I got the second cucumber trellis up yesterday. And checked the timer again. The timers, both of them, don't like the heat at all. Shade doesn't matter beyond it keeps things a little cooler. But they recover during the night and are working so far. And the plants are grateful for the regular watering. Fingers crossed that things keep going well.
The seeds are popping in several of the containers. I had to cover them better because the squirrel lifted the cover to dig in the dirt. Nothing else, just dig in the dirt. It also keeps doing that in the sunchoke and asparagus pots. One of these days...
I was going to do more today but we're in heat advisory and for some reason my body is not adapting to the heat well this year. So I'm going to work in the house.
Took the van back to the shop today. They are going to take it for a few drives and see if they can figure out the problem. The mechanic thinks it may be a caliper sticking. I hadn't thought of that but it's always a possibility. I can do that repair myself if it is too pricey at the shop. But in the balance, if the price is reasonable, I'll pay it.
Son didn't want to go out. But then it was okay. And then it was really okay because he got to see friend. And then he absolutely crashed out when we got home.
Anyways, off to do more house work. And friend brought a pile of pants needing repairs. Although I did tell him that two pairs are past the repair stage and he needs to replace them. Those are staying with me so that I can use them to make the patches for other pairs. One pair ripped at the knee again, just above the patch from last time. I just laughed. It was when he was deciding to fix them himself and used an adhesive patch. Tore straight across the top of the adhesive patch. Another pair I'm going to have to use adhesive patches to fix one of the pockets. It's on the side of the thigh and there's no good way to stitch that. I keep trying to get him to buy sturdier pants but there are sensory issues so it's not likely to happen.
Since we don't know if I'll have the van back, much less repaired, before this weekend, I decided to go ahead and pay the delivery fees for groceries. They won't deliver to me because I'm too far out. So the deliveries are all going to a friend's house. Another friend is grabbing them there and bringing them up to me, and I'm reimbursing gas money. I had to leave most things for the freezer off because I'm currently a little tight on freezer space. But if work keeps going the way it currently is, I should be able to repack and get everything put away when it gets here.
I spent last night looking at new vent hoods for the stove. And a shelf to go on the top of the stove control panel so I can store the frequent use items there instead of on the stove top. And a couple more small shelves to hang in the space above the stove. Although I'm debating hanging some of the more frequently used cast iron there as well. Flip side on that is I could empty the warmer drawer on the stove and put some of the cast iron there. I just don't know at the moment. I've adapted really well to no longer having a microwave so now I want to make better use of the space. And my cast iron collection has been growing. I think, maybe, that I've hit the max that I'll use but I've run out of wall space to hang them on. And I hate stacking them. Another thought is to move some of the more infrequently used items out - to thrift or to a different storage area - and then put them in there. Yes, I'd have to stack them but I'd do it. I'd just make some microfiber or felt cloths to go between them.
After eating the rest of the au gratin, I'm pretty sure I won't make it that way again. I think doing it as chunks is probably going to be the better way for us. And hopefully over the next week, I can get another garden bed cleared and start the radishes, turnips, and rutabagas. Maybe beets. I need to check their carb content. Oh, and yes, I can grow jicama as a seasonal but it's already too late in the season here. I will be getting seeds to grow them next year.