Back Pain's Back, Fall Garden Time, and Nicotine Walls

Going to the back surgeon on Thursday, hoping he will lay my on the counter in the front office and fix my back, but not overly confident. What I'm actually looking for is to have the disk removed, or kill the nerve in the area that hurts. Not concerned with the long term effects on the old spine, just looking to have the time I have left upright the best they can be with as little pain as possible.

Tomorrow is lettuce day. I need to plan out my fall garden which is a very small scale operation. I am planting the lettuce table again and 2 of my idiot tubs. Wasn't very impressed with the tubs and my tomatoes this year, had 4 varieties so it wasn't for lack of trying. The tubs do an incredible job with the lettuce however, looking forward to some killer salads this fall. Going to our local CSA on Wednesday, hoping to get some tips, some honey, and some eggs.

It's time to paint the house, partly because it's time and we want to make some changes, but also because it's like living in the Amittyville horror house. The people that lived here before us smoked themselves to death in this house, literally. When it's hot and humid, and it's always hot and humid in Baltimore, the nicotine leaches out and runs down the walls! Attractive, ain't it? Have to figure out how to make that stop, short of replacing the drywall. The kids are so looking forward to painting!

Just say yes to chickens!

Multiple Sclerosis, Fatigue, and a Happy Easter To All

I had the garden club meeting today, in the rain, and wind, and even more rain. I had a few die hard fans show up, in the rain, and bring supplies to make idiot planters, so I guess you would call that a success.

I took some advice I received from a few people in the last few days and took it really easy so as not to tire myself out, but it didn't work. I find myself more and more tired, from less and less activity. I need to find a way to deal with that, cursing and throwing things and the neighbors isn't quite doing it.

We dyed Easter eggs tonight, me, the wife, the daughter, and the the daughters friend. Mine were the best, I dyed them all white! Everyone will open their cards, and dive into their baskets tomorrow, except my wife, I didn't get to it, run out of time, and more importantly, energy. I hate that part, and hate it more that I'm not dealing with figuring out when the tank is empty.

The girls and the boy are at the bowling alley, the girls bowling, the boy working. I think he is fry king at the snack bar tonight, making pizzas, burgers, and anything else they ask for. The girls were excited about it, they both were as excited about going up and being able to order a beer I think, and see what boys were there. That's OK, I will bribe the boy to tell me what happened!

I hope everyone has a happy Easter with their families, and that tomorrow brings a time that we all are nicer to each other!

Multiple Sclerosis, AFO Brace is Here, and Idiot Garden Plans

I picked up my new brace today, works pretty much like the old one, with the main difference being that the new one doesn't have an articulated ankle. I'm not sure what I think about it. The solid ankle makes it easier not to hyper extend the knee, and pivot, and easier walk down an incline. It also makes it harder to go up an incline, feels like the leg isn't seated in the brace, and has really flimsy little Velcro straps. I will have to wear it a few days to tell just what I think, and to see if I need any adjustments, I don't think I like the movement within the brace.

It's time to start up the idiot garden, 2009 edition. I am going to have 8 tub gardens, and I think 5 3 gallon bucket gardens. I am going to start my seeds tomorrow, including a 3 pepper blend, yellow, orange, and green. I'm also want to put some hot peppers in this year. I'm going to load up on heirloom tomatoes, they were awesome last year! We are putting in pickling cucumbers, have to make some of Slammer's garlic dill pickles this year. There will be zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant. I will have buckets of herbs, buckets of onions, and buckets of peas and green beans. There will be 2 kiddie swimming pools, one with salad greens, and one with potatoes.

I want to try some square foot gardening around the patio. I want to put some of the tubs and some of the 3 gallon buckets around the patio also. The corner of the patio is screaming for grapes! I'd love to plant some blueberries over by the clothes line, and a fig bush someplace in the back. I think we will do silver queen corn up at our CSA spot, maybe some melons. We also need to read up on how to store all of our bounty. We can freeze, we can can, and we can dry things. When I say we can can, I mean to put things up, not the dance! Our old neighbor is making some tubs, and he is setting up a bee hive again, so hopefully some honey is on the horizon. Now if I can talk the wife into rabbits, I will have a lean meat choice right in the back yard!

A Better Idiot Proof Garden System

These guys have idiot gardening down to a science! I am going to explore the watering system after, and if I ever get my bathroom finished! Read that garden site, I like it when people admit they don't know what things are called, or why they work. It's interesting. We are off to farmers markets tomorrow, yippy!

Oh yeah, one convention down, one to go. I could have put each one on for the cost of a camera and an Internet connection! The money that was wasted distresses me beyond words. I'm sure the other team's pep rally will be as opulent as this one was. It would have showed real balls for one of the teams to have had their convention online and sent every registered voter a $5 gas coupon they could print out and use. Guys, you missed your chance to shine!

Gardening so easy an idiot could do it! I did!

Ah, nothing like the smell of freshly tilled soil, the achievement felt from hoeing weeds for hours on end. Fighting bugs and varmints, wondering if everything is getting enough water, fertilizer. Ah, alls I need now is Zsa Zsa to pal around with and I'm set! The problem is I don't feel like, or have the energy to do most of those things, not to mention the room!

How does a poor slob like myself get not only fresh veggies all summer long, but also the joy and sense of accomplishment of having grown it all by myself? You can't! No, I'm kidding, I kid, that's what I do! I decided to build my own self watering vegetable containers. I'd heard of them, but I didn't want to spend the money for them. I went online and Shazam! There they were.

I've decided you can find anything on the internets. I made up 5 of the containers. 2 have tomatoes in them, one has squash, yellow and green, one has 2 types of lettuce, and the last are my green peppers. Each has a strip of organic fertilizer that runs down the center that will feed the plants for the entire growing season. You fill the "fill" tube until water comes out of the overflow hole.

Let me see....yep, that's it! Just like I said, even an idiot could do it! As long as you keep water in the reservoir, all is good. The black plastic keeps out weeds and that's about all there is to it. Now alls I have to do is wait. The squash will be on the table soon, they are about 3 inches long and we have been eating salads for a few weeks.

My claw foot bath tub has 3 tomato plants in 5 gallon buckets. I am going to compare how the tomatoes do in the tub against the self watering ones. I'm no expert, but I bet we know how this is going to turn out. I also have a cherry tomato plant growing upside down out of the bottom of a hanging basket of flowers. Man, what was I thinking!