Retail has been keeping me very busy since October, but I get a week off before the Christmas week and it should slow down after Christmas.
I was editing in bits and pieces, but I favor marathon sessions, which are hard to manage with a job in Fayetteville. I have gone through the book two or three times now, and a couple of additional passes should do it. A number of people gave me excellent advice, and I am addressing their insights in the next few efforts.
Years ago I could barely open Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant after going through it about 10 times. Later I did a complete rewrite, which is the current version. Does anyone wonder why I can spot a first draft turned in as homework?
Planning for Spring
We are probably enjoying two inches of rain in this storm. I counted one inch this morning before the storm gained energy. This fake winter has messed up leaf collecting, but we have 1/2 the backyard under cardboard with a thin layer of leaves on top. Various front yard gardens have maple leaves heaped up and holding their places.
The rebellious sycamore leaves blow all over because they are thicker and seem impervious to rot - unless they are mowed. They easily last all winter. Some are in the front yard, even though they came from the fenced backyard.
Solar Collectors - Cheap
The sunny garden will be the tomato garden. Mrs. Ichabod loves tomatoes and I enjoy growing and eating them with dill. The spring is bound to be volatile, and I want an early start.
The answer is collecting solar energy, with gallon jars of water. They absorb heat all day and radiate it to the plants all night. They also ward off frost for the same reason. For $1 each I can place gallon plastic jars of tapwater in various locations and move them around. For a lot more money I can buy a similar gadget from a gardening website. Ha.
Rosette Disease - Rooted Out
Roses are vulnerable to a parasite causing the rosette disease. So far it is fatal and not treatable, except for digging up the plant, roots and all.
I spotted two, then a third with too much growth, a weird looking red growth out of proportion to the nearby plants. All three are dug up and tossed.
Note that roses have a red growth when sprouting and growing, but this looks like roses on steroids, and it is distorted growth as well.
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| I should watch Sassy more carefully when she is working on her blog. |
