Modge Podge of Events (or lack of events) and This and That

I apologize in advance for the length of this post.  I honestly, didn't think I'd be back so quickly with a post at all.

The home project list continues.  The master bath is not checked off the list just quite yet.  We have made progress, but the shower tile floor is dragging on.

My husband hired a brother of a friend to replace the tile floor to the shower.  First, good luck getting the guy to come on the day he says.  He canceled three times.  I was about to google YouTube and install the floor myself. 

He showed up (after canceling again, after coming out for a quote), and literally asked me if I had a trowel for the grout.  Literally!

Sigh.  He came and gave us a quote, and said he had the "tools" for the job, and he had experience.  My husband even told him that we know nothing about installing tile.  He also mentioned he didn't bring his tool to cut the tile.  Huh?  He knew full well what the job was - install a tile shower floor.

I am not one for someone to waste my time, so it's been aggravating on my end.  We have also discussed the events of this guy several times already, and won't be hiring him again.  Brother of a friend or not. 

Less than two hours after removing all the old tile, he asked of my husband left him any money.  Really?  He hadn't even finished the job, and barely started the job.  He said he was out of gas, and needed "gas" money.  Not our problem, as we hired him to do a job, and the job pays when it's done, not before.  

The guy is a "talker" too, so I busied myself in the kitchen, so he'd get the job done.  It literally should have been done the same day, but was not.  

I went out to the garden to pick green beans, and he literally followed me out there.  He followed me to the garden hose, where he had already turned it on and never turned it back off.  He wanted to ask me about which way we wanted the tile.  Seriously???  We hired him, because he had experience with tile.  While I was rinsing the mud off  my muck boots, he was getting his cell phone out to show me is rose bushes.  Do you see my aggravation in all of this?

So there I was, trying to message my husband while he was at work, and asking questions, so the job would be finished.  Tick, tick, tick, there went the clock.

Hiring a decent person who is going to get the assigned job done is almost impossible these days.  Anyway, he is to come back to finish the job another day (he told me one day, and told my husband a different day), but with his history of not showing up, we may be hiring someone else.  The tile has been broken in the flooring for years, and was put off for other expenses.  We just want this job done, and finished the right way.  

We shall see if the tile floor gets finished, and finished correctly, or if I will be googling Youtube/hiring someone else.  If he's really that "broke" he'd get the job done to get paid. Stay tuned. 

My husband had a family member bring heavy equipment one day, to move the new coop and finally move the ladies into it.  It never happened.  Poor planning.  The weather was very hot and humid too that day, but poor planning.  There are things that need done prior to moving it (moving it was not in the early plans either), and were not completed, so another full day of no progress.

My husband has had some crazy, long work hours this summer too, so that hasn't helped with any progress overall.

(one small potato that got washed up from a bad storm)

August 6th was the first time we got to enjoy eating our home grown green beans.  We should have been freezing boat loads by now, but with the rabbits eating them down twice, and replanting, it was a late start for us, and a lot less. We had a tornado warning one day, and the high winds leveled the plants.  We are happy to get what we do get at this point.

As of today, we have not even gotten a dozen zucchini.  Between the weather and the squash bugs, it's been a battle.  We've only enjoyed two cucumbers.  The pickling cucumber plants are not looking good.  Humidity = mildew.  There are tomatoes on some of the plants, but some plants are small, and so far the tomatoes are very small (about 1 1/2 inches small).

Have I canned anything?  Nope. It's kind of strange not to be canning anything right now.

I have frozen some hot peppers, and dehydrated a handful of hot peppers.

I did get some of the elephant garlic dehydrated and ground into garlic powder (bought at a Farmer's Market).  My husband asked me to save some to trial plant in the ground this fall.

I finally bought a chargeable scrub brush with adjustable handle.  It has changed my cleaning tasks in a big way.  I can't believe I waited so long.  Cleaning the shower and tub, and all the sinks, not to mention the tile bathroom floor is so much easier (not to mention faster).

I'm thinking of making my job of wiping down kichen cupboards, table and chairs, from once a week to two times a month.  

Thank you to whoever mentioned to take the frozen pumpkin puree out of the freezer bag before thawing, to get all of that goodness from the bag.  I can't even believe my brain never thought to do it that way.  A "duh" moment, so thank you do whoever mentioned that last summer.

Have we gone camping?  Nope.  Not once this year.  Yet.  We still hope to, but time will tell.  It's just been so humid and hot, and we missed the spring window with my broken foot.

Have I picked up a crochet hook?  Well, not until the last few days.  I took a long break.

Have I finished another book?  Nope. I haven't finished the one I started back in May.  Honestly, I think I picked it up for free at the library leftover book sale, and it's not that interesting.

New recipes tried?  Maybe one or two, but I have one on the try-it list.

Modge Podge of Events (or lack of events) and This and That © August 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Pushing Positivity Despite a Frustrating Garden Year

 

The weather is much to be desired this garden year.  We should have been picking weeks ago, canning and enjoying by now.  We literally just picked (yesterday) our first heirloom Shintokiwa cucumber (English variety).  One plant already died, the other two types of cucumbers are are not looking good.

I picked two pickling cucumbers, and have put them in my vegetable storage containers, that keep them fresh longer.  In hopes to get more, and possible just get some relish canned this year.

The humidity has been at it's worst, and with the lack of rain, the garden suffers.  The weather these next two days will be in the upper 90's, and the humidity at it's worst yet.  This morning the humidity is 92% already.  

We have only gotten green beans from two plants so far, as we had to replant twice (after we finally fenced them).

The tomatoes are at their worst ever.  They are very small, lack any production good enough to do any canning, and the beef style has yet to even ripen (due to the ground hogs and rabbits prior to fencing).  The plants are not as tall as they should be by now, and lack anything to harvest.

The hot peppers are so-so.  The cayenne plants never grew tall, and have zero peppers on them.  I am starting to get other ones of other varieties, but not sure I'll be canning anything just yet.

It's yet to be determined on the winter squash plants, and pototoes.  The acorn squash is just now starting to produce, but the plant itself looks iffy.  Again, the humidity, and the battle with squash bugs are a problem this year.  I don't see any of the delicata squash producing at all yet.

The radishes were a wash this year as well.  I planted too late.

The collards and kale never recovered from what ever was eating them, but the swiss chard is trying to hold on.

On the left zucchini and squash with onions and homemade cowboy butter, on the right camper potatoes.  We are getting a few zucchini and yellow squash, but not nearly as many as we did last year.

We are not getting many of the blackberries either.  I have to build a new bird cover, and keep an eye on them.  I have a feeling I have another ground hog or rabbit eating the low ones.  Again.

Our new blueberry bushes, planted in pots are doing well, but it will be a few years before we get many, so I purchased 10# and put them in the freezer.

We also froze 5 1/2 dozen ears of local sweet corn.  I may plant some in a few years, but this year we had raccoons.  It seems to be a rodent problem year here.  By the wayt, the tool on the left is specifically for corn hair removal, and the inexpensive bottle brush on the right works just as well.  The hack using the jar lifter to fill the freezer bags worked well for me too.

Well, it's the last day of July.  Hard to believe the entire month went by so fast.

We have however, made progress in the master bathroom.  The ceilings, all of the trim and walls are now painted.

I may be back with a garden update down the road.  Just when I tell my husband I am not growing a garden next year, I make us a salad with one stinkin' cucumber, do the happy dance after the first bite, and sigh.  Trust me however, when I say it's been the most frustrating garden year, I really do mean it.

Here's praying that August starts out with good vibes, a better garden harvest, more home progress, and fun filled adventures.

P.S. I have noticed that spam is trying to post on my blog since I have been here last.  

Pushing Positivity Despite Frustrating Garden Year © July 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart