Do you believe this? – The beloved husband went to an office supply store to buy color cartridges for our printer. He was going to buy six. It was cheaper to buy a new printer which came with six cartridges than just the cartridges themselves. Makes no sense to me.
He’s back! – When I started going to “new gym” the front desk guy was my age. He was friendly, knew everyone by name and was willing to help. They switched him (against his wishes) to another gym on the other side of town. He was back this week. He works from 5:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. when it’s frequented by older folks. The replacements were younger and more hip. They were nice enough but not friendly with the older crowd. Know your audience.
Speaking of new gym – I went on the 4th of July which is a national holiday in the US. Bad idea. The crowd was different and there were a lot more people. One guy scolded me for using an empty piece of equipment. Not sure what the deal was but holidays there aren’t fun.
Swamp ass – True to the incredibly unpredictable weather this year, we’ve had a stretch of unusually hot weather (especially for how early in the summer it is). When it’s 80 degrees at 8 a.m. with 80% humidity you know it’s going to be a swamp ass day. Friends with pools welcome!
‘Maters – I have been taking good care of my tomato plants and have quite a few. None of them are ripe yet but soon. Local sweet corn came in this week. It is officially summertime!
So how was your week?
Our tomatoes are not turning red on the vine. It’s the darnedest thing, they should be delicious by the 4th. I blame it on this heatwave…
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I had my first ripe one yesterday. It was a cherry tomato which always ripens first. I raise 4th of July tomatoes but here they are really 14th of July! It is the weather.
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We’ve been in the low 90’s! – clouds and rain, but not complaining – keep the plants happy (We were just talking this morning how weird it was that the grass and all are still green..Things usually brown up this time of year.)
Envious of the tomatoes – I gave up and just head to a local farm. Really miss dad who’s garden was alway fabulous even in August. Plants so well trained HAHA
Gyms can be so weird. Helps if the help is authentic and nice.
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Worked in my ‘maters today and I have a ripe one. Ok, it’s a cherry tomato but still! Also looks like I may have some early wilt. Boogers.
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The swamp ass heat is here, too. And, what you described is what I experienced for 5 to 6 months straight, no break, in Florida. I’m SO glad to be out of that place. Your maters are looking good. Ours aren’t doing as good this year as last. I mean, we have some good ones coming in, but the plant itself is struggling. All the other plants are doing great though (swiss chard, zucchini, eggplant).
Stay cool.
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Is the heat affecting your tomatoes? They don’t like it super hot.
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You’re right, it could be the heat.
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I’m glad you got your friendly gym person back. We always head for the same cashier at the supermarket. She knows our names, and she is super-efficient. She makes shopping fun. Well, I’ll clarify that. I love wandering around grocery stores, but John just wants to get it over with. I’m the get-it-over-with person for clothes shopping. My fingers are crossed for your super tomatoes.
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We know most if not all of the cashiers at our grocery store. Some are more efficient than others. Some squash produce or bread. Last trip I grabbed the bread and bagged it myself. Most are good and friendly though.
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I’m jealous of your tomato plant. Mine has early blight. It’s got a few tomatoes too. But the blight is creeping up the plant. I don’t think I’m going to get more than a couple of tomatoes.
PS – Printer Ink is a scam run by Printer companies. They deliberately make the ink cartridges specific to a printer, so you have to buy them from them at a ridiculous mark up. As soon as another company starts making replacement cartridges that work in that printer, they try to sell you a new printer as a loss leader into the ink. In my opinion it should be illegal.
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I get blight on my tomato plants too. I’ve seen some signs on one. I keep trimming out the bottom leaves hoping it won’t creep up. Printer ink…bleah! Fortunately we don’t have to print a lot of stuff. I’m working on getting my husband to save to his system rather than print out. Never can find it anyway! 🙂
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Um, yes. Printers. You think you have it bad? 6 start-up cartridges?
Here, new printers usually come with one colour and one black and white start-up cartridge.
According to the accompanying “literature”, these may have a shorter life-span than regular cartridges. After that – well, the shop where I usually buy stationery (which is where I bought the printer) has regular “special offers” where, if you buy one cartridge, you get the second one for half price (the cheaper of the two, it goes without saying). By the time I need to buy the 2nd replacement – it’s cheaper to buy a new printer.
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It’s a ridiculous! A catch 22 for sure!
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Heat and humidity – the bane of my existence. We’re back to the heat and humidity after a short reprieve … nothing like waking up to high dew points and humidity and 70 degrees. I’m not only a weather worrier, but a weather whiner as well. Don’t get me started! 🙂
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I whine about the weather ALL. THE. TIME! I love summer but it whopped in with high dewpoints and temps. No spring to speak of…maybe a day or two. Weird year.
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Same here in SE Michigan Kate. Spring was a disappointment following a cold and snowy Winter (we had 62 inches of snow). Humidity and heat do go hand in hand with Summer, but dewpoints in the high 60s were outrageous. We had a couple of days’ reprieve and now back to 92 again today. We were still having snow (melted by noon, but snow nevertheless) in mid-April. Crazy!
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I absolutely believe that about the printer. Cartridges are so ridiculously expensive. What is surprising is that they included new cartridges with the new printer 😉
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I expect that one day they won’t. You will have to buy them separately, like batteries for some items.
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CH gripes when he has to buy color cartridges. He thinks it’s a big scam. as Jill mentioned. Your 53 temp sounds pretty delightful. It has been running about 89/90 here with dew points 74/76. But the good thing is that by one or two in the afternoon the clouds move in and drops the temp to 87/88 and there is a bit of a breeze. Comfortable enough to have wine time on the porch. But last week it was just stinkin’ hot and beyond muggy. Your tomatoes are looking good… sweet corn, oh yeah! Happy that front desk guy is back… 🙂
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But you will have a wonderful winter compared to us!
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Those months are the cherry on top of the sundae… 🙂 And your wine stays cold!
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Great tomatoes! 🙂
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Thanks!
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Our week is also hot. And humid, which is unusual for us. Our seasonal breezes are gone and we’re all crammed into the one bedroom with the AC unit (big dog loves it, cat thinks she’s in a frozen hellscape and must sit on as many warm humans as possible).
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Cats are crazy but even our cats were not out on the porch until late evening.
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That’s crazy about the printer (with ink) being more than the ink alone! Your weather sounds hotter than here.
Glad your tomatoes are thriving!
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I think this past week our weather has been hotter and more oppressive than yours.
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Hope your return to “summery breezes” soon.
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Yesterday and today were great but later this week we’re back to hot and swamp ass.
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Today is the first day in weeks that we haven’t had sky high dew points and oppressive humidity. Lately, it’s felt like mid August rather than early July. I hear you on toner cartridges…what a scam!
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Yesterday was gorgeous as is today. However, by Tuesday, temps and dewpoints will climb again. August indeed! Not complaining though although last week I spent most of my time inside.
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Your tomato plants make me think of my grandfather who used to sing to his. sigh.
Youth is so rude. I really can’t abide it to be honest, like they will be fetuses forever, unbeknownst to them they too will require a smile that costs nothing.
I’m pretty good in the heat, but will admit even I was challenged this week. I ran early, before 6, and it was still like running through pea soup.
When my grandfather died, my mother said, those plants wept. We all knew she was crazy, but somehow still believed her. Here’s to a cooler week. 🙂
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Your grandfather sounds like a great guy. I’m good in the heat too but this was outrageous. It was the humidity that took me over the edge.
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Yeah, like a 24/7 sauna. Starbucks was so packed all day as the masses basked in the AC. We’re lucky there was no brown-out.
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That’s great gym guy is back! Personnel makes all the difference!
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It has made a difference. The gym is chatty now. I get it that the young’uns can’t make conversation with the older folks but there is a solution…
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Ugh I think that if you work there you should learn to chat with everyone, regardless of age!!!
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Ok, you ‘splain to the millennials!
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My week was my week… so it was anything but boring!
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It never is!
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Our toms and beans are doing nicely, but no marbles or earrings yet. Got a couple of new roses coming on all three bushes though! Heat draining us all, poor Maggie especially. She’s had two showers this week and a dip in the sea this morning.
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We are currently having a few days of gorgeous weather but this week will get hot again. I keep watering my tomatoes to make sure they are happy.
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Hubby waters the garden every other morning round 6am. It’s another hot one today, even with all the windows and the front door open, it’s 22 degrees inside.
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Yikes! I don’t need conversion tables to know that is uncomfortable.
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It’s 22 degrees at night too, and again even with the windows open, it’s airless. In the winter, we have the house at a constant 18 degrees and that is comfortable! I’d never be a good orchid!!
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Our temps inside this past week were running around 26 to 27 degrees. Warm? That’s with a/c going strong.
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Holy **** !!! We have no AC yet it’s cooler here on the coast than inland. We took Maggie for a walk along the beach this morning and she even had a paddle! This was around 7.30 and it was quite pleasant.
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Mornings and evenings are best!
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That’s the best tome for our walks………. it’s just too hot during the day.
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Yay, I’m glad your front desk guy at the gym is back. I’m sure he’s happy, too. Your tomatoes look healthy and strong. I’m sure you can’t wait for them to ripen. It’s been hot here, too, but we had two glorious days of cooler weather, ahhhh.:-)
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We are in the two glorious days of cooler weather. Yesterday I don’t think we hit 80 and today the mid-80s, all with low humidity. Yay! Then mid-week we go back to the hot stuff.
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I’ve tried tomatoes. The squirrels and the deer love them. This year I am sticking to peonies and rhubarb, which are farther down the gourmet food list! Swampy it is this summer. I agree!
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After a week of obscene temps (for our area) this morning’s temp was 53. What? I had to get a dog pen fence for my garden. It’s 6′ tall with a people door. Keeps the deer and groundhogs our. I have some chipmunks who say they like Italian food! (or maybe Mexican salsa!) I gave up cukes, green beans and some other stuff because it was too attractive to critters that could get in the fence.
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No words for the heat we’ve been experiencing…none. Sweating before 8 a.m. should be a crime.
Your crops are looking good Kate!
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I don’t have a lot of super light clothing, maybe about 3 or 4 pairs of long shorts. I decided to go buy some today on sale and our temps dropped! (Maybe I should have thought that earlier in the week.) I’ve been running through clothes on these 2 or 3 shower days.
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