Anyone heard from Polly, lately? I haven't seen her posting even on the chat thread and was worried about her. Miss Polly, you ok?

-- Annie (mistletoe6@earthlink.net), July 07, 2002

Answers

Hi Annie ... I'm with you ... wonder what happened to Polly? The best I can tell, the last time she posted on the chat thread was around the end of May. Wonder if life just got way hectic and has kept her busy?

Hey Polly ... hope you and yours are okay and all is well with you! Let us hear from you when you get time or if/when you read this!

-- Phil in KS (mac0328@planetkc.com), July 07, 2002.

Ooops!! I'm here! I get confused sometimes and forget where I am, forum wise! I read a private BB; plus Stan's and here and on garden web - guess it has been a while since I've posted here!

I have been pretty busy; work has been hectic, 48 hr. (4 - 12's) weeks the norm, 60 this past week and next week both; some days and some nights, so I find myself working or falling asleep when I ought to be outside in the garden! I've still got more peas to harvest, this will be the last and I'll pull the vines to pick them, then toss the remains to the chickens. The broccoli needs pulled as well - can't keep it from bolting, still have a few salad things that need to go too, as they are no longer fit to eat. I need to start my fall broccoli and cabbage seeds; would like to start some fall carrots, but we are just so hot and dry here, I can barely keep my late beans wet enough to keep going. I've picked several ripe tomatoes - Juliets; a small pear or large grape tomato. This is the variety that I canned the most of whole last year. I do have some larger tomatoes a couple of days away from picking as well; and tons more that will be ready in a few weeks. Got baby cukes and zukes; my 8 Ball zucchini is ready to pick but, boy, are those spiny little devils! Beans and potatoes are blooming now; maybe they'll get ready at about the same time this year! The strawberries are long gone (YAY!), but now we are working on renovating the field; cross tilling it (looks sort of like lattice now) and working on weed control. So far, all I've got in the freezer is strawberry and black cherry jam, peas and peppers. This is a good thing; since I really, really need to defrost the chest freezer and, might - if I really squeeze things in - have enough room in the upright to put the stuff from the chest while I'm defrosting it! My banana peppers are almost ready to pick, so I'm ready to can them up - with visions of Italian beef dancing in my head! I've been picking up boxes of jar lids every time I'm in at Dollar General - $1 for a pack of 12 Golden Harvest lids is the best price I've seen anywhere; and they worked well for me last year. For cold pack (rather than pressure canned) stuff; I do go buy the more expensive Ball lids - they have a bit wider seal area. Good thing I don't do much cold packing - at $2.50 a box of 12, those really add up. I still have some jars out in the shed that I picked up at auction - I need to get them in the house and get them washed. May need to set up the wash tubs on the porch and carry out hot water to them to rinse them first tho - really hate carrying spiders in to the house!

The Japanese beetles have started in force here - our Japanese plums that are planted north of the windbreak are just inundated! I don't know whether to spray the trees, or hope that they keep the beetles diverted from the garden. I did go out this morning with a fast food cup 1/2 full of water with a layer of cooking oil on top - used the lid to knock the beetles that I found in the garden (mostly on the peaches) and on the roses (oh, my poor, poor roses!) into the cup. Ended up with about a 1 cup measure of them drowned in the bottom of the cup - tossed them over the fence to the chickens and they had a heyday! Ah, Beetles a'la Olio - Yum! (Not! But then again, I'm not a chicken!)

We had a really good 4th of July - Hubs and I got out early and hung up our biggest flag; then set up tables and chairs in the side yard for a family fish fry. A couple of my uncles had a trot line out and caught a bunch of catfish, so they fried them up and everyone carried in food. We ate and we talked and we laughed and caught up on what everyone was doing and then the fellas played some music on the guitars, banjo and mandolin and then we ate some more and talked some more - what a great day!! I had to go in to work that evening, but the hospital where I work is right across the road from the airport, where they set off the fireworks. Hubs came in and brought one of the watermelons left from lunch; I gathered up some of the patients and we all gathered in one of the rooms facing the airport and ate watermelon and watched the fireworks - in air conditioned comfort. Only thing I didn't get was my corn dog, funnel cake and cotton candy!! Hubs just flat out refused to fight the crowd and traffic to get me some! He'll regret that decision - that just means that I'll have to go to the 4-H fair to get my annual fix; and he knows what happens when I go to the 4-H fair - I come home with critters!

Phil, it's good to hear that you're back home with family - but if you do get back on the road, be sure to stop by if you're ever in E. Central Illinois (near to Effingham). Annie - it's good to hear from you again too!

Well, I need to head for bed - tomorrow evening starts 3 nights of work in a row, so I've got to get up early and get laundry hung out, so that I can then get my melons and pumpkins hoed around before it gets too hot - need to fertilize the ones I had to replant, just in case that rain does come through on Tuesday. Need to get those peas picked and frozen and the clean up done; still got some cherries to work up down in the crisper drawer; and if I've got any sense at all (jury's still out on that one!) I'll bring in my laundry and then take a shower and a nap in the hottest part of the afternoon, until it's time to get up to head for work.

You folks take care - don't get too hot out there!

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), July 07, 2002.

Hi Polly! You've been busy!!! Guess it's that time of year though, huh? I always sit around in the spring just waiting for the garden to come in and then when it does.....whew. Thanks for letting us know you're ok.

Our Japanese Beetles are gone. Have been for about a week or so. I just had them really bad in one spot...on some Virginia Creeper right by the corn. Funny thing is though, they seemed to prefer the creeper! I had a few get on the corn, but nothing like the creeper. It was covered. I had spiders on the corn and saw where 2 of the spiders had each caught a beetle. Yay for spiders! Japanese Beetles are like bad house guest...you're sure happy when they're gone and dreading when they return next year for their annual visit! :)

Polly, I have a brother that used to live in Effingham! He works for the RR, and lived for awhile in Tuscola and Decatur too. He's now back in Indiana. We visited him a couple of times when he lived there. Wish I would have known you then! We could have sat on the porch, had a glass of lemonaide and chatted.

Have a great day and don't work so hard! :)

-- Annie (mistletoe6@earthlink.net), July 08, 2002.