Jason closes his journal... Thanks!! I love you!!

[miss_thenorth]

I am just reading about your dd now, MP, ( I must admit I dont read journals often, but hunting caught my eye) I am glad to hear she is recovering, and it wasn't more serious than it was.

Tanks, about the airsoft gun you got your ds, what was the fps? I only ask, b/c my ds just got one, and it is 230 fps. He is 13, has been raised around guns, hunts himself, so he knows all the rules regarding ANY gun. ALL safe gun handling rules apply to ANY gun. paintball guns aren't allowed to shoot any faster than 280 fps. As long as you teach your ds safe gun handling, and make sure the fps isnt too fast, I would feel ok about it, but that is just me.

I must admit that I am shocked that they actually make airsoft guns that shoot past 280, let alone 400 or even 800!!!!!!

eta i am also shocked to read that someone let their 8yo son play with that powerful a gun unsupervised and without restriction. And MP-- I aplaud you for your discipline of your son. I agree--standing idly by doing nothing is just as bad as pulling the trigger himself IMO.

 

[modern_pioneer]

When I returned home this morning, I went straight to the garden to check on my tomato plants. All my heirlooms are dead from the blight, the only ones living are the two GM tomato plants that were given to me. Not only does it kill the plant, but it works its way into the fruit and causes the fruit to rot vine on. I call my local extension office about canning the green fruit, they said not to because it will spoil anyway.

I have 12 huge organic raised plants, they are loaded more this year than I have ever grown tomatoes ever. I am going say they are 4-5 feet tall and 3 feet around. Nice big fruits, maybe 150 pounds give or take 20 pounds.

I made a call to my Uncle at work today, he said his are dead too. I called a local farmers market to find out who locally has tomatoes for sale in bulk. I called Tom down at the mill who gave me a local guys number who sprayed his plants prior and during this blight spreading. So I called him, his wife said they have bushels of ripe tomatoes that are still on the plant. When I asked how organic they were, she said the are treated with a organic anti-fungi spray, but no pesticides have been used on them. When I asked cost per bushel, she said as many as I could put in a bushel, heaping, but I'd have to pick my own, $20 a bushel.

So I looked up the spray they used, than I went in at checked the one I had on hand that was organic. Its the same product, I treated my plants with this when I first heard about this blight. Perhaps they were already infected, because my efforts seemed to be in vein. I treated them with the chemical stuff last week, hoping to have saved the remainder of my crop. But their dead now....

As you might understand how sad this makes me feel inside, I take great pride in providing food for my family as organic as I can. Living as SS as I can, theres another side of this.

If I were living in the 1800-1900's this blight came along, I would have no winter tomato food stores. We would be SOL back then. Giving that tomatoes make up I would guess over 40% of our canned food, sauces, ketchup, stewed, salsa, and a few other items. There would be less food for winter.

I will have to use some of my funds from my SS fund to pay for the purchase of tomatoes. Which now just pushes my fence project even further into the pipeline dream of getting it done.

Before everyone starts to understand the impact of this blight, I am going to get moving forward on getting those bushels ASAP..

 

[Dace]

Bummer about your maters!

Lucky that you found someplace to get some at a reasonable price though!
So how exactly are you going to prep your toms for canning...make sauce, skin them and can whole?

 

[TanksHill]

I am sorry to hear about your tomatoes. I still have about 200lbs on my dining room table I wish you lived closer. I would be happy to share. Get going on those bushells. You have canning to do!!!

Miss the north... Yes the fps on the gun I bought is very low. I did not spend a ton of money and know he will probably loose intrest in this just as he has the bow and bb gun. I do know he will have tagret practice in the desert with friends and thats about it.

 

[modern_pioneer]

Bummer about your maters!

Lucky that you found someplace to get some at a reasonable price though!
So how exactly are you going to prep your toms for canning...make sauce, skin them and can whole?

In the heat of the day, I got some less than perfect tomatoes!!! I didn't really bushel them up in fear of smashing the ones on the bottom, but I brought two boxes with me that would hold the same amount of maters as a bushel, and boy oh boy, did I ever pile them up.

Wheres Lori at, I sent that girl some of my famous spaghetti sauce, her husband liked it and asked for the recipe. Did you notice I didn't answer that request? I use the basic ball recipe but my Mom changed it some and added spices more salt. I use her recipe to make mine, but yet again I changed it a little for my taste. I will make some 48-60 quarts of sauce, pints of peppers in sauce, skin some can whole. I also chopped them, remove the seeds for soups and lasagna

However, if any of you want a knockdown cannelloni recipe that is beyond any you have ever eaten in your life. Let me know, I'll share with you my Grandmas recipe..... I often take this dish to pot luck partys just for the "male" bragging rights of being a good cook.

 

[modern_pioneer]

Well after being pelted by hail this afternoon, I ran into the woods to find safe cover. Arms covered with red dots, one on my ear, and little sore spots on my head. I shaded my eyes for protection and headed for the largest near by tree around. As it became heavy I was looking for something to put over my head and saw a piece of bark that would at least help. So made a mad dash, fell on the now wet leaves, pick myself up while being pelted yet even more by falling pieces of ice, now the size of small marbles. I grabbed the bark, ran carefully back to my cover, only to have my fingers hit a few times while holding the bark over my head for protection.

The clouds moved rather quickly in, and I had went up to spray my taters with an anti fungus spray. I heard one crack of thunder, within a minute large rain started mixed with the hail. I was closer to the woods than any out building or structure, I heard the hail hit the pond before it hit me, thats when I looked and saw it was hailing, thats when I dropped the sprayer and just headed for the woods.

It continued to hail for what seemed like a long time, maybe five minutes. I dropped down at the base of the tree and covered as much of my body as I could. Looking out I could see green leaves falling from being struck by hail, and the pieces hitting me were being slowed down by the leaves/branches overhead. One that hit the top of my foot didn't hit anything before it hit me, wow did it hurt. Its now black and blue.

As the rain continued, very heavy, big drops, I made my way to the back porch for safety, still carrying the bark over my head, it might have been 10 inches wide maybe 16 inches long. The water was rushing down the mountain and I had to cross one storm made stream, than I fell again as the earth was just washed out from under my feet. My bark broke, I threw it, and looked up at the sky while the rain smacked me in the face. What else could I do? Muddy on the front, soaked clean through to my underwear, muddy on the back now, miffed, I just had to laugh at myself.

While sitting there in the muddy water, dirt was filling in my shorts (both pairs), I got up on the side I was trying to get to, and made the last 40 feet back to the porch without falling or being pelted again by hail. The hail covered the area and made it slippery to walk over, the road was covered in smashed hail.

I rinsed off with the garden hose, stripped down as much as I could, came in and took a shower. While taking my shower the sun came back out. Talk about wrong place at the wrong time....

 

[2dream]

Even though that sounds like a blast sure am glad I was not there to enjoy that episode right along beside you. However, if I could have been in a safe location watching the action I might have chuckled just a little at you. (But I am a little warpped as you know)

Really glad you are ok and that it turned out with nothing but a few welps, slipfalls, and wet through and through.

 

[punkin]

OUCH! Glad you could find humor in it.

I admit I laughed a little, too, since you weren't hurt.

 

[TanksHill]

In the heat of the moment I can imagine I would have been using some most unladylike words. Glad you are ok and made it home safe. Is this type of weather normal for your area this time of year? Just wondering.
g

 

[modern_pioneer]

In the heat of the moment I can imagine I would have been using some most unladylike words. Glad you are ok and made it home safe. Is this type of weather normal for your area this time of year? Just wondering.
g

I was pretty mad, but once I tossed away that broken bark, and I looked up, I was defeated by what just happened. I was laughing when I picked myself up off the ground. I was thinking, if I didn't have bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all. .

Wanda I wish you were with me, I doubt you could have kept me from falling the second time, so that means we would have been two people like pigs in mud. nothing like have your friends right there with you in some tough times, aye?