Cop Car's Beat

Yay: Lily-of-the-Valley starts

Over the past several years, I've spent a small fortune trying to get starts of Lily-of-the-Valley (LOV). Inevitably, the package, when opened, revealed a mass of stuff that was unidentified as plants. I dutifully planted and watered such stuff a few times, to no avail. Mentioning this to Bogie, I was told that she had a good stand of LOV that needed dividing. She said that, if she thought of it, she would send me some starts in the fall. I set a reminder on my calendar and reminded Bogie in mid-August. She sent beautiful, healthy plants. 

The transport company was a little confused about what an "up" sign (with arrow) meant, but Bogie had packed the plants so well that they could have rolled that box down the road without apparent damage to the plants.

First Photo: As the box was delivered to our front door. (Arrows on each side pointing toward the street, rather than toward the ceiling.)

Next Photo: Healthy plants that Bogie shipped. She had let them acclimate to being in the planters before shipping and had packed them very well. It is obvious that some of the top layer of soil had been flung loose as (I assume) they tumbled the box in a cement mixer. With these plants it is easy to tell which stuff is plant life and which stuff is packing material - and- I have no trouble discerning plant tops from plant roots.

Last Photo: Planters of LOV in a temporary location where the plants may be watered as our side yard grass receives water from the sprinkler system. My plan is to let them recover for a few days before setting them into the ground near the foundation - on the northeast side of the house.

Many thanks, Bogie, and thanks for the strong advice against opening the box indoors. That advice was spot on.

I should mention that in the late 1960s, I planted LOVs on the creek bank at our previous home. They proliferated and, as of the last time I saw them (2002), were beautiful and healthy and providing protection against erosion of the bank. I no longer recall what the starts of those plants looked like, but I assume they were more recognizable as plant life than was the recent stuff I was sent by mail or that I had bought (packaged so that the stuff was sight unseen) at WalMart.

From last weekend

Cars

When Elder Brother stops in for a short visit, I clear out the garage enough that he may keep his car garaged. I started doing that one time when hail was forecasted to occur during his stay. At that time, it took some doing for me to clear the space because we had so much stuff in the garage. (One might recall that Hunky Husband and I combined households when I moved back to Kansas in 1990.) Over the years, I've managed to winnow our belongings, inside the house and inside the garage. Now, all I have to do is to place the garden cart and clippings bin out in the back yard; move the child's wagon with the two containers of gasoline for the lawn mower, the recycle and trash bins, within the garage; roll a small set of metal shelves and re-orient it within the garage; and park the lawn mower snug up against the wall out of the way - easily enough accomplished with a zero turn radius machine.

The first photo, below, snapped early Saturday morning (dark enough that the flash went off giving eery glows to the license plates and the rear reflectors on our cars) gives proof that the garage contents reconfiguration succeeds. Left to right, EB's 1992 W-124 Mercedes Benz, CC's 2014 Lincoln MKZ, and HH's 2018 Lexus ES350. 

Cantaloupe

Just before EB arrived, while clearing out the garage, I took the garden cart out by the woods for temporary storage. I noticed the nearly whole rind of a cantaloupe that had been abandoned by some wild critter(s) that had eaten the meat of the fruit. I didn't think much about it, but later noticed a couple of melons on the cantaloupe vines that had sprouted from the green garbage that I had buried some months ago. The next two photos show the two hills of cantaloupe vines that have survived. (I tore out one hill of vines that appeared, to me, to be some other melon variety - possibly squash - that I did not wish to have cross-pollinated with the cantaloupe.) Looking at the photos I found that I could not pick out either of the two melons among the vines in the first photo, but it does show a sumac sprout that I had failed to spot, in person! I've pointed out one of the two melons among the vines in the second photo.

 

 

 

For today's lunch, I cut into the melon that I had found was ripe on the vine. It was a strange looking melon, but it tasted good. Not great, but good enough.

More catching up

When one's life is consumed by pulling weeds and watching the grass go dormant from the heat, posting in one's blog is not very prominent in one's mind. Catching up on "where I'm at" doesn't take a lot.

Cooking

Night-before-last, I hadn't fallen asleep by Midnight, so arose to figure out something else to do. Ah...Elder Brother was expected (sometime) for a day or two, so why not do some cooking? Now, as everyone knows, I'm no big shake as a cook. Cooking is a domestic art, after all, and no domestic art has ever tripped my trigger. For the most part I dislike cooking to the point of hating it. At any rate, I spent a couple of hours in the kitchen and the photos, below, show the results. Apologies that the photos show the "after partial consumption" state of the blackberry pie and the slaw. I partook of the slaw for yesterday's lunch, and Elder Brother and I partook of the pie after dinner yesterday.

When I ordered our groceries for pickup, early this past week, I had ordered two 12-ounce (weight) containers of fresh blackberries, specifying that the shopper might substitute 24-ounce container if they were out of 12-ounce containers. I've found over the past year or so that the shoppers at Dillons are not as astute as the shoppers at the little WalMart. At the little WalMart, the shopper would have given me one 24-ounce container in place of the two 12-ounce containers. From Dillons, I received two 24-ounce containers. That's a bunch of blackberries considering that Hunky Husband eats few of them. That explains why I used them to make my first-ever blackberry pie. No, I did not make the crusts. I had a package of two in the freezer and I used both, allowing me to form a top crust. You might notice the appearance of the top crust. IMHO I had too much flour/sugar/cinnamon mixture to mix with the berries - and - I forgot to pour the molten butter over the berries before placing the top crust on the berries. I poured the butter and sprinkled a bit of the flour/sugar/cinnamon mixture over the top crust - concentrating on the slits, hoping the stuff would ooze in under the top crust. I actually found the finish of the top crust quite appealing. Who knew?

I made up the head of cabbage (that's been in the fridge for at least one or two weeks) into slaw. Incorporated were a couple of carrots, 1/2 of a green bell pepper, and 1/2 of a red bell pepper. As neither EB nor HH enjoys onion, I withheld them from inclusion.

Baked beans were next on my list. That's a 1.5-quart casserole in the next photo. I didn't wish to make enough to feed an army! The chunks of meat in the beans are left-over ground turkey with home-made taco seasoning.

The last thing I fixed was a pan of dessert that I don't know what to call. I start by beating a couple of eggs (with an old-fashioned eggbeater), adding 1/2 cup of vegetable oil and 1/4 cup of water. Stirring in a 15.25-ounce (weight) box of yellow cake mix, 6 ounces (weight) of milk chocolate chips, a cup of mixed raisins and Craisins and spooning onto a bed of unsweetened shredded coconut that I had placed into a 13"x9" cake pan. Over the batter, I scattered a handful or two of pecan halves, 6 ounces (weight) of semi-sweet chocolate chips, and 6 ounces (weight) of Heath chips. Baked for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees F, it produces a dessert that may be cut into bars of the desired size(s). This is a favorite of HH's that I vary each time I make. In fact, I had intended to sprinkle the flour/sugar/cinnamon mixture left over from the pie as the first layer upon the batter. I forgot! What the guys don't yet know is that I snagged a 3-pint container of cappuccino-chocolate chunk frozen yogurt to serve with this.

Crepe Myrtles

A few months ago, I transplanted a small, volunteer crepe myrtle to a better location. A few weeks ago, I transplanted another, as shown in Catching up. The last two photos show how those crepe myrtles looked, this morning.

Both bushes are looking good - especially since, as one may note, the ground is now wet. I broke down and watered the bush plantings in our yard, yesterday, and we received 0.22" of rain early this morning. Yay!

If you ever wondered....

If you ever wondered what a House Finch's nest looks like after Mama Finch has raised three broods, this photo should show you. I'm cleaning up the little swing but will not re-hang it until next spring. Mama Finch deserves a rest.

The first nest that Mama & Papa Finch built is on the left in the photo. The second and third are on the right - stacked, which is more obvious if photo is enlarged.

A new butterfly

In Week in Review - July 16, 2022, I posted a photo of three black swallowtail caterpillars feasting on dill weed in our rose garden. Today, looking out our little bay window in the kitchen, I espied a female butterfly that had evidently emerged from the chrysalis of one of those caterpillars. Most of my photos were out of focus, but the best photo is below.

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ADDITION of 8/4/2022: Links to photos of other Lepidoptera posted by blog friends - 

    Photo of Atlas Moth (my identification - correct me if I'm wrong, please) Mine is bigger ! posted by Stu Savory

    Photo of a presumably Asian moth of some sort (identification solicited) Having a wonderful time posted by Liz Hinds

 

 

Weed diggers (AKA weeders)

Eleven years ago, in Throwing away perfectly good hand tools, I opined about my propensity for tossing out gardening hand tools with the weeds/cuttings that I threw into my huge compost pile - and wrote, 'I have wasted "vast amounts" of money on replacing hand tools.' 

Earlier this year I posted Spring Photos 2022 in which I mentioned, 'I used to have a huge compost pile for leaves and cuttings. Over the years I found that I had tossed many hand, gardening tools out with the green stuff that I was adding to the pile. I rarely found those tools. In the past couple of years, I've discontinued that pile and taken out the trees near it. Every few months another hand tool emerges. I found this pair of inexpensive pruners three weeks ago. I didn't try to revive the poor things.' That posting included a photo of the rusted-out pruners.

A few days ago, my carelessness struck, again. I threw out my last good weed digger with the weeds (as shown in a photo in the first-mentioned posting, above) - into the trash cart. The weeds included invasive plants that I didn't wish to chance having proliferate in our woods where non-invasive plant materials may safely be composted. Aargh! 

Going to the website of my favorite hardware store, Hupp True Value Hardware, I was shunted to the generic True Value website which showed the newest generation of weed digging tool, which they labeled a weeder, from Fiskar for $18. I very nearly ordered a couple of them, but I checked back into the Hupp site to see if I could pick that particular weeder up at their store. Yes, they had one in stock - for $9. Eh? OK. Hunky Husband and I ran up to Hupp. As it turned out, they had two Fiskar weeders on hand - which I promptly bought. At the checkout counter I saw why the website had listed only one weeder: the two were actually different models.

From the difference in price, one being $9, the other being $10, and the similarity of the tools, I assume that the cheaper one is "last year's model". Let's see how long I can hang onto them!

I am surprised. #2

The other day, Wichidude picked me up to take me to The Tap, a plumbing supply company that I've visited many times over the years. They've always had good people working the counter, there. I never felt stupid for not being an expert plumber and not knowing the correct terminology. I looked forward to going and it turned out to be more fun than I had imagined. The Tap didn't have the part that I needed (I didn't know the part number, but I had the photos, below, on my phone), but the guy had two worthwhile suggestions: 1) go to the Phoenix Supply from whence I had purchased the faucet in 2013, and 2) call Delta Faucet Company (he gave me the phone number - not having reason to know that a phone call makes me break out in a cold sweat). Here comes the surprise: The Tap guy told me that Delta guarantees their products "for life". Even if I was told of the lifetime warranty when purchasing the faucet assembly, I would have taken it for promotional hyperbole.

I didn't really wish to leave Hunky Husband at home, alone (he had not wished to accompany WD and me), much longer so I asked WD to skip going over to Phoenix for the time being. WD brought me home and HH and I had a good time visiting with him for an hour or so.

While HH took his mid-day nap, I decided to do some online research. Going to the Delta Faucet Company website, I located a faucet that looked similar (4380-DST - PILAR^® Single Handle Kitchen Faucet With Spray In Stainless). Of course, the design of the faucet assembly had surely changed over the years. The spare parts for the PILAR did not match up to what I had in-hand, nor did any other parts that I could find.

The Delta people made it simple to send them a message. I gave them the model number of the "looks like" faucet and included the three photos of my own installation at the top of this page, asking if they could provide a part number for the little black jobbie that I needed for my 2013 faucet. Immediately, I received an acknowledgement of my communication and, this morning, two more emails awaited me. One thanking me for my inquiry, saying that I had given them sufficient information to order the parts I would need, and saying that I should soon receive an email with the order they had placed on my behalf. The email with the order came and is shown, below. Yes, the design had changed so they are providing all of the updated parts that I need to replace the old design.

I don't have the parts in hand. I haven't yet installed the parts. So far, I am very impressed. What a pleasant surprise.

P.S. The Tap is located just one block away from the eCycle place that I use, American eWaste Recyclers. Having mentioned the eCycle place to WichiDude & Dudette a couple of weeks ago, and their having expressed interest, I took Wichidude by after we finished at The Tap. The address of the eCycle place is on the same street as is The Tap, but one can only access it through the back alley. Wichidude allowed as how he would have had a really hard time finding the place had I not shown him the way.

I was surprised.

Having one more desktop computer than my number of monitors, I went online the other day, and found a reconditioned monitor at WalMart*. The monitor was intended for use with my backup computer - the computer on which I back up the files from this machine and Hunky Husband's machine - and the price was right.

Surprise#1: It arrived within one week of my placing the order - several days earlier than I had been told to expect.

Surprise #2: It arrived clad only between two thin, formed sheets of expanded foam and the none-too-sturdy box - as shown in the photo, below.

Surprise #3: Everything seemed to be in good shape. The box was scraped up, but nothing inside seemed damaged.

Surprise #4: Obviously, the Sceptre company has received complaints from their customers that, if they require one to have a certain size screwdriver (small Phillips head) it should be supplied. A screwdriver was included for the two screws that attach the flatscreen to its pedestal. Photo, below, showing the screwdriver and its safety cap. (As if I didn't have a plethora of screwdrivers in my home and car.)

After setting up the monitor, checking it out, and realizing how much larger it seems than do HH's and my current monitors, I installed it with HH's desktop computer (photo, below).

Surprise #5: I would be remiss not to mention that, unlike Bogie, I no longer do extensive research before making such purchases. Although I knew that the monitor was described as a "gaming" monitor, I don't recall that the website said that speakers were built into it. The speakers have not yet been checked out. (I left HH's separate speakers connected for the time being. I want to spring new things on him, slowly. After/if/when he tells me he wishes to keep the monitor, I'll worry about changing over his audio and getting him accustomed to that. He may never wish to go that direction. As it is, now, he doesn't need to know how to cope with the onscreen settings display.)

ADDITION of 7/17/2022 11:05am

I didn't recall the size of HH's and my old monitors (different models, same size) but I finally woke up to having my computer tell me to what monitor it is connected. It's 22" (see added screenshot & photo, above) diagonal measure, one assumes. All of our newer monitors are "landscape" orientation.

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*   

Product details

This item is Refurbished. Whether you are a gamer or a movie buff, the Scepter E248W-1920R monitor is the way to go. 1080P resolution (1920 x 1080 Pixels) delivers stunning color and picture detail on a 24-inch screen. A 5 millisecond response time displays action sequences with the highest degree of clarity. Enjoy HDMI, and VGA inputs to connect all video and gaming devices. Refurbished Scepter E248W-1920R 24" Ultra-Thin LED Monitor HDMI, Metallic.

Refurbished Scepter E248W-1920R 24" Ultra-Thin LED Monitor HDMI, Metallic

• Metallic Ultra Slim Design. OS Compatibility- Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, macOS High Sierra, macOS Sierra, OS X El Capitan.
• Ultra-Slim Profile Contemporary Sleek Metal Design Slim Bezel with Thin Chassis Metal Brushed Back Cover
• 3.5mm Mini-Jack Audio Out. Dimensions without stand (inch, W x H x D): 21.45 x 12.52 x 1.24. With Stand (inch, W x H x D): 21.45 x 15.67 x 6.57
• HDMI and VGA Up to 75Hz refresh rate. Brightness: 230 cd/m2, colors: 16.7M (6-bit Hi-FRC)
• Blue Light Shift Reduce your monitor's blue light to protect you from eye fatigue, irritation, and strains. This enables you to work on your documents, watch movies, or play games more comfortably for extended periods.

1. This product may not have been manufacturer certified but has been professionally inspected, tested and cleaned by Walmart Restored Program Sellers and Suppliers
2. Fully functional product in Like New Condition that may or may not have minor cosmetic defects, blemishes, dents, scratches when held approximately 12 inches away or less
3. This product includes all accessories that will be compatible and fully functional but may not be original. Packaging may be generic
4. This product may be returned within 90 days for free return or replacement if you are not satisfied
5. Battery capacity exceeds 80% capacity relative to its new equivalent

Week in Review - July 16, 2022

Old Friend

The most unexpected happening was hearing from an old friend, Dr J, with whom I worked in the mid-1980s. I've heard from him every few/several years since 2009 and I must say that, unfortunately, his is a tale of woe. (The link that I've given leads to an interview with him.) His education resulted in BS and MS in Physics and MS and PhD in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, his specialty being computational fluid dynamics (CFD). CFD is a highly regarded field but esoteric enough that it can lead to difficulties in staying employed. Dr J has been, basically, unemployed for some time. He has physical conditions that have led him to be wheelchair bound, living in the Puget Sound area.

Even back in the 1980s, Dr J labored under a dark star. He was just a youngster of 30 then who hired into the same company for which I worked, only to find that their need for a CFD specialist had evaporated. He was to have worked on one of the programs on which I was involved. As it happened, about that time I needed someone to deal with some scheduling software (this was the 1980s - software's being even less user friendly then). My job was putting together a USAF base plan for Edwards AFB. The scheduling assignment kept him gainfully useful to the company for a few weeks and Dr J's and my contact was rather spotty after that. 

Trimming Bushes

It is horrible giving bushes haircuts when they are being subjected to triple digit temperatures for an extended period of time, but other tasks took priority when the weather was a bit cooler. The bush that had gotten most out of hand was the Coppertina Nine Bark, one of two that I had planted behind the house in in 2015 (not, as it feels, in 2019!) The second bush survived but for one year or two. The next two photos show the "before" and "after" trimming views.

 

 

The next two photos show the three Crepe Myrtle bushes that I planted in 2002 - "before" and "after" a trim. What? You can't tell that I trimmed them? There's a good reason for that. The only trimming that I did was to remove the limbs bearing pink blossoms from among the limbs bearing white blossoms. I had bought a Dwarf Victor (on the right) at Hillside Nursery and the two "pink" standard-sized generic bushes from WalMart. The bush that is in the middle eventually proved to have been two roots in the same pot - one for white, the other for pink. I've been trying to kill out the pink for some years because I like the contrast of a white bush between the pink and cerise bushes.

The following two photos show "before" and "after" trimming of our three Little Devil Nine Bark bushes - planted at the same time as the Coppertina, above.

 

 

Dill & Insects

Our largest patch of Dill Weed has drawn female black swallowtails - more so than usual, this year. We have an abundance of caterpillars, and the blossoms draw all manner of insects - various flies and lacewings. The photos below are the best I could do. The caterpillars don't run about, but the flies and lacewings flit nervously, keeping me from focusing on them. (The sun reflecting off of the viewing screen doesn't help, either!) I can't identify the fleet of black specks in the photo on the left. I assume they are some sort of eggs.

Hummingbirds and Ants

Speaking of bugs: Below is a photo of the hummingbird feeder that I brought in after hanging a feeder with fresh nectar. Since hummingbirds feast on ants, I can't get upset that the ants are consuming some of the hummingbird nectar.

Tomatoes & Potatoes

I was at least a month late planting tomatoes, this year, so I've yet to find fruit even beginning to color up. The photo on the left, below, shows the bush with the fruit coming closest to being ready. It is an Early Girl. (I planted only three tomatoes, this year, the other two being Beefmasters.) On the right is a photo of our total potato crop for 2022. They came up from three different hills where I had planted green garbage. My dad planted potatoes on St Pat's Day nearly every year, but I've never planted potatoes intentionally.

 

 

 

 

We get to laugh at ourselves.

The other night, Hunky Husband and I were watching TV separately, as do we usually. I heard him coughing up a fit. Since it annoys me to have someone bother me while I'm having such a coughing spell, having a speck of pepper catch in my throat or some such, I listened carefully but did not rush in to see HH. I find that as long as I can hear the fit, breath is being had. Later in the evening, HH told me that he had coughed stuff up from his lungs, catching it in his handkerchief, and that he had rinsed it out in the sink, hanging it over the towel bar in his bathtub enclosure. He told me that he had coughed up blood. Would I please check that he'd gotten all of the blood rinsed out?

Coughing up blood is a whole 'nuther thing. Now I am concerned, but I don't really want to let on to HH and get him obsessing about it. I check his handkerchief and, finding a smear of pink, take it to my basement sink for rinsing. In rinsing, I note that there is more and more pink showing up as I rotate the handkerchief in my hands. There are grainy little dots of pink - only on one side of the cloth - each fact of which struck me as strange. Eventually I am satisfied that the handkerchief is clean and hang it on the edge of the "whites" laundry basket to dry.

I preceded HH to bed. As he was in his bathroom brushing his teeth, I lay in bed with my mind wondering. Eventually, my mind wandered over something to do with the watermelon that we had eaten as a late evening snack. Bingo! It was not blood that HH was coughing up, it was small specks of watermelon cellulose and juice. I feel so much better. HH and I got a good laugh at ourselves. The photo shows our next watermelon - on which we shall endeavor not to choke. It's in the bag that I used to carry it, the watermelon having been too large for me to otherwise manage while also carrying two smaller bags of groceries to my car.

 

Catching up

It's been a while since I've posted and I know that enquiring minds really want to know up to what this really old woman has been. Well...if you don't really care, you may be excused to find better use of your time. This is not required reading!

The yard work has been keeping me busy for the spring and early summer, this year. Which is usually the case. What makes it more interesting/harder work this year are the confluence of two happenings: 1) unavailability of quality mulch, and 2) weather that teeters between rainy and hotter/sunnier than hell. I cannot work in the sun or in the heat as I am prone to sun/heat stroke - or - at the very least, heat exhaustion. As I've written at Paying for my sins gives me exercise, my big challenge this year has been to rid us of the sumac that I was foolish enough to plant. It had thrived and, as previously stated, it will be at least a couple of years before I can declare victory. Defeat is unthinkable! Each week, our trash barrel has been completely stuffed with sumac roots that I've dug/pulled up for the past several weeks. The photos, below, show how the largest sumac planted areas look, today. The photos show the same area, but from nearly opposite viewpoints. Note, too, that I have taken out a couple of the small redbud trees and trimmed up the remaining ones.

While working in that area for a few minutes, this morning, I took the opportunity to transplant a small crepe myrtle bush (photo, below). I don't know whether the bush came up from seed (I find hundreds of seedlings all over the place) or from the roots of nearby old crepe myrtle bushes. As was the case for the small crepe myrtle bush that I planted in the same planting bed earlier this year (thought I had posted it but can't find the photo or posting) in either case I don't know the parent bush. It could be a dwarf cerise-colored crepe myrtle, a white full-sized crepe myrtle, or a more reddish pink full-sized crepe myrtle. (For photos of possible parent bushes, please see The past week or so at Casa CC - 7/27/2019.)

Most of my yard-work time during the past week has been spent de-weeding/grassing the planting areas that are farther from the street, but in the same stretch of yard. The next photo shows about one-third of the area in which I've been working. At the left side of the photo, within the area delimited by the steel posts (installed to keep Fred's occasional fence-fall from further damaging my plantings), one can see a multitude of crab grass plants awaiting my attention. I was working in that area, this morning, when it started raining. It is a hot, muggy day and it is now (5pm) thundering out there.

Did I fail to mention that I showed more agility, this morning, than I would have laid claim to? I heard something breaking and ran into the middle of our back yard where I knew I would be safe from falling trees/limbs. It was an unnecessary exercise as the branch from a huge walnut tree crashed on Fred's property, this time. He doesn't trim his trees (or anything else in his part of the woods) which leads to such dead falls. It was not a small limb! (I took a photo, but the bright sun made it impossible for me to see the viewfinder and the offending tree isn't in the photo!)

My mini meadow is coming along nicely this year. The next photo shows it in all its glory. Note the milkweeds - the seed pods of which deserved their own photo. I'll post the pod photo on the neighborhood website to see if anyone wants a pod or three.

I bury our green garbage. It enriches the clay of which our soil is comprised and reduces the strain on our city's sewage system. Our city requires that no garbage be placed in the trash bins. That is what garbage disposers are supposed to make unnecessary. Many of the buried treasures send up shoots - mostly from potatoes and melons. They have a tendency to try to escape their confines. The photos, below, show a couple of examples. In the first photo, a melon plant of some sort has shriveled up in the past day or two - maybe from too much water????

 

 

 

 

To round out the posting, here is a closeup of the little things that have been hanging from our small trees over the past week or two. I'm thinking they are army worms like the ones that destroyed much of our fescue lawns last summer. Kevin is supposed to be sending his lawn specialist out to tell me what we need to have done.