Coffee

SPedigrees

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I started this morning with re-heated convenience store coffee placed in the fridge last night when I made the switch to beer upon my return from a grocery supply trip to town. Now the convenience store coffee is gone and I've refilled my mug with wine. I have half a dozen things to do that should have taken priority, but instead I re-wrote my garden plan for 2024, and placed orders for those seeds that I won't be saving from my own plants this fall. It's so much more enjoyable to do this than to tackle my to-do list.

I bought both orange and red geranium seeds, Tom Thumb lettuce, a mix of stir-fry/salad greens, both tall and dwarf sunflowers, and others. I hate when new varieties replace my old time favorites and they become difficult or impossible to find. I'm saving seeds from the bright pink petunia plants on my porch, as I have for many years, but decided to mix them next summer with those whirlygig bi-colored pink and white petunias that used to be so commonplace. The only bi-colors that Pine Tree Garden Seeds offers now have frilly double blooms and even Park Seed the same thing. Finally I found seeds from some of the old school variety at Harris Seeds, together with some of the old JewelMix nasturtiums that I had regrettably stopped collecting seed from after mine had a bad year, and I thought stupidly, "Well I'll just buy new seeds next year." I was a fool to think that.

The worst case of this phasing-out phenomenon was when I bought strawflower seeds the year before last and discovered that today's cultivars have switched from fall colors of reds, oranges, and yellows to anemic pastels, pinks and (gasp!) whites! Horrors! So an exhausting search turned up some yellows and reds from an obscure seller, and some all orange strawflower seeds all the way from Ireland. Last year I planted a container of these far traveled seeds in one of my gardens and they grew well until all-of-a-sudden when they were nearing maturity and had buds, some blight or predator attacked the plants, killing every one. So this year I planted my leftover strawflower seeds in the relative safety (I hope) of a pot on my porch. So far so good. It's their last chance!

My marigolds, tall orange cosmos, and poppies have been with me the longest. I think I began saving seeds from these nearly 20 years ago now. I should probably begin anew to save seeds from my heirloom crookneck summer squash, in case these go extinct like so many other plants.

Interestingly my mini cherry tomatoes seem to have disappeared from the seed sellers' websites. I guess they just didn't catch on, but it's alright since their main value has been one of novelty. I settled on a Canadian bred tomato for 2024, small I think but bigger than a standard cherry tomato, called sub-Arctic Plenty, with an expectedly short time until harvest. I should have been out there trimming weeds today, but shopping online was so much more fun!
 

Country Homesteader

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Good Morning all!
Good-Morning-Happy-Weekend-Friday-Photos.jpg

Everything is by the coffee pot so make a cup and enjoy the patio while waiting for sunrise.
So much prep today so need to get started but still waking up, think I need another cup. I really should get to baking seeing how I need to do cupcakes and sheet pan Choc Chip cookies but think I will wait for awhile so that way I'm not falling asleep while everything is baking.
 

baymule

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Thanks for the coffee, I’ll have a second cup please. Then out the door in 30 minutes, a quick morning feed and hay and water. Then leave for the feed store, 1 hour away. Carson gets to go, he always gets lots of petting and a of biscuit. Straight there and back, it’s too hot to take him most of the time, this is his special treat. No grass, on dry lot, sheep are eating their heads off, second trip to feed store. $$$$$ I’m not cutting my numbers, just sucking it up to feed them. Praying for rain.
Getting feed for a neighbor too. He’ll pick it up this afternoon when he gets off work. I’m getting 20 bags, 1,000 pounds and will unload, put in metal trash cans to keep the rats out, when I get home. Y’all have a great day!
 

ninnymary

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Just finishing my light breakfast of a cup of coffee with collagen and cranberry walnut sourdough toast with peanut butter. I'll wait a little while then go outside to do my Friday's workout. After that breakfast with friends.

It's going to be 74* today. Cloudy this morning and then sunny at noon. A beautiful day all around.

Mary
 

SPedigrees

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Thanks for the coffee, I’ll have a second cup please. Then out the door in 30 minutes, a quick morning feed and hay and water. Then leave for the feed store, 1 hour away. Carson gets to go, he always gets lots of petting and a of biscuit. Straight there and back, it’s too hot to take him most of the time, this is his special treat. No grass, on dry lot, sheep are eating their heads off, second trip to feed store. $$$$$ I’m not cutting my numbers, just sucking it up to feed them. Praying for rain.
Getting feed for a neighbor too. He’ll pick it up this afternoon when he gets off work. I’m getting 20 bags, 1,000 pounds and will unload, put in metal trash cans to keep the rats out, when I get home. Y’all have a great day!
I miss trips to the feed store, and still have a collection of empty grain bags that I can't bear to part with (Vintage Senior, Blue Seal, etc on the sides of the bags). Back in the 1970s grain was more often packaged in 100 lb bags and we used to haul it up the stairs from garage to kitchen, until in our later years I moved the metal trash cans to the cellar, and the industry thankfully switched to 50 lb bags.

Everyone, down to the last man/woman in my state, would be delighted to send our excess of rain your way, if only... I hope this weather pattern will reverse itself before your state becomes desert and mine washes away.
 

Branching Out

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Steve, you need to grow Petit Gris de Rennnes. I've already harvested 7 and they are so juicy, flavorful, and sweet. Saving seeds to give away. They were bred for short season and cool summers. Although not sure if you have cool summers like we do.

Mary
Mary,
I took your advice and ordered seeds of Petit Gris de Rennes. The seeds were started indoors very late, on June 20th. Recently the vines started running, and there are cute little melons forming. If our hot weather sticks around they may even have time to ripen. 🤞
 

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Country Homesteader

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48 cupcakes I made early this AM and the sheet pan CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES I made just a little bit ago. In AM I'm going to make HOMEMADE Buttercream frosting and a small border on the cookies then use rest for cupcakes
 

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