Update Tomato Experiment

My tomato experiment:

I really didn’t think this thing through. Actually, I didn’t even know what kind of tomato I was playing with. It started when I saw this thing on Facebook about planting a slice of a ripe tomato. There was a part of one on the cupboard waiting to draw fruit flies and I thought, “Why not?” I had an old hanging planter, filled it with potting soil, stuck the slice in it, and covered it up. In just a few days, I had the beginnings of a promising experiment. It got to be about 1.5” tall and something broke it off. There was another one coming up though, so I let it grow – it was about maybe 5-6” tall and something broke it off. (Wind, curious cat or dog)

Now, it really was getting too late to be playing with a tomato outside, so I wasn’t too hopeful for results from a pip coming out of the soil in the first week of September. I decided I wouldn’t get my hopes up and just watered it when I watered my flowers. If this one broke off, at least I knew that this method would work.

Fast forward to October 13 – There was a frost warning for our area and I decided to bring “Tom” into the house. I had a grow light on order, as I had blossoms! Now, what BLT loving woman isn’t going to buy a grow light and Miracle Grow for her roommate? Yes, I will admit that whatever “crop” I get - will very expensive per bite and I will have a long wait before it enters my mouth. (Barring unforeseen circumstances like it breaking off or it goes crashing to the floor)

I have learned a lot about tomatoes. This one is an ‘indeterminate’ tomato, which means it’s a vine and as long as the growing season keeps up so does it. I will not let it get that carried away. It is already starting to take over and if it weren’t for those blossoms, I would have put an end to it before now. Next time, if there is one, I will find a ‘determinate’ or bush type tomato to keep it short. Thinking a cherry tomato might be more manageable. A better pot would be a good idea too. I like having ‘Tom’ here, because green is my favorite color. It is quite interesting too, watching the leaves twist and contort to take advantage of the light. Some of them don’t really resemble tomato fronds anymore – almost exotic looking.

Still on a break ... TOM

Tom now has two tiny tomatoes, the size of peas. Not all blossoms are making 'fruit' - Oh well. Still lots of blossoms. Tom is now over 3' tall.

 

Taking a blog break

Back whenever he gets on days again and my system adjusts.

Autumn Gold

Autumn leaves, they seem to be changing on the one pecan that I figure is more masculine - very little nuts. (I realize that is a bit bass ackwards) The other two trees have more nuts and they are hardly changing color as of yet. 
After our non-rainy days, the clouds are gone and we are back to spectacular weather.

Have a great week!

Rain, at last!

I did this at lunch - doubtful we got any appreciable rain at all, we were on the very edge of this as it went sliding by. (Not the 1.35" stated in the stats.) We did have one good crack of thunder. No chance to hear rain pitter-patting on the metal roof and going back to sleep. You can see we are in transition, but seems like the bottom will fall out soon and it will really feel like October. We have yet to turn the heat on, soon, it will be soon, probably after next Tuesday or Wednesday.

I'm still working on Julia, I've changed it some and shortened it some. More to chop.

Have a great weekend!

Tomatoes?

Okay, I have given the tomato plant a stay of execution. I ordered a grow light for *Tom* and he will come into the house. Where? I'm not sure yet, probably in my room where everything else seems to be. I do have a south facing window and I have a grow light on order.

 I see there are more blossom buds forming.

Feeling screwed ...

Do you remember last month when I donated my little car for auction at APT? Boy, never again! Somebody wanted that little 2 owner car with less than 98K miles on it, they wanted it for a song. The Blue Book was $1,800 for it in the condition it was in. You've all seen it. I thought for a fund raising auction, they would get a good price for her. Year, sure. I was WRONG! It just seemed a little fishy. It turns out that some auto salvage place gets the cars and sells them for junk or parts. I'm sure the buyer won't, but he will make a nice profit off of me and obviously APT knows it. They could have told me! I was offered 1,500 for it, but thought they would get more for it than that for a tax deduction. I am disgusted, disheartened, unhappy, and pissed!

I'll bet the buyer was chuckling up his sleeve when he drove her off the lot for a measly $600! No comments please, I am upset enough about this, I don't need your pity or whatever. Just thought you might think twice before you donate anything like a car for a 'good cause.' 

Monday, again -

No biggies again, well, not for me. DH's car died on the way home from work - not my beloved Buick, but his Sebring Convertible. He talked about just leaving it ... He was just upset, it has 4 nearly new tires on it, and it just needs to be repaired. A part died on it that had gone bad last year. Sigh, it's sitting at a garage down in Alabama.

No Poldark tonight because of the debate. Sigh ... I could have used some excitement. Ha Ha.

There's a nip in the air tonight. I suppose we will be turning that heat on soon. Average date to fire it up is October 7, so we're doing pretty good. I checked on the tomato plant and could smell the crispness, almost like snow. Well, it had to come didn't it? I will have to decide what to do with that plant. One of the buds opened up. I have no clue if a bee will find it or not. Trying to decide what to do - do I just let it dry up or do I hunt for a paint brush and go for the gold? Sigh, such a little problem ...

Problems with reworking Julia  - I start looking and soon I'm reading and forgetting what I'm supposed to be doing. I still think it's a dandy story, I can't help it. At this rate I will never get it done.

Heaven help me, I'm boring!   

Have a good week!

Old Picture

Not much

Time flying. Not much happening here. I'm trying to work on Julia some more. DH took a couple days off to go to AR for a funeral in the family. He's back home and back to working nights. My days and nights are so messed up. I am a literal rag. 

 Looks big? In reality is only about a 2.5" leg span. He was on the ceiling the other day.
 See? I told you, nothing big happening big around here. Seems I am stuck in Same old Same old here. Maybe that's a good thing.

Have a great weekend!

Show and Tell

Not sure if this was mockingbird nest or not. Close to front steps.

Time to bring at least one of the impatiens in!

Tacky likes to keep me company when I'm on the porch.

Remember when something broke my little tomato plant off? Well, at the time, there was one little one just coming through the dirt. Here are pictures of that pip now. I noticed that some of the leaves looked as if a mold or disease had it. I couldn't see anything. Today, as I sat outside with Tacky, I looked the plant over and saw a very small tomato worm! It was about 3/8" long and busy eating on one of the leaves. Ah-hah! I searched the plant over and found more, each smaller than the next. The pic shows the smallest - 3/16th of an inch and going like a house afire! I'll have to look and keep watching. I picked off about ten of those nasty things, funny, they don't seem half as icky when they are so tiny. LOL! In the final pic, you can see that it is getting blossom buds! I figure the plant must be about a month old. If the other plants would have made it, I may have had tomatoes before frost using the ripe tomato slice method. I have to say that this was the most successful experiment of the summer!

I hope you are having a bright start to your week!

Why the oceans are blue.

Rainbow at night, full moonlight!

I might have known this and forgot, but then again I may never have known why the oceans are blue. I was watching PBS tonight and they were talking about light. It seems that blue is the only color that can go into the depths. They had scuba divers checking how far down they could go and what colors they saw. The blue protons were the top winner. I guess that is why the sky is blue, somehow.

Well, okay, y'all probably knew all that, right? I was NOT aware though, that we can't really see color at night, even in the moonlight. The color protons don't bounce back at us without good old Mr. Sun. The scientist/photographer went out in the wilderness to this beautiful falls, at night. The moon was full, (I think he worried that the clouds could be a problem) but it came out for some beautiful footage. I was amazed at the rainbow. I thought, if anything, it be washed out or not all there. Sorry about my picture, taking a picture of a TV screen is not always the best. I just wanted to show y'all.

If I could, I would love to try this out during a full moon, with the sprinkler, a spray bottle and somewhere in the yard with no neighbor lights. I do apologize for such a 'little kid's excitement' over something so simple, but I was excited.

Enjoy your Sunday! (Maybe Monday)