clothespin flatside

never seen anyone do this. the gator mouth side of a clothes pin can often be too strong and bend the plastic as well as its not flat. I turned the spring around and moved it into that notch.

the grip is not so tight and the clamping end is flat. this is a WIP suicide car bomb that will eventually be part of the dio. It was a monogram 1:24 dupont lumina jeff gordon 24 car. It won't look anything like that when I'm done.

plastic model modeling toolsscratch built model

super prediction

to be deleted unless I hit it right on...

33 patriots 31 falcons

Discoveries about town, Janes Market

I was doing some shopping and I heard a man and his speaking in a non-native language. The language could have been Arabic and ended up being so, but it was a bit sing-songy for the brief listen, and I had seen a thing about doing some sprouts anyway. So I asked this man, "Pardon me sir (do you grey poupon, no) would you happen to be Indian and would you happen to know of an Indian store?" He replied, "no, and janes market" I thanked the man.
That was all I needed, googleized, discovered it was close and off I went to discover what could possibly be in the Indian store in San Bernardino.

Some photos follow. I purchased about $30 worth of stuff, some known things, like the green peas, white peas and mung beans (this is the white sprout common in 'Chinese food') and some a mystery, like what is methri or kala chan or masoor dal or chana dal? all the containers in the photo below were priced between 4 and 6 dollars.

The things I knew, mustard, peas, and mung all went into containers for sprouts. sprouts are amazing, blah blah, everyone knows and I am forever perplexed that many people think they sound authoritative by saying sprouts are so good for you like they did the research themselves etc. anyway...  this purchase should be enough for a couple months of a weekly rotation of sprouts. I combined the peas and the mung together because they all sprout at very nearly the same rate and would be a tastier all mixed together for my use as a salad additive or on taco's or as a garnish for soups whatever, you can't go wrong with sprouts. For the last couple of years, I have had a pretty consistent supply of sunflower sprouts going, so this will be a nice change. the photo below is the second day, 1-day jar soak and 1 day on soil.

Back at Janes Market, I visited again today. Not really to buy anything but to discover what I missed and figure out what it was. I went thru every row and aisle, its a small store but like sprouts, packed full of goodness! I asked the owner if I could take some photos so I could figure out what I was looking at and she agreed. Fabulous! Photos for research follow, but by the by, most of what I did not know what it was, is a chickpea. Chickpea is a familiar enough word, but they are not a part of my diet and after a google search or two and some reading I think I will be adding them in. The photos that follow are certainly not all that the store has to offer, but what piqued my interest. They have a wide assortment of teas and veggies that remain unexplored for the moment.

I also saw these products that seem interesting. Granted its an MRE. At this point its exploratory. Most of these packages are $2.50 they have a great variety. Some of the directions said to add cooked rice, easy enough. I will give these a try soon, they seem perfect for lunch at work.

I would love to read about what you do with chickpeas, mung beans or mustard seed. I'm super excited to make my own mustard as well as sprouts. Have you been to this store? let me know if you go, that would be awesome.

special consultant, Baker 50 - -Thank you

Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before

Things are falling from the sky.

Water, old leaves, and destruction causing winds are active in the wilds. For the most part our gardens are solemn nearly serene places, protected from the harsh winds and falling debris from larger dying vegetation.

Cutting back of our plants simulates these damages. Plants are accustomed to this and I dare say, puts the plant into a mode to be ready for regrowth when the time is right.

However, the part that may be missing from your container garden is the amount of concentrated debris that should be falling.

Time to Mulch

Make sure to include topping off with mulch when you winterize your plants. Below is a photo of a successful tomato plant.


The photo shows the rootball and soil that just came out of the 5 gallon bucket. This bucket is the inside bucket of a 2 bucket reservoir system that I grow most of my chili and tomato in. When it was in the bucket it was topped by 6" of mulch that was topped up every so often thru the growing season. The mulch I generally use is the wood chips that go on sale at home depot every year. When they get to the 1 dollar range I buy enough so that when winter comes (now) I can top off my containers.



This photo shows a Black Krim Tomato that was grown from seed. The fruit here are part of the last harvest of 2016 (which is today) When the plant was transferred to the 2 buckets (last spring) the plant was about 8 inches tall. It was transplanted flush with the soil in the bucket and then 5 to 6 inches of mulch was put around it to top off the bucket.



Lastly this is Fatali and Serrano after they have been winterized. In the pan is the total of the harvest for today. The addition of the mulch on top will create heat for the plant by creating a new home for microbial life, protect your plants roots from extremes and perhaps even fix your garden itch.

No time like the present, Go Mulch!