A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall CoffeeHouse 2665

Was 57° this morning and drizzling. My kind of weather. My yard is blooming again. Watering just doesn't do the same as the rain.

Sunny, how long does a cord of wood last?

Well, I have an 800 square foot house, single level and I use less than 4 cords in a cold Winter. My Aunt has a split level, 2 story that is very large and they used to use 11 cords. So the one cord they are allowed means they freeze with electric heat. One cord suffices as a supplement in extreme cold and when the power goes out.

Enjoy your nice weather, what is blooming in your area at the moment?

Gosh that's terrible. Bet the electricity cost a lot too. I guess it gets too cold to cut another cord when needed. Has that always been the law?

As far as blooming it seems that everything that has already bloomed, because it was time, has decided to rebloom. Gardenias, lorepedlum, blackeyed susans, marigolds. I didn't think things had stopped because of the heat and drought but maybe it did.

wow, good for you, Bestofour !!

A person needs wood to be seasoned to burn, we leave it dry for a year before using it. Too many people had chimney fires so the insurance company slowly implemented the clause. Even with the one cord allowed, it has to be a regulated, certified wood stove. So, it's either freeze and have insurance or be warm and have none. My Aunt pays about $800 a month for electric heat in Winter...and the house it cold.

Enjoy the blooms. Black eyed Susan's are still in bloom here, it takes a few hard frosts for them to die back.

So it's cheaper to pay $800.00 a month than to have a cord of wood delivered however often? I would not like being cold all the time especially if I was paying that much for electricity.

It has been absolutely beautiful today. The high was 73° and the sky was beautiful. I went to the gym and did a bit of yard work. I'm thinking about going downtown to listen to music but may stay here and work on my Bible study stuff. You guys have big weekend plans?

Bestofour, people would love to be able to do that but it is impossible to get wood in Winter. It is a fight at the moment for people to get enough wood just to get by. There are few people who cut wood for others and it is impossible to store it somewhere to sell. It usually gets delivered straight from the woods to the buyers house. It is over $400 a cord now.....then you have to split it yourself.

There are only three men in our area that still cut and sell wood, some like us cut our own if they own forest property.

Wood has to be seasoned for a year then stored in a shed, away from any weather. We had a milder winter last year but I've seen Winters where septics freeze in ground.

I'm glad you had a good day. Weekend plans? I wish, every day here is the same. Clean, cook and catch up on chores.

I do have different goings on once in awhile, but mainly for me it is like Sunny said. With the exception of Sunday each day is the same. I have to lie in bed some mornings and decide which day it is.

This weekend in particular I (we) have nothing going on. my DH is not feeling well so we will most likely even miss church.

I do hope your DH feels better soon. Man colds are harder on the wife than the husband.😉

I can't get over how beautiful the weather is here. Cool at night but sunny and warm in the day time.

Yes, I think that type of weather is how our fall used to be when I was in school. A person would need a sweater going to school in the morning and have to not wear UT in the way home.

This made me smile because it's so true. The weather here is beautiful too. I ended up staying home last night too. I feel like I need to get out in the world but I really am fine at home. I'm going to move around some gladiola bulbs today and dig up that stupid place where flowers won't grow anymore. It's just curious to me what's happened there when it used to be so beautiful but I'm not with it. I'm turning the dirt over and letting the leaves lay there all winter and maybe for the rest of my life

Sunny, I was trying to look you up on a global map and didn't realize that Detroit is further north than parts of Canada. I've never been a student of geography. I know you don't want to say much but are you close to a big city? I'm just amazed at your winters and the fact that you can grow anything at all. I've lived in a lot of different states but when I thought about it none of them were cold states - CA, AZ, OK, GA, NC, HI, France for a while and when I realize that I've lived in only 6 states and 1 other country the fact that I went to 17 different schools proves that my parents were not stable people. Anyway, trying to find you on the map. 🌍

I'll help you out. I live at the top right of the red province near the little dip to the right.

so if we were in the tip of main we could walk into Canada ?

Yes, Maine borders the left side of New Brunswick.

I guess I haven't been paying attention because I didn't realize you're so far north. No wonder you have so much snow. You should make a TV reality show.

Too funny Bestofour, if you only knew how boring my life really is.😉

good morning to you both !! Sunny but cooler here today.

It's dreary here. Oh well, I needed a day to clean.

all I did was put out fresh hummingbird food and water everything.

I don't have Facebook but the news is out with photos of a man who lives 15 minutes from me, he went for a walk and was attacked by a bear. DD said the bear clawed his chest and tore open his scalp....yup, I'm done walking.

oh my goodness, I would definitely not walk again.
I guess you could walk the perimeter of your yard...not that I ever have...

DD is supposed to send me the link later. I guess it's time to just use my stationery bike again.

It is a cold, wet miserable day. I plan to do the baking and make some freezer meals. I also have tomatoes to process. The only thing left to preserve for Winter after the tomatoes is apples, that will wait until the weekend.

we had talked about getting apples but I guess that has been forgotten about. Which is just as well. He thought I should make him apple butter. For the amount he would have eaten to buy it is more cost effective.

Some of my family lives in Asheville, NC, and they have always seen bears once in a while but the more construction that happens the more the bears come out of the woods. Sunny, wonder what's causing your bears to come into populated areas.

Junie, that's what happened to my strawberry jam. Ginger moved to a place I only fly too, Shelley doesn't want to eat it because of the calories, my mother loved it but she died, so I stopped making it because for just me it's a lot of work and I don't need the calories either.

The bears have always been around but they seem to associate people with food now. People do not hunt them anymore so the population is exploding as well. More land is being cut down for housing...it is all adding up.

DH just told me to skip the apple picking, the apples trigger his gout. Less work for me.

Yay for gout. ( is that wrong to say ?). But perhaps just freeze a smaller amount up for some sweet breads or such ??

Yes, Sheri..I agree. Glad it is not just me. I will make blackberry jam though thus next summer. To quote one of my granddaughters homemade tastes better.

Homemade definitely tastes better. I'd have to be dead not to make strawberry preserves.😄

I'll freeze a bit of apples because I like apple muffins but I do not like pie....of any kind. Yup, I'm strange.

Yay for gout. ( is that wrong to say ?). But perhaps just freeze a smaller amount up for some sweet breads or such ??

Yes, Sheri..I agree. Glad it is not just me. I will make blackberry jam though this next summer. To quote one of my granddaughters homemade tastes better.

Homemade and home grown are definitely better. Store bought carrots and radishes don't taste anything like a real carrot or radish and the sad thing is people don't realize it.

Pumpkin pie and egg custard pie are the only pies I love and I rarely make them because no one else will eat them and I don't want to eat them all myself. I suppose technically they are more custards than pies.

I'll bet a warm apple muffin is delicious on a cold morning.

I make a lot of muffins and loaves in Winter. You are right Bestofour, any warm muffin and hot coffee is a blessing in Winter. It is so strange because that's when I also crave strawberry jelly on toast.

ok ladies. About pies...Bestofour you need to buy 6 inch (from outside to outside of the pie plate) pie pans. I have several
I often make Rod and I fruit fillings, and then put crumb topping of each so that we each get 1 serving. I can give you a few recipes to start then you could adjust. I see no reason why you could not cut the custard & pumpkin pie recipes down yourself.
Also there is a site on Facebook called one dish kitchen and she has all kinds of dishes cut down to one serving for 1 person. She even has an actual hard copy recipe book for a person to buy.

Rod makes bread in the winter..I make muffins of all kinds too. Some from scratch and some from box mixes. I add crumb topping to them all.
now I am getting hungry...so I best go to sleep. G'night to you both.

Junie, I have three different sizes of mini pie pans. They are the foil ones from the dollar store but I reuse them. Crumb topping on muffins is delicious. Now I want muffins.😉

I have some darling little red ramekins I bought from a friend's child's school fundraiser which I have used to make what I call apple crumble, but I've never made the custard in them. Good idea Junie. I did not know that Rod is a bread maker. Good for you!!!

I want.muffins as well...make.a double batch so I can have some please. Any flavor will do....I began using crumb topping on my little fruit pies to avoid using a bottom crust. Saves money and calories.

My pans are:
The 7 inch Is metal...the 2--6 inch are glass that I got at antique stores..and 2 are 5 inch that I ordered from a magazine. I don't often use the little ones, but they have recipes in the bottom.

Good morning.

I used to use little pans from DDs Easy-bake oven but she took them on me. 😄

I just made DH a coconut cream pie, yuck.

Aw, I love pie. It is cake that I can say no to..(but often do not)

I have a few of those pans.

Really? Omg, I love cake...I could never say no to that.

More rain for today, it is so mild though. It's strange to be in October and have such warmth. The frost killed the blossoms and this wet warmth has everything starting to bloom again. 🤔

we often have this starting to bloom again thing. This new version of weather is a real mess.

and as I said. I do not turn down cake..I just prefer pie. So I usually make cake for the boy.