Anticipation

Everything is happily staked now. The Kellogg's Breakfast tomato is taller than I am, with the pot.

Kellogg's Breakfast Tomatoes getting bigger

Jalopeños almost ready to pick

Carmen Sweet Italian peppers
They are red at maturity but sweet green, too.

Indigo Cherry Drops fruit heavy on the vine, just needing to ripen

 

Trying to garden again

With some success.

On May 14th, I went to the public library's Northside Branch for the Master Gardeners' plant giveaway and informational session, and they gave me four plants: a Carmen sweet Italian pepper, a Craig's Grande jalopeño heirloom pepper, a Kellogg's Breakfast Tomato, and an Indigo Cherry Drops Tomato. I planted them in some containers that hadn't had anything in years except decaying leaves and some earthworms, hoping they'd do well, knowing I'd have to water and fertilise. Thanks to Mother Nature, I haven't actually had to water more than a couple of times, even during a drought, as the leaves kept the soil moist and we've had quite a bit of rain since it got very hot. I did have something get the first couple of cherry tomatoes, and nothing has actually ripened yet. I have a very long Carmen pepper that I'm considering taking green rather than red, as they're still sweet. We'll see. I need to tie the Indigo Cherry to the stakes better, as it's starting to fall over; it has so much fruit on it, and I'm afraid it'll break. Here it is in pictures:

First day, just arrived

Just planted

Jalopeño Pepper, Carmen pepper, then Indigo Cherry on the right, with a bell pepper, anise hyssop, and rosemary behind

Fourth of July with the Kellogg's Breakfast Tomato in the front

And just a few days make a difference. Here was July 9th from the car once I parked in the driveway:

(Sorry, it's behind auto glass, so it's a little cloudy.)

I'm hoping I can beat the squirrels to the tomatoes.  That's been a problem in the past. We'll see.

:(

A mix-up over bioengineered tomato seeds sparked fears about spread of GMO crops

How I'm doing #HealthyatHome

So I'm about two-thirds of the way through my third 'week off' due to Coronavirus, as I alternate being at work for a week and a week off. The first couple of weeks off I used personal time off, but I was rapidly using that to try to deal with it, but this time I broke down and applied for unemployment benefits since my hours were reduced by half. Since that could take awhile, I'm not sure how financially that will work out. It seemed a better idea since I'm not sure how long we'll be operating on this plan. The governor is opening things up very slowly, starting with healthcare, but it could take some time to get back up to normal levels, and even so, we need to do it gradually to protect patients and staff.

I'm actually getting ready to listen to Governor Beshear in just a couple of minutes. His 5 o'clock briefings have become part of the routine for many Kentuckians, as it is carried on TV, radio, and online in many media settings. He actually took off yesterday for the first time since this began with Kentucky's first case.

I've been home except for going to the grocery, pharmacy, or pet food store. Yesterday I did some re-potting of plants. Two friends, Brenda and Feliz, dropped off plants for me in a socially distanced way, where I didn't get out of the house. Brenda gave us a hyssop plant and a dill plant. Feliz had some really tiny cherry tomato and jalapeño plants, just sprouted, and I put them in pots, which I'll have to re-pot as they're going to get bigger, I just got them out of the cups they were in. I also potted up two African violets I got at the grocery during a run for essentials.







I also have a new orchid blooming:



So my bedroom is full of plants:

Yum!

I woke up from a disturbing dream of abandoned dogs (I should really watch what I read before going to bed) very late today, with almost no appetite but a craving for tomatoes, especially yellow ones. So in the hour that I've been up and about, I have:

• Taken a shower and dressed
• Checked my blood sugar and taken my medicine
• Eaten a small protein bar
• Called Howard Curry Shoes to ask a couple of questions
• Gone to the farmers' market and spent $6.50 on three large yellow tomatoes and a pint of cherry tomatoes that were mostly Golden Jubilees
• Stopped by Circle K for drinks
• Went to the library and picked up the book on Francis Scott Key and the Washington race riots of 1835, as well as The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
• Paid a fine I'd gotten by borrowing through interlibrary loan where there was a bit of a delay in getting it back...the fines are $1 a day, so they rack up in just a few days. (I'd borrowed it for a friend.) I hope no one puts skimmers on those checkout machines at the library, because I didn't have enough cash and I had to use my debit card.
• Came home and chopped up a couple of the large yellow tomatoes, put some salt on them, and ate them, to great satisfaction. No pictures of bounty this week, as I was really keen on satisfying that craving. And no, as I said in the last post, I can't be pregnant. :)

So next on the agenda is going to Tates Creek to the library branch there and picking up another book (usually I just have them sent to my home branch, but hey, I do have a car, and some time today, so I'll just go there), then over to Nicholasville Road where the shoe store is. When I called earlier, the lady that answered was very helpful and had a lot of personality. Things look good for that trip. Let's hope they can find sandals for a foot that is basically a cube, as wide as it is long, and swollen in the afternoons to boot.

Hmmm...but before that, I have to admit the tomatoes have actually perked up my appetite just a bit. I may have a veggie burger, and then just eat dinner somewhere later. Or maybe I'll just come back here and have some salad I've fixed and find something to make. I have frozen Indian food, for example. It would be cheaper than going out. Plus I could watch something while I eat (yes, I know that's not the best thing to do as far as watching your food intake). I'll see how I feel later.

Okay, that veggie burger is calling. Hope you're having a god Saturday!

Oh

I had an anxiety dream about work today that involved a co-worker and I discussing strategies for dealing with the move of the hospital to an ambulatory surgical centre (when in reality neither of our positions are going, according to the plan) and how we plan to weather the change, as well as mutant people with giant heads (as in a yard wide) trying to come into the library, which was located in one of the auditoriums in the Singletary Centre for the Arts at the University of Kentucky. That was about 6 am. YKWIA called me and woke me up from it, thankfully. One of the first people I saw this morning was this co-worker from my dream, and she told me she'd brought tomatoes for me. So while I was dreaming about her, she was bringing me tomatoes. A little weird, hmmmm? I'm so glad that it was all a dream, at least, except for the tomatoes, which were so terribly nummy I ate all of them (I think there were five) today. Have I ever mentioned I love tomatoes?

I've finally cooled off

I got a little later start than planned today, as I woke up at 9 am after a 14-hour crash in which I dreamed of all the minutiae I do at work, so I didn't feel as rested as I should have. Then I got a quick shower, dressed in the coolest possible clothing, shorts and a thin shirt, and headed out. While I was at the bus stop waiting I put on sunscreen on in the hopes that it would help, especially by the time I got to the farmer's market. I went to the bank on the bus, then over to Kroger's for bread, cream cheese, yoghurt, and bananas. I got back on the bus after a ten minute wait and rode to the stop by the library. I walked over to the farmer's market and bought tomatoes (both regular and pear), a pepper, zucchini, summer squash, a couple of cucumbers (no wax!), some new potatoes, and a lavender plant. Then I trundled home with everything, melting in the process, as it was about 11 by now and 88. I stopped by the leasing office with my rent, got home, stripped off my wet things (they're still damp even now, 3 and a half hours later), got into something else, ate some pear tomatoes (very juicy and good), got a sandwich, and played on Facebook for a bit, then laid down in front of the fan in the bedroom and got gloriously cool, falling asleep for another three hours. This time I dreamed that Brandon and his mother came over to this other apartment where my mom lived, and my dad was visiting. Very odd.

Now I'm up and I just ate some cucumber and tomatoes with a bit of salt on them. It's officially 101 ( a record) and possibly will warm up further to 103. Heat index is definitely above 105. There's a chance of a storm, which might be good, but one knocked out power in Eastern Kentucky, meaning no air conditioning for me, so I'm not sure I want to even think storm thoughts. I thought about going and getting a cola from the laundry room, but it isn't worth it. I'll drink ice water; it's better for me anyway.

Okay, I think I'm going to water my indoor plants and then read for awhile. Hope you're keeping cool!