Texas Heat!

[pacerron]

For next years planning this article has a simple way of making arches using
coiled plastic water pipe and T-posts to support the material.
Scarecrow's Garden: Poly Shade Structure

We run our rows from North to South anyway and use T stakes at each end with wood or plastic stakes every 4th plant or so in between to support rows of old baling string at different heights from end to end to support the tomato plants. It would be easy to adapt the method in the article and still have clear space between the rows to run the tiller before the plants get too big. The shading time could be controlled by the height and width of the material. I was thinking of just running a strip of 3 foot landscaping fabric
vertically between 2 rows on stakes. That would shade one row in the morning and the other in the afternoon.
Ron

 

[Western]

I don't have to mow-- neighbors cows are jumpin fence to get to what little I have and to my water trough....he's suppose to come by today to see what we can do about it. He's across the road - they get out and wander in my place (no fence on my side yet) It's on my list but since I don't have animals has not been a priority.

I have had the same problem with a new neighbors cows. They went straight for the water...I guess in a way, you and I DO hqave cows. At least for a time.

Not even Tropical Storm Don could stand the heat. As soon as it hit the coast, it evaporated. The local meteorologist said he hadn't seen a storm do that in his entire career (20+ years).

I watched that on the radar images last night, simply amazing, just POOOF!!

Must have not had it's G card at the border. I don't think they even got an inch of rain in Brownsville??

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Luckily it never really got formed with an eyewall.

But it was amazing how the drought literaly sucked it down to nothing.

 

[Western]

I know my A/C is working overtime. Since I had the trees removed on the West side of the house, it's heat all day. I sure miss them trees ,but they had to go since my lateral lines where there. The inside of the house is hard to keep under 76 by 5pm everyday now. I see a couple of roof vents in the future to add to the 2 I have.

Also appears we broke a record today for consecutive day's at or over 100*, I think now we are cruising for the all time. Half way there boy's!!

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

Thankfully our house is easy to cool. Anybody puts on a new roof and decking in the south needs TechShield. We even decked the roof for the motorhome with it, it keeps that heat from coming through. Our attic is now no warmer then outside. We put it on one rent house too where we had to redeck.

When we put it on our house it was about $5 a sheet more, now I believe the price is only a dollar or two different so not a lot of added expense. Of course the windows don't hurt and we put insulation out to the edges of all the rooms when we had the decking off.

Hubby is gone now had his first week in Borneo at the jobsite. I turned the AC to 77 as 76 is to durn cold in here. The new multi stage furnace works just as good at keeping it cool as it does at keeping it warm. DD runs around with her flannel winter PJ's on half the time. Now if I'm working hard in the house or canning or something then its on 76 and sometimes 75 like when I'm cooking down catsup or barbeque sauce or something like that.

We have lived down here for 20 years and I have never seen a summer like this. It's been consistently hot like this since April, just brutal. I have my front yard somewhat green but its getting big brown places in it now where I just can't give it enough water. The lawns at the rent houses are looking awful, but many are on odd and even days and they are also raising rates so we may have to go to some other kind of lawn besides grass if this continues.

I was going to plant my whole garden in flowers and spent quite a bit for seeds, I planted about half and don't see anything coming up yet. I think I'm not keeping it consistently wet enough, need to put the timer on the hose out there.

 

[NativeSon]

We're going to meet up with our oldest son, DIL, and grandkids at Matt's Rancho Martinez in Lakewood (Dallas). Looking forward to seeing them all, and some great Tex-Mex. I am not, however, looking forward to the trip to Dallas especially in this heat. Hopefully we can beat the traffic in and out on a Sunday.

I can already taste the "Bob Armstrong" appetizer and the Chicken Enchiladas Verde. That alone maybe worth the trip. It's hard to find Great Tex-Mex out here in East Texas.

Charlie

 

[Bird]

We leave our thermostat on 76 and sometimes in the late afternoon/early evening, the A/C runs continuously. I sit around under the ceiling fan and my wife puts on a long, heavy bathrobe.:laughing: I think she'd be just as happy if I set the thermostat on 85.

Denton's string of 100 or better days was broken yesterday; only got to 98 and stayed there for 4 hours. And now the forecast is for the weather to warm up.:confused2:

 

[mikim]

I have had the same problem with a new neighbors cows. They went straight for the water...I guess in a way, you and I DO hqave cows. At least for a time.

Those cows spend their days in the woods where it's cooler but come out to water in a.m. and around dinner time, so the neighbors came to dinner last eve and sure enough they came out to drink so we didn't have to hunt 'em (2 out of 3). just a matter of herding them back into his now repaired fence. Third one we saw still in woods with a new calf but she ducked out on us. She'll show up eventually.

 

[jinman]

You might stretch some shade cloth. Anywhere you buy greenhouse supplies.

I read a study that said covering tomatoes had little effect on production, but keeping them alive might be different. I have some PVC pipe to construct a couple of hoop houses over the plants and that might help. I don't think I'd spend anymore money on filter cloth at this point, but I have some plastic that is not completely clear and it just might work to filter some of the sun's rays. Truthfully, I'm so tired of fooling with trying to make my garden survive in this heat that I'm beginning to just give in to the heat and let it go. The forecast is for even hotter temperatures the next couple of weeks and I'm tired of going to the garden and coming in soaked to the bone with sweat two or three times per day. Maybe I'll just stay inside and surf TBN and watch reruns of Oprah.:laughing:

 

[pacerron]

This is just another bad year for gardening. But if we don't continue everything will be imported that is offered at the local grocery chain. Most is now. The little cherry/plum salad tomatoes that were selling for $4-5 a plastic pint volume container last winter are now down to 2 for $3 and not selling much thanks to home gardeners like us.
Wife had a problem yesterday canning tomatoes with a pressure cooker we bought 40 years ago. The seal wouldn't... so she had to finish them in a hot water bath method. Called Sears parts. Seals no longer available. We used to buy a lot of Sears everything from the 1960's to the 90's because they always had parts diagrams and repair parts so you could fix stuff yourself.
They got into the "throwaway society" sales philosphy then, somewhat because of competition, quit housebranding most things, and went down the tubes.
Remember years ago, the bumper stickers " Buy American; the Job you save may be your own" Too bad nobody paid attention.

 

[jinman]

Remember years ago, the bumper stickers " Buy American; the Job you save may be your own" Too bad nobody paid attention.

Last week while touring the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Fort Worth, TX, the tour guide was showing off their new machines that will be used to print all denominations of bills including the new $100 bill soon to be released. Just to play the devil's advocate, I asked the tour guide how many of those new machines were manufactured in the USA and supporting US workers. Guess what? They are all manufactured in Austria and Germany. Our own money is made on machines manufactured outside the USA. I was just happy he didn't say they were made in China.

 

[Bird]

Last week while touring the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Fort Worth, TX, the tour guide was showing off their new machines that will be used to print all denominations of bills including the new $100 bill soon to be released. Just to play the devil's advocate, I asked the tour guide how many of those new machines were manufactured in the USA and supporting US workers. Guess what? They are all manufactured in Austria and Germany. Our own money is made on machines manufactured outside the USA. I was just happy he didn't say they were made in China.

That's a little surprising. I would not have thought they'd want anyone outside the USA to even know all the details about the machines.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

This is just another bad year for gardening. But if we don't continue everything will be imported that is offered at the local grocery chain. Most is now. The little cherry/plum salad tomatoes that were selling for $4-5 a plastic pint volume container last winter are now down to 2 for $3 and not selling much thanks to home gardeners like us.
Wife had a problem yesterday canning tomatoes with a pressure cooker we bought 40 years ago. The seal wouldn't... so she had to finish them in a hot water bath method. Called Sears parts. Seals no longer available. We used to buy a lot of Sears everything from the 1960's to the 90's because they always had parts diagrams and repair parts so you could fix stuff yourself.
They got into the "throwaway society" sales philosphy then, somewhat because of competition, quit housebranding most things, and went down the tubes.
Remember years ago, the bumper stickers " Buy American; the Job you save may be your own" Too bad nobody paid attention.

Might try Ace hardware for old Mirro or Presto seals.

 

[jinman]

That's a little surprising. I would not have thought they'd want anyone outside the USA to even know all the details about the machines.

Actually, the technology of printing money is several processes from offset printing of the background colors to the Intaglio process that involves the extreme high pressure that embosses each bill with the image as it transfers ink. The paper, the process, and the plates are where security is maintained. Almost all high end printers are made in Germany or Austria. I knew this when I asked the question. Our money is truly Made in the USA, but the "tools" are made somewhere else. If you ever get a chance to take that tour, I know you'd enjoy it Bird. That shop is as close to consistent zero defects as anything I've ever seen. If it isn't perfect, it doesn't leave the BEP. This is their website.

 

[Bird]

Jim, my wife's sister plans to come visit in a couple of month, so maybe we'll just try to take that tour while she's here.

 

[pacerron]

Thanks for the lead on the seals Kyle. We found it on the net at
620.46010 first item top left but the business has no address or credentials that I can find. The canner is one of those old 21 quart heavy duty aluminum kenmore label, probably made by maid of honor or presto.
I just took a good look and could see on the lid where the steam was leaking out as it was white. We may be able to clean the groove, oil the seal, and get it to work. She should have run a test first. ( Hindsight) At least the seal is not cut and is still soft so we can take it around to see if we can find a match up. 12.5" inside diameter. The rubber is 3/8" wide so outside diameter
is 13.25. Looks like 13.5 would fit tighter. Rubber is 1/8" thick. Wouldn't it be stupid to have to discard the canner because nobody makes a ring that size.
I'll make something if I have too. Maybe an O-ring to go in the groove first.

Much more important problem to me is my 15 year old Woods RM990-3developed a sudden " Ugh-Oh" noise today while mowing pasture. Not the belt, pulleys, or drive shaft bolt.
If you think it is hot in Texas, you ain't seen nothin yet, compared to around here if they tell me parts for the old gearbox are no longer available!
Ron

 

[Western]

Jim, my wife's sister plans to come visit in a couple of month, so maybe we'll just try to take that tour while she's here.

Bird, ask for free samples!!!!!

 

[Bird]

Dennis, I'll bet a day never goes by that the tour guide isn't asked for free samples.:laughing: But I do wonder what their stock answer is.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Bird, tell 'em you want to be in their quality control department. You'll have to take some to the store to "make sure it spends well."

 

[Western]

Sad thing is, half of it would "bounce"

Pretty fascinating story's about the paper and how it's made. I understand there is a family run paper mill that has been producing the special paper for generations.