Tomatoes as the season ends.

Learned a lot about tomatoes and their needs. I found the short term hybrids can take full sun and heat, and turn out a bountiful crop. If you let them wilt, it seems to stop or impair their ability to grow large. Most of the crop from the short season hybrid were smaller than medium sized tomatoes, but larger than and sweet like cherry tomatoes. While prone to leaf blight, it seemed hardy enough. It wasn't a tall plant and a standard size tomato tower would work fine.

The Beef Steak long growing season tomatoes are still struggling to ripen. When they say long season, they mean it. The biggest problem for the Heritage Beef Steak was dropping buds that didn't pollinate. I tried to shake, vibrate, toothpick, artist brush, and just do nothing at all as attempts to stop it. Turned out to be due to heat. Once we had steady temps in the low 70*s, tomatoes popped. So many hit at once it was amazing. These late season tomatoes will be brought in at the first sign of real frost to finish ripening on the window sills. Next year the Heritage plants will be located under the big Maple. Shade should help remedy the blossom drop problems. It did produce one HUGE tomato while the other blossoms were dropping. This tomato pollinated inside the tomato tower and was shaded. It made excellent BLTs. As the season progress, the early season plant gave way to the Beef Steak. Using one huge planter seemed to work well as both plants grew to the needs of the other. Next year the heritage will be in a tall tower and pruned back as needed. It really became a monster.

The sweet hybred tomatoes made excellent spaghetti sauce. I admit to cheating and using a few Romas from the store to make enough sauce (I like large batches I can freeze). The carrots that started the season disappeared as did the onion I transplanted. The tomato plants didn't like them and ate them. The Red Bell peppers are finally turning colors. I have two yellow, and one orange. Another lesson learned. Start everything with lights early indoors and transplant to outdoors after first frost. The Basil was GREAT! I have the variegated indoors with the oregano and chives. The sweet basil bushed really nice, and the African basil made the best spaghetti sauce of them all. Bob brought over a food dryer and I'm making Basil herb packs. All in all, a fun and rewarding experience.

Four for Fridays

Hello everyone! What a pleasant week with blue skies and warm temperatures. Another week of Four for Fridays with more questions for you.

1) What do you prefer, salty or sweet snacks?

2) What is the most annoying habit do you see other drivers do?

3) Do you still carve pumpkins for Halloween?

4) Where is your favorite place to go to see the autumn colors?

Enjoy your weekend!

Open Blog - Friday

Have a good time kicking around this weekend.

"Herp Derp Reporter Can't Hear"

What did she say? The toys?

Apple's tech titan Steve Jobs dies

Mr. Jobs is the guy you have to thank for your ipods and iphone and pads and all those fancy toys of today.

He was a lot younger then I thought 54...gezzzz. Steve was one of the orignal founders of Apple.
Apples Steve Jobs

"To the all great & knowing leaders of Racine…3 words for you"

From Racine Uncovered:

"Dear all great and all knowing leaders of Racine..

"You talk about the perception of crime in this city. After today there isn’t any perception, or isolated cases. Please tell the young man brutally attacked after school, repeatedly stomped and kicked, stabbed in the face and head, he lost his ear and was bleeding horrible, that is was just his perception. Please explain that to the 16 year old who was knock unconcious at 6th & Jones today where it seemed half the PD and RFD and Rescue were on scene, that it was just the residents perception. The US MARSHALLS ARE IN TOWN TONIGHT BUSTING BAD GUYS…. Tell the US Marshalls it’s just their perception.

"You can keep telling yourselves that is just a perception and you may believe it. But the residents of Racine are saying NO ITS REALITY.. When you tell the public it’s perception, that in my opinion is the ultimate disrepect to residents who call Racine home, doesn’t matter if they are rich or poor, young or old, and it doesn’t matter what race. EVERYONE COUNTS…

"When you say crime is a perception, you are giving in my opinion the ultimate disrespect to every law enforcement officer in Racine County who puts their lives on the line everyday protecting all of us… I have 3 words for you.

PERCEPTION….MY ASS"

http://racineuncovered.org/2011/10/to-the-all-great-knowing-leaders-of-racine-3-words-for-you/

Hear, hear!

The Waking

I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I have to go.

We think by feeling. What is there to know?
I hear my being dance from ear to ear.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.

Of those so close beside me, which are you?
God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there,
And learn by going where I have to go.

Light takes the Tree; but who can tell us how?
The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair;
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.

Great Nature has another thing to do
To you and me, so take the lively air,
And, lovely, learn by going where to go.

This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.
What falls away is always. And is near.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I learn by going where I have to go.

--Theodore Roethke

"Theodore Roethke ( /ˈrɛtki/ ret-kee; May 25, 1908 – August 1, 1963) was an American poet, who published several volumes of poetry characterized by its rhythm, rhyming, and natural imagery. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1954 for his book, The Waking."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roethke

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my cherished chestnuts! How are you? What a delicious spate of weather we are having. Balmy days with sunshine and cool nights to snuggle under the blankets. It is just wonderful. Maybe some of my late tomatoes will even ripen. If not, I’ll try to ripen them in paper bags. If not that, I’ll call upon the forces of the æther to command them to ripen.

Our grand and gallant Green Bay Packers thrashed the Denver Broncos last Sunday. We can expect another courageous and heroic win this coming Sunday, Oct. 9, at 7:20 PM, when the Packers will pound the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. It is kismet. It is fate. It is meant to be. Go Pack, go!

A couple of other Wisconsin sports teams are also doing noteworthy things this fall. Our glorious Milwaukee Brewers are playing in the postseason National League Division Series. And the Wisconsin Badgers are playing exceptionally well with five lopsided wins and no losses. Oh my. A triumphant triangle of teams. Go Wisconsin!

Unfortunately, the city of Racine was again in the limelight recently. And, unfortunately, again, it was for less than savory reasons: an alleged attack of a female employee by an alderman. Ahem, I say, ahem, why do these embarrassments keep plaguing our city? What kind of people are in charge of local government and commerce? What planet do they come from and why do they act like spoiled brats? Enough, that’s enough, please. Enough! Grow up or resign. Thus spake Madame Zoltar®!

Now for your enjoyment, my dear friends, is a simple, nice, warm video of a puppeteer and some children. I mean it as a balm for cares such as the above incident. All is not woe and sadness. There is still much beauty in our world:



That takes a lot of skill. Hours and hours of practice. The upside, however, is that you never have to clean up after the dog. Oh my.

Thank you, thank you for reading my blog my Irregulars and regulars and re-regulars and disregulars and unregulars and nonregulars and deregulated regulars. And anyone else I missed. I love you all. My readers are my favorite people, next to my Irregulars, who also happen to be my most regular readers. What?

Do you know the way? I do: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.

Enjoy the sunshine while it lasts, my dears. I’ve seen some trees turning brilliant colors and even a few that are already losing their leaves. Maybe I’ll rake up a pile and jump in them like I did as a child. Or, more likely, Junior and the neighbor kids will do it. Have a great week. Leggiadrous!

"Little brother video bombs sister"

That so reminds me of my sister and I when we were kids. Of course, we didn't have video cameras back then, but if we did, that is exactly what I would have done.

Open Blog - Wednesday

May your day be sparkling.

"Are You A Sociopath?"

http://www.allthetests.com/quiz18/quizpu.php?testid=1140475124

I laughed when I first saw this. I was interested because decades ago in my first stint of rehab at the old A-Center, I took a battery of psychological tests. The results were that I was a sociopath. I was a little unnerved by that. As it was explained to me then, a psychopath does not know the difference between right and wrong, and just does whatever he wants. A sociopath, however, does know the difference between right and wrong, but chooses to do what is wrong anyway.

Pretty grim. That was almost 30 years ago and I've somehow managed to not yet run amok in society. It could happen at any second, though. :-P

This quiz is simple and short. Apparently, I've mellowed with age. Here are my results:

"You exhibit some sociopath behaviors.

"You have 12 points for 24 Questions.You are for 50 % pure!"
 

"Russian Motorcycle Rock Band"

That is a great idea. I love it.

The 2011 IgNobel Prizes

As we start to get the announcements of the 2011 Nobel Prize winners, they were once again beaten to the punch by the 2011 IgNobel Prizes. The IgNobels are given for the stranger side of science, the studies that make you laugh and then make you think. Here are a few of this year's "winners".

• You have heard yawning is contagious, right? That may only apply to humans. The Physiology prize went to a team that found no evidence that yawning is contagious in the red footed tortoise.
• The Biology prize was given for discovering that male buprestids (a type of beetle) mistake certain beer bottles for female beetles for mating purposes.
• For track and field fans, the physics prize was given for discovering why discus throwers get dizzy but not hammer throwers even though both events involve the participant spinning.
• The Mathematics prize was a joint prize given to many people who made failed doomsday predictions.
• The Peace Prize was given to the Mayor of Vilnius who showed that the problem of illegally parked cars can be solved by running them over with a tank (the video of this went viral).

Be sure to check out the complete list of winners. You can even download a copy of the program given out at the ceremony. They usually post video of the ceremony a week in a week or so. Science Friday airs highlights of the show the Friday after Thanksgiving. The ceremony includes a mini-opera (This year "Chemist in a Coffee Shop"), Win a Date with a Nobel Laureate, the 24/7 lectures an a little girl who makes sure no one gets long winded with their acceptance speeches (a surprisingly large percentage of the honorees show up!)

Oh, and it's not too early to start nominating people for next year's awards!

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

Open Blog - Monday

Happy Monday, everybody!

"Hitler Stuck In Traffic"

I think it's funny, or is this meme obsolete? I can't keep up with internet trends.

"Racine alderman arrested for allegedly choking pregnant woman"

From Racine Uncovered: "From 620WTMJ.com-RACINE – City of Racine Alderman Keith Fair was arrested on suspicion of choking and striking a pregnant woman who works at the bar he owns, the Racine County Sheriff’s Department confirmed.

"Fair is being held in the Racine County Jail on possible charges of strangulation/suffocation, false imprisonment, battery, and disorderly conduct.

“'Mr. Fair is accused of choking and striking a female employee of the bar he owns, Place on 6th, on Friday, September 30th,' Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling said in a news release. 'The female victim is reported to be 8 weeks pregnant. Racine County Sheriff’s investigators took Mr. Fair into custody at his bar [Saturday] evening.'

“'This was a brutal attack, and Alderman Fair’s alleged actions inthis incident are not only concerning but alarming.'”

http://racineuncovered.org/2011/10/racine-alderman-arrested-for-allegedly-choking-pregnant-woman/

Fair is my alderman. Unfortunately, I'd say that his actions are a "fair" representation of the area that he represents.

More Scamming

This is all over Facebook.... people are such guppies. 

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Maybe we should get Stu a laptop for his birthday?