Loss of Interest

[webmaster]

...water was leaking into the walls of all the units.

Yikes. So many gotchas with homeownership!

A problem with condos, imo, is that they have flat roofs that accumulate water when it rains. Those roofs, I think, based on my experience with a condo, tend to be fussy and cause more issues.

Slanted roofs I think are better because they shed the rain rather than let it accumulate in pools.

[PraticalGardener]

Due to an early snow in higher elevations (such as Spruce Knob, WV) at Oct. 19, some local farmers were hauling cattle out of pastures early; I was helping with handling the cattle. In the meantime, I need to split a lot more firewood.

[HoneyBerry]

webmaster wrote: Yikes. So many gotchas with homeownership!

"A problem with condos, imo, is that they have flat roofs that accumulate water when it rains. Those roofs, I think, based on my experience with a condo, tend to be fussy and cause more issues.

Slanted roofs I think are better because they shed the rain rather than let it accumulate in pools."

I believe you are right about that. However, in the case that I described, the vinyl siding leaks were at the top of the windows. The necessary caps were missing entirely on all of the windows, so water got into the walls. The residents were stressed and angry about what it was going to cost to fix the problem. Can you blame them? There were For Sale signs all over the place. People wouldn't return calls to the HMA committee. So it dragged on and on and costs escalated. It looks like a nice gated community from a distance.

[Ksk]

I am cleaning up my garden and thinking about moving beyond vegetable gardening next year. Pretty successful summer produce but winter lacks those glorious blooms and photos! My winter interest is prepping seeds to plant via cold stratification. I am going to start a small tree and shrub growing nursery and have been collecting all manner of native seeds and had great luck with some cuttings. Sounds easy but I have to ID them all which is challenging but still fun. Trees are a a patient persons game.

[imafan26]

I am glad my garden is productive all year. I depend on it for a lot of my fresh fruit and produce as well as stuff like peppers to trade. I wish I had more time and more energy to spend more time in it. I am glad I don't need to deal with snow and winter though. I enjoy the pictures everyone posts of where they live, but I can truthfully say, while it is beautiful, I don't really like to travel and I don't like being cold or breathing cooked air. Many of the military families here say that they do miss their families especially around the holidays and our isolation is tough on them since it is very expensive to travel. They miss the changing of the seasons and one of my friends actually said she enjoyed shovelling snow. She got a new snow shovel for her birthday from her family every year.

We do have seasons, they are just different, and much more subtle, there is even snow if you want to travel to Mauna Kea when it does snow.

[digitS']

Several years ago, I committed myself to 30 minutes of exercise that achieves a target heart rate, at least 5 days each week. Maybe I should have a treadmill but I don't really like the idea. But, I have not found it difficult to maintain this commitment. Certainly, summer gardening accomplishes the daily goal but what of winter?

A snow shovel isn't the torture machine that I imagine the treadmill. I'm fully aware of the danger of injury but I can prepare myself, stance, speed ... duration. This is not a very snowy area with an 8" snowfall somewhat unusual. There can be more but if I get the front sidewalk cleared for the school kids, no more than 30 minutes of exercise is needed ... at a time. To the front door and down the driveway to the backyard gate - another 30 minutes. Gate to backdoor ... Back to clearing driveway ...Now, of course, I can't stretch this over 4 days!

It would be an unusual snowfall that would have me out shovelling for 2 hours. Maybe once or twice a winter and other days in my retirement, I will have less interesting exercise activities in less pristine environments .

Steve

[jal_ut]

Calisthenics: Do some sit ups, pushups, side straddle hops, squat bends and if you have a bar, some pullups.

You have to make a commitment, then force yourself to do the task. No excuses! Here I sit and watch TV, when the ads come on I jump up and go behind the chair and hang onto the chair back and do squat bends till I get the heart rate up. At my age I ain't likely to do any running, but I can do some squat bends if I got something to hang onto so I don't fall down.

[imafan26]

Exercise is great for everyone. I find that I have more chronic fatigue. I have a hard time even doing 4 hours of heavy work a day. It seems counterintuitive it seems that you do have to expend energy to maintain it.

[jal_ut]

9:40 AM November 7 its 37 degrees and sunny, calm. I took some seed to the bird feeder, now sit here wondering what to do for the rest of the day? Thank you all for your comments.

[digitS']

"My idea of an educated person is one who can converse on one subject for more than two minutes."

Robert Andrews Millikan

What do we think?

Steve

[jal_ut]

Sunday November 11, 39 degrees calm and sunny. I took some seed to the bird feeder, now sit here wondering what to do for the rest of the day?

[jal_ut]

Calm, sunny, 22 degrees this morning. Nothing growing but ice.

[pow wow]

My yard has been ready for winter for several weeks now. We have had several large snowfalls but temps warm up and it melts away.
My seed order for this year arrived about a month ago, I will have to stick to Canadian seed companies in future. Sad because I really have liked Parks Seeds. This year Canada customs decided to charge me $15 on an $80 dollar seed order, never again.
Pelargonium cuttings all rooted in water and are potted and on my plant rack.
Now I have more time to spend taking care of my fish tanks, doing some aquascaping and restocking.
I really messed myself up in a bike accident this spring, broken ribs, smashed wrists and stuff. Ribs still hurt some but hands and wrists finally feel no more pain. Anyways I have had to get back into shoveling snow and it's irritating my ribs, went out and bought a snow blower. I can't hardly wait to use it.
When I flew over the handle bars of my bike my only concern was protecting my bike. Bike is fine so I am back to riding to my bird feeding spots along the Bow River.
That about sums up my life for now, until something worth mentioning happens.

Oh, I grew birdhouse gourds in my greenhouse for the first time. They are now strung up in my basement drying very slowly, not sure if they will be dry enough to make them into chickadee and nuthatch houses in the spring.

[HoneyBerry]

"bike accident this spring, broken ribs, smashed wrists and stuff. Ribs still hurt some but hands and wrists finally feel no more pain."

That doesn't sound like fun. Glad you are doing better.

[pow wow]

Thanks HoneyBerry. Well it was a difficult spring and summer, I still had my little gardening business to run. On a positive note, I did learn to float. Yes, my sisters were over visiting me one Sunday this past spring when the pain in the ribs were the worst. One of them had been watching me from the kitchen window. I still had to move seeding flats out and into my greenhouse every day. When I came in the back door my sister commented to me that I had changed how I moved to ease the pain, it appeared to her that I was more floating along than walking. lol

[HoneyBerry]

Call it The Float Walk, or your own version of The Moon Walk perhaps?
Amazing how the body can adapt.

[applestar]

Oooh. I had wondered where you’ve been @pow wow. So sorry to hear of your injuries — ribs, wrist, and hand? Ouch! And it sounds like you had a tough time of it while trying to get better while pushing yourself at the same time.

“my only concern was protecting my bike” made me chuckle But really glad you are going to be out and about along the river on the “uninjured” bike, feeding those birds again.

[digitS']

Good for you, taking care of yourself, doing the best you could at staying active.

I have a bad leg and often gimp along with a cane. Depends, asphalt parking lots and concrete sidewalks, I use the cane. Soft lawn grass, even garden soil, I usually don't.

You develop a cadence, I'll call it. A rhythm that is a little more important to maintain than what the able-bodied usually employ, getting around. Kinda, not much choice ...

Steve

[pow wow]

Thanks all, a few pic I've taken lately.

[HoneyBerry]

Gasp. Wondering what kind of bird that is, the 2nd bird with the red on the head. I love that they are eating from your hand. I had that experience while cross country skiing. Fluffy round yellow birds called Camp Robbers landed on our fingers and ate pieces of our lunch from our hands. We should have brought some bird seed for them, afterthought. That was a while ago. I am more bird smart now.

[HoneyBerry]

That can't be a woodpecker, but that's the first thing that comes to my mind. I will figure it out and then check back to see if I got it right

[jal_ut]

I am going to call that bird a Downy Woodpecker!

Do a google search for Downy Woodpecker.

[HoneyBerry]

I thought it might be a woodpecker but I have never seen one land on a human like that. I wish my woodpecker friends, who often visit my tree, would light on me like that. Mine are also a downys but are not so friendly.

[pow wow]

That's correct, that's Mr. Downy with the red on the head. I've know this fella and the Mrs. (no red) for a couple years. They get very excited for the suet block when I show up, dive bombing me, perching on my shoulder and head while I'm getting everything out of my pouch. A few days ago I was thrilled when a Hairy woodpecker showed up for suet. The Hairy looks like the Downy but much bigger.

A new female Downy has just started eating from my hand this week, further down the trail in another spot I frequent. Took a few days of her being very shy but she's over that now.

[HoneyBerry]

Ahhhh

[applestar]

It’s fantastic that they remember you despite the hiatus.

[jal_ut]

Well this post got a lot of hits, and the participants covered a lot of subjects besides gardening.

Here this morning, Calm, 32 degrees and an inch of fresh snow on the ground. I won't be planting today! The only thing growing is ice. ..... so take my handful of pills and come sit at the computer........

[PaulF]

I love the Downy Woodpecker photos. We have been feeding woodpeckers for many, many years, but as soon as I come outside they fly to a nearby lilac bush and wait for me to refill the suet cake feeder. Never too far away but careful not to get too close.

We have Downys, Hairys, Red Bellied, Red Headeds, Flickers and the occasional Yellow Bellied Sapsucker. Pilated Woodpeckers have been seen fifteen miles south of us, but I can't seem to entice them to my yard. I love to see them all lined up to snack on the suet cakes.

[digitS']

Well this post got a lot of hits, and the participants covered a lot of subjects besides gardening.

Here this morning, Calm, 32 degrees and an inch of fresh snow on the ground. I won't be planting today! The only thing growing is ice. ..... so take my handful of pills and come sit at the computer........

My 100 year old father joined us for Thanksgiving .

He has a nurse come in and help him line up his pills . She drives him to the store and such and is willing to do some housekeeping. He hasn't allowed it and, she says that, he does some cleaning every time just before she arrives.

We have snow this morning. I expect Dad to use his door out of the garage going out to feed his 4 laying hens. Keeps him on the level ...

Steve

[jal_ut]

Enjoy your father while you can. My parents are gone. Guess that makes me the old timer?

[jal_ut]

Clear, calm, 24 degrees today. Good Sunday Morning!

[imafan26]

I guess you are staying warm and toasty inside. It is 64 degrees here and it is still dark. I need to wait another half hour to go water the yard so I can see what I am doing.

[PaulF]

Blizzard conditions here today...7 inches of snow, windy and blowing, mid-twenties for the high.

[jal_ut]

PaulF that looks a lot like winter!

[MariaDigsGardening]

It seems that there is no interest in this forum now that winter is upon us. I guess folks are off trick or treating and getting ready for Christmas?

We've had snow on the ground since the beginning of November in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, which has definitely slowed my gardening. I've been switching over to some inside projects lately, but am still making progress.

• Next summer I'll be moving my veggie garden to a new location a few miles away at our summer cottage. It will be much bigger (60x100 feet) and I've been thinking about layout and site prep.
• But I refuse to give up my old veg garden (30x40 feet). So I've planted that with garlic this fall and will plant the rest to bush beans next summer to minimize a work I need to do. I didn't get all my garlic planted in October when I had wanted to, so I had to rake off a few inches of snow to plant the rest.
• I need to start researching how to build an electric fence for my new garden area. And buy a generator for the water pump (Chrismas present?)
• I created an online class for gardening in cold climates and am working to update a few of the lectures. (https://www.udemy.com/gardening-in-cold-climates)
• Last year I helped organize a Native Plant Symposium in our local community, and it looks like we'll be planning to do another one this coming March.
• I need to watch a few more webinars for my Master Gardener continuing education.

Garlic planting in November. More details at https://lifeplusnature.com/2018/11/27/desperate-gardening-in-the-snow/

[jal_ut]

Seems I have been hornswoggled. Took 15 minutes of jumping through hoops just to log in today...........

[jal_ut]

digitS' nice picture. As I look out here everything is white, snow covered, guess that is what we have to look at until March. Calm, overcast, 21 degrees,

[Taiji]

Maria: I put in a little garlic too this year in Oct. in the U. P. before I went back to AZ. Hopefully it will be up when I get back! Am moving my garden too next year over the knoll to get a little more sun. I think my corn and squash had a hard time maturing with less sun.

Pow Wow: I always found it astounding that you could feed the chickadees by hand. But this year in the U.P. I remembered your previous posts and the chickadees are definitely the least afraid. I would replace a seed cake by reaching out the window, and they'd be on it before I even let go! We have downy and hairy woodpeckers too, but they haven't come to my hand! Also the northern flickers. Our flickers here in AZ are larger than the Yoopers tho!

Jal: Looks like your "Loss of Interest" post has generated a tremendous amount of interest! 4 pages!

[imafan26]

When you attract birds like that, don't they go after your seed as well? I have wild birds nesting in my trees and the neighbor's trees. They even break into the attic vents and have nested in my walls. They eat papaya, lychee, guava, fig, and chilli peppers. Well, they will probably eat any soft ripe fruit. So, far the only thing they don't go after are the bilimbi and the citrus fruit.
They will eat corn, pepper, and sunflower seeds that have been planted in the ground and in pots unless they are covered. The only bird that does not do that is the cattle egret. The egret eats insects, lizards and mice.

[jal_ut]

9:55 AM, clear blue skies, 26 degrees. The ground is snow covered. Nothing growing but ice. There is a bunch of Eu. Doves coming to the bird feeder. Nothing to do out in the garden, so I sit here on my fat butt and play on the computer. Have a great day!

The picture is from the past. It was taken at Antelope Island.