rachels.haven's Journal

[Ridgetop]

I can only go for Sam's club if I want according to the state. The only other states on their okay list are HI (lol) and VT.

I see nothing wrong with telling hubby that you have to go to Hawaii for a bag of feed. Especially in the winter - you get lots of snow right? Just take a bunch of suitcases for the return trip with the feed sacks!

 

[rachels.haven]

You know, I'm not sure Hawaii would let us in. Our case count is higher than theirs AND nh's. Yet Mass doesn't want dirty NH's germs coming in. Watch out Hawaii, you're next? I'm sure they're quaking in their boots down there.

 

[rachels.haven]

I win. Bailey was in her doghouse on her giant pillow bed this morning. It only took a night long torrential downpour apparently.

(...I have her locked out of the barn because I'm conducting a rat-a-gedon in there and she has dedicated all of her non-coyote repelling powers to trying to sneak her way in there to get at the bait in the snap traps, which will NOT be allowed to happen no matter how stupid she wants to be so this is very good)

 

[Bruce]

And every "shut down" then "cautious reopening" will cause another "surge in cases".

No that will be due to the MILLIONS of people who have hopped on planes since last Friday.

Remember the Alamo!

And Hertz! And Enterprise! And Dollar! And Avis! And Budget!

 

[Ridgetop]

I really believe that everyone has been exposed to Covid by now. With going to the grocery store, gas station, etc. even with wearing masks, the germs get on your clothing, on your mail, on deliveries, etc. and thus you are exposed to it. All those college students going to Spring Break and summer functions because they believed they were invincible didn't help either since they spread it to their families when they came home.

The amount of testing going on and the rate of positive tests is not really a good measure of the virus either. Many people in specific fields are required to be tested every few days for their jobs. If they are continually testing each test is counted as an test. The same goes for positive tests. Also there are a lot of false positive results coming back too. I have heard of so many people who have received false positives, and some who did not even take the test receiving positive results in the mail! The actual death rate is very low and fewer people are being hospitalized. The virus has weakened to where a lot of people are getting it but not showing many symptoms if they have any at all.

 

[rachels.haven]

My favorite seed catalog is advertising black friday sales. This makes me think...
I need to come up with a way to grow good tomatoes with as little contact with the plants as possible. Some kind of trellis and pruning method. They give me so/so heartburn, but a good tomato is worth it. The plants, leaves and stems, when they touch me give me welts like I was beaten...which looks really funny (and they do hurt, but only for a day or so then they go away). I could probably start with a good flannel shirt...

...or I may not and just stick to other stuff and ground cherries/pineapple tomatillos, which are also good. Can't lose?

The Pine tree catalog sure is tempting.

 

[Ridgetop]

Tomato plants, leaves and stems have some sort of "poison" in them that is designed to stop predatory insects etc. When you touch them you can get really itchy. If you are allergic but still want to raise some, try getting some of the OB/GYN cattle gloves to put on before working with the plants. They are thin gloves that reach up over your elbows and might help keep your skin out of contact with the plants.

I think you last idea of sticking to other stuff is better than chancing an allergic reaction.

 

[Baymule]

I get it on the tomato vines, I break out something terrible. Tomato rash itches and lasts for WEEKS. So that must be why I planted a 32' double row and a 16' double row. I have to wear a denim long sleeved shirt and gloves to go pick tomatoes. We haven't had a hard frost yet and the vines revived themselves from the August burned out almost dead, started blooming and I have tomatoes! They probably won't make it to frost.

 

[Ridgetop]

If the frost comes, I read somewhere that you do not ick the green tomatoes. Instead you pull out the entire bush with the green tomatoes on it and hang it from the garage or barn ceiling and the tomatoes will ripen.

Understand I have never tried this myself, but I read it in one of my Organic Gardening magazines years ago, or possibly an old Countryside mag.

I also heard that you can store new potatoes in a covered metal can and bury them in the garden and they will keep during the winter so you can have new potatoes in winter. Haven't tried that either though . . . .

 

[Mike CHS]

If the frost comes, I read somewhere that you do not pick the green tomatoes. Instead you pull out the entire bush with the green tomatoes on it and hang it from the garage or barn ceiling and the tomatoes will ripen.

I did that a couple of times when I had an unexpected frost when I lived in Pensacola and had tomatoes into January.