Veronica

Stock market manipulation

Each state in the US is different. My state is paper ballot. No machines.

Perfectly stated.

Perfectly stated. I got a bit misty-eyed.

Barrel cactus is starting to form a cluster. It has 6 little babies.

Barrel cactus is starting to form a cluster. It has 5 little babies.

When I first moved here, I found these two barrel cacti. One was in a wash, barely hanging on by a root. The other I accidentally dug up when I was clearing out some yucca to build. They are different species. Since they haven't bloomed in two years, I have forgotten which is which.

I am at a high altitude in W Central NM. I usually have snowpack. We have gotten more precipitation this winter, but a lot of rain with some heavy, wet snow. Our tallest peak hasn't been snow-capped for more than a day in two years.

I am really not OK with this. The flora and fauna are already doing late spring things. If we get a deep freeze after the horned lizards come out and they die, there will be tears....many tears.

Graph of extended forecasted temperatures with lows 40F to 50F and highs in the upper 70s next week.

This is not OK. Typically, my highs are around 50F and overnight lows well below freezing. I was just outside in a t-shirt and shorts with bare feet looking at all the wildflowers. There are grasses coming up. Everything should be brown right now, but it's green.

And so it begins...

I received an email from a client this morning. They aren't firing me, but they need me to limit the number of hours I work due to rising gas prices.

I'm glad I recently picked up two other clients who do not have a fleet of vehicles.

Crude over $116/barrel

There may be day drinking on Wall Street tomorrow.

The Nikkei is down 7%

Futures are down over 2% for Dow, Nasdaq, and S&P.

Ouch.

Beautiful!

I make about that too. I have been doing it long enough that I know where to be and when. I make $50/hr on a typical Sunday morning.

Same in NM. No one enforces it.

A greenhouse! Woohoo!

Itty, bitty baby chamomile volunteers.

Goji berry bush Well, it was a bush. Now, there are few stalks emerging from the ground.

Spearmint First leaves emerging

Two volunteer cilantro that have been growing since early fall.

A few dozen garlic plants Only a few came up and matured last year. These are the ones that did not. I want this bed to be a big patch of garlic. I can plant companions in the between spaces. I love garlic!

One of last year's chamomile that remained green all winter through several deep freezes.

My garden is starting to get perky! I have dozens of volunteer chamomile and cilantro. I only planted 4 chamomile last year. Two never went completely dormant. Something ate my entire goji berry bush down to the ground late fall. It's coming back!

See alt text for ID.

🌱 More below

Picture of patch of dirt with a level on a 1"x4" board with a small 2" x 4" on one end to level. In the background is a black and tan dog napping in the shade.

It's getting there! There was an 8 inch difference from the highest point to this corner. Only 2 inches to go!

Harley said that he is done for the day.

I do meal delivery when I need extra funds. I will get one like that, knowing there are 4 or 5 Starbucks along the route. I don't mind the long trips out of the city that pay well. Last time I worked, I had back to back catering trips for over $100 each. I only worked two hours that day.

Well, poo! It's been so dry that the sediment in my swale that I am using won't tamp down properly. (sand/clay mix similar to what is used for adobe bricks) I have to make a run to the community well. I am not using my rainwater stash to water dirt!

Same! I have a couple of acres in a fairly pristine ecosystem. There is so much food here. Most of the plants are new to me. I am having so much fun getting to know this spot. The Navajo and Pueblo have many educational programs on foraging (online and guided hikes).

Excellent! Before a major injury, I used to backpack long distances often. I learned so much from classes, but also from mistakes. My great grandmother and I went foraging in her woods when I would visit. I am so grateful that she chose to pass on her knowledge to me.

I use grow bags. So, moving them is easy. I have gophers who laugh at my attempts to keep them from eating my potatoes. 🤣 The bags are working...so far.

Instead of seed potatoes, I buy organic potatoes at the grocery store. They work so much better. Mine do flower, but I cut them off so the potatoes get the energy. I have a really short growing season. I may bring some into my greenhouse this year to allow them to flower and go to seed. ...

Picture showing cleared, and almost level rectangle shaped plot. Around the area are yucca, baby pinion, and juniper. The greenhouse will get afternoon shade in the hot months but will be in the sun during cold months. This spit gets direct sun first thing in the morning. The greenhouse will also be another source of rainwater collection. Eventually, I will connect it to my drip irrigation system to fill those containers automatically.

My plan for today is to FINALLY finish leveling the pad for my greenhouse. The weather, tax deadlines, and an angry back have contributed to this taking FOREVER! I will post a pic once I am done for the day.

See alt text for more info.

I haven't tried letting my potatoes go to seed. Thanks!

Yay!!!

No, we won't survive. In the short term, I just want to have food and grow enough to share. I can forage. Too many have no clue and will poison themselves.

Hi Hugo 😊

Each year brings a new set of circumstances to consider. Small growers, especially those of us practicing permaculture, know this. As far as plants having sex, the dwindling pollinator population requires manual human assistance.