Kelly's 2016 Apartment Patio Garden

[Worth1]

It will get better Kelly, you need to figure out what it is and fix it if you can.
Sometimes this isn't possible or as easy as it sounds.
Thanks for the update.

Worth

[TexasTycoon]

Originally Posted by Worth1

It will get better Kelly, you need to figure out what it is and fix it if you can.
Sometimes this isn't possible or as easy as it sounds.
Thanks for the update.

Worth

Thanks Worth. Things are starting to get better and I'm starting to feel like myself again. I think with just everything going on I became overwhelmed and just kind of shut down. I've been cleaning and decluttering the apartment and it's helped a lot more than you'd think. Crazy how being in control of something so small can make such a big difference and be so therapeutic. I also got a big haircut last weekend, my cousin cut off most of the old dyed hair that I decided to grow out a year ago and that change has lifted my spirits as well, I keep getting compliments and it feels so much healthier. Small changes in the grand scheme of things, but they're making a big difference.

The garden is about how I'd expect it to be doing in the middle of summer - still no beans growing and I'm kind of worried we won't have any at all this year, there are about 5 tomatoes still ripening on the plant and about 8 small preemies in a bag in my freezer waiting to be made into a sauce, jalapeno plant gave up the ghost and the bell pepper looks to be on the outs as well. Satsuma tree is still doing well and looks good and healthy.

[salix]

Very glad to hear you are feeling more like yourself. For what it's worth, I would just remove those pepper plants (remove the guilt and negative energy, so to speak) and enjoy your Satsuma in all it's glory.

[TexasTycoon]

Thanks, salix.

Garden update: All three of the bean plants which had grown to the top of the trellis and were being trained back down it have bit the dust. Spider mites that I didn't notice till it was way too late. I lopped off all but the bottom 6 inches or so of the bell pepper plant because I noticed some really healthy looking new growth at the plant's base. It's doing really well, maybe I'll get some late season/out of season bells like I did with jalapenos last year. Picked another preemie tomato last weekend, used the rest of the ones I'd picked and frozen in a beef curry we made on Sunday, they were delicious. Satsuma tree is still doing well and there seem to be some new leaves every few days. Some of the fruit are getting pretty big, can't wait till it cools down and they start to ripen. Lavender is still kicking, basil bolted and got infested with mealybugs, marjoram has partially bolted but is still growing, sage is doing great (like I knew it would), and the random three celosia that have sprouted from Spring 2015's seeds are doing well. I'm thinking about trying carrots again this Fall, we'll see.

Since I haven't been gardening much, the apartment took focus and is so clean and organized. I never learned cleaning and organizing skills since I grew up in a pretty chaotic household, so I'm teaching myself finally and I think they might actually stick this time. A couple of big revelations this time: cleaning isn't so bad if you do it regularly instead of procrastinating; everything should be able to be put away in a place that makes sense, and if it can't be then it probably doesn't belong; don't keep things unless they make you happy or do an important job.

[TexasTycoon]

yep, I'm back to my old self, alright

[TexasTycoon]

The rest of the tomatoes that were left on the plant decided to ripen early, too, so we brought them inside yesterday (all three are yellow and about the size of a mandarin orange). There were a couple of blossoms on the plant and it's still looking healthy, so we'll see if we get any more fruit before summer's done. The good news I guess is that we didn't lose a single tomato to birds or bugs this year, we just had a lot of very small tomatoes. The first one of the season was the only one that grew to full size. Oh well, they freeze well so I can stockpile them for sauces and stews.

[TexasTycoon]

I got to finally meet a friend I've only known on the internet for the past four years in person this past weekend! She and her husband had been east for a family reunion and decided to stop in TX for a day on the way back home to visit me! Her first words to me were "you're so tall, don't eat me!" (I'm only 5'7"). We were able to show them a good deal of Central TX in the short time they were here - Whataburger on Friday night with a drive through downtown Austin, Georgetown Saturday morning, and Lockhart in the afternoon for some BBQ lunch. She and I are both into photography, so we had a little photoshoot Saturday morning, and I wanted to share a few of the images:

[dmforcier]

WHOA! Who's the tomato??




Wait. Goth tomatoes?

[TexasTycoon]

Originally Posted by dmforcier

WHOA! Who's the tomato??




Wait. Goth tomatoes?

Tomatoes are already goth! They're in the nightshade family!

[Worth1]

Round Rock Wataburger Hot Rods Friday night, they still do that?

Worth

[TexasTycoon]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Round Rock Wataburger Hot Rods Friday night, they still do that?

Worth

I don't think so, not that I've seen anyway. We went to the Whataburger on Cameron Rd in Austin anyway, since it was closer to their hotel.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by TexasTycoon

I don't think so, not that I've seen anyway. We went to the Whataburger on Cameron Rd in Austin anyway, since it was closer to their hotel.

Roundrock or Pflugerville one or the other on Friday or Saturday night a lot of street racers used to hang out.
No comment on married women, get shot.
Ones with boy friends another story.
Worth

[TexasTycoon]

In more non-garden-related news (it's my thread, I'll post what I want), my husband got a job! It's higher pay than he was making, and he starts on the 8th. It's been a long almost 9 months on my income alone, so this is super excellent news.

[dmforcier]

Congrats! More money is better than less money, and a job is better for his brain.

[Captain Neon]

Wow! 9 months? I was unemployed for 4 months in 2012 and was starting to believe that I would never find a new job that wouldn't involve asking, "Do you want fries with that?"

Truly disheartening to see jobs that I had applied to months prior with no response being posted again on the job boards. I had all of the qualifications, but these employers thought so little of my resume that they would rather hire no one than even interview me!

I remember my meetings with my case worker at Unemployment where it was obvious to both of us that I knew more about finding a job and interviewing than she did. All she could do was shrug her shoulders, and give me another pointless check-the-box homework assignment so that I could continue receiving my minimum wage check while looking for a real job.