FLASHBOOM!!....Guess What Happened?

No, it wasn't fireworks! It was LIGHTNING! And Sunday it hit the tree in our front yard, while I was standing under the carport a mere 100 feet from it! All at once there was a giant FLASH and BOOM and the house shook and it happened so fast that I didn't realize what had happened until bark flew off the tree! My heart pounded. I was shaking. Wow.

I bought some tree wound stuff to paint on so hopefully the tree won't die. It also blew our modem, so it got replaced today.

And just a friendly little PSA reminder...stay away from trees during a thunderstorm.

I can't see the garden through the weeds. There are just too many and it is too big. I have started a "weed directly around the plants only" protocol to keep up the best we can. I also did resort to Chemical Warfare in The War Against Squash Bugs. Sevin dust.

We pickled a whopping 24 pints of peppers over the weekend.

And I am sure there is a lot more to update but I have have HAVE to get the wood floors waxed!

The Greenhouse....

I have been hardening off the seedlings from the house to the greenhouse. The Captain added some shelves - he is da bomb you know. ;) The only thing better than this greenhouse would be a BIGGER one! :) LOL Oh dear, we have actually talked about turning the old hog barn into a greenhouse...it would be HUGE!!!! Anyway, I plan to leave them in there until it is time to harden them to outdoors. I keep the door propped open to vent. So far it is working out really well. I would like to eventually add some type of a small light to leave on at night to provide some warmth...it has been cold enough at night that I was afraid to risk it. But it is supposed to be in the 40's for the overnight lows, so I think they'll be just fine now. I also plan to go ahead and start a few more things in the greenhouse. I hope it all works! The trial and error part is exciting to an extent....I really don't want to kill my plants! :) Oh, also, when they are in the house I have been putting a fan on them on oscillate in hopes that it is toughening them up.

And a funny... Hubby had forgot to close the wood stove door all the way (it was vented to get the fire going) and it got really hot in that room. The Moon Flower got hot and started wilting! I moved it to another room and watered it well. I came to check on it and it was all perked up again so I was talking to the plant. I commented to hubby that plants like it when you talk to them. He tells me it is because they like the carbon dioxide in my breath. Why does he have to be so darn technical all the time and burst my love bubble? I thought they liked the sweet nothings and encouragement I whispered into their little leaf ears. Humph. (Honey, since I know you read this, I wouldn't change your technical thinking one bit. I have learned a lot from you! Ok, so maybe they like the carbon dioxide too, but I am convinced that they also like the sound of my voice and the sweet nothings and encouraging words the most! LOL :)

What do you have started and how is it doing? Any greenhouse wisdom to share?

My Onion Plan and A Quick Update...

This is what I am thinking for my onions. If you have any thoughts or suggestions or experiences, please chime in! I have never grown onions before and I can use all the help I can get! :)

This year I ordered onion plants and onion seed. I hope for the plants to make it to storage size to store for this winter, the seeds to make my own sets or plants (haven't decided yet - maybe both) for next year, and also to let some onions go to seed to collect the seeds for future sets & plants. In my head, this works out well but we'll have to see how it does in real life! I also have seeds for green onions to plant this year - if the rest of the onions go well and I have enough seed, I will probably use regular onion seed for green onion size onions in the future. Worst case scenario, I have to buy more seeds/plants next year. But I really hope to get into seed saving and buy as little as possible.

We have had a lot of rain and it has been crazy windy out! The cold frame is outside and did just fine with the rain and the wind. The green house is still in the shed, which I wish we had set it out and staked it down to see how it would have held up. This would have been a great dry run! (dry run...LOL!)

We haven't caught anymore mice. My youngest has made it her job to check the traps several times a day and she gets irritated if anyone else checks them. She also learned how to blow a bubble with bubble gum yesterday and spent 3 hours straight following me around wanting me to "LOOK MOM!!" at every attempt she made. :) I have pictures of her I will post. We did some celebrating for 3rd quarter grades...all three of my kids are doing excellent in school! They wish we'd pay them $25 per A...but we would be broke if we did that every quarter! My son is 11 and in 6th grade and he scored a 13+ on his reading level...that means he is reading beyond that of an average 12th grader at the end of the school year. Wow! His teacher also told me what they have been telling me since he was in 1st grade....he is the class clown. :) In a good way though...he doesn't get in trouble with his antics. He's funny at home too and always has been. I am very proud of all three of them for their hard work!!

Oh, and I learned how to purl over the weekend. So I can now cast on, knit, purl, and cast/bind off. I think I am getting close to trying a real knitting pattern!

That is it for now. Hope you have a great night!