So...I've been thinking that the fairly shady area where the new lettuce bed was going to go, won't work. I've been throwing the chicken poo there, along with the bedding and kitchen scraps. (I've started throwing it into a new area, but only last week.) It won't be completely broken down by March, so it's unsafe, I guess...? Maybe I could scrap the compost off and put it somewhere else. I'm trying to not think about it too much until next month, so as not to further muddle my brain.

Nancy, will you share a pic of the library card cabinet?

When I use the world "craving" regarding me and potatoes, I'm not sure it's the correct word. I can go days without eating potatoes, but enjoy them so much. And if I could eat anything, it would be potatoes. It's strange that I don't enjoy other carbs the same way. Right now, there is a conference room table packed with all sorts of sweets: candies, cakes, pies, cookies...and I'm not interested. However, if there was a big ol pan of mashed potatoes I would be going back for seconds and thirds. I don't have any health issues that I know of...and my weight is in the normal range. I don't know...I'll keep eating the potatoes (and growing more each year!) until an issue comes up. The thing about a potato vs. a little debbie snack cake, is that a potato has nutritional value: potassium, B6, C, magnesium, and even a fair punch of protein, as well as other things.

A nap sounds lovely this afternoon.

Jennifer. . . not at all. (The reason the flower seeds are in the bottom drawer, as will the other seeds until I quit fiddling with them, is because the bottom four are the only ones you can remove from the cabinet. lol

Oh I am in TROUBLE. I have 136 plants on my WS plan. I need to hack some down! I already moved all the ones I can grow on the cart and ones I can direct-sow. I need to get rid of another 36 WS plants! I have enough containers for 200, but want to plant double of some. This is brutal. I'll keep whittling. Meanwhile, it's not like I have ROOM for everything. Yep, will keep whittling.

What an idiot I am. Not in trouble at all. . . .don't even ask. I really only have 110 total, or so.

This morning I had a long post going and managed to close out the tab. :(

Dawn, I remember running around the track in GRADE school and HATING it. I was the kid who was inside reading a book all summer (winter, too.) I saw where you got more than 2" and I'm glad it didn't all fall at the mesonet station and pass you by! Tulsa mesonet got .78" and Skiatook got .03. I fall somewhere in between. The dog has had muddy paws all day, so we did pretty good. I'm glad Jet has learned to live with the chickens. There is hope for Honey, I guess. I don't dislike papalo. I've never had volunteers that I know of. This year it didn't even ripen seeds. But I am much further north than you. Last year I had the beautiful bed of purple kales and tatsoi and in fact I had every variety of kale I could find tucked into flower beds and other beds, and we had that one night when it went down to 5. Everything died except for one scarlet kale. I don't remember if I covered them. I may not have. Come to think of it I had a broken wrist. I hope I have time to do that in the next week.

Nancy, my seeds are not that organized, though they make sense to me. Cool season alphabetized on the left, warm season on the right...not really alphabetized, because tomatoes are first, and separated into slicer, cherry, dwarf, paste. I suppose cucumbers, melons, okra are probably alphabetized. Ornamentals are lumped together all in one baggie. Herbs moved to the second drawer this year to make more room, where they live with things with big seeds, like beans and peas. There is a yogurt tub of rye grass in there, too. The bottom drawer has baggies of saved seeds and some supplies.

Kim, I will send you my spreadsheets. Message me with your email on facebook. Spreadsheets are how I wrap my head around things, whether it's paying bills or comparing dehydrators to buy. So my gardening spreadsheets are "intense". Probably more stuff than most people want, but you can take what you want from it.

My son asked what I wanted. I said dirt. He threatened to buy geese. He may have settled on a worm farm.

My condolences on the loss of your friend.

I ordered from Seeds n Such last spring. Check the number of seeds you are receiving. The premise here, like Sample Seed Shop, is smaller amounts for lower prices. I have no complaints about them.

H/J, I know you are organized. One cannot do the things you do and NOT be organized. I used to always say I have to get organized. One day I realized you can't raise 4 kids and not be organized. Yes, I felt disorganized. I felt like I never got a head. I finally had to admit MY form of organization suited ME. I would never have a magazine picture home. It would never be as clean as I wanted. I wouldn't ever do all the things with my kids I thought I should. And if anything, I regret not taking them to the zoo instead of cleaning. So I still look for smarter ways to do things, but I don't beat myself up about it anymore.

Nancy, I'm envious of your card file. Both for keeping seeds and because I love those library card files. Yours is beautiful.

Had to make a run to Sprouts because daughter is feeling puny and took the last of the elderberry syrup last night. She whined she wanted homemade chicken soup, so her dad made her some. She's not spoiled, right?

I have been in the kitchen all day. Anything that involves a rolling pin and cookie cutters is done and put away. Although, that means I have half a megaton of cookies to start decorating tomorrow, after morning errands and before dinner out with the family. Turtles are finished, and peanut butter balls done. Also changed sheets and washed blankets.

Squirrels still busy here. Today I saw one run across my yard carrying half a hot dog bun. I'm sure they're feeling the weather change.

I think the most organized I'll ever get is keeping ornamentals and edibles in separate boxes. This year my big plan is to save the packets of seeds I plant, so I have an idea of what is what. Even though I'll mark my jugs, I'll still forget what my shorthand means.

Nancy, I learned to date my jugs when I sow them, so I can keep track of how long stuff took to sprout, etc. Except that I never officially kept track of that. I'm sure you probably will. I just set them out and then checked them weekly or so.

My cat is obsessed with catching the mouse that moved into the garage behind the water heater, so today she turned a paper bag into a hunting blind, and sat in wait all afternoon. I didn't know how to explain to her that I doubted the mouse would come out while I was running around baking cookies. The other day she set one of her toy mice right in front of the water heater closet door, then backed up and laid in wait. Not sure what she was doing with that, either.

She sounds like a genius cat!! Rebecca! Today when I was making labels for the WSs, GARRY said, "You should put the day you plant them on the labels." I said, "Great idea, thank you!" Can you believe he came up with that one? Wow. I think I'll also add a column in my spreadsheet for it.

I stupidly miscounted my WS plants AND my grow cart plants. Don't ask and I won't have to explain. (Hint--Amy, it had to do with the fact that I'd put filter on that column.)

MY DIL Steph has always picked THE best presents for me! She got me that cabinet to use for my CDs. But I loved seeing my CDs at my fingertips in regular open CDs, so Ii used the little cabinet for storing small quilt scraps. When I got here, I put the small quilt pieces in small plastic storage bins, and the library cabinet has sat empty. Got the brilliant idea of moving into the art room so I could see it, first, and then use it for the seeds.

That card file is beautiful. I really like antique furniture and unique pieces.
I can not eat potatoes because they mess with my blood sugar too much. When I do cheat either I sense it or someone near me does lol. Potatoes used to be my favorite food. They are not worth it now. If I do eat potatoes I prefer purple organic ones. Otherwise I just stick with my sweet potatoes.
Dawn I do have The Autoimmune books by Sarah Ballantyne THE Paleo mom. I have not read the whole thing because its very scientific because she is a scientist and so technical. But such great info for anyone that has an autoimmune disease. I literally hate being i my own skin when I do not follow the protocol.
And I will behave myself if he comes to town. My son is already laying down the law so his dad may not show his face here. What a good boy I raised.
Amy I will send my email thru fb. I never did figure out gw system. My seed log was very intense spreadsheet but dont have a computer I can use yet. Thank you!

It's not antique, Kim, just an antique look-alike. Many places sell them today online.

Well, regarding food. . . . basically I'm in the Dawn camp, but basically because I just found what works better for me and what not so much. And because I don't eat much anymore since I no longer have breakfast or lunch. Most folks would be horrified by our eating regime. I've been scolded all my life for not being a breakfast eater. After trying to for a couple/three decades, I decided to listen to my body, regarding breakfast. My body always said, "Eat breakfast and you'll be asleep in school (or at work.)" It said that at lunch-time, too. (I had such trouble staying awake at school and work from 1-2 pm. Torture. Further, I found that if I happened to be totally engaged in one of my passions, I never even noticed lunch.) I have some loved ones who get headaches if they don't nibble through the day or have breakfast or skip lunch. Here's what works really good for both Garry AND me: a whatever-I want to eat for dinner--no restrictions. But it has to have SOME veggies, sometimes ALL veggies; and most often, but not always, a meat or heavy protein of some kind; light on carbs, but have potatoes 3 or four times a week (but like Dawn, light on the potatoes), and substitute rice or pasta occasionally. We don't restrict butter or oils, but are reasonable with the oils, perhaps not so much with the butter. (grin, like Dawn says.) Or bacon (though are reasonable with it.) Garry has a very light breakfast--tomorrow's for him will be egg salad on toast. Sometimes it's a store-bought breakfast bowl; sometimes a piece of toast with peanut butter. Homemade sweets and candy and pies--I LOVE them. But because my stomach has shrunk, once dinner is over, I never have room for them. Nor does he. So I've pretty much given up baking, and hence, have lost my love for sweets. Lean and mean and energetic is how I like to feel (and harder to get to feeling like that with every passing year!! LOL). The main thing I think we're lacking is fruit. That's why I had been researching juicers, but now think I can just do them with blenders.

So in essence, I do one meal a day; Garry, a VERY light breakfast; AND I also often do a late night snack--and because I have trouble falling asleep, a heavy carbohydrate cheese quesadilla. Works like magic.

All I'm trying to say is do what makes you feel best, most energetic, DO that. That's what I've learned for ME.

Nancy, A friend of mine bottlefed a newborn kitten for a couple of months after its feral mother apparently abandoned it when it was about 2 days old. I have nothing but admiration for someone who will bottlefeed a kitten for a couple of months, 24/7, because you give up sleep, you stop going out places unless you can take the kitten and bottles along, etc. That cat now thinks she is his mama, and his preferred place to sleep is just anywhere on top of her body. At least now that he's older, he'll also sleep on her husband's lap or on her bed or clothes, but he is bonded to her for life.

Jennifer, I think if you take a shovel and bury all that chicken stuff down about 8-12" below ground, it will continue to decompose and enrich the soil there (a method known as trench composting) and you can plant your lettuce right on top of that and it should grow just fine and will be safe to eat. My dad often trench composted due to a lack of space for a true compost pile (big back yard, but dogs, cats, 4 kids, etc.). He'd dig a trench in between two rows of veggies and fill the trench with compostable material even during the growing season. When the trench was full, he'd cover it with soil and dig a new trench in the next pathway between two rows. The following growing season, the previous year's trench areas became the new areas where rows were planted, and the row areas from the previous years became the new trench areas.

I think you are wise to listen to your body---if it wants potatoes, feed it potatoes. I agree that the carbs in any veggie, even the veggies considered high-carb, are better than the carbs from processed products made with sugars and grains. It is interesting that you mentioned Little Debbie cakes, as my mom has been addicted to those for as far back as my memory goes---and I know I can remember some things back to when I was 5 years old. My mom ate anything/everything made of processed sugars and grains, and she didn't really care what she made for the six of us for dinner---she didn't care what the meat was, she didn't care what the vegetable was---just whatever she could make in 30 minutes or less because she completely hated cooking (but loved baking junk food) but she made sure we had dessert every night. Think about that. It is all wrong and all backwards. Clearly she craved sweets and that is the eating path she chose to follow, and in our childhood years she dragged us along that path with her. Her personal result? She has been dealing with diabetes for almost 50 years, developed nonalcholic fatty liver disease in the 1980s or earliest 1990s, and now is on dialysis because diabetes destroyed her kidneys. Had she chosen to forego dialysis, we would have lost her 10-12 years ago. Dialysis is painful and there's lot of complications and she has been through a lot, and I feel bad for her, but I also think she did this to herself by choosing to eat so poorly. In her case (apparently) listening to her body led her down the wrong path. I wonder how different the last 50 years of her life could have been if she had craved potatoes, carrots and sweet potatoes instead of craving processed sweets? I know we'll never know the answer to that, but I cannot help thinking she would have been better off eating potatoes instead of Debbie Cakes.

Nancy, I love the card file!

Amy, I didn't like running around the track in school either. I did like it in the 1980s, largely because it helped me lost the pregnancy weight, but running is not, and never has been, my favorite thing. Tim adores it. He can run all he wants, and he can run extra for me if he wants. I won't object. I feel like walking the dogs is enough for me. We do walk at a good pace, except for when they stop to sniff things and all, but it is nowhere near a running pace.

The rain was heavenly, even with all the complications like it knocking out the DirecTV, and somehow a power pole west of town caught fire and a lot of people lost their electrical service until that burning power pole could be disconnected, taken down and replaced, but it didn't affect our electrical service here. So, you see, we cannot even get one measly rainstorm without complications.

Rebecca, That is bad news about the squirrels. I was hoping they'd just spontaneously disappear somehow. You cat seems to be enormously entertaining. Pumpkin doesn't like fake mice at all and won't play with them, but if I hook three elastic ponytail bands together, he'll play with that thing forever...and will bring it to you to throw so he can chase and retrieve it, over and over again like a dog with a ball. He will play with any rodent he can find outdoors, and loves to go into our next door neighbors 45-acre pasture to hunt rats. Then he irritates me by bringing one home, alive, and playing with it and toying with it for hours. I don't think he ever kills them....I think he walks away and leaves them when he is tired of playing. He does not listen to my admonitions to not bring home rats from the field next door.

Kim, When I eat foods that I've previously learned I should not eat, I always live to regret it too. It isn't at all hard to figure out which foods make me feel crappy, but it sometimes is very hard to not eat them anyway. Before I largely gave up grains and sugars, I didn't realize how much they affected my body in negative ways, Now, when I slip up and eat them, I feel bloated, achy and crappy in general, and my ankles, hips, back and knees (and stomach too) hurt nonstop. As soon as I cut those offending foods out of my diet, all the aches and pains miraculously vanish. So, if Tim and I are out shopping and running errands and I opt to eat a hamburger (instead of a healthy salad, let's say, with no grain products in it), I will pay the price for choosing the hamburger. One of these days I'll learn to stop choosing the hamburger! However, it is just so hard to not choose the hamburger---I'll think to myself that every meal I ate all week long was healthy, so how much can it hurt to have one meal that's not so healthy? Well, it can hurt a lot apparently. Oh, and the part I don't understand is that the bad crap didn't make me have those aches and pains in the beginning---but once I gave them up and my body got used to being without them, it began to react strongly (with aches and pains) whenever I ate them again. It is like now that my body knows what it feels like when it isn't being fed grains and sugars, it gets mad (and achy and painful) when it is fed them again.

Amy, Your daughter is not spoiled---she is well loved and well cared for. I think when we adults are sick, we still want for someone to baby us and make us feel better, so I'm glad she got the homemade soup.

Nancy, You're using a nutritional approach known as intermittent fasting, whether you know it or not (lol), and it is incredibly popular with some folks---especially those who choose to follow some specific ways of eating like Primal, Paleo, Wheat Belly (in some cases) or Keto. Many people who use intermittent fasting on purpose (your choice sounds intuitive rather than deliberate) will eat all their meals within a certain window of time daily---often within an 8 hour window or some within a 4-6 hour window. There are many benefits from eating this way, and one of them is that it keeps a person's blood sugar on an even keel so they do not crave bad stuff. I ate keto most of the autumn with intermittent fasting (usually only 2 meals daily within a 6-8 hour window) and I liked it. However, I was doing something wrong (maybe too little protein or not working out hard enough with weights because my fat and carb gram intake was perfect and my protein intake seemed perfect, but couldn't have been based on my results) and was losing too much weight, so I backed off a bit from the keto diet and from the intermittent fasting. As soon as I can figure out how to do it without losing too much weight, I'll resume it though, because I felt really great when eating that way. I think I need to adjust my calorie intake upward a nit and adjust my protein/carb/fat macros and eat slightly more carbs or more protein or something, but a person just has to experiment with macros to see what matches their fitness regime as well). Some hard-core nutritional enthusiasts who are combining intermittent fasting with Primal, Paleo or Keto, especially if they work out with weights a lot, go on to extend their intermittent fasting to 2 or 3 days, which I cannot even imagine. If I am eating only one or two meals a day within an 8 hour window, I feel great, but by the next morning, I am ready to eat! So, I cannot imagine fasting for 2 or 3 days. For me, that's never gonna happen. It certainly never will happen during tomato season.

The thing that frustrates me is that basically EVERYTHING the USDA and nutritional experts have told us about how to eat over the last 4 or 5 decades has been 100% wrong. Luckily, I stopped listening to them in the late 1980s or 1990s. Now, the more I ignore their standard advice, the better I feel. Isn't that food for thought? A couple of years ago I read the book "The Cholesterol Myth" and learned that people taking statins to lower cholesterol had a higher mortality rate (if you look at the data Mortality--All Causes) than people who didn't take statins. What? It was stunning--and there was tons of real research to back up the authors' assertion. So, I explained it all to Tim and told him he ought to stop taking the statin that our doctor prescribed for his cholesterol. He did. When he went in for his annual checkup, he hadn't yet told the doctor he'd stopped taking his statins---but the doctor started talking to him and said that, based on research, he no longer recommends the use of statins---and Tim said "Good, my wife made me stop taking them". I was rolling on the floor laughing at his suggestion that I 'made' him do anything. Anyhow, the doctor was pleased, especially since Tim's bloodwork looked better without the statins than it did when he was on them. Yet, many doctors still prescribe statins and millions of people still take them. For what purpose? I believe it is to enrich Big Pharma and Big Medicine. I respect some aspects of medical science--I am a cancer survivor and know medical intervention saved my life, but I don't believe we should listen to the medical establishment when it comes to nutrition because they don't know enough about it and they've been feeding us bad info about nutrition for decades.

Dawn

I don't have time right now for a long post, but I had to say, I asked our doctor about statins DH is on, I said I'd heard they didn't really work, and HE said, they do work and they are considering giving them to people who don't have high cholesterol. I thought that was ridiculous. I don't like what I've read about them. There is one expensive drug they prescribed for him that he chose not to take.

Mom is having heart issues. She has been on cholesterol lowering drugs for a long time. They haven't really helped. She is one of those people with genetically high cholesterol (no, so far I DO NOT have that) But her issues aren't blockages. She now has A-fib and perhaps congestive heart failure. She is a low fat person. I won't change her and apparently I can't make her stop cooking. She bought $200 in groceries yesterday. Home cooked food is better than processed, as long as she doesn't burn the house down.

Dad comes home today, so we are going up there.

I did NOT know it, Dawn! We get a hard time from nearly everyone about our approach. Really have no idea about contemporary diets, period. Pretty much know what paleo is, but beyond that, had no clue. What a chuckle I got when I checked the basic keto diet and intermittent fasting. I do fit very much into the keto diet with some transgression. That fascinated me. And it recommends those on the keto diet should not eat fruit except for the berry family (which is pretty much the only fruit I DO eat, with the exception of frozen peaches, or sometimes a can of apple juice. You nailed me, Dawn.

A daughter came down last Father's Day to go to church with us; a surprise for her Dad. She had called me the night before and told me, and asked if there was someplace we could go for lunch afterward. I said, "NO. There is NO place in Wagoner to have a nice lunch, cept the Mexican place, and that's way too heavy a lunch." And really, we never do lunch, anyway. But we could come back to the house and visit. She was good with that. Meantime, another daughter and her darling grown kids met us here after church, so there were six of us. We were having a great time visiting, and about 2 pm, the first one said, "You really DON'T eat lunch, do you! I laughed and said, "Nope." She then said, "NANCY--I'm STARVING! And one of the grandkids said, "So am I!" Oh my gosh, we all laughed SO hard. I apologized mightily, and ran in and quick warmed up the day before's chicken chili sitting in the fridge, and there was plenty to eat. If I had ever been used to eating lunch, it would have dawned on me that most folks DO. So it might have been rude, but it was a totally clueless rude since we never think about it. And we all got a great laugh out of it. She still loves to tell everyone that story, and it's funny every time she does.

Of course, occasionally we detour if it's a social event (like tomorrow's lunch will be), and then that'll be the meal of the day, with some kind of light snack or my cheese quesadilla in the evening. For GDW, probably a PB and honey sandwich.

So funny to know, now when the kids or friends razz us about one meal a day, we can tell them were on the keto plan with intermittent fasting!!

I so agree. One size does not fit all when it comes to food!!

We have a dilemma. Our doctor retired 2 1/2 years ago, right after my visit to my new doctor (and GDW's longtime doc). Well now we decided we'd find a new doctor. GDW wanted to get his records from the old one--not only is the doctor gone, of course, but we can't find the CLINIC (in Owasso). I don't know quite know how to go about finding where his medical records are! Anyone have any tips?

Yes, I have never bottle fed a baby animal. That WOULD be a rewarding challenge. I can see where you two are imprinted on each other!

Oh dear. . . . the task-at-hand today, More WS containers to prepare, and then the planting begins! Happy Winter Solstice, everyone!!

Missed your post, Amy. Have a good trip. Statins--everything I've seen makes me not trust statins.

Never mind regarding the records, found them.

Could I get a copy of those spreadsheets y'all are working on? I'm making my own notes but would love to compare. Plus I'm learning a new software at work & have an idea how to use garden planting data as a training tool.

I planned to start a few containers today or this weekend, but with little miss nuisance still getting into my garden, anything i plant is likely to end up unplanted. I'll be glad when puppy stage ends.

Amy in my experience you are right about statins. They may help a little but the side effects out weigh the benefit. Sever dementia is the worst and everyone I know who takes statins has suffered terribly.

My cholesterol went down when I increased good clean fats and completely quit grains and sugar.

Dr. Benjamin Edwards has awesome videos at Veritas medical they are in Lubbock. You can find them on the Internet

Dr. FITT also has info concerning nutrition and health versus drugs.

I don't have time right now to catch up on everything that's been said today, but I dropped in to make this public service announcement: this is the first day of winter and our high temperature today in Love County so far is 76 degrees. That's all.

Ok, home from B'ville. Dad did NOT get to come home today. I hope tomorrow. DH may go up there, but I will be at Desi Wok, come hell or high water (but not ice). He looks and sounds good, and walked well while we were there, but his heart did something strange, and the wanted to monitor him one more day.

18 hawks seen today, 5 of which were Kestrels.

Rebecca, I'm hoping your squirrel dies from wheat belly ;) I think your cat is positively brilliant to try to lure the mouse out with a toy mouse. You should video that and put it on facebook. Ours left a not quite dead one in front of the bathroom door. DH gave it a burial at sea.

Nancy, I've never done well with filters in Excel.

I get sick if I don't eat at regular intervals. I CAN skip breakfast, and do, if I plan to be working or exercising. But I can't go all day. I have read about the fasting, but I could not do it.

I was wondering if GDW was at the clinic we use, that moved because private practices are not allowed any more. (Did y'all know that? If your doctor is not affiliated with one of the giant medical corporations, they get fined severely.)

Ha ha, Dawn, my daughter IS spoiled, and always has been. She was the princess among 3 brothers. She is learning that adulting isn't always easy.

Jennifer, if you contact me on facebook or follow me here and give me your email, I will send you my spreadsheets.

Dawn, I think this was the last really nice day for awhile.

Amy, Your doctor's response doesn't shock me. Many doctors have their minds made up and nobody is going to change them. I am glad Tim's doctor made a decision that we agreed with, but Tim would have stopped taking the statin even if our doctor advised against stopping.

I learned long ago I couldn't change my mom (or dad, but at least he always tried to eat right and stay physically active---she did neither one) and that's a hard thing to accept. She still drives my siblings nuts and I just remind them that they cannot change her and it is just more stress on them if they don't accept that.

I'm glad your dad came home. Just being home should be a huge relief---I don't know anyone who likes to be in a hospital, rehab center or anything similar.

Well, once Tim's dad was senile enough that he needed to be in an assisted living center, he was so far gone that he thought he was on a cruise. An endless cruise that he loved. It made us giggle, but....what did it hurt? He and Tim's mom, when she was still alive, had gone on cruises every year, so if he spent the final year of his life thinking he was on one long cruise, then at least he was happy (though apparently he never realized he never saw water when he looked out the windows of the assisted living center).

Nancy, See there---you are following some of the hottest nutritional techniques in use right now and you didn't even know it. How's that for being a true visionary?

Tim and I try to eat healthy 80-90% of the time. I don't think it is possible to eat healthy 100% of the time---I don't know anyone with that sort of willpower. I also refuse to beat up myself or him mentally if we eat a less than perfect meal. We aren't trying to be perfect---just trying to do the best we can to eat well as much of the time as possible. Sometimes you just have to let yourself have that hamburger or the nachos or the chocolate cake....or whatever it is that makes a person happy.

Jen, I have a 13 year old dog who still is more puppy than dog, so I am wondering when her puppy stage will end. Hopefully your dog grows up, or at least acts more mature, than my perpetual puppy. She is banned from the garden because she's a digger.

Kim, It is the same for us. Eating low fat, back when we did it, did nothing for us. Cutting out the grains and sugars made an almost instant change. It is simply mind-boggling. I feel like everything they (with they being the Medical-Nutritional-Big Pharma complex) told us for decades was wrong. Now, when those folks recommend doing something, I instantly feel like I need to just go ahead and do the exact opposite of what they are recommending. I am so bad, but fairly healthy, so misbehaving and ignoring the so-called conventional wisdom really does work for me.

We have a Christmas miracle in the making. Of the 4 amaryllis bulbs I planted, two bloomed and are done. One sent up leaves, but no flowering stalks (not uncommon). The fourth didn't grow at all, but I kept it in a sunny window and have watered it regularly. Lo and behold, the fourth one suddenly is sending up a stem with blooms on the end of it---from no growth at all for about 4-6 weeks to suddenly being about to bloom by close to Christmas. It is crazy. Today was warm and nice and lovely and all that changes as the cold front blows through. It was nice while it lasted. And...today my son referred to his girlfriend's two children as "your future gkids" in a text message to me. Hmmm. I wonder if someone is getting a ring for Christmas, or if he's just hinting that it will happen somewhere down the line? I guess we'll wait and see what happens on Christmas morning.

Dawn

I spend the day in the kitchen, and y'all are going around solving the world's health problems, lol.

I did not do well on the autoimmune protocol. In addition to not really feeling any relief from my symptoms on it, once you subtracted all the foods I don't/can't eat for various reasons (don't like, digestive system doesn't tolerate, allergic, etc), I ended up with only about 2 dozen foods I could eat, and that just wasn't enough for me. I don't do well on very restricted diets, and if I didn't feel a dramatic difference in how I felt, I didn't think it was worth it. I usually have a protein bar, shake, or smoothie for breakfast, leftovers or a sandwich for lunch, and a basic protein/veg/starch dinner, in some form. Sometimes oatmeal gets substituted in somewhere, sometimes a fruit, sometimes an omelet. Pasta appears a couple times a month. I'm happier keeping my options open. If anything, I generally fit a standard O+ diet, which I think leans paleo, but I don't like enough paleo foods to go paleo. But, I feel my best with a fairly high protein intake, so I do keep an eye on that. I did give up all foods containing HFCS - that stuff seriously messes with your metabolism. Haven't really missed that. I get the potato love, too. Sometimes they're one of the only things that I can eat without giving my stomach a problem. Old folklore is that potatoes help heal the gut. One thing I don't do is eat a starch/carb by itself. I always balance it with a protein and a bit of fat. Helps keep your insulin response more steady. And there's nothing wrong with the hit of potassium you get from them.

My doctor would like me to be taking a statin, but I'm not convinced they do more good than bad. I do have hardcore genetic high cholesterol. They said that I could consume only lettuce and water, and I'd still have high cholesterol.

I did order a few seeds today, but I had to. I needed something from Amazon, but it was an add on item, so I needed $25 worth of stuff to order it. So I have some marigolds, white coneflowers, and painted daisies coming. Nancy, I'm not sure if I'll order the Rebecca MGs or not. I saw too many other things on there that I want! I have to remember that the flowerbed is only so big, unless I can get the cutting garden going. I'll need a few flowerpots on the front porch, I guess.

Oh dear--how will your Dad get home tomorrow? Will DH go, or your sister?

I've not been firing on all cylinders. First the enormous screw up with WS; then the doctor. I was thinking Collinsville, but looking in Owasso for the doctor! Yes, the doc's office was right where it always was, in Collinsville. And the medical records are now housed at--gasp, nightmare--OSU. I only got recorders when I called, promising to call me back. Of course that didn't happen today. I'll have to go back online and see if the site has any specific directions for obtaining medical records. And, Amy, I must say, that giant medical monopoly stuff--seems like that should be illegal.

Amy, you'll laugh when I tell you what I did with the filters. Let's just say, they worked like they're supposed to. It was empty-headed-operator error.

I think GDW will be at lunch, too. He has to pick up his hammer drill; so decided to go. I don't think he quite understands this. . . . and I didn't tell him! LOL I think he's expecting a lot of folks and that he can just sit there and smile and nod. heh heh heh. He was a champ, yesterday and today, drilling holes in all the WS containers. So they're all ready, but the labels I was expecting today didn't show up. So that put a halt to getting a slew planted today.

Cute, regarding your princess. Well, if she had to put up with 3 brothers, she deserves to be a princess!

Our last warm day wasn't even that warm, Dawn and Amy. I'm thinking 55 or so and kinda breezy, so not real comfortable outdoors. And 76 at your house, Dawn! Crazy. As absolutely angry and pouty as I get about daylight savings going off in October (?), it has been easier this year than normal, just because I've kept pretty busy inside--and with GDW burning in the fireplace this year (right after I told you all, we didn't use it very often, I've become very fond of how cozy those blowers keep the house, I've done well. And just think!! After tonight, the days will be getting LONGER!!! I made it over the hump!

Love Tom and Jerry. Love the way they hate a closed door. Love their wrestling matches and stalking one another. Love the way Jerry trots around after me if he's not napping, like a little puppy dog, and if he's napping, loves GDW's lap the best. Tom sometimes does the same thing, but not to near the extent Jerry does. Shut myself in the bathroom to get dressed this morning. Yes, that works much better with all 3 of the animals interfering otherwise. And the 2 kittens sat right outside, meowing plaintively. Tom's little 2 1/2" 3 strand light rope braid. He is VERY possessive about it, and often carries it around with him. God forbid if Jerry happens to approach, because then Tom has a big scary growl. He looks like a tiger carrying his prey or property. He's the same intent way when HE decides it's time he and I have our twice daily bonding sessions. Doesn't want me doing anything else. And, getting him to understand he may not bite, me, even love bites, has been a challenge I have to be consistent with--and the claws. He's very "intense." LOL (That's what people have accused me of being.) It will be interesting to see who he becomes as he matures. And he hasn't bonded with Garry; for now mostly tolerates him. I told GDW, if he's interested in bonding with Tom, he just has to sit at the computer out here for 4-5 hours a day, like I do. But I might not even be right about that. Tom MAY just be a one-person cat, who knows. And yet both cats are comfortable and interested in Titan, and Titan in them. Titan has a scratch on his nose that's been with him about a month. GDW and I laugh--he might have it forever. Wasn't a bad one, even, but it's still clearly visible. BUT he drew the line when the inevitable finally happened yesterday. Jerry finally could not resist Titan's tail. And Titan growled at first with no result, so finally leaped away with a sharp bark. Jerry backed off, but wasn't at all scared. Still, animals communicate, and he didn't try it again. Be interesting to watch that, too. I kind of am betting that Titan will not ever get cozy with them, even though they all seem to like each other and touch noses often. But Titan's thinking--who ARE these guys--they're nothing like my Daffy-SHE was SO mean. These guys wanna be friends.

Aahhh, Rebecca kicked in before I got this posted. LOL Rebecca, they always get ya that way, don't they? You wanna buy seeds that come to $12 with shipping--they say if you order $20 worth, shipping's free! LOLOL. Oh yeah, that must be why I ended up with 5 years worth of seeds in one season.

And--did you WS your Cape Daisies last year? ( I didn't have them on the WS list.) If so, let me know.

What's HFCS?

You know, I have never really studied nutrition very much. Just knew I needed lots of veggies. Knew I could not give up meats, fish, or cheese. Thrilled to find out eggs were back on the good list. Never even considered giving up fats in moderation. I was always too poor to buy commercially prepared dinners. And of course logic told me fresh was better. I want salt that is salt. I want a sauce that isn't a canned soup--bechamel or marinara or bolognese . . they truly are just as easy and carve dollars off the grocery bill. Today I used the IP/crockpot for a sleezy hamburger dish (involving green beans, corn, onions, garlic, bechamel sauce with mushrooms (that was my substitution for canned mushroom soup, and yummier cuz it involved butter). Oh, and a bit of cubed potato. It was YUMMY.

I am not a great fan of green beans--not once in my lifetime have I ever combined green beans in a hamburger dish. I bought two packages of frozen green beans at Aldi, and threw in half of one of those into the crockpot today. GDW and I both proclaimed this dish as a "will-do-again."

Like I said before, I am totally freed of weird things, like Cheetos, most potato chips, and everything else, commercially prepared "easy to do" stuff. We can actually taste the difference in a NY minute--and not just me, but GDW, too, when we go to restaurants. Same with snacks in a vending machine--they're like poison now, to both of us. When we spent some time with one of my brothers in an ICU in Denver 3-4 years ago, the only food we had access to was vending machines. Not good. And thinking over my life in office jobs, if I didn't think to take a lunch, got addicted to vending machines. All fillers, no nutrition, and probably many really bad side effects.

I only landed on this way of our eating, was because first, this was the way GDW operated (but with breakfast). But second, I remembered that when I was focused on painting, I never even thought of lunch ( and never did breakfasts); and then, when I was out here in the yard working, didn't, either. So. No pressure on me to fix a lunch for GDW.

So for me, it ended up being not so much what I should eat, as when did I want to eat. That was at 6 pm and sometimes 10 pm. And then whatever I felt like eating, we eat. So that was my Keto/intermittent fast answer, Dawn. GDW does his light breakfast. Occasionally one or the other of us will walk by and grab a handful of nuts.

All I'm trying to say is that I live by very few rules with our eating. 1. No commercially prepared foods, if possible. 2. Nothing that's not good for us. 3. Don't eat when we don't feel like eating, eat lots of fresh or frozen veggies. 4. Eat what's good for us. 5. Eat what we want. 6. Don't worry about "diets."

Nancy, yes. WS Cape Daisies.

HFCS is high fructose corn syrup.

Dawn.. . . how'd you sneak in between posts! Can hardly wait til Christmas morning!!! ( And I love being a Visionary... LOLOL).

Hi everyone!

Don't mind me rambling today. Should I get a cast iron skillet or a non-stick pan? Any recommendations? I love the seasoned Le Creuset cast iron pan that I used at the airbnb during our vacation, but I realize it's a vintage model that has a long wooden handle. Somehow all the new cast iron pans (from different brands) all have short handles (probably due to weight?). I need something to fry eggs. It is impossible (for me?) to do that on stainless steel.

I'm also buying some gardening things off Amazon. Think I'll get these 7 gallon grow bags to grow zucchinis and potatoes next year, and a hori hori garden knife. Any recommendations for a water hose? The cheap one I got from a garage sale has split because I've been yanking it all over the yard. I think I remember Dawn saying that hers are from Sears around 1990s, and they no longer make them with the same quality.

Oh, I'm glad to know that lavender is tricky to grow from seed because mine germinated in summer this year, but somehow have all wilted in around Sep/Oct.

Amy, Nancy, I can't wait to see y'all tomorrow! Are we going to Stringers after lunch? Nancy, have you been there? Amy, I hope your dad gets to go home tomorrow.

HJ, I used to have a livejournal too! Used to wrote my heart out in my teen/college years and made quite a few friends through it. I used to live in Singapore which is a small country, so it was actually very easy to make friends and meet up with them. Back then, the Internet wasn't as "scary" a place too. Funnily, this forum reminds me of the good Livejournal times too. If only we are not so far from each other. Hmm maybe it's a good thing, or I would invite myself to join you in your pilates class. Haha

All the talk y'all are having about food and nutrition is making me feel guilty for not eating better and exercising more. I know and have seen it make a difference. My close friend's dad had diabetes over 10 years ago, but he immediately changed up his lifestyle (exercise & healthier food) so that he does not need to rely on insulin. Is it funny that there's pretty much no one around DH and me that loves to cook AND tries to cook/prepare healthy meals? I mean it's no excuse at all, but it would feel easier when people around us are doing the same. I did start walking/jogging around my neighborhood more often, but the fleas always get me even when it's colder these days. Not sure why I am always so optimistic that the fleas won't get me, or that my skin would not be sensitive to them. Why is there not a park near me, and why do I always forget to put bug spray!

Thanks for listening if you read through everything. I really appreciate having a avenue to talk and ask about gardening and everything else. Good night/day!

70 at home. I was cleaning loading packing and it took so long the cold front moved in before I got out of town. It was below 50 when I left. Just now settled in at mothers and will be up at 6 heading to Wills Point ? For the funeral. I hope I don't slobber the whole time eek.

Rebecca I feel so much better on AIP I really wonder why I cheat. I do wish it was easier.

Eileen, definitely get a Lodge cast iron skillet. (Lodge is lighter than some unknown brands). You have to season them, then they are pretty much no stick. I gave up teflon when I read about how terrible the manufacturing process is on the people around it and how bad it is for you when it starts to break down. There are other non stick options I know nothing about, but daughter has an enameled pan she likes. The trick to stainless steel is getting it hot enough first. Sometimes I can do it, sometimes I fail.

I will post more later.

Good morning, Eileen! We can talk skillets today. And everything else! :) I have a couple ideas. . . . speaking of which, I have not been very happy with the three last ones I got. Cannot get them smooth! Just checked out a review from Epicurious, and decided I'll do more research before I buy another one. . . I've not been happy with the last two Lodges I got. . . Amy, we'll have to discuss seasoning. https://www.google.com/search?q=high+quality+cast+iron+skillet&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS763US763&oq=high+quality+cast+iron+skillet&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.5390j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Woo-hoo. I am ahead of schedule today. Time to lollygag for a few minutes. Is someone taking notes of things we must discuss today at this meeting?? Oh, my head is reeling from thinking about seeds, reading about seeds, getting them lined out for WS. Truly. My head is swimming. Rebecca. Well, maybe this year I'll keep track of the plants growing! I laughed. I don't think you have me pegged exactly right. lol THE one thing I KNOW I will remember is to keep the plants LABELED!! WITH their exact names! And things so many of you know are new to me. Hence the reason for studying and using the info you all provide, and committing it to docs is so I can re-read and take to heart!

Wish you were going to be at lunch today to talk plants with us. Amy's spreadsheet is awesome, you guys! Mine's kinda thrown together for now. How long have you been working on the one of yours, Amy?

Kim, crying is good. Just take kleenex. God be with you.

Happy winter and here's to SOME cold weather, right? We want this to kill pests, right?

DH is coming too.

2014 is probably the earliest spreadsheet. It has evolved, probably out of control since then. I make a new copy each year. So the 2014 one was just a list of what I was interested in growing, with columns for Winter Sow, Direct Sow, Start Indoors, Fall Only, For Containers. There was a column for the reason I wanted to grow it (like Dawn recommends). A basic formula that took how many weeks before last frost date to start indoors (taken from a spreadsheet I found on line) and a wider column for notes and catalog description. It needed a Days to Maturity column added. Now I sometimes use formulas to pull info from the main page for various lists. I have odd notations meant to help with sorting. In 2016 I numbered everything and used those numbers on my labels. I didn't like that system. I have a sheet for spring planting and one for fall and a separate one for herbs and ornamentals because they made the others too long. There is a map sheet, for planning where things go. I also have a purchasing spreadsheet. Are your eyes glazing over yet? Ha ha.

Dawn, how exciting that you may get a DIL and grandkids.

Rebecca, your baking just makes me feel guilty, sort of, but I don't need that stuff. I told DH no to a donut this morning. I knew it would make me feel bad.

Eileen, the best gardening tool I ever purchased was a hori hori from Gardener's supply. I bought the one with a sheath, but I don't use it. I like the handle shape of this one compared to the Amazon one.

Kim, I hope your day goes well. I agree with Nancy, cry if you need/want to.

DH will talk your ears off about cast iron. He has it all and is sad he doesn't need something new. We did crack one somehow. It leaks! You can't see it. Anyway, so far he has not found the replacement for that pan.

Yay, see you all in a few.

Hope y'all are enjoying the meeting!

My first vote is always cast iron, the vintage stuff instead of the newer junk if possible. Once you have it seasoned properly, it's one of the best non stick surfaces.

Had to run out on my break to do some Christmas shopping, all I have left is my brother and dad, but I won't be seeing dad until Jan so I've still got some time. Christmas candy is done, brother is hosting so I just need to make a couple things to take with us.

Amy, I sent you a message by facebook. At least, I hope it's you. Otherwise some woman named Amy is probably confused.

Ha ha ha, we forgot to talk about skillets.

Ron coats cast iron with shortening (the only thing we use it for) and bakes it in the oven at 350, usually till I complain it stinks. It doesn't have to go that long, and I don't know how long that is. There are different schools for time and temp. Certainly 30 minutes is long enough. If you cook something in it that screws up the surface, you can sand it and re-season it. I've said before, I wash them. I don't soak them, if I can help it, but we probably re-season every 2nd or 3rd use, depending on what it was used for. I avoid boiling in it, and tomato sauce, both of which will take the seasoning off. Now, I like to wash it, dry it, heat it on the stove and then wipe some cooking oil on it while it's still hot, to stretch the time between re-seasoning. But it doesn't always happen. Oh, and if you put a paper plate in the pan you can nest pans without getting greasy black stuff on the bottom of the smaller pan.

Jen, you have mail.

We had fun at lunch. Not much gardening talk, to be honest, but a LOT of talk. I wish the weather had been nicer and the traffic better. The traffic was horrible and half of them were insane.

My dad got home today. He was asleep in his recliner when I called.

I started laughing about that 5 minutes after we left, Amy! Dagnabbit! However, you guys do it just like I do. And if I do have to wash it (I don't have to wash my favorite one if I'm just frying in it--unlike you, I'm a wipe and let 'er go. ) Having said all that, I do have my very most favorite skillet of all. I got tired of the time taken by (even large) skillets when we're having four grilled sandwiches, or company for dinner and need six hamburgers or pancakes or stuff like that. And so I got a Hamilton Beach ceramic rectangular deep dish electric skillet for $40; the "skillet" lifts right out to use as a serving dish. I LOVE that skillet for its intended purpose, and it truly DOES wipe right out or gently wash right out.. I used to use them a lot, and just remembered that this fall. Saves on mess and I like the serving dish/frying pan perk. With the new ceramic or copper finishes, pots and pans have come a long way. Plus, saves energy from using the oven, often.

A good time, indeed!

It's 32 here. . . . guess we may see some snow tonight. .4" in the rain gauge so far. It's not raining very hard, so if we DO get snow, it'll be just a skiff. Winter is HERE Dawn, is it there?

Amy, that's my main focus, too, this year,. . . .(your 2014 spreadsheet.) I'm very nervous about the winter sowing, of course, but am keeping my fingers crossed, especially since Swallowtail doesn't leave a lot of room for error with the small numbers of some of their seeds. When one sees the limited number given for the plants up front, one thinks, oh that's enough, until one then sees how microscopic some of them are! Right? Well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Ha! Eileen needs peonies--I've GOT her peonies! However, we might want to wait til next fall, Eileen. See this (backed up by many others), and I'm sure many here can throw in their advice, too. http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/outdoors/gardening/transplanting-peonies

Although I adore peonies, they need to be rescued from our too shady yard.

On the other hand, the hydrangea are doing so spectacularly here, I will move them to where the peonies presently are, and THEY should be happy. The main thing about peonies, is that beautiful as they are and as precious their scent, their bloom time is so short. And the main thing about the hydrangeas, that they are beautiful, too, and they're growing time is so LONG. Alas, they don't have a scent.

It is sleeting here.

Sleet here too. Some freezing rain. I spent the day icing cookies. Glad that part is done.

Glad y'all had a good time at lunch. Report? What all happened?

Nothing much Rebecca. . . just so lovely to connect with folks in person that I have loved here! The time was too short. Amy had to be Mom and tell us that we needed to leave because of GDW and Nancy having to get back. LOL Liked Desi Wok VERY much. Garry did not like it one little bit. (hahaha, knew he wouldn't). However! He loved the company. He thinks Ron and Amy and Eileen are golden! And guess what, like when 18 folks (HIS kids and grandkids converging, or like last summer when I hosted a weekend sleepover with 6 of the grandkids 5-12 yrs of age and he told me, "I'm not good at this"), I told him once to suck it up, and the next time he said this, I said, "Well you shoulda thought of that before you had them." ROTFL

Really, the only folks I've bonded with since moving down here (other than my wonderful friend 1/2 mile from here, but is so involved with so many people who need help, hardly see him) are you all. You guys are my lifeline, like it or not.

I don't know if it would make GDW feel any better, but when I was in highschool, my dad was kind of uncomfortable with me and my friends. Mom was the talker. She can talk to anyone. Dad was a chemist. It's kind of like engineers (my brother's an engineer, so don't think I'm being insulting) they don't connect well socially. So he's driving me somewhere silently, and I'm thinking it's great that we DON'T have to talk. We can just sit next to each other quietly and still be comfortable. And Dad says, does it bother you that I'm not talking? He was visibly relieved when I told him what I was thinking. You don't have to be good at it, you're family (or friends).

Rebecca, I think DH may have done most of the talking. Poor Eileen barely got a word in edgewise. We will do this again. Nancy comes to to town about every 2 weeks now. So speak up for a good time for you.

PS my youngest is in country. :-(

Looks like you got a few more snowflakes than we did, Amy! Looks like about an inch, from what I can see? We got the skiff I was expecting. :) I don't think GDW is so much uncomfortable in the situation. Just his PREFERENCE is peace and quiet.

:(

Whew. Got the WSing done I intended to get done for now. I'll leave the rest for end of January. I got 27 plants in, 21 to go. And more to go on the grow cart. Gotta try to whittle the pepper seeds down to something reasonable for me. I'm having a terrible time deciding. And the tomatoes!

I'm not going to plant tomatoes and peppers as early this year as I did last year, I decided. I'd put cuttings in two clear big totes and stuck on my top shelve in the cat's (art) room so they can't get to them. Two fluorescent lights are 2 feet above them, and I just have to laugh. I have no idea what I'm going to do with them when they too gigantic to be there. They sure love it up there for now. One is a brug I started from a cutting in water. . . it has been transferred to a pot, and it is very happy. A little too happy.

I have some more brugs out in the garage that Jason (I think it was Jason) said to just toss in a bag of moist soil. . . I did, and it's dark out there most of the time, but they're still putting on pale sickly eaves. . . bless their little hearts.

Holiday blessings to you all!

Amy--re agastache. . . . I guess however one wants to pronounce it!! LOL Even the experts, however, are divided on how to say it. Some pronounce it ag-ah-STAH-chee, others ag-ah-STACH. Others insist it is ah-GAST-a-key and so on!

It is Christmas Eve and I cannot catch up. The lasagna just went into the oven---two huge baking pans full, and all we'll have to do is reheat it at lunch time. That's what we're eating with my mom, siblings & spouses, their kids and grandkids, etc. today.

Chris and his girlfriend kept changing their plans, trying to accommodate all the family members who want to see her two girls (they have different dads in different cities so getting them to all the places they need to be for each family gathering can get complicated). We just kept saying...don't worry about us, we can do it on any day, at any time that works for y'all. So, how did that work out? We'd have been happy with any outcome---even just a squeezed-in visit briefly as they ran from one place to another because we know everyone wants to see the kids for Christmas, but it turns out we will have them here on Christmas Day for a slightly late lunch and then the afternoon. I'm delighted about that, but would have been equally happy if we ended up doing it this coming Saturday or whatever. Sometime after they leave us, they will drop in to visit the girls' maternal great-grandparents and then, finally, head home to open Christmas presents at their own house in the evening instead of on Christmas morning. Chris just got off work in Dallas and is stopping by here to pick up a package that was delivered here for him on Thursday. Coming off of a 24-hour shift at the fire station, he's hoping to get to sleep sometime today because they have a family Christmas gathering with his girlfriend's family tonight.

We had cold temperatures but no wintery precipitation, at least not any that we saw or that stuck to the ground. I saw on FB this morning that freezing drizzle was falling in a fairly compact area between OKC and Purcell, and I am glad we don't have that here (we're above freezing). I'm jealous of anyone else's snow. Y'all know I love snow and we rarely get any at all.

It sounds like those of you who met for lunch had fun.

Amy, I've told my son that she's a keeper, and he agreed. I also told him I like her the best of all the girls he's ever brought home to meet us, which might have surprised him. He has dated a lot of very pampered princesses, and I liked them fine (and loved some of them, including his first wife), but this lady is a real, mature woman who doesn't have to be babied, spoiled and taken care of. She can take care of herself and her kids, so to me, their relationship seems like a true relationship between equals. The first time I met her, she was out in the hot sun in the dead of summer helping him paint his house. That made an impression on me, because I was hot, tired and hanging out indoors trying to stay cool. She reminded me of my younger self that day, back before the heat made me so increasingly miserable.

My son is getting an education in little girls and the things they adore (he did have a very young step-daughter when he was married to Erica). He spent one day at the mall with his girlfriend and the girls this past week, which included too much time spent in Claire's. Ha! If that doesn't teach a guy what little girls love and adore, nothing will. He had fun, but Claire's can be very trying on one's patience.....and, once, he told me (sort of ruefully) "I live in a My Little Pony world". I was rolling on the floor laughing after that. I wanted to reply to him "Well, I lived in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle World in the 1980s and 1990s" but I didn't....and let's not even remind him about He-Man and She-Ra. There are some things from those years better left in the past. He is not a mall person at all---he'd rather die than step foot in a mall, especially at the holidays, so you know he was way out of his comfort zone on that day.

Last night when I told him I bought big Nerf guns for his cousins' little boys, it made him all nostalgic and he basically hinted that he'd love to have a Nerf gun again. lol. Maybe I'll run into a store (against my better judgement) and buy him 2 of them today (you gotta have someone shooting back at you, so one gun wouldn't be enough fun).

I've got to get off this computer and do last minute things. Oh, and feed the cats. If you sit down for a minute before you feed the cats, they notice it and raise hell.

Have a great Christmas Eve and Christmas Day everyone!

Dawn

Merry Christmas to all.

safe blessed and happy travels to everyone

How many of you have grown Sophie's Choice tomatoes? I see it was on your grow list last year, Dawn. I just ordered it yesterday for my SIL in Buffalo WY. Thinking it should do great up there. and maybe for fall, here. (She wanted a determinate.)

I love those nerf guns. You could get nerf guns for me ANY time! In fact, never mind, I'll get some. The grandkids surely need them when they visit, right? Cept I'll have to get six or so.

Hope you all are having a great time with family, if you're with family. I'm making chicken and stuffing casserole for us, and extra for a nearby shut-in couple, to take to them. And I think I'll make some mac and cheese and fresh green beans for them. No idea what their food preferences are. . . . but know few who don't like macaroni and cheese.

I will be waiting to hear about developments with Chris and his girlfriend. . . fingers crossed for something good for them both!

We had our family Christmas tonight, just me, mom, sis, BIL, niece, and nephew. Then we've stayed up late making crepes and discussing the proper way to pronounce them. I know what Santa is bringing to Mom, and BIL is going to get a whooping for it, but she will secretly love it. Santa doesn't accept returns.

Low-key day tomorrow having brunch, napping, playing with new things, napping, installation of new items at Mom's house, napping, and cooking for Mom's family to visit the next day. I will escape mid-afternoon to my house to make yeast rolls, deviled eggs, and probably more cookies. And, likely get attacked by a cat mad that I left her alone all night.

Hi Everyone. Merry Christmas. Just checking in. I've read most of the posts but can't remember much right now.

It snowed on Friday night and was so pretty. It was very little snow, but it was snow!

Looked at the garlic today and even the ones that were uncovered (the leaves/mulch blew off) are still green. I recovered everything because it's supposed to be freezing every night.

I'm having fun--staying busy, but it's the busy that recharges me. Love this season when it comes to this part. In about a month, I'll be ready to start seeds. Today, we got an extra minute of day.

Our first order of business in the new year is finding some type of fencing for the chickens. They have a coop and a covered pen, but they like to "range' some everyday. I like them to range, but they are pooping all over the back porch and digging/scratching everywhere. Our gardens are not fenced yet.

My word for 2018 (how is it already 2018!!!) is organization. I'm ordering a day planner and I'm NOT going to have another year like 2017. In February we will know what we're cooking for the band during marching season in the fall. I'm not jacking around this year--we will have a plan, have every non-perishable item purchased and ready to go WAY in advance. Plans for work will be the same. I'm tired of flopping around. Usually my word for the year is more...spiritual and less tangible. This year it's the opposite.

It's been a great past couple of days.

Santa needs to fill the stockings and put out the gifts. Got the 3rd bedroom cleaned up so Mason has a comfortable place to sleep. I'm a little sad that we're not putting out reindeer food in the front yard or even cookies and milk for Santa.

Okay--Merry Christmas again! Enjoy!

Ooops! It is week 4 and I haven't started the new thread for this week yet. I'll go do it right now. Merry Christmas, everyone, and for those who happen to celebrate some other holiday that is not Christmas....happy holidays to y'all too.

So, I'm reading backwards and trying to catch up.

Nancy, Sophie's Choice is a fine early tomato and I've noticed in some drought years that it is amazingly drought tolerant as well. I've grown it in maybe 8 or 10 years, as it has been available via seed retailers since around the mid 1990s. If you like old-fashioned tomato flavor that leans more towards being a bit tangy or acidic, you'll like this one. If you prefer sweeter fruit, this might not be a variety you'd like. Most years, the fruit on mine tend to stay on the smallish side, but that's not really uncommon with early varieties. It is great for containers as the plant itself is very compact. It does not always produce as well late in the season as some other early varieties do, so if I had limited space and had to choose between it and Early Girl, I'd choose EG over SC every time because you get more fruit per plant from the EG and season-long production.

Chris and his girlfriend are blissfully happy, so I think she's the one, and I'm going to be patient and not push them because I just want for both of them to be happy----and if it is true love (and I believe it is, and I believe they both believe that too), then it is just a matter of time. We had a fun, casual and very relaxed Christmas lunch and we kept it simple---salad, lasagna, garlic bread, green beans and a simple desert (cupcakes and cookies). Chris took home leftovers for them to have at the house and also for him to take to work tomorrow (which is unusual, because the firefighters usually cook their lunch and dinner at the station, but maybe he doesn't really like what is on tomorrow's menu). The girls wore beautiful dark blue velveteen Christmas dresses but the rest of us were in jeans or sweats.....a three year old in a pretty dress wolfing down lasagna like a starving wolf was quite a sight to see...and she only had lasagna on her forehead, cheeks, chin, nose and mouth by the time she was done. I do think she managed to eat some of her lunch, but her face was wearing quite a lot of it too. She loves lasagna and ate very enthusiastically.

I agree that you cannot go wrong with mac and cheese. I don't know anyone who doesn't like it. When we were planning our Christmas meal, I told Chris I could provide alternate food for the girls if they don't like lasagna, and he assured me that they both loved it (and both ate it just fine), so this was the simplest meal with no one requiring anything special or different. Tim and I ate more wheat in one meal than we normally eat in a week, but it was worth it. This lasagna is his mom's recipe, and what surprises me the most is that we've had this same recipe card, in her handwriting, for almost 40 years....well, I think about 37 years and Tim thinks 40. Either way, it is a miracle we haven't lost the recipe card in all this time. The card is getting pretty creased and worn, so we're going to scan it into the computer while it is still legible. Oh, and Tim must be the chef when his mom's lasagna is being made (and who am I to argue?) so the hardest thing I did today was make a salad and cook green beans--easy peasy.

Kim, I hope all your journeys this season are safe ones and that you arrive home rested and ready to move on to the next stage of your professional gardening life. A little down time is always a good thing to refresh one's spirit.

Rebecca, Your food sounds yummy and I hope the kind wasn't on the attack too much. It sounds like y'all had a really relaxing pleasant time together and I think that is how the holidays ought to be.

Do y'all remember the Norman Rockwell image of the perfect family gathered around the table for Thanksgiving with the nice tablecloth and perfect place settings of the good dishes and the good silver and such? Of course there is the huge turkey on the platter and Grandpa is getting ready to carve it. I think it is entitled "Freedom From Want". Well, we had holidays like that in the 1980s and well into the 1990s, but things are so much more relaxed now, and I like this sort of celebration better. The food tastes just as good without all the fuss, and who needs china, silver and crystal? If we get any more relaxed and casual with our family, we'll be sitting cross-legged on the floor eating pizza. And, that would be okay because what matters is just being together.

Jennifer, I am jealous of your snow. No matter how little you got, it was more than we got. They keep throwing some sort of wintery precipitation into our forecast---sometimes for 2 or 3 days per week, but as those days approach, it falls out of our forecast and we get nothing. I love snow, but I'm okay if it doesn't fall too because when we get snow down here, it more often is only sleet or freezing rain or a wintery mix and the roads get treacherous and it takes Tim and Chris three or four hours to get to or from work. We rarely get something that looks like actual white snow flakes. Sometimes we just get graupel.

For chickens who need to roam more, there's always chicken tractors available, and some of them are fairly small and compact. You can buy them or make your own, and some of them are lightweight enough that one person can easily move them around the yard. Or, if you want to put the chickens in new areas that you can periodically change up (but this will not include overhead protection from predatory birds) there's portable, electrified poultry netting that runs off fence energizers. Some of it, at least, comes already attached to poles you can stick easily into the ground, so you can move it around periodically. For anybody not familiar with electrified poultry netting, you can see examples of some of those products here:

Electrified Poultry Netting at Premier 1 Supplies

Don't worry. The day will roll around again when there will be little ones in your home (at least visiting for Christmas) and you'll find yourself putting out cookies and milk for Santa and food for the raindeer once again. Our almost 9-year-old future granddaughter reported breathlessly and with great joy to us today that Santa ate 2 of the 3 cookies she left out for him and took one bite from the third. He drank all the milk. She was impressed and decided he must have been really full from eating cookies from all over the world and he loved their cookies so started in on the third one but just couldn't finish it. I think that pleased her more than the fact he ate the other two cookies. It made me smile to listen to her tale as our son and her mom looked on, as I remember when our son was the young child thrilled that Santa ate the cookies. At least we all understand why Santa Claus is a little bit rotund....after a solid month of eating too many treats between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I know our family is going to try hard now to return to more healthy eating, and much less junk.

It was such a lovely, if cold, day today and I sort of hate to see Christmas end. It probably is a good thing it comes but once a year. So, now we start looking ahead to the good bowl games that really matter. I hope the Oklahoma teams do well in their bowl games this year. For me, the bowl games are the bridge that carry us from Christmas into the new year.

Dawn