...After a week of silence

How is everyone?

Still alive

Contemplating Spring Bulbs: hollandbulbfarms.com/…

@CrusaderJ That's a cheerful flower

Looks like. Would give my crocuses some company in the spring.

those double daffy's don't naturalize well, tho

especially in heavy soil

good to know, but I figure they'll manage. My yard is mostly river silt.

@CrusaderJ The trumpet ones with smaller flowers and more leaves do better xD

near as I can figure I've been over-exposed to the standard yellow trumpet daffodil when I was growing up. Mom's front garden was pretty much nothing but daffodils for years.

So now I find them boring

yeah

Ice Follies is a good naturalizer too

one google-search later them too.

yup

there's a reason they're the most common.

They just don't die

lol

lol. maybe that's why her tulips never amounted to anything.

yeah you need special tulips for naturalizing

and even then they're kinda picky

same with giant alliums

Snowdrops are cool

meanwhile hers were at war with a horde of daffodils

they bloom around the middle of Feb. here

snowdrops, that is

of course

think they start coming up early April around here.

I like early flowers

make winter less boring

That's why I like the crocuses. They come up, bloom, and then usually get snowed on, all in a week.

yup

crocuses don't do as well here for some reason

mid feb this year

late feb

@J.Musser weird. They're thick as grass up here.

might be poor compacted soil

idk

actually no

they like poor soil

All this crocus talk reminds me. I know a guy that has some manner of fall-blooming crocus in his lawn.

@CrusaderJ Oh, there are a few bulbs known as 'fall-blooming crocus'

@J.Musser You still around? Just saying hi and thanks so much for that compliment about voting! It's how we say thanks, right :)). I have 2 electorates too which is fun! My cat got diagnosed with Cancer so I've been a bit reclusive. Trying to contribute somehow still, tho. Today's dupes both duped to the same question-clever! Plus I initiated my first vtc.

I tried to upgrade my iPad to 9.0.1 from 8.4-quite unhappy with me. It appears to be only partly downloaded so I have to try again.

@CrusaderJ Hi-it's been fun getting to know you through your chats with J. I thought I had some crocus bulbs that would bloom in fall (Massachusetts) but they didn't. I know some will. My spring pansies woke back up though, which was fun! I love those very early spring crocus. The bulbs I buy are called Snow Crocus, apt name. They're always a hopeful sign!

I just noticed you guys mentioned those-called them snowdrops-probably the same thing.

@Stephie Wanted to say hi before we were both out of the room for 7 days and became un-pingable! Hope you and the family are well! My acer died :( I was trying to slowly acclimate it to the yard, moving the pot over to where I was planning to plant it for a few hrs a day. I think it got too much sun and shriveled up.

@Sue ohai

I'm here

@Sue Oh no!

Is your cat bad?

@J.Musser Ohai! Yup, he's bad, sorry to say. He has cancer in his blood and also a tumor in his belly. We've started some pills today just to stop the stomach upset and weight loss. If they don't work within a few weeks we may have to euthanize. If they do work, he should have some months of quality life. We knew he didn't feel well but had no idea he was in pain. We lost his brother earlier this year. We're very very sad...

How've you been?

I was watching you in a separate room yesterday discussing smoking cessation. I wanted to jump in to see if I could help, since that's been my profession and passion for 25 years, but it wasn't my place...

@Sue How old is he?

@Sue Oh ha. Yeah I don't think I could smoke if I tried

Almost 9.

@Sue That's a decent age tho

I mean it's not like he's 3, but still...

I've been ok!

Recovering from sports injuries

@J.Musser Yup, but about 1/2 the average for his breed of cat. The last one we lost was 17.

@J.Musser What'd you hurt?

@Sue my ankle and my knee on my right leg, hit those joints pretty hard, and scraped most of the skin off the outside of my other leg - that was actually the painul part

Glad to know you don't smoke! It's more addictive than heroin and many times more dangerous.

@Sue Our one cat is 14, and the other is almost 2

@Sue I don't do heroin either lol

@J.Musser Ah, so you know what it feels like.

@Sue What breed?

Just regular mutt-kitty. They call him North American Shorthair. We adopted him and his brother from someone who found them by a dumpster when they were a few wks old. The mom & 2 others were frozen to death. This woman took them in, bottle fed them and adopted them out.

@Sue Cool!

Ooh black is mah favorite!

Barnabus! We named him after Barnabus in the bible because it means encourager.

We have one strictly indoor (the one that's almost 2) and he's jet black

his name is Nero

The other is strictly outdoor, where she's been for 14 years (and looks almost no older, ha). She's a calico named Tikky Tack (the kids named her)

@J.Musser Us too-our gray one died, now all three are black. Barney's brother Cricket is black with a little white, and our all black one is Shadow.

@J.Musser I love that name!

@Sue Backwards of kitty cat

That's awesome! Your kids are clever like you!

haha

Don't you have to worry about predators where you live?

Even here, cats aren't safe outside.

I was just watching "world's luckiest people" or something like that, on youtube

some funny stuff

@Sue Nope.

The worst things around here are stray dogs, eagles, and occasionally bear

nothing to worry about

@J.Musser I'll have to check it out! No Fisher cats or anything?

Interesting...

@Sue Just like, people almost getting hit by cars, and everyone ends up fine

haha

Our first 2 were killed by cars, so the rest have always been inside. Around here, though, there are Fisher cats and various things that go bump in the night...

How'd you hurt yourself?

@Sue I play ultimate frisbee on a team, and I was playing on fake turf, which is almost like really rough carpet

I id a few big ayouts to catch some goals, and sliding on that stuff is brutal

We have an ultimate frisbee group nearby-fun to watch! It's on dirt/regular grass, obviously easier on the body.

@Sue My favorite sport. What I do is highly competitive, super high energy. I can barely keep up lol

But I did manage to do some that were at least better than this

layout goals, that is

so fun

@J.Musser Good healthy exercise though, I bet. Going to look at link...

Soon I'll need joint meds lol

Nice belly flops! We have joint issues here. Hubby was a competitive runner lots of years ago. That plus softball & age & car accident = knee and shoulder problems. Have you chosen a med yet?

@Sue nope

D had 2 arthroscopic knee surgeries, and now has torn rotator cuffs in both shoulders. Do you wear the proper footwear when you play? Very important...

I mean I take 4-5 ibuprofen softgels every day before work so I can walk, but no perscriptions

I wear regular running shoes on turf, and molded cleats on real grass

I hope those are good for you. We've both learned through injuries/nerve damage that footwear is very important! I'm surprised you don't have back problems in your line of work.

@Sue Ha no ibuprofen is not good for you

it kills your liver

but my knee is bad enough I can't walk on it without a lot of pain meds

@J.Musser It does indeed. But aspirin hurts your stomach and Tylenol hurts the kidneys! In moderation, all are safe.

The softgels are a decent delivery system.

@Sue fast, yeah

I do have a knee brace which I have to wear for sports and that helps

I wanna be in running shape when I reach 75 haha

I was just going to ask about a brace!

We were at the orthopedic surgeon's recently for D's knees. I'm trying to remember which med he liked best. Mostly he prefers stretching and exercises, and def braces when necessary.

@Sue I hate stretching ha

idk why but I always did

Exercising no prob

He said no matter weight you are, losing 10% will add years to your knees. I think you told me you're pretty slim...

I have a 31" waist

so rn I'm at 6' 3 1/2", and 216 lbs

@J.Musser That's because stretching is boring, plain and simple! Do you bicycle?

@J.Musser Yikes, you are thin!

@Sue used to. I was doing wheelies and stuff and I warped the back wheel haha

The other day I went all out with 2 50 lb dumbells in a superworkout. I used to do that every other day but I've been bad and lazy now it's closer to a couple times a week

that's to stay in good shape upper body

I like working out

@J.Musser Good for body & mind.

The healthiest overall exercise is swimming. Works all muscle groups and non-impact so you can't get hurt.

I don't know how to swim

I think parkour is a good workout (jk I can't do that hahahaha)

I did aqua therapy after a car accident-was very helpful.

@J.Musser Then I guess you could drown, which contradicts my previous assertion that swimming can't hurt you :))

@Sue true

I don't float either. People were like "You will float". But no. I sink. Fast.

Ha, ha! Ya, that thing about floating is a myth!

I have 7% body fat, so I think if it was 40% I might at least float a little better

I don' think I could handle being far overweight

Btw, a friend said the soil near my rhody might have gone askew because there was a huge pine tree taken down behind it. Not just the sun, but something about ash content? Make any sense to you?

@Sue ash?

Oh is that the Rhodo that's been having issues?

@J.Musser I'm really thin too-feel bad for people who struggle with weight. It can be a never-ending battle.

@J.Musser That's the rhody.

@Sue So I hear. I can eat what I want (usually ends up being mostly ice cream ha) and I cannot gain weight.

it's annoying

I don't feel bad though, it makes me better at sports and work

and other things

@Sue How close was this pine tree? Did the dripline extend over the rhodo?

@J.Musser Me too. Don't know how old you are, but my nickname used to be Twiggy, like the model in the 70's. Actually, people can be cruel to thin people-girls anyway.

@Sue Haha that's too bad

I was never too thin that people made fun of me

I liked to keep more of the 'fit' look

@J.Musser The tree was literally behind it. Huge roots are still wandering around in the dirt by the rhody. I'm not sure what you mean by dripline-like where the water run-off is?

@J.Musser Sounds like your job helps keep you in shape too...

@Sue That's where the branches extend to.

@J.Musser Oh, then definitely yes.

@Sue wow no wonder the rhodo is having issues haha!!

Totally different biome

oh well they're pretty adaptable

@Sue Yeah, the work part does

I do a lot of consulting now, and that's really not exercise

@J.Musser Interesting... the rhody's looking a bit better now, prob cuz the sun moved around and it's getting some shade.

@J.Musser Better money in consulting?

Good to know you have that skill if your body ever tires of the hard work stuff.

@Sue Partly, and also because anyone can do the grunt work, and not everyone can do the on-site plant health consulting. I have a lot of experience with that stuff

@J.Musser That's what I figured. You do mostly commercial?

@Sue residential, actually.

I prefer that atmosphere

also I have no people skills and I usually work alone haha

so I like smaller jobs

Oh-I don't know why I thought you had said you had business clients.

@Sue I do, but mostly in lawn care

@J.Musser Very funny-we know you have great people skills!

@Sue Maybe more so online, idk

I mean, I don't play around with words, been called 'brutally honest' which isn't always a good thing

@J.Musser That must be what I remember. Plant-health is different, like the guy who came to look at my rhody.

@Sue Oh what did he say?

@J.Musser So it bugs you if you give people advice and they don't follow it?

@Sue Not really, no

I just don't always be able to think of a 'nice' way to say some things haha

Wow I may never get the reviewer bade in the 'close votes' queue... I usually do the initial vote and that doesn't count :(

I did only 36 in all..........

@J.Musser He said Ph, Magnesium, Calcium way high, Potassium way low.

@Sue oh that's surprising...

...unless you're on a lime based soil

which is actually likely

@J.Musser Wait-let me check the report again...

oh yeah that

I forgot to look at that ha

Nice OM

but that can always improve

No need! D's friend said to add lime, but that report doesn't agree. Our bigger question is: in that same section of soil, can we plant veggies next spring?

What's OM?

well hey he gave you a decent prescription fertilizer!

@Sue Organic Matter

Yeah. No lime!

@J.Musser Awesome, I was going to ask if you agree with his prescription.

It's perfect for most veggies where it is

the pH that is

So we should not add lime?

@Sue Depends what you are growing

if a Rhodo, definitely no

if veggies, not until it drops below 6.0

Good to know. D's friend who does landscaping said to add a bunch of lime. But he's not a real soil guy.

There are so many roots in that soil, I'm not sure we can dig it up.

@Sue So you wanna grow veggies?

@J.Musser D does. I'm good with flowers but never did veggies. He put some cukes and tomatoes in quite late, and they're doing well.

He wants to expand the garden to that area where we got the soil report, cuz now it gets tons of sun.

How do you grow asparagus? Is it true it takes years for the first crop?

@Sue Ya know what I've seen work real good under where pines have been, is adding 3 inches of compost/manure, and putting black sheet plastic over it. Especially cucurbits, solanaceous plants, corn, beans... actually all the warm season stuff

I'd really like to grow them, but that's what I read...

Grows like crazy

@Sue Yeah, asparagus is easy

Here's a pic of my 2 yr. asparagus:

very nice big ones

everyone said it was the best ever

personally I don't like veggies

@J.Musser Yum! How'd you do that? Is our summer long enough?

They say wait three years, I say use a green thumb and do your own thing

@J.Musser To grow or eat? As I recall, you're a meat man...

@Sue Oh yeah! Way long enough

@Sue I love growing them, but they don't taste as good as ice cream, so...

@J.Musser I'll have to give you that! I love them, and they cost a fortune at the store & you have to break most of it off and toss it.

@Sue Not mine! Super tender down to the base, and sweeter than anything

even the ones that are over an inch in diameter

Planted by seed?

I planted 1 yr. seedlings

I was just going to ask you that. You get them locally?

@Sue Yeah, at an amish farm.

Called white oak nursery. They mostly sell nursery stock (like literally 100's of varieties of apples) lots of fruit trees

They ship too

and they really know their stuff

I got pear trees from them

and grew some pears

and peaches

@J.Musser That's cool. Maybe next spring I'll have you connect me to them.

I don't like pears or peaches but they're fun to grow

@J.Musser I don't either, especially peaches-fuzz is gross!

Nectarines are yummy though.

@Sue I am trying my hand at gooseberries now

I think they like me

I don't like them tho

@J.Musser Yup they do. What do they taste like? Are those ripe? Are they grown around here?

@J.Musser What don't you like-the taste or just you don't like fruit in general?

@Sue both

@Sue The one's in the pic (Invicta) are almost ripe in that pic

@J.Musser What do they resemble that I've eaten?

Yeah you can grow them, but they are not allowed in some states

@J.Musser For what reason?

@Sue Kinda... sour, kinda like a grape, but with a distinct different flavor

@J.Musser It's funny how hard it is to describe what something tastes like! I gave up cooking years ago, but like to watch cooking shows, and it's all about the adjectives!

@Sue It's an alternate host for white pine blister rust, which is a deadly pine disease, so gooseberries are illegal to grow in some areas

@Sue Oh I love cooking. I'm quite good actually

@J.Musser Ah, that makes sense.

@J.Musser Do you cook veggies???

@Sue yup

I don't like to eat them tho

Your family then?

@Sue yeah

I love having folks over too

they can help eat what I grow

Ah, the gift of hospitality!

@J.Musser That's true. One thing about fruits/veggies is that they all get ripe at the same time.

You have to cook them, preserve them, or give them away!

@Sue ha, not indeterminates

all season harvest ftw!

@J.Musser Cool word!

Around here everybody has tons of tomatoes all at the same time.

@Sue Haha

I climbed the tree in front of my house. Cool view

I don't like them anyway, except the yellow cherry variety.

Me neither

@J.Musser What can you see?

Fields of grain, etc.?

from ~65 feet in the air

Wow-very pretty!

Disclaimer: NEVER DO THIS AT HOME!!

unless you are a trained tree wrangler

haha

@J.Musser Splat...

HAHAHAHA!!!!

yeah

What kind of tree are you in? Did you really climb it or go up in a piece of farm equipment?

@Sue Yeah drove right up that tree in a combine harvester...

no I climbed it. No harness either

It's a Norway spruce

~78 years old

~64' tall

Oh, we have one of those I think.

Here's the roof:

I'm looking for my pix........

Norwegian spruce on left?

Looks like it!

I like the other types better but the birds love it!

Hubby's on the phone-gotta run!

Serbian spruces are nice

They have a nice blue highlighting. but softer and less hard/sharp than the blue spruce

I love blue spruce! Thanks for chatting- don't fall down!!!

@Sue Oh I'm not in the tree atm