Earlier this summer, we wondered if we would even get a harvest with all the heat and crazy weather: too wet, drought, etc. Finally, the weather has cooled down some and we did get some rain. The gardens responded better than we expected. This morning I was all set to go out and pick our bounteous chokecherries. But I woke up very dizzy. I’ve had a couple episodes of vertigo before so this wasn’t a total shock. But I laid back down carefully and stayed in bed until I could sit up without my head feeling like it was going around in circles. Finally, after being very quiet and careful, I was able to get up and walk without holding on to everything to keep from falling.
I was able to take the dogs for their run in the solar-powered golf cart and sit up okay. But, as Will was out baling, I didn’t want to pick chokecherries and end up losing my balance and go down. With my knees, I might be like the lady in the TV commercials “help, I’ve fallen and can’t get up!” Naw, I’d manage somehow. I hate asking for help. Even from a dreamy-eyed guy on the other end of Life Alert.
We went out to the Wolf Garden after Will got home. He pulled some weeds around the row of King of the Early bell peppers while I checked out the melons, squash, corn, and tomatoes. Everything looks pretty darned good. The watermelons are the size of a basketball. The muskmelons are large and some are just turning brownish, indicating approaching ripeness. The Seneca Blue Bear Dance corn has nice ears set and several per plant. And, boy, are the tomatoes coming on nicely. Of course, I had to snack on some Sungold Select while I wandered around, checking everything out. Yum!
Our potatoes are a near-failure though, as they got overtaken by pigweed and lamb’s quarter. The plants are small. Yesterday, Will and I went out with the battery-powered hedge trimmer and cut the tops off the weeds, hopefully to keep them from going to seed. We’ll dig them, but I don’t have much hope of a crop, unlike last year when they were outstanding. Luckily, I have canned potatoes in the pantry.
I was encouraged by the third planting of corn in the North Garden as it is tasseling and, with luck and the good Lord’s help, we should get a late crop. I should at least get plenty to can up. Tons of pumpkins out there too, many of which are nice and orange. Now if the cows will just keep out of there! — Jackie
Glad you are feeling better. Vertigo sucks. So good to hear how great your garden is doing, except your potatoes. Can I ask how you canned them?
Thanks
Dear Jackie, my doc prescribed Meclizine & it worked! Mother suffered for years with all the crystal exercises, etc. They didn’t know what caused hers or mine but I had it so bad I could not turn over in bed with out gettin sick. It’s chewable & worked wonders. I have had 2 spells in 10 years & relief with in an hour or two
Dear Jackie, my doc prescribed Meclizine & it worked! Mother suffered for years with all the crystal exercises, etc. They didn’t know what caused hers or mine but I had it so bad I could not turn over in bed with out gettin sick. It’s chewable & worked wonders. I have had 2 spells in 10 years & relief with in an hour or two
I sure miss the chokecherries of SW Colorado……… Swapped that for heat…….. We have extreme heat (102-108) forecasted for the the next 2 weeks. We could also use rain. Pastures are brown…….. Over 30 days with no measurable rain…… hotter than normal.
Yes getting up to a head that feels like it doesn’t belong to you is NO fun.
Need to plant cool weather crop seeds starting in a few weeks. Fall tomatoes should have been in the ground 2-4 weeks ago. Most of the cool weather crops can survive the winter here!
It’s ugly when it’s so hot and dry. We complain about drought but don’t have your heat. Thank God!! It’s great to have cool weather crops that make the winter but I wouldn’t trade the heat for that bonus.
I forgot to ask – how is Gypsy doing?
This is Sunday 9:07 and still 103° heat index unbelievable
Take care
She’s doing great. She’s so smart and learning sit, lie down and stay very quickly. I sure pray your heat will go away!!
boy, nothing worse then gettin up in the morn-only to have your body say Whoa and your plans all change. glad to hear you’re feeling better. why does a season slow everything down or stop the growth-EXCEPT weeds. Pig weed. Oh my, the piles I pulled an through to the cows this morning. This is the first year the lambs quarters has been almost nil. The Hopi Grey and North Georgia Candy Roaster have sure kept the weeds Out. I planted my cabbage near them an boy have the vines done a great shade job on them. had our first huge head. only half the head an coleslaw for days. Kraut the rest this week hopefully. Take care an no more vertigo for you i hope.
It seems to have gone away. Thank God!! Our pigweed is super big and abundant this year. I guess it likes heat and dry. Our squash is fantastic this year though. I think it’s a trade-off. Weeds and abundant squash. Glad your cabbage is great!! Ours is so-so, at least so far.
I too have vertgo-probably due to”sand crystals “ in the semicircular canals (3 little hula hoops with fluid) these give us balance. Do Epley maneuvers to treat this (look on Internet). A fall at our age could be disastrous. Fortunately my potatoes did produce in spite of the drought. We’re crazy canning up tomatoes. Soon I’ll harvest cabbage and make sauerkraut. Every day is a sprint (but I can’t run any more) and I know I need to be more cautious. I hope you improve. We all need “balance “. Hopefully cooler weather here in SW Wisconsin
Yep, I’ve been doing Epley as David learned about that when he had vertigo. It’s better today so I hope I’m done with it. When I’m dizzy, I’m VERY careful. I doubt if we’ll have anywhere decent potatoes this year, for the first time in many years. Too dry, not able to water and oh my God, the weeds! Our tomatoes are just coming on, so I’ve got that to look forward to very soon. We’ve got cooler weather plus rain, and that’s very nice.
I use to have several bouts of vertigo each year. I was drinking plenty of water but that did not help. What has helped is ginger. I put a small piece of dried ginger in my tea cup every morning and brew it in my herb teas that I drink. And, if I do get an occasional bout of vertigo I am no longer nauseous with it.
Thanks for the tip. Fortunately, I haven’t had any bouts of nausea with this. At least yet! I’m sure the ginger will help.
Jackie,
I have had several bouts of vertigo and my daughter said I was not drinking enough water …… start everyday with large water with coffee and knock on wood that has solved it for me
Best Wishes
Liz in Maine
Yes, I know that’s a common cause. But I do drink lots of water. I wish it was that cause. It does seem better today though.
Regarding your vertigo–you may want to look into performing the Epley Maneuver. My wife suffers from occasional dizziness and this works wonder for her. Best part is that you can do it at home with no attendant medical expense. Here’s a link from the Cleveland Clinic https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/17930-canalith-repositioning-procedure-crp
You probably know this, Jackie, but a good physical therapist can do wonders for vertigo, if it’s BPPV.
What wonderful news about your harvest! It did look bleak for awhile. As to your vertigo, two other possible causes. Mine was caused by high blood pressure. My friend’s ear crystals needed to be reset (I had never heard of this before..you can do it yourself by the tutorials online.) Blessings.
I check my blood pressure, and it hits mostly at night, so I’ve ruled out blood pressure. My youngest son, David, had it and learned about the displaced ear crystals. I’d never even heard about that! I’m doing the exercises and they seem to be helping.
The Epley maneuver is a life saver! Nothing worse than feeling like the world is upside down.
You know it is non-GMO corn when there more than one ear per plant. GMO corn seems like such a waste – while no more movies of people escaping through the corn field, all that seed, time, effort, for a whopping one ear per stalk.
Been donating excess cukes to a food pantry, slicer tomatoes are ripening at a nice pace (read: we eat what is ripe). Paste tomatoes can ripen at will cuz I freeze them whole.
Down to the last few feet of weeding the strawberry patch of “tall” weeds. Then I get to start again and remove the pain-in-the-posterior grass, common violets (where did they come from – we have NONE in our yard), and a handful of other weeds. Speaking of other weeds, there have been a couple I’ve never seen. But then again, some seeds are viable of *a number* of years. If only the humidity would drop – I hit the shower right after I got in the house.
And I found out better half didn’t think the Pontiac Red seed potatoes “looked good”. No – they looked right – eyes and just starting to wrinkle. The Atlantic seed potatoes had *one* eye on each potato. Again, thanks to another poster on this blog, I have a source and will order next year.
Upside is *if* you need potatoes, there are usually farmers’ markets. One year we got I forget how many pounds for not a lot of money during the last market of the year (this was a number of years before our current economic mess) for less than $5. We shared with family.
Um, no. Even GMO field corn usually has two ears. We drive past those fields every time we go 100 miles south or west of us. Good for you, donating excess to the food shelf! It would help if everyone who has extra would pass it around to those who need it.
We have a new, very noxious weed in one of our gardens, probably brought in by either old hay or unfriendly birds. It’s Galant Soldier and boy does it ever spread, even in the hoop houses. We have only planted two rows in that garden so I can keep tilling on all sides to, hopefully, help eradicate it.
Not with field corn here – one ear per stalk and that is it.
I did a search on your new noxious weed and thankfully not what I have. My phone *used* to have free plant identification. Guess the peeps who have ID software want you to pay.
You are so lucky to have all of that.
I’m trying to save what little I have left.
Hot and humid
95° and heat index of 115° house is on 90° by afternoon .
Tomorrow Sunday it’s going to be hotter.
I read about the Dust bowl – Temperature in SD 120°
That’s not the heat index
Monday I’m going to start trying to put out a fall garden.
I will let you go
Take care ❤️.
It might be your neck that’s got arthritis in it and you strained it a little .
If it is just be careful because the dizziness will come on out of the blue 💙
|This nasty heat dome has really affected a whole lot of gardeners, nationwide. Our heat has broken and we’re getting some periodic rain, which is very welcome. I hope your fall garden is better, due to cooler temperatures.
Look up the “Epley maneuver” for your vertigo. I also suffer from it, with the added bonus of getting motion sick. Ending up in the ER dehydrated.
Learning this maneuver has been a game changer.