We picked the last of this winter’s turnip greens Sunday afternoon. Well, I picked ‘em and wife, Danny, washed ‘em, and then I cooked ‘em. We’ll let them set a day or two in the fridge and then wrap up the season with those fresh greens along side some pork chops and sweet potatoes. Greens are always better after a day or two in the fridge.
Next up tomato, jalapeno, and poblano plants, and some black eyed pea seeds into the soil and then we will sit back and wait. And wonder.
Garden columnist Felder Rushing says on page 7 of this paper that he doesn’t expect another frost and advises us to get on with the growing season. I’m going to do my best. I’ve been lazy this year, though, and the rain cycle seems to have made its way to the weekends rather than the during the week.
When it comes to planting my garden, which really isn’t a real country garden in the grand scheme of country gardens, but works fine for our needs, the first week of April, I would have to say, is very late for planting. But, Good Friday is still weeks away, so I’m sticking with the folklore that says you don’t plant ‘till Good Friday rolls around.
The grass and weeds are already past time for mowing, but as the case can be when one doesn’t need it to be the case, the lawnmower had to have a new ignition switch and starter. I put those on last week and when I went to clean out the air filter a wad of dust and debris fell into, rather than outside of the intake. That new ignition and starter started it right up, it sucked that dust right in, and I’m back to the lawn mowing drawing board again. Then it rained and postponed everything anyway.
The rain did help with the green pollen, which doesn’t seem to have been as thick this year as in years past. Perhaps that is because so many of the old pines died following the drought and Pine Beetle infestation. There are certainly a lot of dead trees just about anywhere and everywhere you look.
I’m not sure what is going to come of that, but if we continue to have all these severe thunderstorms we seem to be having I guess they will all blow down eventually in the wind. The problem is going to be which way that wind is blowing when it blows them down.
Most options are not going to be good. They are either going to smash a house, smash a car or truck on the road, or take out a power grid somewhere. Worst case scenario, I suppose, is they do all three at one time.
Tree cutting can be very expensive so lots of time folks just wait and see and hope for the best. I’m hoping for the best for everyone.
On a brighter note, the rain showers did not deter us from cleaning off the inches of Pine Grove Road dust that had collected on our Pine Grove Road front porch and our kitchen porch. It was one heck of a mess but well worth it when sitting out there watching the folks fly by and stir up some more dust and, Lord have mercy, the wind seems to always be blowing our way. Maybe I’ll do a better job of keeping it blown off in the coming days, and weeks, and months, so I don’t have to cut it off with a pressure washer again.
Sometimes, it seems, you can just have too many rockers, and swings, and cushions, and pillows on a front porch for your own good, but heck, why even have a big ole front porch if you can’t fill it with rockers, and swings, and cushions, and pillows, and every now and then a lazy old dog or two, too. And, of course, Pine Grove Road red dust.
Obviously that dust has always been there, but as a child I certainly don’t remember snorting a snort full of it every time I went out on that same porch.
One final, and good point, Danny says that Pine Grove Road dust washed right off those last-of-the-season turnip greens on the very first washing. No grit for dinner this week. See, there is always a bright spot. Yep, if you look for it, there sure is.
