeds indoors starting the week of February 22, not that far away.

My seeds include, among others, Organic Red Express Cabbage.  I'll tell you more as it becomes time to plant them.  I'm looking forward to this year's garden since last year's was mostly successful.  Two major disappointments were my peppers & radishes.

Spring is around the corner!

Nebraska--LessPeople, Less Stress

Okay, I Was Wrong....

This site has proven to be much easier to work with, compared to the blog where I intended on writing.  So, I'm back.  Right now it is sunny and warm (4° F., but expected to hit 27 today).  It snowed all day yesterday, very dry and windy.  Some areas bare, others drifted a few feet (up, not sideways).

The view out the front window...

Looks like I had a four-legged visitor on the front porch.

I think I'll take a drive around town today and take some more pictures to post later.

Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress

The Snow HAS Arrived....

I'm drawn to the dark side.  I can't stay away from this blog.  I'm addicted.  Welll....it snowed today, our first real snow this winter.  We've gotten 5-6 inches so far today.

That's looking southwest from the front porch at a little past noon today.  Here's what it looked like around 6 pm.



Of course, I'm no longer on the front porch, but out in the street standing next to our Kia looking east.  Now it's dark outside and i don't have any pictures of the.

However, here's a shot looking off the porch to the southwest.

That is the wife and mama, of course.  She looks happy, doesn't she?  Well, she usually looks that way when were are going somewhere she likes.  We are going in Ray & Paula's 4-wheel drive since it is a little slippery outside.

I know that you want to know where we are going, don't you?  We went to the Derby Cafe for all-you-can-eat brunch.

We ate until full, probably past that some then came home.  Just a couple more snow pictures for those of you who don't know what it looks like.

That's the main highway through town looking east and the other is the front of our home showing the snowflakes in the camera's flash.

Nebraska--Less people, Less Stress

Cow Jam....

What's a cow jam?  When I lived in Southern California, traffic jams were common--NOT HERE IN RURAL NENBRASKA!

Well, not so many cars does not mean that you never have to slow down for something in the road.  Just last week I had to slow down for some, well, cattle in the road.  They even had a police escort!  Complete with flashing lights.

At first, I thought it was an accident up ahead, but, no.  Well, just look at the video.  Sorry that I didn't get my camera out fast enough for the police car, but there was one there.

I know the sounds not too good and the beginning wasn't that Oscar-winning, but you get the point.

I know I said that I was 99 44/100% sure that I was done posting, but I just couldn't pass this up.

Nebraska--Less People, Less Stress