Help I am getting lethargic
Lately I have been neglecting my garden, my journal and the forums. Its not depression because I can set and look at the things I should/can be doing and be happy as a pig in sh|*. I may snap out of it or it may get worse who knows. Have any of you experienced this and if so what did you do or are you still as happy as that old pig.[url=https://www.postsmile.com/][img]https://www.postsmile.net/img/20/2029.gif[/img][/url] John
Whatever it is, John, I have a seriously bad case of it, too! John, you never mentioned other interests in your post. Perhaps you are concentrating on them more and have little time for the garden and associated chores. Maybe things around the house, family, pets, etc. are taking up gardening time. Just maybe, it's not as important to you to muster motivation to get outdoors and get things done in the garden.
I really enjoy woodworking and have a small shop with all the tools I need to build just about anything I put my mind to. However, when summer hits, the drive to get into the shop and sweat bullets and have the sawdust stick to my sweaty skin 1/2' thick just isn't there.
Then again, when was the last time you had a good going over by a Dr. Perhaps the lethargy is a sign something isn't quite right.
I really enjoy woodworking and have a small shop with all the tools I need to build just about anything I put my mind to. However, when summer hits, the drive to get into the shop and sweat bullets and have the sawdust stick to my sweaty skin 1/2' thick just isn't there.
Then again, when was the last time you had a good going over by a Dr. Perhaps the lethargy is a sign something isn't quite right.
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gixxerific
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Ozark Lady
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I hear ya, I am so disheartened with gardening this year, that watering twice a day, is boring, I dread it. My garden has not returned 10 cents per dollar put into it, and work was in vain! 
So, I am looking into pack goats, goat carts, all kinds of other interests.
It is cooler, so soon, I will be able to get serious about getting things done outside.
So, I am looking into pack goats, goat carts, all kinds of other interests.
It is cooler, so soon, I will be able to get serious about getting things done outside.
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applestar
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Maybe it's a "Been there, Done that" syndrome.... That's what I get, I think. 
When I'm in a middle of a New Experiment, I'm obsessed. I'll try all kind of things, and every little shoot and leaf is exciting. I'll take pictures and make journal entries throughout their growth. Next time, it's not so exciting. It's become an old hat. And if it's a problem that I've dealt with before, it's even less fun. At least the first time around, I was trying to find out what it is, what it does, what are my options....
My best remedy for that is to plan next year's garden. Pick something new to grow, or plan to try out completely different growing methods. Keep it "fresh."
Have you read the books Teaming with Microbes or One Straw Revolution? Or watched the Ruth Stout and Emilia Hazelip videos? I'll find links for those in a minute (You could also try "Search the Forum" in the link bar above), but any of these -- I COULD NOT read through the books or watch through the videos without my thoughts turning to my own garden and HOW I could correlate or adopt what they were saying.
When I'm in a middle of a New Experiment, I'm obsessed. I'll try all kind of things, and every little shoot and leaf is exciting. I'll take pictures and make journal entries throughout their growth. Next time, it's not so exciting. It's become an old hat. And if it's a problem that I've dealt with before, it's even less fun. At least the first time around, I was trying to find out what it is, what it does, what are my options....My best remedy for that is to plan next year's garden. Pick something new to grow, or plan to try out completely different growing methods. Keep it "fresh."
Have you read the books Teaming with Microbes or One Straw Revolution? Or watched the Ruth Stout and Emilia Hazelip videos? I'll find links for those in a minute (You could also try "Search the Forum" in the link bar above), but any of these -- I COULD NOT read through the books or watch through the videos without my thoughts turning to my own garden and HOW I could correlate or adopt what they were saying.
My biggest enemy and probably my greatest fear is boredom. I can easily get bored into a lethargic state. I have to always be doing something, but doing something does include reading some good books or possibly watching something really interesting on television. I'm not really a fan of television, but a few channels like National Geographic or Discovery will sometimes have interesting programs.
My wife gets irritated at me sometimes because I can only be still for about fifteen minutes. I then must go check on the garden or go fix something that is broken. I can only read a book for fifteen minutes at a time and I have to go do something different. If it is a really good book, I can read for thirty minutes. My daughter tries to keep me supplied with books because if I am in a reading mood, I will read a book every day.
The wife and I plan on driving to a little town about forty miles from our home this evening to try a new Mexican food restaurant. I don't expect the food to be any better than my favorite Mexican restaurants, but it will be a change of scenery on the way over and on the drive home. Anything to prevent boredom is worth it.
Ted
My wife gets irritated at me sometimes because I can only be still for about fifteen minutes. I then must go check on the garden or go fix something that is broken. I can only read a book for fifteen minutes at a time and I have to go do something different. If it is a really good book, I can read for thirty minutes. My daughter tries to keep me supplied with books because if I am in a reading mood, I will read a book every day.
The wife and I plan on driving to a little town about forty miles from our home this evening to try a new Mexican food restaurant. I don't expect the food to be any better than my favorite Mexican restaurants, but it will be a change of scenery on the way over and on the drive home. Anything to prevent boredom is worth it.
Ted
So far, I always have enough different things that need to be done in the garden, that I don't seem to get bored or lethargic about it... if I get tired of a task, I just change to something else that needs attention for a while.
The garden really keeps me interested and occupied... although, I do need to slip in a nap every once in a while.
The garden really keeps me interested and occupied... although, I do need to slip in a nap every once in a while.
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engineeredgarden
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I don't think its boredom or "Been there, Done that" syndrome. I just have to get off my lazy butt and start doing things. Come next spring I will be in the garden enthusiastic as ever.
John
Because of age "creeping up" changing to "running full bore", I went from 5 compost bins to 2. Next year if I contract out the lawn maintenance, I will probably do away with the remaining 2 bins. That depends on my source of free composted horse bedding not disappearing though.engineeredgarden wrote:John, I think you're having composting withdrawals.....I know how you enjoyed building those piles with HM and leaves each year. I've been wondering what you've been up to lately, as I haven't seen you post on the forums or your journal for a while.
EG
John
Maybe you just need to go and do something. Now, please don't mistake this as me saying that you are lazy, that's not it at all.
Sometimes you can be working really hard, but once you sit down for a break, it's hard to get back up and get going again. Once you finally get up and get going again, though, you will find that you just seem to keep going.
As Sir Issac Newton said: "An object in motion tends to stay in motion; and object at rest tends to stay at rest."
Perhaps you need to just get back into motion.
Sometimes you can be working really hard, but once you sit down for a break, it's hard to get back up and get going again. Once you finally get up and get going again, though, you will find that you just seem to keep going.
As Sir Issac Newton said: "An object in motion tends to stay in motion; and object at rest tends to stay at rest."
Perhaps you need to just get back into motion
.farmerlon wrote:You've got a toilet on your back porch?Jbest wrote:... In about 5 MN I will be on the back porch having a relaxing BM[img]https://www.smileycons.com/img/emotions/97.gif[/img]
Sorry, I couldn't resist ... I almost flipped my chair, laughing when I saw your "relaxing BM" statement.
What exactly do you mean by "BM" (I know it's not what Farmer and I think it is )?Hey, after doing all that work, don't you feel all geared-up to go out and start working in the garden
!Might be end of the season blahs. I get it every year. Not much is happening, the many 90 degree days are a challenge, watering only goes so far when what we need is rain.
I did buy some creeping thyme today to plant on the greenhouse steps, so that's a little something to keep my interest.
It passes and then next year I'll be ready to get out there and plant. Hope springs eternal!
I did buy some creeping thyme today to plant on the greenhouse steps, so that's a little something to keep my interest.
It passes and then next year I'll be ready to get out there and plant. Hope springs eternal!
Yeah, maybe you're feeling down since you know all the great gardening stuff is coming to an end. Look at it this way, though: now you can start ordering catalogs, poring over them, and plan out next year's garden. That always gets me excited.lily51 wrote:Might be end of the season blahs. I get it every year. Not much is happening, the many 90 degree days are a challenge, watering only goes so far when what we need is rain.
I did buy some creeping thyme today to plant on the greenhouse steps, so that's a little something to keep my interest.
It passes and then next year I'll be ready to get out there and plant. Hope springs eternal!
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applestar
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I think the lethargy is catching!
I've been saying for about a 1.5 weeks that I'm going to can the yellow tomatoes, and for about 3 days that I'm just going to freeze them -- all I have to do is wash, cut off the stem end and any hard core....
The garden, on the other hand, is still giving me joy. Just picked another double handful of red-as-can-be Fish peppers and Aji Dulce peppers as well as sweet snacking Sugar Plum grape tomatoes, some green jalapenos and Quadrato d'asti Giallo (yellow) peppers, a patty pan squash (Bennings Green Tint), a Yellow Crookneck (YES! That vine is still alive!) and another melon. Oh, and a couple of Lemon Cucumbers. A nice colorful harvest.
Ah! I should put the yellow peppers in with the yellow tomatoes and make a nice pasta sauce.... (this won't be canned as I don't have a Pressure Canner.... though I might put them in the squat canning jars and "pressure can" in my 5 qt pressure cooker..... I'll keep them in the fridge though. Another option would be to freeze them in the wide mouth freezable pint jars.... 
I've been saying for about a 1.5 weeks that I'm going to can the yellow tomatoes, and for about 3 days that I'm just going to freeze them -- all I have to do is wash, cut off the stem end and any hard core....
The garden, on the other hand, is still giving me joy. Just picked another double handful of red-as-can-be Fish peppers and Aji Dulce peppers as well as sweet snacking Sugar Plum grape tomatoes, some green jalapenos and Quadrato d'asti Giallo (yellow) peppers, a patty pan squash (Bennings Green Tint), a Yellow Crookneck (YES! That vine is still alive!) and another melon. Oh, and a couple of Lemon Cucumbers. A nice colorful harvest.
Ah! I should put the yellow peppers in with the yellow tomatoes and make a nice pasta sauce....
(this won't be canned as I don't have a Pressure Canner.... though I might put them in the squat canning jars and "pressure can" in my 5 qt pressure cooker..... I'll keep them in the fridge though. Another option would be to freeze them in the wide mouth freezable pint jars.... 
I'll just have to get use to it and keep going. John-
Ozark Lady
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I find that my lethargy is only garden and growing wise.
I am quite enthusiastic about foraging, and canning up wild foods, tending the animals, and things like that.
I do have pinkeye purple hulls replacing the original seeds, and the poor plants are only 4-6" tall, so I don't expect much. And one zuchini plant is finally blooming, at a great big 8" tall! Hope it replaces its seeds! A few pepper plants are just starting to bud to bloom for the first time... and they were started back in February. Guess that I need to start peppers in January? Which is odd, when I direct sow they grow well! Hmmm, just the drought, survival has been difficult for them.
I have tobacco, still inside, some just transplanted, some growing, some blooming, and some setting seeds and about done for the year. The inside plants actually look the best, I think I will pot them up and just keep them inside!
I am quite enthusiastic about foraging, and canning up wild foods, tending the animals, and things like that.
I do have pinkeye purple hulls replacing the original seeds, and the poor plants are only 4-6" tall, so I don't expect much. And one zuchini plant is finally blooming, at a great big 8" tall! Hope it replaces its seeds! A few pepper plants are just starting to bud to bloom for the first time... and they were started back in February. Guess that I need to start peppers in January? Which is odd, when I direct sow they grow well! Hmmm, just the drought, survival has been difficult for them.
I have tobacco, still inside, some just transplanted, some growing, some blooming, and some setting seeds and about done for the year. The inside plants actually look the best, I think I will pot them up and just keep them inside!
Oh my I think I am falling in love. A Lady with a cheek full of tobacco.[img]https://www.smileycons.com/img/emotions/90.gif[/img] JohnOzark Lady wrote: I have tobacco, still inside, some just transplanted, some growing, some blooming, and some setting seeds and about done for the year. The inside plants actually look the best, I think I will pot them up and just keep them inside!
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Ozark Lady
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LindsayArthurRTR
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Ozark Lady
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applestar
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I don't smoke myself, but I've always wondered how much of the "toxicity" has to do with the chemicals used to grow/preserve (herbicides, pesticides, fungicides) and manufacture (as in paper, filter, etc.) cigarettes.
So you don't chew them or smoke them in pipe? Do you roll them in paper or in tobacco leaf like cigars?
So you don't chew them or smoke them in pipe? Do you roll them in paper or in tobacco leaf like cigars?
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Ozark Lady
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At present, I mail order tubes... papers with filters already attached. They are available locally, but lots more expensive than if I order online.
I am concerned about the dioxin (?) bleach, in the paper, but haven't come up with a better idea as of yet.
Homegrown can be better than commercial or worse. Just like using manure on foods that you will consume raw... it can lead to issues.
If your tobacco is contaminated with mold etc. It can be dangerous too.
Yes, if you leave out toxic chemicals, which I do, and are very particular not to have raw manure on leaves, or wash them good before drying, and don't save any that mold then you can be a bit healthier. It is still tobacco, but without the additives, like antifreeze, and pesticides, and the list is of about 500 items!
There are also herbal items like Mullein or Sumac that you can add to your smoke blend. There are actually smoking cafes that feature herbal blends and no nicotine. Mullein was smoked to relieve chest congestion at one time.
I am considering a "pet tobacco" plant... some times just touching it will give you lots of nicotine, no need to smoke, chew, or dip... just pet the leaf! ha ha Now what could be safer than that? Abstaining, I know, but it is a consideration. So, smoke mullein, and no nicotine, no chemicals, and good for my lungs, and pet the tobacco?
I am concerned about the dioxin (?) bleach, in the paper, but haven't come up with a better idea as of yet.
Homegrown can be better than commercial or worse. Just like using manure on foods that you will consume raw... it can lead to issues.
If your tobacco is contaminated with mold etc. It can be dangerous too.
Yes, if you leave out toxic chemicals, which I do, and are very particular not to have raw manure on leaves, or wash them good before drying, and don't save any that mold then you can be a bit healthier. It is still tobacco, but without the additives, like antifreeze, and pesticides, and the list is of about 500 items!
There are also herbal items like Mullein or Sumac that you can add to your smoke blend. There are actually smoking cafes that feature herbal blends and no nicotine. Mullein was smoked to relieve chest congestion at one time.
I am considering a "pet tobacco" plant... some times just touching it will give you lots of nicotine, no need to smoke, chew, or dip... just pet the leaf! ha ha Now what could be safer than that? Abstaining, I know, but it is a consideration. So, smoke mullein, and no nicotine, no chemicals, and good for my lungs, and pet the tobacco?
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applestar
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It doesn't have a gauge but it IS weighted. I have to find the manual to see what the weight is. I know you can get this pressure cooker with a black weight but you can get a green weight as an after-market option.LindsayArthurRTR wrote:Apple, does your pressure cooker have a guage? Is it weighted? If so, no refridgeration needed
Last winter, when I was experimenting with [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=111883&highlight=mushrooms#111883]growing culinary mushrooms[/url] (sorry feeling too lazy to figure out which part of this thread had to do with pressure canning), I tried pressure canning the agar media and grain substrate following the "start timing after the weight starts to jiggle steadily and steam rises to 8" or more."
Some did get contaminated with mold, but I was successful with a good number of them. And people who have the full gauged and expensive pressure canners still get contam in their mushroom cultures. So, yes, I think it's do-able.
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LindsayArthurRTR
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Ozark Lady
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IT IS RAINING!
September first is being so good... rain!
Now, I can feel more like gardening... just keep coming!
It is raining so hard that I can't see the garden. Oops, topsoil on the pasture will run right off the hill!
We are scheduled for 3 days of rain, we need it.
The grand total for August remained at .27" down from 4" which is normal!
So the plants that I could keep alive at least, will now have a chance to actually do something, besides survive.
September first is being so good... rain!
Now, I can feel more like gardening... just keep coming!
It is raining so hard that I can't see the garden. Oops, topsoil on the pasture will run right off the hill!
We are scheduled for 3 days of rain, we need it.
The grand total for August remained at .27" down from 4" which is normal!
So the plants that I could keep alive at least, will now have a chance to actually do something, besides survive.
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Ozark Lady
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Okay, Jb it is coming through in waves. That first one, hit hard and is gone, but radar shows many more and larger behind it... oh don't skirt us.
Wonder where they measure? All the dog food dishes that were still outside are full! And yet it says that we got .01" of rain.
How could .01" fill a dog food pan that is only about 8" wide and 2" deep? There was no runoff into it! Odd!
okay, I am off to go spread the waste hay on the pasture hillside, before the next round arrives... optomistic, huh? Hopeful!
Wonder where they measure? All the dog food dishes that were still outside are full! And yet it says that we got .01" of rain.
How could .01" fill a dog food pan that is only about 8" wide and 2" deep? There was no runoff into it! Odd!
okay, I am off to go spread the waste hay on the pasture hillside, before the next round arrives... optomistic, huh? Hopeful!
Hey ozark lady,
We got 1 3/4" this afternoon. We were on the extreme south end of the same system that came through your area. It extended through Oklahoma into Arkansas and Missouri.
The nice thing is the fact that it is the leading edge of a cool front that will give us some more days in the 80's with nights in the low 60's. My garden is loving the cooler air.
Ted
We got 1 3/4" this afternoon. We were on the extreme south end of the same system that came through your area. It extended through Oklahoma into Arkansas and Missouri.
The nice thing is the fact that it is the leading edge of a cool front that will give us some more days in the 80's with nights in the low 60's. My garden is loving the cooler air.
Ted
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Ozark Lady
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It passed, and nothing for a very long time.
Then, here came round two, it also rained hard, then let up...
It just sprinkled or drizzled for about an hour, and we still only show .08" that just can't be right!
I got the hay out in between! What looked like alot on the barn floor, looks so pathetic on the hillside!
But, now I can start fall crops! Yeah, and get my garlic and spring bulbs back out in the ground! Yippee.
Then, here came round two, it also rained hard, then let up...
It just sprinkled or drizzled for about an hour, and we still only show .08" that just can't be right!
I got the hay out in between! What looked like alot on the barn floor, looks so pathetic on the hillside!
But, now I can start fall crops! Yeah, and get my garlic and spring bulbs back out in the ground! Yippee.
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Ozark Lady
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It rained Wednesday, official total was .51"
Then it rained Thursday, official total was 1.19"
And then about 8 pm, Thursday night, we got a thunderstorm, knocked out power, since it hit a neighbors transformer... it rained all night long.
And you know how the electric company is working on power and it comes on and off? From midnight till 1 am it was on and off alot, then from 4am till 5am it would kick on, kick off...
How does one sleep through this?
Official total from midnight till now for Friday was 1.17" (estimated).
We almost got our August rain, already, now to catch up for June and July, and then get our August 5 inches! Then our water tables, ponds, lakes etc, will look right again!
And tonight the temps are due to hit 49 degrees... feels like fall is here!
Then it rained Thursday, official total was 1.19"
And then about 8 pm, Thursday night, we got a thunderstorm, knocked out power, since it hit a neighbors transformer... it rained all night long.
And you know how the electric company is working on power and it comes on and off? From midnight till 1 am it was on and off alot, then from 4am till 5am it would kick on, kick off...
How does one sleep through this?
Official total from midnight till now for Friday was 1.17" (estimated).
We almost got our August rain, already, now to catch up for June and July, and then get our August 5 inches! Then our water tables, ponds, lakes etc, will look right again!
And tonight the temps are due to hit 49 degrees... feels like fall is here!