I looked at the hoop house last night. The potato foliage is dead. I wish I had time to dig around and see if I have any potatoes in the soil. The kale, arugula, and lettuce looks good. And the garlic looks good.

That's my garden report! :)

My garden report is not much, I drove by both gardens, and the hen bit looks great, nothing else in the garden.

I have been out getting the Long tractor ready for it's ride to it's new home. I gave the tractor to Madge's oldest son. I am trying to down size, and someone may as well get some use out of this junk that I have sitting in the way.

I need to make a long comment but right now I just want to say I found y’all and I will be able to get notifications now

Still having issues posting in here from my phone, so I really need to bring out the laptop more. Cliff doesnt see how I prefer this tiny screen to the laptop, but its what I'm accustomed to at this point.

I need to get my garlic planted. It's been in the fridge for a month or more, waiting for me to "get around to it". Maybe this weekend. Seems like there's always something going on and I've more or less lost my garden motivation. I didn't even do any of the swaps I usually sign up for, but I'm still trying to thin out my stash so its not like I need any more seeds.

I did pick up a few bags of cranberries so I can make cranberry juice. I'm down to my final jar, so I need to make a batch before the weekend and hopefully get some more bags.

I'm with Cliff on that, Jen! I like a big screen.

You'll get the motivation back. I'm sorta in the same mind, tho. I'll think about the garden in a few weeks.

We're not doing any major house things this winter, so I can do puzzles, read and think about garden stuff in my spare time.

We really need to repaint the kitchen cabinets but it's just not in me to do that. We live hard in our kitchen and the cabinets look awful.

I am about to do my yearly ritual of deep cleaning the kitchen the second week of December. Grateful to have a day at home.

Our water well pressure tank/switch/something is having issues and Tom feels like he can replace it all himself so he's waiting on parts.

I'm about to head out to the coop to deal with the chickies. It's nice on days I don't have to work because I can actually wait until it's light outside to do their care. I am fortunate to have electricity and light in the coop, but they're never ready to come off the roost when it's still dark and I have to try to clean the dropping boards around them--which is fine.

We have Christmas program practice tonight so I need to get my cleaning done early and stay focused.

Kim, glad you found us. Always good to see you post even if it's a short one.

Jen, that is one reason I don't have a smart phone. The phone that I do have is still smarter than I am, its a small flip phone, so it has a very small screen, it will text and take pictures, but I can't see anything on the screen.

I plan on taking Madge out for lunch, nether one of us feel like doing much, but we try to spend more time together. I don't like for her to spent so much time in the kitchen because she always feels so tired, and I enjoy taking her out anyway.

I have not done anything in the garden either, and I still have onions and garlic to plant. Maybe after we get back from town I will have the drive to get out and plant something. The weather is too nice to sit in the house.

Okay. All cleaned and ready for winter! Just need to fill those empty containers with holiday goodies and baking supplies!

Jennifer your kitchen is gorgeous!

Looks like a happy area. Our kitchen is where everyone gathers to visit. We made a sitting area in the kitchen with a pellet stove for heat. It’s cozy.

I’m with you on getting the chickens out too early. I use a heated pet bowl for their water, one of the best investments ever and they drink a lot of the warmed water. Sure beats trying to carry warm water several times a day.

Thanks to George for reminding me to add a light for additional hours of daylight - my hens are now starting to lay again. Hopefully they will lay until the new pullets start laying in the Spring.

Only gardening news I have is that we dumped the dirt from a couple of tractor tire raised beds to put around protein tubs for the cattle. Our bull has decided it’s a game to roll them and usually it’s either into a fence or the pond.

I’ll probably make a new compost pile with the dumped dirt. Spring will be here before we realize it.

Larry I’m glad you are finding new homes for your tractors and equipment you don’t need now. It sounds silly but you get attached to equipment too and hope a new owner will appreciate and take care of them. We’ve called our JD 4020 Judy ever since we brought it home. All the kids and grandkids know if it’s a big job Judy will be there.

Glenda, my dream kitchen includes a small sitting area with a small wood burning fireplace or stove. It's so cozy looking. Maybe a table for puzzles and games.

My kitchen is small but it functions pretty well. We can easily host 10 people without feeling too crowded.

I'm freaking out a little. The school that is buying my workplace property is here and touring again with specific details. Things are going to be different very soon. I didn't want to think about it until after Christmas but here we are.

Here's a garden question for you all. What variety of onions are planning on growing in 2026?

Glenda, I would have loved to have had a 4020 John Deere, They have almost 2 times as much power as my John Deere, but my John Deere has more power than I need now. All I need now is something to use in the garden.

Jennifer, I expect to plant some 1015Y, and some type of red onion. I am going to try to cut back on everything.

Jen it does seem our garden desire takes breaks sometimes. I enjoy a little down time too. Now is go time for me. Planning, cleaning, tearing out, acting as if I am moving. Getting ready. Jennifer I love your kitchen. I dream of a bigger kitchen someday. The other day it was like bumper cars in here. Turn bump into that cabinet , turn bump into that wall, bend over bump into the table :| I got 40 pounds of apples to process and 6 herb recipes to put together. I guess I better get up and moving

How y'all are ?

Anyone need cilantro ?

I've got so much volunteer cilantro, I'm thinking about putting a sign out in front of the house .... says " free cilantro, pick it your self " .

Fresh cilantro is much much better than that bought at the store.

Due to the warm Nov and Dec ( so far ) my winter cover of rye and austrian pea is doing great, even though I got a late start due to tiller problems.

Cilantro on both sides of the walkway, its growing along the edge of the garden.

And its all down the opposite edge of the garden

And my winter cover is looking good, I'm really hoping for some sub 10* nights, or I'm gonna have a tough time tilling this in .

Lynn, I expect that is a good problem to have.

I love fresh cilantro. Last year I didn’t get very much because I put it all in my herb blends.

Well, I worked a market an hour and a half away today and totally forgot to prepare the garden for the cold coming so I had to go out after getting in my nice warm bed and cut back all the herbs and I pulled the leeks. They weren’t really ready, but I got them anyway. And the wind is so bad here that it keeps setting off my car alarm which it has never done that. I covered two areas and now I’m back in the house trying to warm up.

Lynn, I used to have cilantro that grew like that, but haven't for a couple of years. I threw some seed down back in September, but nothing.

Kim, sorry you had to deal with that after getting all tucked in for the night.

It's cold here this morning. I'm avoiding going upstairs (at work) to pull costumes because there's no heat up there. I'm finishing up a cup of Earl Gray. It's warmed me up some.

I've done nothing really outside other than water the Greenstalk on Saturday and care for the animals.

Tom got the pressure tank replaced and I'm super happy it's fixed the issue. I was nervous about that.

Okay....can't delay this any longer. Gotta go find those costumes now.

Last summer, after the plants had bolted and gone to seed. I took the dead plants and stripped off as much seed as I could, going down both edges of the garden. And I left the dead plants with remaining seed in the garden to be tilled in.

The garden was entirely tilled on Oct 5, after I'd gotten the new tiller. All that cilantro came up after tilling.

In past years, I've only grown it in that bed next to the house. That brick wall has a southern exposure and it creates a warmer climate.

This is my first year to grow it in the garden over the winter. Will see if it survives a 5* night.

BTW, I really like your kitchen. We need to renovate our's, new counter tops, and do something with the cabinets. We have a hardwood floor, very similar to your color.

I watered with rain water today. My spigot is locked in the well house until it warms up. I used about 30 gallons.

Lynn, I'm not sure what happened with my cilantro. Maybe I over harvested and didn't leave enough to go to seed....but I don't remember doing that. It had a patch where it came up every year. Died back in the summer and came back in the cooler fall.

We remodeled our house in 2016. It was pretty bad before. We sold our large house (it was over near Earlywine Park) and bought this little house with over an acre. It was really bad 80's style. Not that 80's style is bad, but this was bad because it was in such horrible shape. Anyway, we paid to have the kitchen, dining, living and utility room remodeled. Also got new windows and siding--stuff like that. We ran out of money and had to do the bathrooms and bedrooms ourselves.

I went with the subway tile and white cabinets because those never really go out of style, although they're not always the most stylish. The countertops are quartz and also very neutral. The island top is butcher block.

You can't tell in the pictures, but the paint on the cabinets is bad. We use our kitchen a lot. The paint above the stove was the first to start peeling. I suspect it's from cooking steam. And using the canners.

Our floor is actually tile that looks like wood. we have it in the living, hall and hall bath too. It was very expensive. IF they had had the luxury vinyl floor that is available NOW, I would probably go with that. Vinyl floors have come a long way. Again, we chose a neutral, medium color floor. The really dark ones were trendy when we did our remodel--those and the grayish that is supposed to resemble old barn wood, I think. BUT, I tried to keep it as timeless as I could.

IF I had to do it all over, I would choose stained cabinets--a nice medium color. But white is timeless, so it's fine. Also, I don't care about what is in style now-a-days. I just want what I like.

I love this little house but do miss my big house.

I'm home today and plan to deep clean the living room--change out couch cushions, clean windows, ceiling fans and all.

Maybe walk down to the hoop house and see what that looks like. I can see the garlic from my dining room window and it looks healthy. The freezes haven't knocked it back yet.

Cilantro will bolt, it will send off a shoot that produces small white flowers. Here's what Google AI says about cilantro bolting. I'd heard that the flavor goes bad after it bolts, and this confirms that .

I have so much come up volunteer, there's no way I can over harvest. But it says here that overharvesting could delay the bolting.

==========================================

Yes, cilantro is prone to bolting, which is when it sends up a flower stalk and goes to seed. This natural process is triggered by warmer temperatures, stress from transplanting, and long days. Bolting is a sign that the plant is finishing its life cycle, which causes the leaves to become tougher and more bitter.

What is bolting?

• Plant response: Bolting is a plant's natural survival mechanism to reproduce by flowering and producing seeds when conditions become unfavorable.
• What happens: The plant develops a central, lanky stalk that produces flowers and then seeds, which can be harvested and used as coriander.
• Effect on leaves: As the plant bolts, the leaves' flavor can change, becoming tougher and more bitter, and the plant stops producing new leaves.

How to prevent or delay bolting

• Choose the right time: Plant cilantro in cooler weather, such as early spring or fall.
• Provide shade: Plant cilantro where it will be shaded during the hottest part of the day.
• Direct sow seeds: Cilantro can be sensitive to being transplanted, so it's often best to plant seeds directly into the garden.
• Harvest regularly: Frequent harvesting of the outer leaves can help delay the process.
• Plant successionally: Planting new cilantro seeds every few weeks will ensure a continuous supply, so you can harvest before plants bolt.
• Use containers: Growing cilantro in containers allows you to move it to a shadier or cooler spot as needed.
• Select slow-bolt varieties: Some hybrid varieties are bred to be more resistant to bolting.

Our flooring is engineered hardwood. Its not water proof, but its water resistant. We just have to be careful with it in the kitchen.

I greatly prefer stained wood cabinets. But getting ours refinished would be an expensive proposition. Painting would be a lot cheaper.

And the counter tops are not cheap either. I doubt we ever do anything.

Totally off-topic, but I am going to be planting an abundance of flowers this year and what are the best flowers for cutting with a beautiful smell

Kim my favorite cut flower is zinnia because it lasts, easy to grow, reblooms, but it doesnt have much smell.

I agree zinnia is the best cut flower. The colors are beautiful. I also like cosmos for the same reason. I did find sweet peas at Johnny’s. That is one of the most fragrant flowers, but I think I’m gonna go out to this giant garden where they have many smell good shrubs.

Kim, are you going to sell bouquets? I've seen people add in fragrant herbs like basil or anything lemony.

Speaking of flowers....

I have an aunt who has been liking or sharing my FB pics from years ago. I have no idea why. Maybe she's just scrolling through my photos. Anyway, a picture popped up last night of a beautiful zinnia/flower bed. I admired it and then realized it looked familiar. It was my garden! Then realized who had shared it. It was from 2 or 3 years ago.

And, yes, Glenda and Kim, zinnias are just lovely.

Lynn, it's a real mystery on why my patch of cilantro stopped coming up there. It was like clockwork every year. In the hot season, it dropped it's seed. In the cool season those seeds would grow. It was in an area that got late afternoon/evening shade.

I'll probably grab a plant this spring and try again. Also tuck in some seed.

I'm going in late to work today, so plan on wrapping a couple of gifts and making candy this morning.

So, I was at a party a couple of months ago and there were the best orange sweet peppers. A little larger than the lunchbox ones. I brought one home to save seed from. I let it "rot" a little and finally opened it up to take out the seeds. No seeds at all.

Back in the summer, I started pansy seed. Didn't get good germination and didn't really care for the seedlings very well. In October I finally just put the poor things in a flower bed not expecting them to make it. Well, I have blooms now! They are yellow and purple. That was fun to see.

Those gardens are such a mess. They never got tidied up. However, all the stuff that I left is very attractive to the birds. They are enjoying my messy garden. Unfortunately, one of the cats got one of the birds. I know people who hate cats believe cats are the cause of the declining songbirds. Personally, I think there's a bigger reason. However, cat haters don't agree. My cats have killed maybe 6 birds in the 11 years we've lived out here.

We have lots of different birds out here. There's not a bird decline on our property.

I'm going to head out to feed the chickens now. They're "yelling" at me.

I don't hate cats. But I wish the cat owners in our neighborhood would keep their cats in at night. All the literature available says that cats don't need to roam all night.

I don't like them on my patio. They leave turds, spray my smokers, get into the trash can, and I find their paw prints on top of my grills and smokers. My patio is sort've a kitchen, and its not appetizing.

Not to mention that its trespassing on my property. Its funny, we have leash laws that keep people from letting their dogs roam the neighborhood, but somehow, cats don't apply. People on Next Door.com, complain often about someone letting their dog crap in their yard, but any complaint about cats running loose will bring down the hate from cat people.

Live out in the country, yeah, let it roam. But in a housing addition, they need to keep them inside. We all gotta live here together.

As to song birds, my backyard gets filled with birds. Plant the habitat and they will show up.

Real coincidence, while I was typing the above, I got a notification on my phone from my security camera covering my driveway. And it was a cat on the loose. Coming out from underneath my truck.

Our part-time cat is too lazy to scratch, I cant see him killing anything.

We have been spending so much time going back and forth to the Dr. that nothing has been done around here.

We just had our Dec. Class of 61 lunch. It was sure nice to see everyone. There were less than a dozen classmates there, and none of them looked liked like they were getting any younger.

Jennifer, I still need to pull a lot of plants, and widen my trellises. I hope to make room for 2 sweet potato rows, and maybe 2 rows for peppers and tomatoes. I would like to make a trellis to grow butternut on, but a lot of that will depend on how I feel between now and spring. I can grow okra between the trellis rows where I have the tomatoes and peppers. I must cut back this year, but I may try to grow a few flowers also. I like the zinnias also.

Jennifer, that is funny about your aunt sharing your pictures. I’m not planning on selling bouquets, but I am planning on going to work for a couple who want fresh flowers for cutting. I have been looking at Johnny’s sweet peas. There’s some beautiful colors.. I am not sure when the position will start, but they will call me tomorrow and let me know all the details. It is only part time so I will definitely still be doing my herb business, but I am going to plant out my new GS all in herbs. That will make harvesting a little easier for me. And then my goal is to get my drip line hooked up to anything that I am trying to grow. I will not be able to spend 40 to 50 hours a week in the garden and the house working on my business. It will be more of a part-time. And the job is part-time as well. I’m really looking forward to this. My goal is to have at least eight or 10 varieties of fragrant flowers for trimming. One thing I like is cinnamon basil, and it grows like a beastand is very sturdy. Dillweed also is a very nice add in with a slight fragrance. That’s weird about that pepper not having any seeds kind of creepy. I do not think that cats are the cause for the declining Songbird population. I believe it is chemicals that is tainting the seed that they eat. I’m glad everybody else is doing well and hanging in there until spring is sprung.

Lynn, can you remember when we were headed for another "Ice Age"? Everything depends on who has the money, who wants it, and what they are willing to do to get it.

Hey Everyone. I don't have much to add to this conversation right now. I did puree a lot of the winter squash to make pumpkin bread later...maybe tomorrow. After Christmas, I'll get the rest of pureed. Or most of it. I'll leave a few for fresh eating.

That's about all I got.

We went to shop in Norman tonight but not deep in Norman. Goodness knows I can't deal with the OU traffic normally on game day. Last night I could see the stadium lights at my house! Everyone is too fired up. I got back from Edmond in a little over an hour, so not bad.

Anyway...E comes in tomorrow. He hasn't been home in a year and I'm very happy he will be here. Just trying to get all the holiday things done. It's all fun but a lot to remember.

Jennifer, I’m so glad your son is coming home. You will be very busy catching up and enjoying every second with him.