Monday, March 11, 2013

A Tiny World Indeed

The usual critter and greenhouse chores all morning including soaking down my composts.  I think the "pit" will be ready to harvest next week since it is time to fill some tubs for growing and we should be safe from overnight frosts.

Had a very interesting visit from new friends from NYC this afternoon.  Theodore and Juliana are making their way toward LA and popped in for the tour.  Lately, when folks have asked about visiting TFL and if I need anything - I have suggested a plant for my greenhouse.  Today's visitors scored extra brownie points for bringing me a lime tree.  I had a great time with them and Ben was well behaved for an up close meet'n'greet.  One problem I have discovered with my new camera is that if there is no memory card in it and I only use the viewfinder when shooting - it will act just like it is taking pictures when in fact it only just sounds like it is.  That being said,  I thought I shot several pictures of the two of them interacting with Ben....nope.  Thankfully,  I can share at least one pic of their visit thanks to Facebook.

And now for the rest of the story:  As they were getting ready to leave, we confirmed our Facebook contacts.  Found Juliana and sent a friend request.  Found Theodore and saw that we had a mutual friend.  I sent him a friend request and a message asking him if he had actually met our mutual friend because I had dated his sister when I lived in Brooklyn.  Turns out he did actually know our mutual friend because he had dated his other sister.  Complete strangers just met that only had one degree of "intimate" separation.  50,70,28,0,C,0

12 comments:

Jay said...

The best method I have found for learning if my compost is ready is to use a thermometer.

If the temperature of the center of the compost pile (before turning) is approximately ambient temperature, then it's done cooking. If the compost is above ambient temperature, then it is still generating its own heat, and in my experience, will tend to burn most plants that it is added to, especially tender garden plants.

Any thermometer will work, if you dig a hole in the center of the pile to take the temperature. Investing in a compost thermometer specially designed for the task with a nice long probe sure makes it easy. ($15-$30 online or at most gardening supply stores.)

You can also use old school methods, like sticking your hand into the center of the unturned pile and feeling the temperature. If it feels hot, let it keep cooking. If it just feels like moist dirt, it's ready give it's earthy goodness to your favorite plants.

Under The SC Sun said...

Regarding your camera sans SD card. Perhaps yours is similar to mine?

Mine will load photos into the on board memory, when a card is inserted, the on board memory is hidden. The on board memory cannot be transferred to the card, it must be down loaded via USB cable. It will always remain on the camera unless it is deleted via menu or cable.

Under The SC Sun said...

I can't speak to the one degree of separation, though on a trip from South Carolina to Germany I ran into a Hungarian that I knew who had traveled from Hungary to Germany and was visiting the same tourist spot I was.

remmij said...

hope Under The SC Sun is right about your camera and the photos you took still exist and are waiting for their cable ride to your laptop photo manager.
Good thing you had the new hat for the meet and greet... now if Kevin Bacon had just been there... but they may meet him in Barstow...

SaraConsuela said...

If you are using the same camera you had out when Nick and I visited last Monday you can set the "release shutter without card" option to "disable" under the first menu, three down from the top. If it is set to "disable" a "no card in camera" message will display when you switch on the camera to remind you to replace the card. This has saved me a few times!

czardastx said...

What SaraConsuela said. I was going to tell you that the Canon has a setting you can turn off. She beat me to it. Thanks SaraConsuela.

Dizzy-Dick said...

And only six derees of seperation from Kevin Bacon. . .

Quixote Kid said...

Dang, you got that pit to compost in a few weeks?

I started a compost barrel in early January and so far I haven't had a lot of luck in getting it started. (horse manure, old hay, table scraps, etc)

If yours is done cooking already, I might have to try a pit method.

John Wells said...

My pit isn't exactly all composted yet. What I did was dump all my old potted dirt from last year into it then layered finished compost on top and new manure/hay on top of that. The plan is that watering the pit has been steeping the old dirt on the bottom with compost tea. It is the old dirt I will be dishing up for my plants this year.

Allen Hare said...

I'm surprised that you would forget to put a memory card in your camera. I have the same camera, and I never suspected that there is an 'on board memory'. Maybe those pictures are really in there somewhere. Good luck.

What an amazing coincidence! So nice that they brought you a tree. Can't wait to see some home grown limes for your beer.

Under The SC Sun said...

Allen Hare, I don't have the same camera as John, although I do hope my camera advice is good for John's camera too. I intended it as a possibility or a generic answer, not as the certain answer. I'd like to see John's work too.

John Wells said...

No on board memory...Sara and CZ had the right answer. It won't happen again. Good news is my visitors got lots of pictures.