Good News and Gardening

Jim got notice last week that he was probably going to be recalled to work. It was verified today that he's to go back Tuesday after the holiday. YIPPEE! I'm very glad but not just because of the money. I'm home most of the time since I quit work a year ago. Like most people, I somewhat set in my ways and I like the quiet. When Jim is home, he likes to talk and he doesn't care if the other person (in this case, ME), is reading, watching TV, or just trying to relax. If we're outside doing something together I don't mind but sometimes in the house, it really bugs me. I finally convinced him that I wouldn't mind at all if he went and had coffee with some of the retired guys in town and he's been doing that occasionally.
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I was somewhat dreading making another planter box so I'd have room for my peppers. It's not so much work making the box as it is tilling up the sod and then removing all the grass so it doesn't grow up through the planting bed. If I had thought ahead (NOT my stongpoint), I could have used Roundup on the spot about 10 days ago and the grass would have been dead. Jim came up with the idea of using a large shipping crate he had brought home from work several months ago. It doesn't look the greatest but the plants won't care. It had gaps between boards so we used other scrap lumber (that, I do have lots of) and we covered the slits. The gaps in the bottom were very narrow so I just covered the bottom with newspaper before we filled it with dirt. I didn't make as nice a soil mix as I did in the planting bed and that may be a problem but I'm sure it will grow peppers with a little fertilizer. We sat the crate on a couple of pallets (also brought from Jim's work) closer to the house so I can monitor the watering better. I waited until this evening for it to be cooler and the wind to die down before I planted.

I put a couple of hummingbird feeders out yesterday. Jim said he saw one last week and one buzzed by as I was planting the peppers. I don't buy special food; I just mix 1 part sugar to 4 parts water,(for example 1/2 c. sugar to 2 cups of water), heat in the micro and stir until the sugar is all dissolved. Then cool and fill the feeders.