Coffee's ready...

[vehve]

Kaj, that story brings back memories. As a kid (maybe 11 or something) I went through the ice of a small pond, luckily it wasn't very deep and only one of my legs went through, and it was only about -5C outside, but it was maybe 2 kilometers from home and by the time I got inside, I was freezing pretty bad. Brr.

The worst I've ever frozen though was in the military. We had a hypothermia test, where we had to swim in 4-5 deg C water for 10 minutes with our clothes on. After that, we had to first run a few kilometers, and then get changed into dry clothing outside. Trying to open my rucksack took probably five minutes, I couldn't use my fingers at all. Not a very pleasant experience. But once I got into dry clothes and ran around for a bit it wasn't so bad.

 

[sourland]

Kaj, good stories.

I'm still trying to figure out the story about the guy in Alaska who fell through the ice in the middle of nowhere and still survived. Must have had dry clothes with him is all that I can figure.

 

[karl E lutz]

Good morning chicken wranglers,
My wife loves it hot also , at times I do not know how she does it. I have to have the A. C. on, but she could lie there in the sweltering heat all night with just a fan . I can work and sweat all day but at night I have to have the A. C. and a fan and a cool drink. Garden planning is all the rage but right now I only have time for taking care of winter chores. We are looking at the high today( we already had out in he am!) and a con tenuous drop in temp through out the day. It willl warm up to 17 tomorrow. I awakened in the night and tuned in the T V to watch about the Yukon gold rush. only to think "my How appropriate the wind is howling we are at minus teens and I am learning about all the gold rushers that froze to death in the late 1890's.
I am at work and must continue.
God Bless!

 

[rancher hicks]

No stories other than the time I broke my leg skating. We were playing tag and Joyce Weller grabbed me from behind and I broke my leg. I'm surprised I can remember her name and only write it out of surprise. I didn't have my hots for her though. Spent three months in bed over that deal. Couldn't even use a wheel chair. At least not in those days. Now would be a different story I think.

Anyhow it's cold but not the worst I've felt. My finger tips got slightly frost bit delivering mail and now when it's really cold they hurt like the Dickens.

Still now sure what's going to happen around here. Not sure whether to hatch chicks. Figure I might as well plan my garden and if things don't work out, the loss will be minimal. If I DON'T plan it and things work out well, I wish I did.

I've been reading up on somethings like Onions. I don't normally grow them since we go through a ton. Those and taters. I figure to grow thing I can get enough of to last the season, like my garlic. Tomatoes I can can, berries I can freeze or make jam.

It's to wet here for a cold cellar, but I thought of making a cold dark closet of sorts. We no longer buy garlic and I suspect won't be buying Rhubarb next year. I hope to not have to buy Currants.

What's the main thing you grow for the year? Is there anything you grow that you no longer buy?

 

[vehve]

Soil for me. Grows in the compost

Otherwise this gardening is just a hobby. Maybe next summer we'll get better at it. Although, we went 4 months without buying tomatoes, and we were self sufficient with beans too for a while. I'm going to retry garlic in the spring, last summer they all rotted away due to too much rain.

 

[rancher hicks]

Soil for me. Grows in the compost

Otherwise this gardening is just a hobby. Maybe next summer we'll get better at it. Although, we went 4 months without buying tomatoes, and we were self sufficient with beans too for a while. I'm going to retry garlic in the spring, last summer they all rotted away due to too much rain.

If you'd spend X$$ a year on groceries and you save Y$$ growing your own food then you're saving money. That makes real sense, er $$'s.

You can grow quite a bit in raised beds. You can use some raised beds for things you need raised beds for. It's very wet here and I use raised beds all the time. There are lots of materials you can use to make raised beds. Just google "raised garden beds" and you'll find a site that just has "images" of raised beds.

 

[vehve]

Yeah, I've got some raised beds, last spring was just murderous. All of June was just rain and +5C weather, and even before that it was pretty wet. And the winter was bad too, we had planted the garlic the previous fall, and nothing of it was left in the summer anymore. And then in August we had +30C weather for a month and almost no rain at all, it was a freaky summer.

 

[sourland]

Rancher, what's with the flooding? I too was injured while skating - tried to grab some girl from behind - slipped, fell and knocked out a tooth.

 

[vehve]

Sour, sounds like you deserved it

 

[rancher hicks]

Rancher, what's with the flooding? I too was injured while skating - tried to grab some girl from behind - slipped, fell and knocked out a tooth.

You lose the tooth in the fall or she knock it out? You dog.

I don't know which is worse, chasing girls or having them chase you. I had a crazy girl chasing after me once.................Well that's not a story for here.

The drainage here is not good. This pic is when the creek over flows. It dries out in the summer, but the creek has to have somewhere to go. Skeeters eat you alive.

Sour, sounds like you deserved it

I think you're right about that.