More garden work.

Spent some time in the garden after coffee Monday morning. Pulled some stuff and added one bale of pro-mix. Then I moved the perennial stuff over to the newly filled section. I added the second bale to the side where the perennial stuff was and want to plant some new seed. I had to block off the new soil as the back section still has producing tomatoes and some other stuff. It is amazing how much the soil had settled. 

I will have to see what I have for seeds that will stand up to the heat. I know eggplant will be one of them. Rhubarb will be another. The rhubarb should really go on the other side, but I can transplant it later. 

I am going to have to order four more bales of pro-mix. I will do two next month and two the month after and I still have one of the three that I ordered this time. It will take five more bales to bring the soil level up to where it is supposed to be. More than I put in initially. Go figure. Hopefully I won’t have to do that in such large quantities again. Very, very expensive.

I got the filter on the cool tub changed and I removed the electric fixture over the sink and hung the new solar one. I will pack the electric one away for now until I can figure out a way to use it again. It was a gift from Jake that we bought at a yard sale, so it has sentimental value. Plus, it traveled 3000 miles without breaking…

I got rid of the garbage and all the cardboard before coffee on Monday. So that is done. 

Went to Silly Al’s Pizza for dinner Monday with the neighbors. I had the taco salad. That is the cheapest I have ever gotten out of there. With tip and an iced tea the meal cost $9.50 so I didn’t use my $20 gift card. I will save that for a pizza. Their pizza is very expensive. After I left there I went to the Roadrunner to buy lettuce so I could make my BLT with my fresh garden tomatoes. I haven’t bought veggies or been to the RR since last fall. They had some nice looking stuff, so I left there $28 later. I got some very expensive cherries, some very expensive plain yogurt - the less expensive stuff was about to expire, mushrooms, feta and bananas. Should have bought some lime juice while I was there, I like it in my water better than lemon juice, but didn’t think of it. I did pick up a head of garlic that I am going to plant. Some of it has already sprouted. I also have some potatoes that have sprouted and should plant those up too. But I won’t plant those in the garden I will do those in a pot. I will have to get another large pot from work. 

I just messaged Mark to see if he would be interested in building another garden structure for me. This one would be long and low with the 4x4 corners to put chicken wire on it to keep the bunnies out. I would like to have a perennial garden. It would also give me some privacy from the lot next door the next time it is rented. Especially if I can get a vine of some sort to grow on the wire. I would need to have the capability of putting shade cloth over it, so it would have to have the roof supports like the big garden has. If I can get him here to do that, I am going to have him put an addition on the roof of the big garden with a tilt and some clear solid roofing. The vinyl works great except when it rains, then I have the huge puddles in the roof where I have to use a broom to get rid of them. It will wipe out half my savings, but I should be good for a while after that. I would have to move the two bushes I planted last year and the chiminea plus trim the cactus garden, but none of their placements are ideal anyway. As for soil, I will get the less expensive stuff at Herbs. I don’t need the good stuff for non edibles. I already have irrigation there, would just need to extend it a bit above the soil. I think I am going to order a compost tumbler too. I have wanted one for a long time and since I don’t have the room for a bin here a tumbler would do the trick. No sense in wasting all the leaves and used soil. I have been just tossing the stuff under the grapefruit tree, but that doesn’t look very good. The tree doesn’t seem to mind tho and the bunnies eat the green stuff and then fertilize the tree.

This is where I would like the perennial garden, along that fence where I can see it from my chair…

My camera hasn’t been out in a long time, but I just had one of these bathing in the bird bath. :) Very pretty.

I did spend most of the day outside yesterday and it was over 100 degrees. I had one thermometer that said 108 and the other said 111. Between my fan and the cool tub I did OK being outside. I am wondering tho if it would use less electricity to lower the AC temp and not run fans or to keep it where it is and run fans. At least the fans don’t run when I am not here, so that is probably the less expensive way to go. 

I planted several things yesterday. Garlic, asparagus, rhubarb, black eyed peas, swiss chard, and eggplant. Hoping some of it will grow. I expect I will have to relocate some stuff later, but that is OK. The pepper plant that I relocated the other day isn’t happy and I think I am going to loose it. Oh well. The smaller pepper plants look OK in spite of being relocated.

Nothing much...

Not much has been happening here. More of the same - working, sleeping and waiting to go to work. My foot is improving slowly. Would be much faster if I wasn't on it eight hours per day, which is what caused the problem to begin with, but I will take it. No more pills, has been three or four weeks now, just topical and taping. Back to wearing my Teva's the whole shift, but I keep the cushy Telics in the car just in case.

I'm due for a vacation, but haven't scheduled it because there isn't much to do or anyone to do it with. Kay is going to be having gall bladder surgery, Keith is gone for the season...It will be too hot for camping and I don't have the money for any travel. It will be a quiet week at home. It will still be a break tho. Maybe I can talk myself into doing something creative. I have enough craft supplies to last a very long time.

The garden is winding down. I have three new bales of pro-mix and will have to order three more, but am planning on pulling everything on one side and adding the new soil to bring the level back up to where it should be. The tomato plants are the only things that are still doing well so I will leave those for now. My cukes, once again, were a fail. I really need to just give up on those. Once I get the new soil in I will plant some eggplant and a few other warmer weather crops. Hopefully it won't be too warm for them. I would like to grow year round if I can.

Today is my Friday. Just have to make it through today and I am off for two days. Yay. I live for my days off, not that I do much of anything with them lately.

The latest on my foot problems

Had my third(?) appointment with the podiatrist yesterday. My foot is actually getting better, but the pad of my heel is still inflamed. He wanted to give me a cortisone shot, but I declined. My last experience with cortisone was a nightmare so I am very hesitant to go in that direction. I am going to continue with what I have been doing the last two weeks and hope that it will continue to improve. I go back in six weeks. If it hasn't gotten much better, then I will consider the cortisone shot. Ice, elevation and topical anti inflammatory. Some soaking in the cool tub as well.

My BP was down. I knew it would be once I stopped taking pain killers and allergy meds. It was within the normal range once again.

I still haven't received any bills from the first three appointments or the x-rays, so I still have no idea what all of this is costing me. I have another prescription for the calluses my new walking pattern has created and the insurance won't pay for that one. It is going to cost me $49. But if it prevents cracked feet and yet more pain, then it will be worth it. I have enough foot pain without cracked skin adding to it.

He suggested I get some thick cushy socks to wear when I work, but I am wearing Teva sandals. Socks with sandals? I don't think so. I am going to see if I can get an insert to work in them instead to give another layer of cushion for the heel pad. I guess the taping is helping as well. It definitely protects the very sensitive part of my heel when I am out and about.

It may be time to start thinking about a new car. It has developed yet another issue. There is now no blinker noise. The blinkers work, but they don't tick any more. I also noticed there is no more key ding or seat belt ding. That lead me to testing out the radio and there is only one speaker working now in the passenger door. Add to that the fact that now that it is warm again, I am having issues getting the key out of the ignition again, and still have the check engine light for the catalytic converter that came on a week after I bought the car three years ago. Mike says the dinger issue is probably a ground wire problem but I don't know where to even start looking for that. Apparently this make (Chevy Equinox) is notorious for all of these problems and most of them are very expensive to fix. I'm not spending the money. Especially on the ignition issue as it will most likely return according to my research.

Another search says it might be a broken wire in the door. That I can check for. I have to go out today and will look then.

Nothing new and exciting. Just more of the same...work and sleep and read. I haven't felt motivated to do much of anything lately. With the foot issues, that makes me think twice about starting any projects.

Another dead critter in the yard. Last week a bunny and this week a pigeon. Wonder what next week will bring.

Trying a new leave in conditioner. With the heat and lack of humidity, my hair is getting dry again. Still using the Micelle water on my face, but am having yet another break out. I don't think that will ever go away. Seems to be especially itchy this time too. But it is still better than it was.

Time to think about pruning the cactus in my little garden. There is a big one in the back that has gotten way too big and it has two inch spines on it. I don't want to bump into that by mistake. Still thinking about rebuilding the fountain. Not sure what I want this time. Something a little more natural. Need some flat rocks. We had wind the other day and I have leaves everywhere again. Sweeping them off the patio is becoming a daily chore.

Strawberry sets are here and potted up. They haven't done much yet tho. Sunflowers have pretty much gone by, time to put in some more seed. Garden is slowing down due to the heat. Tomatoes are good this year. Although those are slowing down now too.

Garden pics and cool tub

Not much new and exciting going on here. It is getting warm, we hit 100 yesterday and I used the cool tub for the first time this season. The water was only 76 degrees, but I managed. I usually don't get in unless it is at least 80 degrees, but I was warm and needed a cool down.

Somehow, when I was filling the tub it shifted and is up against the sunscreen. I will need to adjust it when I drain the tub to clean it. I can't move it while it is full. Hoping it doesn't damage the material. The rail also shifted so it is pretty much useless right now.

The big motor home next door left a week ago. I rearranged the patio so I have my regular spot back and this is my view from my chair. I am getting really tired of the rock in the yard and am contemplating some sort of paving or design. 

The garden is doing OK. I transplanted the lemon cukes from the pot outside the garden directly into the garden yesterday. They are blooming and putting out cukes, but they are dying before they mature. They also look like they are getting too much sun and water, so being in the garden should help. I figured they already looked bad, so transplanting them won't hurt the any more. 

The zucchini has white fly. I was hesitant to do any pest control because of the little spider living there, but he wasn't keeping up. I dusted with diatomaceous earth yesterday. Hopefully I didn't get any on the spider. 

Strawberry sets haven't been shipped yet. I haven't started any new seed either as I think my growing season is just about over. I am getting tomatoes and they are very good this time. I hadn't been able to grow them in pots, not enough water and too much sun. I want to prune them back when they stop producing as they are leggy and falling over. 

Here are this week's garden pics.

Back to work tonight. I don't go in until 4:30. What a waste of a day. Tomorrow I don't go in until 5. My foot is OK. When I am not working it is bearable. Mostly just twinges to remind me that it is an issue. But when I work, it is full blown pain. I haven't taken any oral pain killers in over a week, am managing with the topical and I just started taping my foot too. I have no idea if it is helping, but it isn't hurting it any.

I have been icing the foot on meal breaks with the ice pack in my lunch bag. Adding another coat of topical anti inflammatory, and I changed my shoes the last time and that got me another hour or two of less pain. I guess I will have to do that every day for now. I'm hoping to be able to wear real shoes again some day.