Cold

Winter is back, or, winter is here. It turned cold again about a week ago. Nights in the low 30's, days in the 60's. Just after I planted. Seeds aren't doing much of anything. I hope I haven't lost them all.

Started my geraniums indoors this year, and it has been too cold to put them out during the day and they are all leggy and some have died.

Even the enclosed garden is suffering, have lost several tomato plants.

Yesterday was just nasty. Cold, windy, cloudy. We got some sprinkles for about five minutes, but that was it. We didn't get our usual January rain, so the cactus bloom this year isn't going to be as good. Won't be much green in the desert at all.

My job has been frustrating. Lots of people calling in sick leaving us short handed. HUGE truck deliveries, so we are also way behind in stocking. Constant stress the minute I walk thru the door. I just discovered that my 20 hours vacation time isn't on my pay stub. Should have shown up at the end of the year. We get 20 hours for every six months, and the end of December would be a year and a half. It should show 20 hours vacation time. That will probably be a fight.

Monday was a sad day. It was the anniversary of Jake's death. I just started my ninth year without him. Hard to believe it has been that long, I still miss him each and every day. I guess my grief has reached the point where it is as good as it is going to get.

Today I am not feeling all that great. I think I am coming down with something. Last night I woke up off and on, either too hot or too cold, then too hot and then too cold. Funny taste in my mouth. Not really hungry, but needing to eat, and my coffee tasted terrible. Hopefully I will kick whatever it is trying to grab me before it gets too bad.

I finally made it over to the Farmers Market yesterday and was very disappointed. Only two vendors, fruit and honey, and no customers. I didn't buy anything as I still have grapefruit and don't use honey.  Went from there to the Salvation Army as I haven't been there yet this year, and there were no parking spots, so I just drove thru and came home. Wasn't worth getting showered and dressed. A wasted trip. Keith and I were supposed to go out to eat, but he started coming down with something and canceled. I ended up just putting my jammies on and tried to get warm. I had gotten chilled and couldn't get warm.

So this week I am a bit low.  Not happy with my job, no prospects in sight, not happy with my life as it is right now and not happy with the weather. I am discouraged and a bit depressed. OK, a lot depressed. It will pass. Always does.

Pruning the grapefruit tree

I finally got the grapefruit tree pruned. It had a good run this year, lots and lots of grapefruit, mostly on one side, but they sure were good. I picked the last of them yesterday.

Gave a few away, and will eat the rest of them. I seem to be loosing weight a bit faster when I eat one per day. I will be sorry to see them go.

I didn't take a before pic, but there were three and four foot or more suckers growing at the top, those are all gone along with some shaping and cut back the sides to stay within the generous drip ring. It looks pretty sad right now, but will look good in a couple of weeks as it is already starting to leaf out.

I would have liked to have taken more off the top, but my pole pruner won't cut thru the thicker branches and I can't reach them with anything else, so this will have to do. Will have to make a trip to the landfill sometime soon to get rid of the brush.

When putting the ladder away I discovered this. Mourning doves will nest just about anywhere. 

It is a good thing I don't use that clothesline or clothes pins much. Too much of a pain to get wet clothes back there and I don't hang my work clothes out in the sun. I always hated hanging out clothes and then having to go take them off the line. Now I just hang them indoors. Same process, just easier. Sometimes I even use my clothes dryer.

Planted a few more seeds yesterday. Pulled up the overgrown mesclun mix and planted three types of lettuce. Also started the coral vine seeds indoors and discovered my geraniums and gazania seeds have sprouted.

Hope they all survive. I have probably lost the annuals that had poked their heads above ground, the tub they are in were iced over this morning and we went below freezing last night. Our one week of winter is late this year. Sigh...I didn't cover anything, probably should have.

Back to work today. My two days went way too fast.

Noteworthy

Weighed myself again on Sunday. I have lost a total of 41 pounds since I was diagnosed with type two diabetes. Thinking about it, I realized that this is the least I have weighed in twenty years! I have gone down four pant sizes since I started my current job, it is a great workout every time I go to work.

I still have a long way to go, but am half way there. It has taken years to loose this weight, ups and downs, but lately, mostly downs.

Last week I got the new perennial garden assembled, filled and planted. Two trips to the store to get soil and I used up the rest of my pro mix and I had to order more.

I also got the annual garden setup and planted. I cut a soaker hose in two so both beds could get water, and it took quite a while to get the irrigation set up. It was a two day process.

I also finally got the drop cloth curtains up over the big opening on the side of the patio. Hoping it will help keep the patio cooler during the heat of the summer and it will also block a bit more of the morning sun.

We hit 32 degrees last night. I am hoping my seedlings survived. The perennial garden hasn't done much, but the annuals have poked their heads above ground and the daffodils are finally growing.

Picking the rest of the grapefruit today and plan to get the tree pruned. It is already putting out new leaves for the season, so it has to be done now or not at all. It really needs it.

One of the two desert willow trees that I got started last fall is coming back, I hope the second one does as well. They will probably go in the ground this year when I figure out where they are going to go. My lot is pretty small and the grapefruit takes up a lot of the yard. The birds love it and it gives decent shade. The bunnies hang out under it in the hot summer. Shooting for a bit more privacy in the yard. I hate that I have none. But I love my little community and have great neighbors most of the time.

The people that rented the lot next door this winter are finally gone. Can't say that I am sorry, they bugged me and I felt like I couldn't go out in my own yard. Plus they created problems in the neighborhood. That lot should stay empty until next fall now. Hopefully by then I will have created some sort of growing fence.

Work is still challenging. We are still way above last year on our numbers and we are having trouble (more than usual) getting stuff stocked. The new manager isn't doing well, and that creates more issues. Sigh...I miss Tom. And they are still sending us huge trucks every week and we are at least two weeks behind in stocking totes. They have also cut back our hours, so we don't have enough manpower to get it done. We just do the best we can.