Trees That Will Grow in Pots

 

You can grow Trees in Pots. Although I have the Meyer Lemon tree, I would love to have an apple tree, and maybe a fig tree. This article gives the names of dwarf varieties that are best for growing in pots and the year-round care they need. Of course, you can plant in the ground. Right now, I am working on Lemons, blackberries, and blueberries, so I won't be purchasing these dwarf varieties this year.

My sinus problems are lessening each day, but not gone. Still puny.

I cooked pork roast with carrots and potatoes in the crockpot. It is delicious and will provide leftovers. I also baked about 20 thighs in the oven. Tommy will take the meat off the bone and I can freeze a portion of the thigh meat. 

Tommy put all the pots on the porch onto the ramp last night, so they have had a proper watering. He was going to put MiracleGro on today, but maybe tomorrow. The Stella d' Oro are blooming. The wind was blowing so hard that the supertunia was swaying so it was threatening to blow down the shepherd's hook, so I bought zip ties to connect the hooks to the rail of the ramp. The pots where we sowed seeds have something coming up. Like Tommy said, they could be weeds. Maybe in a few days we can tell. 

We took a short ride and went to the park. I put out a bit of the cereal we have that is gross. One bird came. We are going the wrong time of day for birds to be about. 

I am continuing my walks down the hall. It is not much, but it can't hurt and can only help. 

How I ran out of Miracle Whip is a mystery to me. Usually, I have a reserve jar or four but not this time. So, we went to store for that. I do remember buying it at a sale price, one quart, hoping to find a better sale. Well, now the regular price is the sale price. So, the price of MW is dropping. Well, it appears that way.

The cleaner did not come again today. We have heard nothing. Tommy said he wondered if she ever came back from California. 

The weather was beautiful today. There will be no rain until a chance next Friday. I like this. 

What kind of trees do you grow in pots? 

Have you found a few foods are coming down in price?

Do you have one food that is always in reserve in your pantry, something you can always count on?

Dinner: pork roast, carrots, potatoes, strawberries

Wednesday and a New Project

 This day was a perfect day. The skies were pretty and the temperature was in 80s. We had two things to do. We picked up my book that was lost in the house. My friend wrote it--To Live and Die in Alabama, by Stephen Edmondson. Unfortunately, they gave the paperback instead of the hardcover I ordered. 

Then, we went to Sam's Club, bought a few things and returned home. The bulkiest, heaviest item we bought was the wrong size. So, that will be another trip. I am bummed about that. Tommy needed milk and checked the price which was cheaper than stores we frequent. 

We had a slice of Sam's pizza and diet drink in the car. It was not much of a car picnic since we ate in Sam's parking lot. I just did not want to drive to a shady place. It worked. We ate. Tommy wanted to half a piece which was okay with me. But, he wants the meat pizza, four kinds in this case. That really grosses me out. Plus, I am allergic to something in pepperoni. 

He took the scenic route home from Homewood, whatever the scenic route is. 

We are really good at shopping together, with neither of us causing a problem driving around the store. We load the huge cart efficiently with both of us moving things about with no disputes about what goes where. He was in a peaceful mood today. It was fun. 

He got his taxes done, getting a refund of $1K from fed and almost $100 from the state of AL. He was annoyed he had overpaid so much and said he needs to figure out what to do to pay less next year. 

Yesterday, I had Tommy bring me a baking pan for my lap, then a pot of dirt. I planted two packets of seeds in it. He watered it yesterday. Hopefully, something will come up. I planted Bachelor Buttons and Alyssum, both free packets from the Ag Center. Any flowers I get will please me. He watered it today, too, all the plants. I hope the birds don't decided to eat the seeds. I will put a fake snake near it. 

I heard on TV that seniors can get even more of a reduction on taxes even with the homestead exemption. He argued with me and then I heard it again. So, now I will enter the information online. He is always eager to save money. 

Today, I got out my hot pink sandals and felt happy wearing them. I am silly that way...lol.

My new project overshadows all plans I have. I know a college student who needs help. He failed last semester because he lost his ride to school. And, he is homeless. So, I have contacts that will help him figure it all out. He needs a car and a place to live permanently. However, he holds down a fulltime job. He is a non-traditional student. I have talked with someone who can get him through the process of regaining his grant. I have taken on the task of getting him in a car. I have contacts, old as they may be. My mind has been whirring. This kind of thing energizes and excites me. I can advocate for someone else much better than for myself. 

This was an excellent Wednesday, excellent day. For dinner I had a thin, tiny slice of ham and a huge plate of slaw from a mix. The cabbage is chopped in little squares, instead of being shredded. Tommy had rest of the ground beef, zucchini, and some of the same slaw. I had half a banana, strawberries, and blueberries today. A huge box of blueberries was fairly cheap at Sam's and they are huge. 

Tommy found my bluebird I made, so tomorrow I can repaint it and hang it along with the hummingbird feeders. 

How was your Wednesday or any other day? 

The mower did not come as scheduled. grrr. He will come when he can. I lay down for a nap thinking he would wake me with his work. But, instead, I had a nice nap. 

Do you ever garden in your lap?

 

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Birds and Seeds and Trees

 

                                                                        Purple Finch

Tommy saw this bird right outside the front door on the railing of the ramp. He said it kept coming back, flying off over and over again. My guess is that it is going to build or has built a nest. He used the bird book I gave him for his birthday two years ago. 

The drive to Cullman along the interstate was beautiful. Most of the trees have some green, a few have many tender leaves. None are fully in leaf. But, the hope is there. Bradford pears and redbud make for a colorful drive. 

Many of my stored plants are becoming very green. Some I am not sure about. They were covered last night and will stay covered for two more nights. I still need to sow seeds in the tiny greenhouses! 

Speaking of seeds--at the lunch and lecture at the ag center this last week, there was a box of seeds for us to have. I chose three packets and got two for Lynda. I will use the soup containers that Tommy did not want to throw away for sowing these seeds and others I have saved from last year. 

The front yard is getting nice and weedy. I have weed killer for the unruly interlopers. Neither of us can spray it, so I have to figure out how to get that done. The St. Augustine Grass is getting green, so I love that sight. 

My cleaner called and left a message. She and her two girls, 2 and 5 are throwing up. So she will not be here in the morning. I can sleep late as I need. 

Dinner on Saturday--ham, beans, carrots. I had a huge center cut portion of ham that I heated. Well, sort of burned it. But, it was okay...lol. Later, we had strawberries over a tiny piece of Angel food cake.

We have a bowlful of oranges and I want one! However, I am allergic to citrus and right now I have an earache, am coughing and sneezing periodically. So, it is not a good idea to further irritate my allergies. I did eat strawberries and now have hurting places all over my now-swollen tongue, so it sounds like I am allergic to strawberries. But, I am not. At least, I am not allergic to the apple and banana I ate. 

Tommy went to the mailbox today, and I opened the storm door and looked out. That is the extent of activity today. He emptied the dishwasher and loaded the few dishes in them. I took a nap because I slept little last night. 

We have plans for tomorrow, so it is up to me to get up in time and wash my hair. Wish me luck on the sleep. 

Do you or anyone in your circle/family identify the birds that come in the yard? Do you have a bird book? Do you have a birdfeeder? We don't have one because there are pigeons nearby. I don't know if they come into a neighborhood or not. 

Donating to Ukraine, Hummingbirds, and Seeds

 Thursday

Even though I was exhausted from the lack of sleep, I managed to cut up and cook two cabbages. I will freeze some for other meals.  Friday, I might bake the acorn squash or the spaghetti squash. Since Friday has a forecast of 100% rain, we won't be going out or even tempted. 

I still feel week as a kitten, so Tommy went into the store for me. I made a list of bogo items. However, I put a "1" in front of each and even explained I did not want two loaves since we could just buy another on Monday and still fresh bread. Same with every item on the list--grape tomatoes, bread, Miracle Whip; I just don't understand. He says I don't tell him and explain. Well, I said out loud and made a list. What more can I do?  

He also bought batteries, AA and AAA. We are about out. Not really since I am just replacing what we used and there are more here stashed away. We went to The Pig for a case of Dasani. 

There were clothes to fold in the laundry basket. He washed what I asked again, so they are in the basket with the rest of last week's clothes (dishtowels and dishcloths). I know. These aren't clothes. 

The hummingbird feeders I had last year would not open to clean the reservoir. This year, I am adding two more feeders. These have reservoirs I can clean. I wanted a pretty glass one, but they are expensive. So, I am settling for cheaper ones. It will soon be time to put feeders out. I will only put one out until I see one hummingbird. 

Anne in the Kitchen said radishes will roast and be soft. So, I will try it. If I like the first ones I roast, I intend to grow a pot of radishes. I like radishes on salads. Some bite, so I hope I pick out ones that will not be too sharp. This means a trip to Lowe's. 

I hope to find Romaine and Kale plants, same variety I planted last year. I refuse to plant tomatoes, zucchini or squash since some critter gets all of them before they are ready to pick! 

Friday, I did take a pill for my stomach and finished the antibiotic. Monday, I will go for a urinalysis! Hopefully, the uti is gone. 

Since I want to donate to people in Ukraine, I decided to wake my PayPal account. I had completely forgotten how to use it since it has been so long. Happily, I found a substantial amount of money in the account. I have two ways I will donate. There are sellers of art, items that can be sent to my email account for me to print. The other is to rent and Airbnb with no intention of going.  With these two methods, the persons to whom I donate will get all the money with no administrators taking a cut for their salaries. I will write more about that later. 

Friday

I was in bed for twelve hours, so I hurt. I slept for about 10 1/2 hours.  I awoke sooo hot that now my chest is acting up. UGH! So, I am medicating that problem.

Have you donated anything to Ukraine? Well, that is a different conversation we had. 

Sunday Night and Tomato Seeds

 Sunday night did not go as planned. The turkey had been in the freezer for several days and on the top shelf. It was still frozen almost solid. So, I put it in a pan in the sink with cold water on it, not over. I was disgusted. Now, it is almost 10 pm and I have to roast it, wait for it to cool, remove the breast and have Tommy remove the meat from the carcass. Neither of us are looking forward to this chore. But, we are willing. I checked with Tommy to see if he cared. Since it is still partially frozen, it will have to cook longer. GAH! I am glad I had a nap. 

We had a delicious and healthy salad, lots of Romaine, turkey on it, and tomato. I had shredded cheese. 

When I bought Tommy's cereal today, I bought two more bags as they were 3 bags for $10. We love Romaine, all sorts of greens for salads. My favorite way to use turkey after Thanksgiving is whole wheat bread, turkey, Miracle Whip, slices of real cheese and spinach, lots of spinach. Tomato slides off so I just dice a tomato and eat it with a fork. His cereal was bogo. 

He told me today he needed cereal and yesterday that he needed milk. He was completely out of both. I suppose I need to ask him every time I go to the grocery if he needs either! He will not tell me beforehand. Oh well. 

One day, I noticed a piece of something on Tommy's empty plate. We had a salad and the piece was huge and looked like tomato. I asked. It was tomato, so I asked why he left it. SEEDS. He hates tomato seeds and the membranes around them He said he liked the last tomatoes I brought home because they had few seeds. I think that part seed part of the tomato is really tasty, unlike him. Is there anyone who does not care for the soft part of the tomato with seeds? 

It is now Monday, and I have prepared 6 huge Granny Smith apples. I am making a pie in two rectangular glass pans. It will have a topping, plus all the spices inside the pie. This is one of my projects for the day. I need to wash my hair, make the gravy, and freeze the turkey I cooked last night. Tommy is going to take the rest of the meat off the carcass. The wings and legs will be frozen for him and he will take that meat off as he is ready to eat it for a meal, his idea, not mine. 

One of the pies is for now, the other for later, like Christmas. Maybe I will get two pumpkins baked tomorrow. I just looked at the recipe, and I intend to only use half the sugar. 

Now that I have finished the antibiotic, I feel soooo much better. However, I still did not sleep because of J trying to cheat me out of something. Well, he is cheating me! Maybe I will take a nap. 

Seriously, do the tomato seeds and the membrane surrounding them bother you? I like them when I put home-tomatoes in soup. Is anyone else baking apple pie for Thanksgiving?

Friday, better; Saturday, best

 On Friday I got two little Jiffy peat pot seed starting Greenhouse Kits. I say "little" kits because I did not get the one with 72 peat pellets. I need to have something I can handle. So, two 25-pellet kits. 

One pellet kit will have flowers and one will have food plants. I won't buy any seeds, just use the ones from last year. Last year, I bought herbs. This year, I will grow them from seed. 

I also bought two travel pillows for the car. When I go into the dentist/eye doctor, I have to ask for something to go behind my back. From now on, I will have my own back support. We actually need a pillow for our heads sometimes in the car. He often takes a nap when I am in the store forever.  Nowadays, though, I don't go often or stay long. 

A Swiffer cost me about $13. Taking a plan from others, I will never buy the pads. I have all sorts of cloth to use. Tommy has a mop that looks like an industrial mop. It is the largest I have ever seen in a home, appearing as large as the ones used in school hallways. It is a regular round shaped mop, not a wide one. It would be so heavy to push! Wringing it out would be impossible for me. It sits in front of the refrigerator, but I am going to move it out to the utility room. 

A few weeks ago, I had plans to make a strawberry poke cake. I got the cake mix, brought it to the den to read the directions. About three or more times a week, I once again get it out. Tonight, I was looking at the cake mix when Tommy laughed and asked when I was going to make the cake because he had seen me with the box, just reading it. 

It was warm a few weeks ago and I was feeling well. Then, it got cold and I was suffering from shingles. So, there was little interest in baking, cooling, poking, pouring, frosting, and finding a place for it in the refrigerator. I think Saturday will be the day. 

And, I have not read the box directions so many times. I have been looking and contemplating. 

A yard sale on Saturday yielded a Monopoly game (1961 copyright) for $1 with four pieces--scottie, racecar, shoe, and tophat. The money, houses, and hotels and cards were all mixed up. So, Tommy  straightened it all out so we can play. If it weren't for the tape used to hold the lid on, this would be in pristine condition. The tape pulled pieces of the box loose. 

 Remember the embroidered and appliqued table cloth I bought for $1 last Fall? I found 12 matching napkinsthat match, $2 for the twelve. And, I got a purse for my Pink Purse Charity--$2 for a large Nine West purse that looks like it was barely used. The woman remembered me and my purse I was filling, so she insisted I take two tubes of hand lotion. I also got a dresser scarf with an embroidered edge for $2. 

Also, there were four Battenburg lace pillow cases, the kind of sham with envelope closing on the back.  YAY! I like this kind of stuff. It is pretty. I am not a person for tailored pillows. I spent $12. I will sell some of this and make at least what I spent, probably more. 

Saturday, we had a Reuben for $3 at Arby's with a coupon. I had the sauerkraut on the side. I put a 1/4" shred on each bite. I cannot eat sauerkraut because of allergies. It was delicious. It is also a beautiful, sunny day. 

Altogether, it has been a good Saturday. And, it early afternoon. The rest of the day will be filled--a nap, dinner of salad with chicken, emptying dishwasher and filling it again. 

Now, Inherit the Wind is on. Then, I took a nap instead of watching ITW. Dinner--spaghetti and meatballs, salad.