Sunday busies

[altivo]

Got a skeleton app using PostgreSQL and PHP working on the Alpha. This is good because I need to do this for work.

Took Tess out for her 30 minutes of grass again. She was much more ladylike on the way out and back this time. Probably because I put on gloves to avoid rope burn. Like you can keep it from raining by carrying an umbrella.

While I was doing that, Gary planted lettuce and spinach in the hot frame near the arena, after enriching the soil in there with some aged sheep poop. We have lots, if anyone needs some. I wanna say enough to supply both political campaigns, but the truth is they use an endless supply and ours is not bottomless.

And I'm falling asleep...

Comments

[jmaynard.livejournal.com]

I can't help but be reminded of a Da Yoopers bit...

"Got anything to buy, sell, or trade?"
"Yah, I got some sh*t for sale."

[altivo.livejournal.com]

We undercut anyone's prices, we give it away to anyone who comes to pick it up. Multiple flavors even: horse, sheep, duck, rabbit. ;p

[goldenstallion.livejournal.com]

Dear Rider.

We both seriously want to come visit you guys. So save some salad for us.

Was playing with the boys today. Tonka is so fun to mess with although he worries too much. Shedding, too. His star comes off all over me with white horsehairs. Seems more than the rest of his face, but probably just cuz of the color, dunno. Of course there was some kind of explosion with Thunder and they both leaped and galloped off only after Tonka stomped on my foot. OW!

Horses. Thunder is healing nicely.

Rode the GoldWing even though it is not insured or registered for this year yet. Took the chance and back roads. Guess I better do those things soon.

Job requires I work a full 40 hours each week now but the money is nice, especially since Bear got cut by 3 hours per week. Fine, I get to buy the groceries for a change and it feels good, inside, to hand him a couple of twenties.

Nearly done with the windshield portion of the Ford Tri-Motor (took all Winter). Boss (Mike is the perfect boss he gives me a job to do and LEAVES ME ALONE!) told me I am very popular at work and the best mechanic he has ever known. Gee. Well, I AM! Grin.

Love you and hope for the best.

Imp.

[jmaynard.livejournal.com]

You're working on a Tri-Motor? Oooh.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Um, yeah. He works in a shop that repairs and restores small airplanes, and the Tri-Motor is one of their specialties. It's a cool place, I've seen it.

[jmaynard.livejournal.com]

Nifty.

I just hope the Zodiac doesn't need his (or anyone else's) attention anytime soon.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

We'd love to have you come for a weekend. That would let us hit the railroad museum if you haven't already seen it. They run trains most days after Labor Day. Or if you were here on a Thursday, I think that's free admission day and the crowds are smaller than weekends. Weather should be reliably good and not too hot starting around the last week of May I'd guess.

If you can get much in the way of groceries for a couple of twenties, you're doing better than I am. Prices have skyrocketed, probably due to transportation costs. Makes the vegetable garden seem much more important this year. I spent $90 on Saturday and only took home three paper bags.

Glad to hear Thunder is healing nicely. You, however, will not heal nicely if the sheriff or state police nab you for no insurance and plates on your bike. The fine will probably be more than the cost of doing it right, so take care of it, flap pony. ;p

[goldenstallion.livejournal.com]

Whinnyhi.

Oh, no the groceries cost me over $80 and Bear was flat broke so I handed him a couple twenties to buy stuff like soda pop at work and gas, etc.

Of course gas has to be seriously budgeted for. One good thing, I guess, about the bankruptcy was the long, on-line session required by law all about budgeting, etc. Darn, space bar is messing up. Oh well, it is probably time for another keyboard anyway.

Love,
Imperator

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, gas seems to be headed up into the stratosphere here. Two price increases every week lately. Diesel is well over $4 and climbing. Unleaded regular is $3.49 most places. Of course anything that gets shipped in from far away (like California, which has a near monopoly on garden vegetables now) is going up up up in price. Time to grow our own.

[goldenstallion.livejournal.com]

Dear Rider.

Sorry but having fun with LJ replies this afternoon. (Making beans with bacon but think I should first fry off the fat - Bear wants to just put the bacon directly in). I have seen Diesel as high as four fifty and remember that EVERYTHING is trucked so everything is going up.

When I took California History in 1967 to get my High School Diploma from Redondo Beach Adult School, California led the world in many many crops, cattle and etc. California produced more rice than the rest of the world combined at that time. More potatos than Iowa, more cattle than any other State. The Imperial Valley is the best farmland on planet Earth. Just saying.

Too bad it is filling up with morons. Oh well, the Midwest US can still do its job, too. We still give Russia huge amounts of grain (during the Cold War years the US provided the USSR with 1/3 of its wheat for example).

Interesting that Cuba is one of the world leaders in innovative farming and has gobs of food.

Imperator

[altivo.livejournal.com]

The problem here in the midwest is that land is worth more turned into subdivisions than it is for farming in many areas. The mortgage collapse may change that, I hope.

Very few farmers are using their land to produce veggies humans eat, because it's labor intensive and then it's hard to market the resulting product. That may be changing back again, and will change if transportation costs keep going up because local produce will suddenly be cheaper than what they have at the supermarket.

And there's the rub. In many places (including here) the health regulations have grown so extreme that farmers can't sell their stuff to markets or restaurants. They are only allowed to sell it from a stand on their own land, or at a licensed "farmer's market". Restaurants are not permitted to buy local produce, by law, unless they jump through all sorts of hoops and red tape. It's even worse for the grocers.

Cuba has done a lot of stuff in the last 50 years that we hardly know about because the US sealed itself off from them so completely. Perhaps that will change now with Castro gone and things opening up.

[saythename.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. Spinach planting.

*ponders*

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Most any greens can be planted now, but it's particularly a good time to get spinach in before the weather heats up. Good for leaf lettuces, mustard greens, and snow peas, too. Only I have to dig up the garden or get Gary to fix the rototiller before I can plant peas.

[saythename.livejournal.com]

I don't have much space, and, like broccali,
I've learned to like my greens that mother
said you should eat. XD

This will take some thought.

*hmms*

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Home grown broccoli is tasty, but keeping the bugs from eating before you do is a major challenge. If you have sunlight and small space, I recommend leaf lettuces, mustard greens, radishes, and maybe scallions or green onions. Tasty salad stuff. Tomatoes are good, and you can put a plant or two into flower pots if necessary and put them wherever they'll get enough sun. Cherry tomatoes or the determinate smaller varieties like "Patio" will do well in pots.

[goldenstallion.livejournal.com]

Whinnyhi again.

I really should do a garden. It was fun in Alaska. Had gobs of lettuce, spinach, cabbage, carrots, potatos, radishes, green onions, chard, chives and flowers a couple of years. Root crops and spices do well there and, in fact, a Palmer farmer is the world's specialist in seed potatos (over four hundred kinds he exports all over the world). Here I can include tomatos and corn.

Really should although renting a rototiller would be very helpful.

Impers

[altivo.livejournal.com]

With that big tractor you need a rototiller? ;p

Corn is difficult. We gave up. Either it gets fungus and rots or else you get corn but the raccoons steal it just before you're ready to pick it. Tomatoes, though, are wonderful. You can never have too many, and you've got lots of sunny places you could plant them. All those other veggies you name are pretty easy and worth a try. I also recommend kohlrabi and okra. Even if you've never had them before, they're not hard to fix and real easy to grow.

The kohlrabi are sweet and tender enough to just cut up into salad if you like. The okra is great in stir fry or rice dishes, just don't boil it or you get snot. ;p

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

*looks at the spinach* Grow grow, I haven't had a Spinach lasagne in ages :)