Today's Adventures
May. 13th, 2026 04:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithToday we went out plant shopping.
First stop was a gas station, then lunch from Dairy Queen.
We went to Graber's in Tuscola. They had 'Gypsy' peppers! :D 3q3q3q!!! (If you don't remember from 2 years ago, these are sweet fruity peppers with zero heat, which can be eaten green or ripe.) I bought six, plus a few other things. I got a firecracker plant for the barrel garden, and a 'Truffula' pink globe amaranth. Those are the last of the main flowers for the barrel garden, although I'll wedge in some marigolds if possible. I also got a rosemary and a single pot with several cucumber seedlings.
We also went to Backyard Gardens in Chesterville. There I picked up a purple petunia with white spots and a white superbell for the big blue pot, plus a fancy coleus for the grape pot. I also found giant marigolds and gazania, which nobody else has had, along with torenia, purple yarrow, and Indian mint. The last is a spicy-smelling mint that I haven't encountered before.
I still need to visit Home Depot for things like 8-packs of marigolds, lobelia, and so on. But today I found all the planned things and some others that I needed, so that's a big improvement. \o/
From there, we went down to Mattoon and swung by DeBuhr's, but their farmer's market wasn't up yet.
There's road work on the main road through Mattoon. Today they had signal workers trying to direct traffic with their bare hands. 0_o Okay, yes, hand signals can work but are hard to see. These folks are supposed to have either: a stop/slow sign, a pair of flags, or a pair of orange batons. And they're supposed to use formal signals, not vague handwaving. I'm annoyed by the lack of appropriate equipment and training, because that runs up the already high rate of cars hitting road workers they can't see. They did have safety vests, but that doesn't help convey a message -- they just looked like people randomly standing in the road until we got really close. Not a good situation.
We stopped at Cracker Barrel for hand lotion.
Finally we got chicken egg rolls and rangoons from Panda Express. The egg rolls are actually not as good as the spring rolls, but the rangoons remain tasty.
We also started and finished reading The Wild Diet. It's far more a reference book than a recipe book, with a lot of useful lists if you're new to this approach. We only marked three things but they do look tasty.
First stop was a gas station, then lunch from Dairy Queen.
We went to Graber's in Tuscola. They had 'Gypsy' peppers! :D 3q3q3q!!! (If you don't remember from 2 years ago, these are sweet fruity peppers with zero heat, which can be eaten green or ripe.) I bought six, plus a few other things. I got a firecracker plant for the barrel garden, and a 'Truffula' pink globe amaranth. Those are the last of the main flowers for the barrel garden, although I'll wedge in some marigolds if possible. I also got a rosemary and a single pot with several cucumber seedlings.
We also went to Backyard Gardens in Chesterville. There I picked up a purple petunia with white spots and a white superbell for the big blue pot, plus a fancy coleus for the grape pot. I also found giant marigolds and gazania, which nobody else has had, along with torenia, purple yarrow, and Indian mint. The last is a spicy-smelling mint that I haven't encountered before.
I still need to visit Home Depot for things like 8-packs of marigolds, lobelia, and so on. But today I found all the planned things and some others that I needed, so that's a big improvement. \o/
From there, we went down to Mattoon and swung by DeBuhr's, but their farmer's market wasn't up yet.
There's road work on the main road through Mattoon. Today they had signal workers trying to direct traffic with their bare hands. 0_o Okay, yes, hand signals can work but are hard to see. These folks are supposed to have either: a stop/slow sign, a pair of flags, or a pair of orange batons. And they're supposed to use formal signals, not vague handwaving. I'm annoyed by the lack of appropriate equipment and training, because that runs up the already high rate of cars hitting road workers they can't see. They did have safety vests, but that doesn't help convey a message -- they just looked like people randomly standing in the road until we got really close. Not a good situation.
We stopped at Cracker Barrel for hand lotion.
Finally we got chicken egg rolls and rangoons from Panda Express. The egg rolls are actually not as good as the spring rolls, but the rangoons remain tasty.
We also started and finished reading The Wild Diet. It's far more a reference book than a recipe book, with a lot of useful lists if you're new to this approach. We only marked three things but they do look tasty.
(no subject)
Date: 2026-05-13 10:59 pm (UTC)I think I just need to get them already! I really like them too
I am hoping to intall my plant hooks over the next couple days on the decks and then I will go into full flower mode, I'm excited! I bought a new binder to keep track of everything too LOL
with the 1yr warrantee on Lowe's plants I need some place to keep labels with dates on them
Thoughts
Date: 2026-05-13 11:06 pm (UTC)I think I just need to get them already! <<
I am wearing my T-shirt that says, "Life is short. Buy the plants."
>>I am hoping to intall my plant hooks over the next couple days on the decks and then I will go into full flower mode, I'm excited! <<
I highly recommend 'Wave' series petunias, available in myriad colors. They're not cheap but you get what you pay for -- one or two will overflow a basket spectacularly. The miniature trailing superbell or million bell flowers are smaller but behave similarly. Many types of mint will run such as chocolate, orange, or apple. If you want something bushier, I saw giant Boston ferns at bargain price in Costco the other day, a classic deck or porch plant.
>> I bought a new binder to keep track of everything too LOL <<
Go you! That's way more organized than I am.
(no subject)
Date: 2026-05-14 12:40 am (UTC)I already did on the way home from Universal LOL
I will end up with lots I'm sure
the book is pretty cool, I'll start working on it tomorrow
https://a.co/d/0cQiEAEj
I grabbed extra closable clean envelope sleeves for in it too, I already have a bunch of 3 ring binder paper
I LOVE lists LOL I have so many files and binders for things that are important - medical, home improvements, gardening, plants, critters, cooking...
Thoughts
Date: 2026-05-14 12:50 am (UTC)Go you!
>>the book is pretty cool, I'll start working on it tomorrow<<
That is beautiful.
>>I LOVE lists LOL I have so many files and binders for things that are important - medical, home improvements, gardening, plants, critters, cooking...<<
I'm impressed.
(no subject)
Date: 2026-05-14 02:08 am (UTC)Yes ...
Date: 2026-05-14 02:26 am (UTC)