DUCKS for THEE in 2023

[ducks4you]

Getting ready to interview a person for Water Supervisor Saturday morning. We hired a man in 2022 to replace the man who was certified and wrote off the system's wasterwater to the IL EPA. The previous employee died of COVID.
Our monthly costs jumped from $250/month to $650/month. I have been talking to him about this job since January and he told me that if our town hired him today for this job it would be $1K.
He wants, total $1,500/month, which includes his present position. Since the board knows him I think it will be an easy sell.
MEANWHILE, our Treasurer has quit. I have posted almost everywhere I can think of, banks, grocery stores, not Post Offices yet. Pray that I find someone quickly bc I don't want to be writing checks this month.
It's a bad look.
Meanwhile, very little gardening has taken place here...
I intend to garden today and not think about the world.

 

[heirloomgal]

I intend to garden today and not think about the world.

 

[ducks4you]

Bogged down by mayoral duty pressure and I couldn't believe that a previous Trustee, that I thought didn't like me much, was driving his mower down the street.
He stopped up next to my front steps and offered me 8 tomatoes.
Said that he had too much.
Praise the Lord for brightening my day with such an unexpected gift! ✝️
We will enjoy them with our hamburgers tonight!

 

[ducks4you]

I Thought that my tiller was fixed. I pulled the new cord and it pulled some of the wrapped cord out and the tiller didn't start.
THEN, this morning, I decided to read the instructions.
What an idea....
It said to trim the cord to fit, since it was multipurpose, tiller, lawn mower...kinda generic.
I will try tying it short and see if the tiller starts.
MEANWHILE, yesterday I got almost all of the 26 tomatoes around the cistern pruned up and tied up.
I have taken to pushing the tops with flowers through the fencing to the other side to support it and the fruit when it comes.
I have a LOT of big and green tomatoes and one black tomato plant survived.
I up potted the sweet peppers and have them in large yogurt containers without drainage holes. I am keeping them in a holding pattern in the window wells. 6 of them were in smaller pots and on the porch.
Several peppers have gotten a little bit of sunscald.
My Plan is to till the pepper area, move one of the soaker hoses over, and temporarily plant the peppers in their pots and in the ground. Once I see substantial growth I will transplant them.
EVERYTHING is very late this year, but I have hope...

 

[flowerbug]

...
EVERYTHING is very late this year, but I have hope...

almost the same here...

 

[baymule]

My 4 tomato plants are still alive….. sheep ate one on the end but it has put out new sprouts. I actually got 3 tomatoes from them. Container gardening is better than nothing, but this is pretty much nothing. LOL

 

[ducks4you]

I Almost finished the cistern gardening.
Yesterday I pulled up the sprawling lone pumpkin--dunno which kind since the seed volunteered itself--so that I could prune up and tie up the 8 tomato plants on the south side of the cement.
I got one load of straw/hay that needed cleaning up on the barn floor out, but it started raining so I couldn't complete it. I spread it out and re positioned the pumpkin vine on the west side.
I need to spread underneath the south side.
I plan to till and replant wildflower seeds on the east side, that has never been the same since our (previous) plumber put in new piping and a whole house filter system.
Might as well be flowers.
It Really looks pretty, what with a new pumpkin flower that I can see from the kitchen.
I have 2 large tomatoes almost ripe and at least 2 small pumpkins.
Tiller was running, but the cotter pin on the bad wheel came loose.
I am in town today and will buy a few more of them.
I still have tilling to do before I plant aNOTHER Fall garden.
We had some very nice steady rain this morning.
The rain this weekend barely made the ground wet, so we need this.

 

[Dahlia]

Problem: Copper is UBER expensive right now and copper thieves break into vacant home to steal copper piping and sell it.
Otherwise, interesting idea.

We had a neighbor who went on vacation to AZ for a couple months. They got a call from the sheriff while on vacation saying that someone had ransacked their home. It turns out that the thieves took everything in the home including the copper wires in the walls!!!!! The thieves totally destroyed their house. The description of the event was awful!

 

[ducks4you]

Been busy with town business BUT I have interviewed both a stellar new Water Supervisor AND called in a favor to my auditor/tax man to be our new Treasurer.
Personal COUPS!!!
A few days ago I thought I had the tiller figured out, but when I began the wonky wheel lost it's hitch pin.
Had shopping to do and I found This at WM. Works great! $1.57

 

[ducks4you]

I tilled the bed south of the garage, the balance of the big garden area, which still has 5 rows of fencing from 2 years ago, and the wildflower bed east of the cistern and cistern garden beds. That area has never been the same since our plumber repiped, so it might as well be flowers.
I planted 3 rows (about 24 ft) of okra south of the garage, and I planted right next to 4 of the fencing in the big garden, 2 rows of cucumbers, 1 row of beans and 1 row of lima beans.
I know that it's late, BUT, the Farmer's Almanac says a warmer/wetter than average September and October.
They are Right about August, wetter and cooler. We will have 2 days of 70's for highs in the next week.
I planted a big package of wildflowers to be planted Spring or Fall and threw in packages of marigolds, sweet william, and cosmos.
I finished seeding 40 minutes before it was Supposed to start raining, but had to quit bc of the downpour.
My horse's feed buckets were 5 inches full of water by the time it was over.
More rain today, tonight, Saturday night and Sunday night/Monday morning.