Whatcha Up To???

[Mr_Yan]

Today's high was at about 7 AM and was 45 F. Now we're at about 35 F. Windy and raining all day. Raining inside the building at work too. Oh well.

Starting peppers, tomatoes, and marigolds inside today if my garden helpers cooperate.

 

[w_r_ranch]

@w_r_ranch Could you post your Spanish rice recipe?

The recipe is on the bottle... we were busy so I just used the Fiesta Brand Spanish Rice Seasoning. It's very good (although I skip the tomato sauce)!!! I order it direct From Fiesta, but you can also find it on Amazon or Walmart...

Spanish Rice Recipe
1 Tbs cooking oil
1 cup uncooked rice
1 - 7oz can tomato sauce
1 Tbs Bolner's Fiesta Brand® Spanish Rice Seasoning
2 Cups water
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Heat the oil in a pan that has a tight fitting lid. Add the rice and fry it until it starts to turn brown. Stir in tomato sauce, Spanish Rice Seasoning and water and bring to a boil Cover with a tight fitting lid and SIMMER on low heat for 15-20 minutes until the water is absorbed. Do not overcook. Fluff and serve. Makes 6-8 servings.​

 

[w_r_ranch]

Planted the tomatoes this morning. Ended up planting a total of 24 as I had room to spare.

Did some gun training with 'Dieter'. As expected, he is a natural retriever & tracker. I got a good laugh when he brought Mrs. Ranch a dead bird (instead a a stick) & she let out a loud "EEEEKKKK"!!!

Grilled chicken fajitas for supper.

 

[w_r_ranch]

'Peckerwood' drove down with his brother to pick-up our old John Deere lawn tractor. I was going to fix it, but as I've aged, I had to admit to myself that it just wasn't going to happen... After loading it up, we visited for a while & I will say that they were both real nice folks!!!

Watered the garden.

 

[Mr_Yan]

The recipe is on the bottle... we were busy so I just used the Fiesta Brand Spanish Rice Seasoning. It's very good (although I skip the tomato sauce)!!!

Thanks @w_r_ranch

 

[w_r_ranch]

Made another pot of pinto beans.

Applied 13-13-13 (general purpose fertilizer) to all the rows in the garden, then watered it in.

Cut the grass.

Cleaned & refilled the wasp traps.

 

[Mike]

Bought a new bird feeder yesterday and hung it, then sprayed the front yard to kill the couple of weeds that popped up. This afternoon I'll be cleaning the carpets and then get started on building a playground for the kids in the back yard.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Burned the trash.

Fixed the bullet holes in the bird's water trough.

Prepped an area & planted half packet of both cilantro & radishes.

Green beans are all up!!!

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[w_r_ranch]

Made bread.

On & off rain showers today... I did see that the soybeans are just starting to break ground though.

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Ordered 2 truckloads (28 cubic yards.) of the shredded pine bark mulch this morning. I expected it to be delivered in the next day or two, but they just delivered it so I can get started.

Roll'in, roll'in, roll'in...
Get that garden grow'in!!!
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[w_r_ranch]

Almost all the soybeans are up this morning & the garbanzo beans are starting to break ground as well.

I started to mulch the garden & about 2 hrs after I started, the rains came rolling in... but as least I got some done.

Made dough & roasted tomato sauce for a pizza tonight. Loaded it up with pepperoni, onions, black olives & peppers.

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[ksk]

Picked a half bucket of dewberrys.Cobbler tomorrow and jam next week..

 

[w_r_ranch]

Garbanzo beans are continuing to pop up. The first mound of spaghetti squash is up, as are the radishes.

Continued spreading the mulch in the garden.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Well dang, as our luck goes & a 10% chance of rain, we got 0.22" this morning... just enough to mess up the mulching.

Seasoned up some pork chunks for 'Carnitas' tonight. I'll make some rice later as we already have the beans ready to go. Mrs. Ranch will make some 'pico de gallo' as well.

 

[ksk]

Well dang, as our luck goes & a 10% chance of rain, we got 0.22" this morning... just enough to mess up the mulching.

Seasoned up some pork chunks for 'Carnitas' tonight. I'll make some rice later as we already have the beans ready to go. Mrs. Ranch will make some 'pico de gallo' as well.

Ranch that rain missed me.I saw parts of CR 211 and 215 wet when I went to Columbus.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Did the weekly shopping with Mrs. Ranch (it's been a long time)... We left 'Dieter at home locked in his kennel for the first time & I'm sure he barked the entire 2 hrs we were gone.

Fixed a large flower pot that 'Dieter' knocked over yesterday.

'Dieter' was 16 weeks old yesterday & now weighs 48 lbs. As he gets bigger & bigger, we proportionally adjusted his meal sizes. He does like to eat!!! He seems to grow in squirts, one week he gets taller & then the following week he grows longer. His eyes are currently above table-top level so it's a challenge to keep him from grabbing things off of it. He also now has his own chair on the back porch as he likes to sit at the table & watch the hummingbirds when we are enjoying our daily margaritas!!! We are enjoying watching him grow/mature although he bears constant watching... "When he's good, he's very, very good & when he's bad, he's very, very bad".

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[Mr_Yan]

Seeded my back lawn today.
Planted a row of beets yesterday.
Spread 20 yards of compost over the inground beds at the community garden - I'm one of the few that can drive the tractor apparently

Youngest kid is sick

 

[ksk]

Mowed in-laws place today.Killed a 21 inch [w/o head] copperhead weed eating.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Continued spreading the mulch in the garden...

All of the spaghetti squash are now up... 2 of the 3 acorn squash mounds are up. I have 6 tomatillos forming already & a couple of tomatoes.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Happy Easter everyone!!!

I'm taking it easy today (it now raining anyways). I made bread & then the scalloped potatoes that will be served with our Easter Ham.

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[Mr_Yan]

Happy Easter guys

Thunder storm really rocked us last night.

This weekend I:

• Wrangled two sick kids and took over two non-sick kids when wife got sick but she managed the one sick kid at the time - time frames are fluid on this one
• Over seeded my back lawn
• moved broccoli and kale seedlings outside to harden off
• filled some holes and put a coat of paint on my new garden bed
• spread 40 yards of compost at the community garden - over two days
• sifted my worm composting bin and gained 18 gallons of nice compost to mix into the garden beds
• bought a new pair of tennis shoes

When spreading the last of the compost at the church garden the cable broke that controls the bucket tilt on the tractor. This is the cable from the joystick to the hydrolic valve - it looks like the socket that the cable is swaged into rusted out and finally gave way. I need to work on a repair and need to find who is in charge of maintenance and equipment at church as it is the church's tractor.

 

[w_r_ranch]

It's been pouring down rain here (2.21" thus far with another band incoming). At least I got the cantaloupe seeds in & their rows mulched before it started. Needless to say 'Dieter' is going nuts due to his pent up energy (a tired puppy is a good puppy)...

 

[ksk]

It's been pouring down rain here (2.21" thus far with another band incoming). At least I got the cantaloupe seeds in & the rows mulched before it started. Needless to say 'Dieter' is going nuts due to his pent up energy (a tired puppy is a good puppy)...

Got 2.01 here.

 

[w_r_ranch]

We ended up with 2.54" of rain yesterday. It's too wet for garden work today.

Refilled the regular bird feeders. The hummingbird feeders are still good for a couple of days.

'Dieter' is getting his first real teeth!!! I'll be glad when he's done teething as he's becoming addicted to ice cubes.

Made stuffed jalapenos (leftover Easter ham & cheese wrapped in buckboard bacon) & then smoked them over hickory coals for supper.

 

[ksk]

We ended up with 2.54" of rain yesterday. It's too wet for garden work today.

Refilled the regular bird feeders. The hummingbird feeders are still good for a couple of days.

'Dieter' is getting his first real teeth!!! I'll be glad when he's done teething as he's becoming addicted to ice cubes,

Same here Ranch [2.1].I did honey do's for the wife.Birdfeeder refills tomorrow.I have only a couple hummers.

 

[Mr_Yan]

Well my neighbor just gave me about 10 pounds of seed potatoes - kinnebecs - so I get to tweak my garden layout.

Direct seeded spinach is starting to germinate in the garden.

Low 70s here again. Supposed to return to mid 50s and rain for the rest of the week.