Jennifer you can use your generator to supply light, even power for a hot plate of electric skillet. You can use the lights of you grow shelf if you have no others.

I am trying to round up stuff for next spring seed starting, I have ( 4 ) 2.8 cu ft bags of potting mix and a bunch of seeds.

You're good, Larry, I can only think about spring seed starting in my head at this point.

About the generator, I'm trying not to stress Tom out about adding things to it. It's a thing right now.

I used my luci light the first evening I had the generator running. Didn't even think of my plug in lights. And it took till today to think of pulling my water bath canner out to help warm up the kitchen.

Twice now I had a warmer bathroom. Just hauled a couple hot pots of water in there and shut the door for 10 minutes. Presto, warm room for showering or sponge bath.

Another thing Madge and I do, maybe y'all do also. is, keep different kinds of bulbs for our table, and floor lights. We are old and it is hard for us to stay warm in the winter. We use incandescent bulbs near our reading area in the winter to make that area warmer, and switch to LED in warmer weather. We also use heating pads, by doing that we can keep our old bones warm without heating up the house so much. When we are up moving around we get too hot if the house is at a temp we like for resting. Of course we dress warmed in the the winter, Madge more so than I. We use fluorescent bulbs also, but we are phasing them out. It is embarrassing, but I expect I will have extra fluorescent bulbs when I die.

Madge and I tried making cowboy candy this morning. Madge does not like hot stuff or pickles, we will just have to see how this turns out. I also put a lot of pimento peppers in. It was a pretty mix, a lot of green and red. If any of you have a good recipe for wimps, please share.

My post disappeared

Jen that is a nice offer. I can’t even think of which ones I would like to try. I need to do an inventory.

i dig my sweet potatoes at home and got one that was 34”.

the dirt here is not soil. It’s2” of sand on top of rock.

i won’t plant here next year.

the African x okra is doing Well. i May let some go to seed and see how long the others produce.

Larry, I put maybe 2 or 3 jalapenos in & then the rest sweet peppers. It gives it a hint of spicy but not much. If you cut the jalapeno into rings & everything else into strips, you'll know which is which when you go to eat them. Or I'll use a handful of these little ornamental peppers. They're purple & orange so it makes a pretty contrast, & since they're a differently size I know not to eat them.

I also cut up and froze baggies of mixed peppers this week. About 3/4 sweets and 1/4 hot.

Jen, thanks. We just mixed, maybe, 50/50. We found we don't know much, but have more peppers to play with.

I hope someone can tell me what to do with pumpkins also. I am giving the butternut and Seminole away like crazy, but the big pumpkins don't go fast.

I worked on iris today. Maybe someone at the Spring fling will want yellow. My oldest sister has amazing gardens. But she does not like iris. It has been there since she moved in fifteen years ago.

she decided sometime get them or they are going in the trash. So I dug and pulled And got most out until I touched a snake. Cleaned up everything and hauled my loot home.

i p otted some to sell and some for giveaway.

i am pretty sure I have close to 500!!!

160 are small in little pots hopefully I can sell at market next year.

win for me and sister

https://www.pookspantry.com/soft-pumpkin-dog-treats/

https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2011/10/how-to-make-pumpkin-puree-the-easy-way.html

https://lovelygreens.com/roasted-pumpkin-soup/

https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a11184/make-your-own-pumpkin-puree/

I freeze sweet peppers raw, cut in strips that can be used in recipes.

I liked the idea of a whole pumpkin in the oven (2nd link), no worrying you will accidentally stab yourself and no fighting with hard shell untilled it softens up some.

I tried to make roasted pumpkin seeds once. I was not impressed, but I'm pretty sure chickens would enjoy them. Maybe wild birds. Certainly squirrels. Maybe your deer would like the pumpkin guts.

I don't do hot stuff at all, but my green tomato sauce needs SOMETHING. Not sure what. I once had jalapeno seeds that were supposed to be mild, but their mild and my mild were not the same thing. I put some pimento peppers in it, it doesn't do it for me.

I feel so bad for you guys without power. I hadn't thought about light. I had candles, and we have oil lamps, but they stink. They look pretty on my mantle though, LOL. Ron also has enough flashlights to light up the world...if there are batteries.

I don't understand 34" Kim?

Ron is taking down the tomato trellis today.

I need to post or I'll lose this.

Thirty four inches

I don't know how you got that up without breaking it!

What variety sweet potato is it? That's how Oklahoma Red grows when it's in really hard soil.

I'm dying to get out and work in the garden. Been way too busy.

Nancy, I got the seeds. Thanks! It took me a minute to figure out why you sent them, I'm hosting that swap on the facebook group and didn't remember you joining. Let me know what I can send you in return.

We had a houseful of dogs this weekend. Not sure if something was going on or people are just sick of being home, but we've been busy the last few weeks. Had 13 Saturday & Sunday (our 3 plus 4 guests), and had to tell 2 clients no. Which is great, it'll add to our "get out of the city fund". But it also meant limited gardening for me. Need to get out & finish cleaning up, get another layer of mulch on everything, & do some rearranging.

Kim, I never grew sweet potatoes in town, so, I never grew sweet potatoes till after I retired. I bought my old childhood home after I retired. There had not been a garden in the old garden spot for over 40 years. I hauled in many loads of compost and started digging and tilling like crazy to make the best garden spot in the country. One area of that garden had been a chicken yard for the renters that had lived in the house before I bought it. ( the house had set empty for some years ). I bought Beauregard sweet potato slips and planted in the richest area in that garden. I poured the water and fertilizer to all the garden. ( In those days no internet, I was just flying blind and dumb). I had an artesian well, so all I had to do was run a half horse pump for pressure and use all the water I wanted, which I did. When I dug my sweet potatoes that is how they looked. That garden is about 1800' from my garden today. The land on that side of the valley is much better soil than I have now, that soil is deep and loose. The soil on this side of the valley is tight, heavy, shallow clay, but with amendments does pretty good, but I really miss that artesian well.

I did not mean to write a book, but I think you can be too nice to sweet potatoes, and maybe other crops also. I mostly got good crops on the other side of the valley, thanks to the sandy deep soil and endless supply of water. I have to work a little harder here at this house, and buy my water. I think I could easily have a well drilled and have plenty water, but the water is no good, it stains everything and has an oily film on it when it sits over night, ans stinks, plants may like it but I don't.

George

I do not remember. I am going to start taking better notes.

after I planted this area with the African x okra, sweet potato slips, black eyed peas and watermelon I found out that the land owners friend had taken all the topsoil.

so I planted in 2” maybe of sand. Most of the sweets grew horizontal under the black plastic.

i have about 8 usable tubers and lots of skinny ones for slips next year. Or fries.

Larry I love stories of how people grow stuff. I literally could talk all day and listen all week.

It feels good to sit in a warm house with soup on the stove!

Yes, our electricity is back. We were prepared to live without in until Friday around midnight.

I'm glad I'm off work tomorrow. I have a LOT to do and don't really know where to start.

I actually carried a flashlight with me into the bathroom and then realized I could turn on the light. LOL

I had just walked in from work and knew OG&E was in the neighborhood but they sent a message that it would be mid day tomorrow...when suddenly the garbage disposal started working. SO...I must have been using it when the power went out. I don't remember but do know I was talking to Ethan in the kitchen when it went out last Tuesday.

Other than that, my fake Jack o' lantern came on and the Halloween candelabra that has fake flames. Ethan and I were fixing to carve his pumpkin and roast the seeds. Super sad that didn't happen.

I caught up on your posts too. I think I want to try a few sweet potatoes next year since I will be zero squash or any kind.

I really don't have anything else to talk about but am so happy to have electricity.

Even if electricity has only been out a few hours, it's with a great sigh of relief when it returns. I am on supplemental oxygen and a CPAP so I find it impossible and ill-advised to sleep without power.

Oh, I agree, dbarron. We've all only ever lived with electricity. It's what we know...it's how we live. Even a few hours without electricity is disruptive.

I have a weird "Doomsday Prepper" streak that makes me wonder what we would do if we never had electricity again OR even available gasoline/propane for generators.

I think there are handpumps available for electric wells. My friend said there are anyways...because her husband wants to get one for their well.

Our house doesn't have a fireplace--other than a decorative one. It just makes you wonder...

And it's something I started wondering about maybe 15 years ago. I didn't get into the Y2K thing, other than buying a couple gallons of water and maybe some extra tuna and even a single can of Spam. LOL

We were dealing with Lane's illness and death in 99 so didn't really pay much attention.

I'm grateful to be doing laundry. Washed our bedding. We're so spoiled we like to take baths/showers before bed and were unable to do that so I felt like our bedding was dirty. (see how spoiled I am?)

I started off the day with cutting my finger. Not a big deal. Doesn't even hurt, but it wouldn't quit bleeding, so that slowed me down. It's hard to wash dishes, make beds with a bleeding finger.

I do feel like I'm getting the house back together now. Sort of. I really would enjoy a week off of work and have plenty of vacation time to do that, except for my second job. I just can't do that to her. So...yeah I guess I won't.

I probably won't garden today, although there are tomato plants that in the kitchen garden that need to be pulled out..and cages taken down. The weather is showing to be nice on Saturday so that might the day. Also, we need to get some soil for the new back raised beds. There's 3 beds, but I'm only going to fill one this fall so that we can plant garlic. The other two beds will be my compost piles during the winter until it's time to plant and then we'll top them with soil.

I keep waiting for Dawn to show up and comment.

Jennifer you are not spoiled. We just acclimate to our blessings. I have not had hot running water in over a year. And a window. I am not spoiled because I want those things that I have had most of my life :)

i keep thinking I will open this thread up to Dawn’s comment about our day’s happenings and encouragement.

We aren't spoiled, but thinking about how to have heat and light without electricity is not a frivolous activity. There are DIY solar heaters detailed on line. I've considered a few to reduce electric use at this house. (we're all electric, too). Or ways to heat a greenhouse. I can tell you the candles under a flower pot didn't work, and is really kind of dangerous.

https://lifehacker.com/build-your-own-soda-can-solar-heater-5574597/amp

I had one saved that involved a piece of black cardboard in a window. Websites's gone now. I think we would miss refrigerators and ice if we never had power. And AC in summer. I found something about PORTABLE wood stoves, H/J. I Had no idea. They also make pellets stoves that use little wood pellets rather than full pieces of wood.

Have to go.

I have stopped adding any amendments to sweet potato plantings, as too much fertility seems to cause more problems than lower fertility. Soil hardness/softness seems to affect root shape, especially in some varieties. Oklahoma Red, when grown in really dense soil, grows along the top and makes super long, skinny roots. In more friable soil, the roots look normal.

We keep a few small takes of LP gas on hand and purchased a couple camp stoves, for about $60 each. They work well for cooking with no electricity. At the moment I can't remember where we got them.

Kim, I could probably find room for yellow iris. Or any iris.

Just wanted to throw this out...as an idea, with proper selection of more unusual plants, you can have stuff flowering through the late fall, winter, and early spring months. I'll make some effort to throw out an example every month, November's shall be this crocus speciosus that I photographed today (now known as crocus peringii I think..hard to keep up).

I will be putting up a hellebore in December (H. niger), a witchhazel in January, also another species of hellebore in Jan/Feb (depending on when), Crocus and Eranthis in Feb/March. And then we're back to std bulbs and shrubs by April.
I will probably steal someone else's photo because I think mine bit the dust during the wet spring, but there's also a winter flowering Algerian Iris. I'll probably post that in December, whether it's mine or not (maybe I'll look in my archives and post one of mine from Oklahoma).

We are all electric, but I removed the electric cook stove and installed a 200 gal propane tank and gas cook stove, but, on a down note I also removed and sealed off the chimney to our fireplace. I like wood stoves, which I have one in my old house on the other side of the property, but have no plans on installing it here. I have both tractors and my truck fixed to where I can plug an extension cord into the 12 volt system to power 12 volt lights to use in the house. I also have an inverter or 2 left from my old truck driving days. I have several ways to survive for a short period of time, but long term is a different story. One thing some people dont think of, is, if the power is out at your home, it may be out for miles around. Gas pumps dont work, cash registers dont work, roads may not be passable, your phones may go dead. I like to keep 12 volt power and 120/240 power available. My generator is only a 7000 running watt generator. It wont run an electric furnace, but it will run 2 space heaters. I keep extra gas and diesel on hand, but not enough to last for ever, we are very dependent on energy, and we may need extra medication on hand also.

Because I googled solar heaters pintrest decided I needed all the prepper/survival pins today. Here's a couple more.

https://thecourageouschicken.com/hot-water-without-electricity/

https://commonsensehome.com/emergency-water-filtration/

http://urbansurvivalsite.com/solar-furnace-less-50/

That's a fun idea, dbarron. What a sweet flower.

I would like to get a propane tank especially for a gas oven/cooktop, Larry. Our neighbor has done that and it works quite well for her. But, we won't be doing that for awhile.

Thanks for sharing all the links, Amy!

I forgot to tell y'all that I opened a jar of our veggie soup--the one we canned. It was very good. It tasted very fresh. Not like store bought canned soups. I had planned on cooking it on HU's camp stove last night, but our power came on so was able to cook it indoors.

I used some asparagus from the freezer tonight. I froze it back in May. It was good too. A bit mushier than normal, but I enjoyed it.

Jennifer, Madge had the gas stove when we got married, and I had the propane tank at my old house, so there was very little cost to change this house over to gas cooking.

Amy, a few years ago I took an interest in rocket stoves, even built a couple of them to play with. The small ones like I built with tin cans really worker good, but the small one you had to stay with, they would not hold enough fuel to burn very long. I have most of the material to build a larger, much nicer one. I saved the stainless steel chimney for that purpose.

I use to save the scrap from my wood building project to start fires with also. Another handy tool is lopping shears to trim off small limbs for kindling, of to feed a small rocket stove. I have a fairly large ceder tree in my yard that nearly always has some fuel hanging on it. Back in my camping days I kept a 5 gal. bucket with folded up news papers in it that had diesel fuel poured over them, then the lid replaced, they would keep for years. I could build a campfire no matter how wet the wood was. The fire started logs work well also. That was close to 40 years ago, there may be some much better thing to start fires with now, like a camping stove, which I have also, they use to call them a white gas stove, or a coleman stove.

I doubt my witch hazel will bloom, I just hope it survives. There are two species (?) Varieties? That bloom at different times are there not Dbarron? I want the red twig dogwood for winter interest. I have the American strawberry bush which has red berries in winter. I was looking at Holly bushes at the church where we voted (lots of time to look) ans wondered what they were. They had red berries. I know most hollies aren't native and I may have even read the berries poisoned birds (or was honeysuckle? Maybe I dreamed it.

I dreamed about Nancy and cinnamon last night, LOL.

We're going to Bartlesville today to see my dad. Daughter and baby going too. I need a day off, and I'm not going to get it.

Later friends.

Crap, just got this in email. I want, but where?

https://indigescapes.com/plantsales?fbclid=IwAR1QJdVXdPYBh3MAL_ZlBzWELYHbQgNKNvzXytNqRFdr0jlmGf-QNBM5gzc 

Put in an order for chipdrop Monday, got an email yesterday that they'd be delivering in 48 hours. So I sent cCliff a message (I was out voting) & he replied "too late, they're already here." My guess is they were in the neighborhood to show up that fast. Now to spend the next 2 weeks hauling wood chips to the backyard. I need to clear the beds so I can put down a layer, the rest will be piled to use when the dogs tear out the grass this winter.

I just want to go in my bed... and cry. My car has more problems than thought at first. It will run at least at $4000.00.

Can't really go to bed.. the sheets are on the line.

Can't go to the funeral of a German friend up in Arkansas City.

her kids/well, adults have no family here anymore now... the rest is distant... as in Germany. I feel really sad.

At least I don't have to walk my wagon to the gas station anymore, as my power is back.

Got to go before I cry in my keyboard

Moni

Moni, I'm really sorry. Are you able to rent a car? We've often rented cars for a variety of things. It's not too expensive.

Tonight, HU and I made strawberry/jalapeno jelly. It's hot but not very hot...and it's so good. We also made a super hot jam--scorpions, habanero and a few jalapenos. We're trying to name it. Maybe Dante Jam? The word "dante" seems like such a mild and nice word, though. Damien or Omen Jam...I don't know. I will say that it's brutal. Brutal Jam? I probably won't eat it.

And...that's about it for me.

I had a good day. Yesterday I called a neighbor that lives on the mountain east of me and ask If she would like some pumpkins. She told me she would take a couple, while there she ask if I would check their handicap ramp. Home health comes out often to check her husband who is bedfast, it needed repaired. I had planed on going to town and getting new lumber and repairing it. On the way back to my house I stopped at the wildlife garden to check on it. I had already called to try to find treated lumber and could not find any locally, and no luck. While ate at the wildlife garden my other neighbor can down on his utv to see what I was up to, and I told him about not finding lumber, he called the places he does business with and his luck was the same as mine. We both keep a little new and used lumber on hand (we are pack rats). Between the two of us we were able to get the scrap I needed.

I went up the mountain and disassembled the handicap ramp and re used the material I could and replace the bad material. It feels so good to get out in the pretty weather and work. I got the ramp rebuilt and it looks better than when it was first built, and I was able to correct some mistakes that my neighbor made when he first built the ramp.

I had a couple of boards left, so I came back down the mountain to put them back the scrap pile. My neighbor near my wildlife garden came over again to ask how thing had turned out, he also told me that he found a needy families to give the pumpkins to, he is also going to pick big bunch of greens to take to them, because they old and don't get around well.

I will bust up more ground in a few days so I will have an area to plant. I expect it will be a cover crop first.

Well, I got the pumpkin patch cleaned and busted up as best I could because it was so wet. I also got 10 round bales of hay for mulch for next year, and gleaned about half a round bale out of the pasture, and collected some seeds for next year. If the soil will dry a little I will plant some garlic and cover crop. Everything seems slow around here.

All the bull on TV is driving me nuts.

Larry, I'm glad you've had a good couple of days. The weather has been so nice.

Yeah...I don't watch the bull.

I worked later today....and would have worked longer but remembered that it's dark at 5:30 and the chickens needed to spend a bit of time in their yard and eat. I was able to get everyone fed and watered and fertilized the brassicas in the kitchen garden. Then ran out of daylight.

Our jam jars all sealed. That was our last canning of 2020. Sad, but there's still plenty to do.

I'm looking forward to a day at home on Saturday. Hoping to get lots done.

I didn't know bulls were allowed on TV.... LOL

Funny, I thought they were more donkeys than bulls.

Maybe I used the wrong term, but that was a term used a lot when I was growing up. I could come up with a term that fits my feeling more closely, but I might be kicked off the internet for using it.

I hope to move my round bales to the wildlife garden today. I don't have a hay spike for my tractor, so the job will take a little more time. I will have to move the hay about 1/4 mile east and cross a creek and get on a road not traveled much and follow it back to the wildlife garden, I have never mover hay like this before, but I will figure a way to get it over there. I feel I will need it for mulch and erosion control.

I would like to plant more garlic today. I don't know why I plant so much of much of everything, Madge does not use much of it, and she is always telling me " don't plant so much", it has to be an addiction.

I don’t have tv so I don’t hear any of the bull.

Larry it is an addiction but I usually give away the extra so it works out.

i has to change my planting plans since I am moving the garden. I planted the garlic at home in giant pots.

Larry, it sounds like you are staying active in a very constructive manner, much better than watching TV!

Hey George, don't mean to high jack the thread but I want to ask you what is a good shell bean to grow (for shellies) here ( anywhere from okmulgee to norman) in the spring. I'm looking for a variety of shell bean for canning..I used to grow "Etna" but haven't seen it around for the last few years and i'm looking for some comparable variety. (Horicutural type).

HU

George, I really don't TV much, I can't hear it. Madge has the TV on a lot, I think she just likes the noise. I have a laptop and headphones, one ear works, but not well. I try to watch things on my laptop that has closed caption.

Kim, I told two more neighbors to help themselves to any of the greens or turnips that they might want.

I did not get a lot done today, Madge is still not doing great, but she just wont stop, so I try to encourage her the best I can. I took her to Ft. Smith to eat today, but we did not enjoy it much. Things are just not the same now, with this covid thing we are dealing with. I want us both to enjoy life the best we can, and spend as much time with family as we can. We are at the age where the odds of seeing tomorrow change more rapidly. Our little dog is at the same point in his life, so try not to leave him alone a lot either. I think Madge will be gone most of the day tomorrow, I will stay home and babysit the dog and try to get a few things done.

I managed to force myself to plant the last two red hot poker species and the last 3 miniature alliums that I started from seed this spring. That concludes finding homes for all that I sprouted in spring except 2 more purple coneflowers (I'll figure out a place to plug them maybe tomorrow).
Err, and I ordered from Jelitto last weekend, so I'm primed to start seeds again soon (as soon as I get them at least). I am not going as big this year though. It's getting kinda hard to find places (lol).
I also have some baby back ribs on the grill, for a late (for me) supper in about 30 more minutes. Probably won't grill much if it ever turns cold and stays.

I got my hay for mulch moved to the areas where it will be used next year, over 10 round bales, I hope to collect more by spring. I got more ground ready for cover crops and 54 more garlic. I got 2 rows of roselle cleaned out of the north garden, and a row of pepper plants cleaned out of the north garden also.

I seldom feed my plants, but they are looking like they need a little food with a little more kick than compost, I am out of compost anyway.

How's everyone?

Super happy to get the garlic planted. Over 100 cloves. We purchased soil from Minicks and filled one of the new back raised beds. Good workout. Luckily Tom helped. If I shovel a truckload of soil alone it takes a long time.

The garden clean up continues. All the tomatoes in the kitchen garden were pulled. Still need to do the peppers.

The cool season stuff looks great. They really need to hurry though.

That's about it. I wish I had accomplished more but am grateful for what was completed.

I don't watch TV at all. Years ago I realized that most of what I saw on it was 1) wasting my time & 2) trying to indoctrinate me . Our family simply stopped watching.

Moni, at $4000 in repairs, you might do better replacing your car with something else. I know of two used car lots that have good deals. I NEVER buy a vehicle new.

HU, I grew three beans this year, which appear acceptable for shellies: Cherokee Striped Cornhill, Hamby & Spangler. They're all old fashioned Appalachian string beans. Hamby and Spangler see especially easy to shell. They also have really large seed. All three are pole/cornfield beans.

I'll attach a photo of Spangler. It's very impressive.

For a bush shell bean, I'd check Sandhill Preservation Center. If I remember correctly, they list some which are specifically shell varieties.

All three of the cornfield beans mentioned are outstanding for snaps. Hamby refused to set pods until cooler nights arrive, but it's been loaded ever since. It's in a protected place and I'm still picking.

I've been off track since the beginning of this post. Just now kind of read all your posts through. Here's the truth--while we all believe we have to carry. on because Dawn would have wanted it, I have been in a deep funk, missing her. I'll catch. up with y'all. (And although Dawn said y'all sometimes, I never ever once have. But will now in honor of her.). Meanwhile, we're just now trying to round up and double mulch leaves in the yard to place in piles for where we'll want to put them. This is the first time in my 5th year of gardening that I don't really NEED all the leaves I can collect. This is what privilege is. LOL. . Planted garlic. Tore out almost everything in the veggie raised beds. Love to ya all.

I don't have access to leaves like I use to, and I miss them. I did get 10 round bales of hay, but had to pay $100.00 get them delivered. I hope to have some clean-up from around hay rings by spring, but all that stuff has a lot of seeds in it.

I am experimenting with growing a strip of rye grass and winter peas across the lawn, but I have no idea how that will work out. If it works like I want it to, I will mow it a few times before spring and catch it with the mower, what often happens when I grow something like that, is the deer keep it eaten down all winter.