.
.
It's a trick pony. Call it heatwave, call it high summer, call it what you will. It came early, and hard. Over a week at or over 100, now new and improved with 50% humidity. Still beats Iowa where 50% humidity was called an odd winter day? Something. I think it only got to 50% when the water froze in the air! Bleh.
The thing is, I have abandoned trying to keep a schedule. I am merely sleeping when I can get it in, as I can. I am probably sleeping a bit more, but not drastically more. Last night I was in bed by 23:00 or so and awake by 4:00, all give or take. So my sleep is shorter. No heat sickness now, either. Enough hydration and sleeping at while the proverbial or literal iron is hot has helped with that. Sleeping, somewhat alternately, when it is hot and when cool, and thus splitting my awake time between the two extremes. These things help.
Today is watering day. I did take a trek out to the garden, just to look things over. While the plants I planted do seem to be surviving, the shorter plants I had in are actually much more robust at this point. Their leaves have set in thickly, much more so than the taller new plants. Size is relative in this way. My tomatoes are setting on serious blooms now, too. And the root vegetables I planted, or at least the turnips, are getting of a size in which I have to start thinning. I should get a decent pan of greens from them. Yeah, perhaps not as good as fresh spinach to some, but I myself have learned to like many types of greens. I may water out there early this morning, before the sun comes up. If I do that I will hold off new planting until tomorrow. Yeah, that may be the way to go. I have a score more pepper plants to put out. I never did get the habanero in, but that is now or never. And the Tai peppers were never put in... Ah well, they will make it or not.
Corn is looking good, and I think the new plants are doing well. My lawn is doing as well as it can in this heat. I may be going to town for more hoses and sprinklers today. I found some checks for travel reimbursement that will cover most of the cost as well. A total of $60 or $70 incoming makes spending even a hundred a lot less seemingly daunting. And I know what to look for in hoses. I don't mind spending a little more for better, less likely to kink, heavier, hoses. And the sprinklers I bought were perfect, if I might have to dig around for them. The last time I was at the store they didn't have them. I'm starting to think Walmart buys a big shipment then simply doesn't replace what is sold? Something is really odd with how they are doing things now. Actually, it isn't just Walmart. I have seen, to a degree, the same thing at Lowe's and H.D. Seasonal buying that is one-time, on some things.
Bit by bit my kit and skills and knowledge are coming together. Whether fixing drywall, watering the lawn and garden, or working even on minor plumbing. This is one of the more pleasant times in my life this way. I've always had the interest, just never the money or health. Now, right now, a woman could be handy. No, not to nag, just to... remind. To keep me on track. Perhaps a bit of cheering. Well, I suppose some nagging, and simple need, wouldn't be all bad. A woman taking cold showers will definitely... push a man. Then again, she would have figured out warming water before I did. And some help on the finicky details wouldn't be bad. That has worked before.
Well, on to... more waking. Good day.
When I first moved out here I bought a pile of cheap hoses to get things started. They are nearly all, nearly decomposed. Five years in the Arizona sun...
ReplyDeleteAs I can afford, I am replacing these with the red or black rubber contractor grade hoses. I expect those to last something closer to twenty years.
The "in between" grades I'm not bothering with. My experience is they die almost as fast as the super cheap hoses, but cost almost twice as much. Def. not worth it.
I'll look for those. My guess is two 75'ers and a fifty footer or two, plus sprinklers, will do for this year. As the others wear out, replace them with the better kind and in the longer lengths.
ReplyDeleteI just know that it would be nice to have to only move the main hoses a bit, perhaps every other time to get full and complete coverage, if the side hoses will have to be moved a lot and often that is still a lot less work. Plus, it would be very nice to only have to spend two hours watering, and all at one pull of the hydrant and at once, rather than four to five hours with big or little moves every hour. Bleh.
:)
ReplyDeleteFinal step: enough of each to not need to move anything, plus battery operated timers to keep everything moist on schedule.
Then your gardening involves wandering out to pull a weed or two and pick what is ripe.
And to think, that might actually be done before the year is out. Before this month is over. Perhaps in the next week or two depending on how fast I can get a timer. Actually, I'll need two timers, or a double like I showed. However, the side hoses can't really be put on a timer, or the timer wouldn't be efficient, since I have about a half dozen different spots, or more, for those. And they will be moved, and used, as needed... which varies greatly.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, that will take much of the effort out of the task. I don't mind it, and I will still check to make sure the sprinklers are rotating, and haven't fallen over or been knocked over. Deer might do that. And a time check on the timers occasionally. But, that will free me greatly!
I have to wonder... did you think I would ever even get this far? I came out here with hope but honestly almost nothing else. If you recall, sleeping for months at a time, summer or winter, was the norm. Even three to six months could go by with me in bed or mostly asleep most of the time. Waking just often enough to relieve my bladder and maybe eat a half dozen meals in one sitting before crawling back to sleep.
Doesn't matter what else has been learned since... I didn't know if I was going live out here, or die trying. I am pleased, but hoping for even more. Four years, now, three in my own home. It's almost magical.
Did I think? I had no idea really. I just know that the midwest is like a cancer or an ulcer, and the intermountain west and southwest are a breath of fresh breeze in comparison. It doesn't hurt that they finally diagnosed you correctly.
ReplyDelete