I put off my trip to town until the afternoon when it warmed up. Gasoline prices continue to go down maybe not as much as in San Antonio, Texas but going below $2.00 threshold is great! Not the clearest of pictures I apologize for the quality...a gallon of unleaded gasoline was selling for $1.989 at HEB.
Last month I posted a couple of pictures of some plants that I was on the fence as to whether or not to get rid of. Though I have kept this avocado tree in the porch and covered it with a cardboard box at night it's not looking good.
Can you believe it is mid-February and the trees are starting to bloom?
Though we did not receive a lot of rain this week it was enough to make the weeds grow :-(
Some crabgrass to add to the mix...
Hope you all had a great Valentine's Day.
Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.
Aunty Acid Saying of the Day
In Hawaii during a cold front, I'm talking about a low down around 65, people are waiting for the morning bus in winter coats. It's what you are used to.
ReplyDeleteDo avocados grow in your part of the world?
If I had the money to live in Hawaii I too would be one of those people waiting for the bus in winter coats :)
DeleteAccording to an old article in the local newspaper, avocados can and do grow in this area. They had a picture of a lady on a ladder by her large avocado tree and another one of a male friend of hers on another tree helping her with the ones that she could not reach.
My mother saw this and immediately assumed she could do the same. Unfortunately, she forgot we come from a long line of brown thumbers. The avocado tree pictured is between six to eight years old.
Happy Valentine's Day! With your mention of that particular shower shelter from Walmart, it pushed me over the edge and I bought it. I have not opened it yet. I don't have a dry area to set it up. I am in black clay and, once it rains, it holds water for a month. I think we got more rain than you did. I have ice on my windshield again this morning just like the past few mornings. Do you use a "water bag" that you hang or do you use a container on the ground with a pump? Do you heat your water other than letting it sit in the sun? I have not checked into them yet but I remember seeing a water container with a foot pump that builds up pressure with a hose. I decided on that shower shelter because of the windows since N can't take the heat. I can take any heat but I can't take the cold. I think both of us agreed below 50 F is too cold after camping in the 30s F on the trip to the Grand Canyon and back.
ReplyDeleteGlad you purchased your shower shelter I promise you wont regret it. It is not only good for its intended purpose but it also comes in handy when you "car camp" in order to change clothes as that can be a little tricky inside of a vehicle.
DeleteIf it is warm I just let my clear milk jugs soak up the solar rays and take a shower in the afternoon. I also own a solar bag but I never clipped it up to the shelter because I read the plastic clip could break and 5 gallons of water is upwards of 40 pounds and with my bad back not an option. I also found that my milk jugs warmed up just as fast as the black bag.
My friends used a Zodi Hot Water Heater which works great provided you are not afraid of carrying or powering up those green propane bottles. I had to ask my friends for their assistance and that just does not fly with me as I like to be self-sufficient.
For a time I used a gallon sprayer (the type you buy to kill weeds) and found it was a good water saver. I could shower including wash my hair with a gallon or less.
Now I just use a small bucket. There are a lot of options out there. Another campmate had the ground pump with batteries which does not go well with water and she did not use it for long.
To keep this reply “shorter”, I will call this Part 1 of the Shower Shelter and Heating Power Options and then finish with Part 2 at a later date. My parents had natural gas and electricity in our house when I was growing up. For camping, we used firewood for cooking and then eventually a Coleman gas stove and Coleman gas lanterns for light at night. I have been trying to bring foods that I don’t have to cook when camping but N has been experimenting a little with cooking with firewood. I have not been bringing the Coleman stove or the Coleman lantern. I have always wanted to experiment with different or more practical power sources. I don’t like gas either. I have been all-electric since 1983 so that seems to be what I am stuck on. It is great not having to panic if the propane or butane is running low. I use very small or efficient electric appliances. I don’t have a stove or oven. I cook everything in the microwave including my enchiladas. I have a small refrigerator and a small freezer. I have a 5-gallon Marine (made for boats) hot water heater. I use an electric heater that plugs into any 110 volt socket. In Part 2 I will tell you my plans. You recently posted that some people might think that you are crazy because of what you posted...just wait until you read my plans in Part 2. They will then, surely, think that you are the normal one.
DeleteIf it will make me seem the "normal one" I can hardly wait for Part 2 :)
DeleteCovering your plant with a box a night is a good idea but during the day it still needs Sunlight to survive. The sell small green house covers that would work great for the cold sensitive plants.
ReplyDeleteBe Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
I only cover the avocado plant at night and if it is warm or sunny I let it get some sunshine outside.
DeleteIt probably needs re-potting and nutrients and for me to do some online research on growing a healthy avocado tree neither of which I have time to do.
This weather is enough to make one crazy. But they are saying no rain for the coming week and warmer temps. I got excited thinking maybe a camping trip but when I saw night time lows still in the hight 30 to mid 40's I knew that wasn't going to happen. I would do hight 40's to mid 50's.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea you were planning a camping trip. Hope you get to go as I know the weather has thrown a wrench in your plans on more than one occasion.
DeleteYesterday I watched more than one of Bob Wells YouTube videos and got the itch to go camping before the rattlesnakes start hatching in Terlingua.
I really wish I could go camping, but those days are over. When I backpacked 800 miles of the Appalachian Trail in 1997, the coldest night I experienced was about 18F. A fellow tenter buried my water bottles under about 3 feet of leaves, and he and I were the only ones at the campsite that had water the next morning. I loved those days and coped pretty well with the weather.
ReplyDeleteI have always admired your hike through the Appalachian Trail. I do not think I could have been able to make a hike of that magnitude even during my 20's or 30's much less now.
DeleteYou were lucky to have a fellow tenter bury those water bottles. I have only hiked in the desert where there are no leaves but that is a great tip for anyone who might be reading this to keep their water bottles from freezing.
It is just crazy weather everywhere. I am just glad I am not in the UK.
ReplyDeleteI have been interested in this Covid 19 virus. I can recommend youtube Dr John Campbell for extremely informative no-nonsense updates on this horrifying disease. Bottom line is to plan on being stocked up and prepared well in advance of the US outbreak.
Our weather here is cold but not too extreme. There are a few places where the ice is beginning to melt and that gives us some hope for spring. It has been a long winter.
Crazy everywhere but there are still so many doubters that Global Warming is a real phenomenon.
DeleteCovid 19 Virus...somehow I can remember Corona Virus easier perhaps because Corona is Spanish for Crown and I can also remember Corona Beer :)
Have a long list of YouTube videos I need to watch hopefully I will get a chance to do that in the next couple of days when the next cold front comes through.
This afternoon I saw that your state is in the teens. Bundle up and throw another log in the fire.