Protecting the Plants

Why do I seem to need to say “I’m not complaining” so much? It seems, no matter what I write, someone thinks I’m complaining. Maybe we can just assume that I’m not complaining and when I am complaining, I’ll say “I’m complaining now!” Is that ok? Thanks.

There was an ugly cabinet type thing left in the garage. Jeremy had extra tile, grout, stuff like that in it. Vince pulled it out of the garage because it was kinda wide and we couldn’t get all three cars in the garage with that in there. He put up one of those metal shelf units that isn’t as deep and gives more storage area so we can still get the third vehicle in the garage.

Here’s the “I’m NOT complaining” part. In less than three weeks, it will be 10 years since the Joplin tornado of 2011 and I think it is bringing back a lot of memories and storms are making people more nervous than usual. My favorite weatherman here, Doug Heady, is very calming, very re-assuring, and seems very competent with his forecasting. He keeps saying “There’s a CHANCE of severe weather. I can’t rule anything out.” People need to know there’s a chance but people are nervous. Vince went to a store yesterday to get some more timbers and the guy helping load them said something like “Are you ready if the weather gets bad tonight?” Vince said “I thought it was going to be just a mild thunderstorm.” The guy said “It could be a lot of hail . . or worse!” So, Vince came home and moved the boxes around so he could get the old truck in the garage. It was supposed to rain at 6 p.m. but the skies were more clear than they had been all day. In fact, Vince had been out working on the raised beds and he stopped a couple of times and picked everything up because he thought it was about to rain and it never did.

The old cabinet is still outside waiting to be broken down and burned or do whatever you do with stuff like that here. I ended up taking all my plants that aren’t planted in the ground yet and sticking them in there. The back was open and the open area was to the south, which seems to be the way the hail comes from, so I moved the cabinet against the garage door or, almost against the garage door – close enough that hail will not be coming through that back opening.

So long as it’s just rain, wind and hail (and hopefully just rain!), my basil, tomatoes, mint, and lemongrass will be safe. Three pepper plants are still in pots but I tucked them way up under some thick bushes so the bushes should protect them from wind and hail.

I think the chance of bad weather goes til about 3 p.m. I’m so glad Vince is here. A little, or a lot, of adversity is so much easier with him around.