The Front Porch Swing

[LindaB220]

I saw Meyer lemons in The grocery store (Vons) the other day.... My absolute fav for lemon slices in Ice Tea. They have a sweet almost Orange like flavor.... When they are ripe they look like yellowish Oranges and you can peel and eat them just with a little salt.

San Diego has a huge Ethnic population. As well as a smattering of cuisines from all over the US because of the large Military presence.

As you well know there are Many things that wont grow here.... especially things that need so many hours of a hard freeze per year.

When I was growing up we had an olive tree in the front yard. When I was about twelve Dad decided to cure olives. OMG they were sooo good. ONE tree produced 80 gallon of olives.

deb

My zone 8b can grow Meyer lemons. I'm thinking about getting one.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Today is the day!  It's cold...right now at 8 am it's struggling to hit 24 degrees.  There is a little sunshine, yesterday's snow is all gone. and the big advantage is that there is very little wind.  But had there been a blizzard we would still be out there because we need to finish the run.  There's still quite a bit to do - finish the chicken wire over the last panel, add the hardware cloth, figure out a door and a tunnel, and put up the batter boards.  We'll be needing to take a couple of blankets or something out there to kneel on because the ground is WET!!  Wet = colder, and I don't need that!

So time to say good morning to you, wish the day's blessings upon your little heads, and then go bundle up. I'll pop in from time to time - that's a self defense mechanism because sometimes pages of posts suddenly appear and I don't want to miss anything going on with you.

Garbage bag "pants" so you don't have to fiddle with blankets? Tie the draw-strings to your belt loops so they stay up? I'd be hiding under the blankets in bed during that weather, but as you have to go out ...

I'm totally stealing your run design for my duck "coop" BTW. Totally stealing it!!!!!

 

[Beekissed]

Well my little ones went into the big coop last night! I guess that means that they don't need the light any more and I can have the little coop for the babies. After I get it treated for mites...... any suggestions on how to manage that?

Depends on how you want to go with it....some folks just dust the place with crushed lime, sulfur powder works well on mites and some go all out and pull out the Permethrin dust and give it a good dusting. Did you have mites there? If not, I wouldn't do anything at all to it.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Love a good Mater sammich.... Also love Vidalia onion slice Sammiches too. Even better take the Onion slices and give it a good soak in vinegar and some fresh dill.... for about two or three hours in the refrigerator.... OMG. They are yummy then but the longer they set the better they get.

I will even take those refrigerator pickled onions and chop them up to use when making Chicken Salad or Tuna Salad.... Or even use them in home made Tarter sauce.

I hate it when Sales people try to laud it over the ""straights"".... I have worked retail and it serves the business ill to have attitude with the customers. Had that happen to me today.

I went to the feed store to price stock tanks. Katee's water tank is in need of a clean.... I want to replace Katee's stock tank in the process. That way I can move it to a shaded location for this summer.... didnt have shade for her till last summer.

Her old tank is just fine but I want a spare and it can become that. It also happens to be made of Rubber. The recycled kind they are indestructible and hold up big time in the UV environment here. I asked the sales guy if they had the all rubber ones and he said "Oh yes they run a dollar a gallon" Now the last place I priced them they were running two dollars a gallon... OMG Id better buy one before someone tells them this. I had my card out.... He got the walkie talkie out and called the guy working the lot.... "Get that Green Tub number XXXX and put it in debs Truck"

I said Woah not a plastic rubber maid tub I want the black kind. He canceled the green tub. "They dont make them that big" with a smirk on his face.... "Um... they do.... I know I already have two." He just stared at me...

One of the other guys working in the store said... "Youknow I dont think we have ever carried those black ones.... but I know what you are talking about".

I know the kid behind the counter.... just a kid. Sometimes full of himself.

These are the kind of tubs I prefer they are made of recycled LDPE.... Low Density Polyethylene. Which is flexible... I was wrong to say rubber... I have to apologize to the kid. We were both wrong.

Well It seems I cant insert an image.... Dang computer

they are oval about eighteen inches deep and Black

deb

There are black stock tanks for sure. Of course stock tanks are made from a variety of things, from fiberglass type materials, to "structural foam" to that LDPE flexible plastic stuff you're talking about ... metal to ... ? For some of them you can repair holes with a blow torch ... that might be useful. I learned about that from a website about converting stock tanks to hot tubs/bath tubs ...

Rubbermaid makes the "structural foam" kind. "Tough Stuff" is a brand of the LDPE kind ...

I've seen some (smaller?) stock tanks for under $1/gallon ... this site has some ... http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/search/stock-tanks

I've been researching stock tanks so I can set up something a little better for the ducks swimming/bathing ...

 

[Beekissed]

There are black stock tanks for sure. Of course stock tanks are made from a variety of things, from fiberglass type materials, to "structural foam" to that LDPE flexible plastic stuff you're talking about ... metal to ... ? For some of them you can repair holes with a blow torch ... that might be useful. I learned about that from a website about converting stock tanks to hot tubs/bath tubs ...

Rubbermaid makes the "structural foam" kind. "Tough Stuff" is a brand of the LDPE kind ...

I've seen some (smaller?) stock tanks for under $1/gallon ... this site has some ... http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/search/stock-tanks

I've been researching stock tanks so I can set up something a little better for the ducks swimming/bathing ...

Not doing a bathtub, LJ?

I really like the idea of using a bathtub for the ducks due to the ability to drain them out and ease of cleaning, plus you can get them for recycling for free in a lot of cases, and they are tough as nails.

I liked the idea the one guy had but I think he was WAY over thinking the setup for the tub and I could think of a few ways it could have been simplified and improved upon in a jiffy.

 

[perchie.girl]

Good Morning Porch Peeps. Last night I was informed that I was to take mom to the docs today. Shes going in to have her thyroid tested. 10:10 am appointment shes been on a restricted diet for the past week or so. They give her Iodine and then at 2:00 pm they test her Thyroid..... Its done in the hospital.... So we are having a very long day. Then we get to go do it again tomorrow.

At least thats what mom read to me off her instruction packet. Me thinks she has some details confused.... So When I pick her up I will read it for myself.

The deal is.... shes been going along quite well then she mentions to her doc. that when we moved here her previous doc had her on Thyroid medication. We moved here in 1967.... Sigh. I dont think that she mentioned the date on that.... Just that it was a while ago. Moms been a hypochondriac for a very long time. She at one point had two different docs at Kaiser giving her different instructions on the same medication. Youd think because they were on the same computer system they would see the conflicting orders.... Scratching my head here.

Top it all off with my phobia of hospitals so I will be sitting in the car for at least four to five hours. Competition for parking spots especially handicapped ones precludes me from leaving and coming back. Her panicking because I am gone also makes me stay.

So Off I go with my Manuscript journal replacement a Big jug of water my coffee And a Sun Shade because it promises to be in the nineties today.

deb

 

[Beekissed]

You poor thing!!

Dealing with aging parents and their doctoring is always a strain but when they are really tuned into doctoring a lot and for everything, it can be a HUGE deal to try and manage, counsel and help them.

I'm blessed that my mother has very good health due to maintaining her diet and exercise for many years and her aversion to doctoring....but things still come up and I'm so glad that she listens to me on these things. If not, we'd be doing a lot of what you and other people are stuck doing.....diagnostic testing, trying this med or that one and having to readjust many times due to the changes in an elderly body, etc.

I've prayed for you, Deb, and hope you do not get too overheated while you wait....that would be a misery to me! I can't bear hot weather.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote: it really depends on how many ducks you have.... Stock tanks have drains.... just not on the bottom. Thats why I want a new one because I want to plumb it to dump the old dirty water somewhere other than into her corral. But the real advantage over a bath tub is portability. You move it to a flat area and set it down and fill it up.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

You poor thing!!

Dealing with aging parents and their doctoring is always a strain but when they are really tuned into doctoring a lot and for everything, it can be a HUGE deal to try and manage, counsel and help them.

I'm blessed that my mother has very good health due to maintaining her diet and exercise for many years and her aversion to doctoring....but things still come up and I'm so glad that she listens to me on these things. If not, we'd be doing a lot of what you and other people are stuck doing.....diagnostic testing, trying this med or that one and having to readjust many times due to the changes in an elderly body, etc.

I've prayed for you, Deb, and hope you do not get too overheated while you wait....that would be a misery to me! I can't bear hot weather.

I have tried to talk to the docs at Kaiser... With grandma she was having heart palpatations that were scaring her.... dang they were scaring all of us. Enough so that we called 911 enough times that the hospital informed her not to call unless We called a nurse first. So I went in with Grandma to the ER which was very hard for me I had to walk while looking down and the floor. I asked the docs there if they had a Geriatric "division" because I know that as people get older their normal meds have to be dialed back or tweaked or down right changed. Like kids they react to certain meds differently than adults.

UM NO I was told flat out and dismissed.... We dont do that. She was told to stop drinking coffee. This was a woman who drank a single cup of coffee every morning for 50 years. So she had to stop cold turkey at age 96. I took her shakes from a dietary point of view. And worked some more protien into her diet. I dont know if it was right but it made me feel better.... I know low blood suger can make your heart flutter.... Her episodes seemed to happen just before breakfast.

I personally believe that the things we crave are because we need something in our diets. Like kids eating matches..... stuff like that. Providing you can sort through emotional eating.

I got to go but I hope to talk about this a bit more later.

deb

 

[bruceha2000]

That's pretty big! Hope you can get it done soon! We're going to start planting stuff in our garden soon, but I don't think it's quite warm enough yet

Depends on what you are planting! Peas? As soon as the ground can be worked. Tomatoes and peppers? Not until the ground and air are warm.

Sorry, I mix all the good stuff (oil, seasonings) in a veggie bag (the kind you grab to put your veggies in), then throw them in a glass baking pan or whatever baking pan is clean

I set it at 375, every 10 mins I mix it, until it is cooked the way I like it. Normally about 20-30 mins.

You mean the flimsy plastic bags on rolls in the produce section? I do not think I would put one of those in the oven.

Moan, I love avocados. Nobody else likes them in the house so we hardly ever buy them.

See below, there may be a reason your family doesn't like them

The other way I like them is take half an avocado and score it gently with a plain dinner knife... Dont need to be sharp. But score it down to the skin without breaking the skin into quarter inch squares.... Then Drizzle it with very good olive oil and sprinkle it with Salt and pepper.... eat with a spoon....

deb

Sounds GREAT but works only with a tree ripened avocado, not the rocks we get in Vermont. I will be in Fallbrook and San Diego mid June so I hope to snag a couple while I am there. A ripe avocado would be bruised to rot and death by the time it got very far so they pick them hard. They should be picked almost like raspberries. If you have to pull hard, it isn't mature yet. If the fruit doesn't separate from the stem when you pull and twist a little, it isn't ripe yet. A good avocado is the consistency of refrigerated butter.

I posted this in another forum a few weeks back:

I don't buy avocados because you can not get a decent avocado in Vermont. I grew up in Southern California with a huge avocado tree overhanging from the neighbor's yard. An avocado picked solid enough to make the trip to Vermont tastes as much like an avocado as the Log Cabin syrup I grew up with tastes like syrup made by boiling down sugar maple tree sap - IT ISN'T EVEN CLOSE. Yeah, yeah, stick it in a paper bag and it will ripen. No it just gets softer (MAYBE) and has little flavor. I no longer eat "breakfast syrup" or avocados that did not ripen on the tree. I know the real thing and the "substitutes" don't cut it.

If you think Aunt Jemima and Log Cabin are "maple syrup" or you like avocados but have never had one that ripened on a tree:
Don't try the real thing unless you are ready to pay through the nose for real maple syrup and forgo avocados if they aren't local products.

I break the Broccoli up into bite sized pieces. Peel the large stems and slice those into slabs that are about a half inch thick. Toss them in a skillet with hot olive oil... Sprinkled with Salt, Pepper, and garlic. Caramelize them till the Broccoli has brown bits on it... Then Squeeze in about half a lemon over the top pop a lid on top and reduce the heat to low.... The broccoli then steams in what is left of its own juices as well as the lemon Juice. I serve it with shredded Parmesan on top.

I do the exact same with Brussels sprouts. Only I split them in half Saute with olive oil/butter mix... same seasonings same finish... Wayyy different ending flavor.

When I make corned beef and cabbage I use Brussels Sprouts instead of cabbage in the pot. Exactly the same way you would use cabbage. They have a much richer cooked flavor than cabbage.

deb

The broccoli sounds great. Will have to try it. I'm the only one in the family that will eat Brussels Sprouts or corned beef. Though a friend did once bake Brussels Sprouts halves with olive oil and (I think too much) salt. My wife liked those so she might go for the sauteed vs steamed version.

I was at a farm store today on the way to Sheridan, and they had 6 of those big metallic stock tanks for holding ducklings, chicks, and turkey poults, but most of the bins were empty. One bin had 3 "chicks" in it and it was clearly marked, "White Leghorns". The problem? In that bin were 3 turkey poults. I asked the lady there about that. "Did someone just put them back in the wrong brooder?"

She looked me dead in the face and said, "No, those are..."(looks at the sign) "White Leghorns." So I said, "Hmm, what can you tell me about them? They look pretty big to me."

"Well," she replied, "They are good layers of white eggs, and excellent as dual purpose birds." Really?

"But they're turkeys!" I protested.

If I hadn't been taller than she was she'd have looked down her nose at me. "Ma'am, I've been working here for 3 years and have taken care of more poultry than most people see in a lifetime. I'm telling you these are absolutely White Leghorns!" No sooner were the words out of her mouth when an older male employee walked past, glanced into the bin, then stopped and stared at the "chicks" for a second.

"Who put the turkeys in this bin? We sold the last White Leghorns a couple of days ago and this bin was empty this morning. Greg and Jason were supposed to get it out of here and clean it up."

I just looked at her. "Yep." I said. "You sure know your stuff." I pointed at the bin marked, 'Red Sex Links', where several bright whitish-yellow chicks were running around. "Aren't those the cutest little Black Copper Marans you've ever seen?" I didn't turn around to look at her - didn't need to. Sometimes you can just hear people chomping on a good helping of crow and not need to watch them eat it!

No, really, they were BIG White Leghorns, REALLY! The guys were WRONG! I think she had two or three crows to eat that day given how condescending she was.

Today is the day! It's cold...right now at 8 am it's struggling to hit 24 degrees.

We have the opposite! Most of March was 20+ degrees below normal, could not even manage to get above freezing most days. Today it is 75 and really windy. The wind isn't unusual but the temp is a good 30 degrees above average. No one is complaining (certainly not the chickens loving their time out in the fields after a long winter) but the overnight lows for Tues, Wed and Thurs are supposed to be 21, 23 and 29 respectively. So the windows are open, at least for today, first time since November and the fresh air is blowing through!

Bruce