Free Republic

No kidding. If they have a cold winter (especially if they have a long calm and cloudy spell when it’s cold so the wind and solar are not producing), it will get really bad.

I am afraid that there will be many deaths to the cold, especially among the poor elderly.

I agree - it’s way, way too early to celebrate.

In addition to those memorable August storms you mentioned, let’s not forget that there have been some monster September storms. Here in the Panhandle I have vivid memories of Hurricane Ivan on September 15, 1998, which holds the record for the most tornadoes ever spawned by a hurricane - 120! Not to mention Hurricane Elena on September 2, 1985 (we had to evacuate twice for that one) and and Hurricane Eloise on September 23, 1975.

Also, the sea near the Yucatan peninsula spawns some nasty October storms. Memorable to me are Hurricane Opal on Oct 4, 1995 and Hurricane Michael on October 10, 2018.

I’m in the area hit by Michael, and I’ve ridden out a bunch of tropical storms and hurricanes in my life. Most were no big deal. But during Michael I was genuinely afraid that for my family and myself. If you have never heard 140 mph winds screaming and felt a concrete block house shake like a leaf...well, I recommend skipping that particular life experience. After the storm the yard was a mass of tangled up, fallen trees; it looked like God was playing Pick-up sticks and left in the middle of the game.

And those are just the bad storms. We’ve had plenty of weaker late-season hurricanes that I’ve forgotten about.

Try this site:
https://registration.elections.myflorida.com/CheckVoterStatus

If you put in the information and go through the process, you can see whether your father is still registered to vote. On the page where you get the results, there should be links to your father’s record at your local Supervisor of Election’s office.

I just did this for myself, and it said that I had voted early - which was correct. Your mom can also use this to check whether her absentee ballot was received.

Hope this helps!

Bay County here - the Panhandle is voting to MAGA!

I drove by a few polling places while taking kids to school between 7 and 8 a.m. I didn’t see huge lines wrapping around buildings, but there were lots of cars in the parking lots. So the polls are seeing steady traffic. The local elections folks tend to run the polls very efficiently, so the lines move fast and don’t back up.

Absentee and early voting was heavy, so that is probably also keeping the lines down some. (I voted early, as did most of my family. In this county we don’t have to worry about shenanigans with early/absentee ballots.)

Unofficial turnout numbers, including absentee, early, and election day so far, as of 10 a.m. CST:
70,814 total votes
18,683 (26.38%) DEM
40,858 (57.70%) REP
11,273 (15.92%) OTHER
Overall turnout: 60.01% already!

This is a very conservative area, so I would expect Trump to win handily among unaffiliated voters, and to net some Dem crossover votes also. In recent elections, this county voted 70% (give or take a few %) for the Republican presidential candidate.

Also, there was great (dare I say YUGE!) turnout when Trump did a rally here and there have been lots of Trump signs and stickers, and very few for Hillary.

The post-election revised numbers should be interesting.

Florida does NOT close at 7PM EST.

Florida has two time zones and the polls in each county close at 7PM LOCAL time. So, the Panhandle - solid Trump country - votes until 8 PM EST (7PM CST).

I remember being in line to vote in 2000 shortly after 6PM CST when the media called Florida for Gore. Several people in my precinct walked out in disgust. (I stayed and voted.) Now multiply that by hundreds of precincts across the Panhandle. Probably thousands of Bush votes were lost. Calling Florida early almost gave Gore the election.

I hope Trump is all over the media reminding them NOT to call Florida while the Panhandle polls are still open.

Watch for the AP and the rest of the media to conveniently “forget” that Florida polls close at 7:00 p.m. local time, and Florida has TWO time zones.

The Florida Panhandle is on Central time and polls here close at 8:00 p.m. EST/7:00 p.m. CST. The Panhandle is also heavily Republican. The rest of the state is on Eastern time and their polls close an hour earlier, at 7:00 p.m. EST.

Back in 2000 the media called Florida for Gore shortly after 7:00 p.m. EST - while voters in the Panhandle still had almost an hour left to vote. There were many reports of voters leaving the line at polling places after they heard the race had been called for Gore. It was stupid of those voters to leave, but I truly believe that the early call almost cost Bush the Presidency.

The media apologized for the early call, and swore it wouldn’t happen again - but since the Florida governor’s race is close, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to see them call Florida early to try to discourage Panhandle voters and tip the race to Crist.

There are some plants that make blue or blue-black berries that are toxic to people, but birds eat them without ill effects.

On the other hand, some blueberry bushes can get really big. Mulberries get really big, too...though as others have noted, mulberries look like blackberries.

The best thing to do is call your local agricultural extension and ask if they can help you identify your plant.

“I’d guess this animal already has some health issues do to the un-natural size and will develop more - neither the lion’s frame nor the tiger’s normally carry that much mass.”

From the video he looks pretty fat. But hey, who’s going to put a cat THAT size on a diet?

“Actually, quite a few of us here on the FR garden threads swap seeds. It’s worked out well.”

That’s great! I just haven’t see much talk about it in the weekly gardening threads, though I seem to recall that you’ve sent some seeds to folks (Marcella?). I guess I need to slow down and read more carefully.

“What catalogs do you all recommend, for good seeds cheap?”

I know you asked about catalogs, but I have had great luck trading seeds with other gardeners. Join a few garden forums and participate a while, then when people get to know you, you can trade.

Yes, there’s a chance you’ll get bum seeds or people will take your seeds without sending you seeds in return. But many gardening forums have some kind of a feedback thread where members can post who is - and is not - good to trade with. Also if you are new to gardening, sometimes gardeners will send you their surplus seeds if you send them a SASE. Gardeners often save far more seeds than they need, and are happy to find people who want to grow them.

So far I’ve had excellent luck with trading, with my trade partners often sending me more than promised and throwing in “bonus” surprise seeds as well.

For trading stock, learn to save true (non-crossed) seeds from as many non-hybrid vegetables as possible. Save seeds from those non-hybrid flowers and herbs, too! You especially want to save lots of seeds from unusual and/or heirloom varieties, because you can always find folks who want those.

In addition to learning to save your own seeds, you can use extras from your commercial packs for trading stock. For example, if you buy a commercial pack of 25-50 tomato or squash seeds, will you actually grow out 25-50 plants of that variety before the seeds get old? Why not trade some of those seeds for something else you want? Just like with home-saved seeds, seeds from heirloom and/or rare varieties will be in more demand for trading.

One last thought: dollar-type stores often have seed packs for 2/$1 or even 3/$1. Don’t be shy about end-of-the-season clearance racks, either. Most of the seeds you find there will be hybrid varieties, but occasionally there are unusual open-pollinated varieties, too. Voila, more cheap seeds to grow or use for trading stock.

If you get a reputation as a good trade partner in a few garden forums, in a couple of years you’ll find yourself wanting a bigger garden to try all the cool seeds you got in your trades.

You’ve gotten a lot of great advice here. Posts #63 and 83 are especially good.

I want to emphasize the importance of getting a pair of WELL-SOCIALIZED kittens or cats who get along with each other. Then give your cats lots of love daily to make sure they bond with you, especially during the first few months.

Please do not adopt cats unless you have a chance to handle and interact with them first. If a cat doesn’t relax and enjoy your affection after a brief introduction period, don’t adopt it. A traumatized or half-wild cat is a recipe for misery for a novice owner. Socializing such a cat can be difficult or impossible.

I had the unpleasant experience of adopting two kittens (litter mates) from a friend. These kittens that were skittish of people when I got them. I should have known better. Even after years, they only got along with each other. They were never affectionate, and mostly avoided people their whole lives - and they were indoor cats!

Having a pair of cats who get along with each other is really important. They will amuse each other and give each other affection when you’re gone. Since they won’t be bored or lonely, they will have far fewer destructive and annoying behaviors. Cats that have been cooped up alone all day generally sleep all day due to boredom, then want to play with their people all night rather than letting them sleep. I can say from experience that a smart cat can find many creative ways to wake you up! (After a few exhausting months I got a companion for my bored cat, and luckily they did accept each other. That pair was a joy to me for many years.)

It’s crucial to spay or neuter your cats as soon as they are old enough. You may not think it’s important if they are going to be inside all the time, but it is. Female cats will go to great lengths to escape when in heat...and they smell bad. Male cats will mark territory by spraying urine everywhere, and will want to fight other male cats. They will also want to escape to find female cats. These problems are completely avoided by a prompt visit to the vet. Your cats will be happier, live longer, and be better companions, too.

The advice about food is great, for your sanity as well as your cats’ health. If you are tempted to cheap out on cat food, realize that cats don’t properly digest food with plant-based proteins and fillers. The result: your cats’ stool will stink to high heaven. I’m not saying that a properly-fed cat’s stool has no odor, but it’s minor and inoffensive compared to the horrors that come out of a cat’s bottom as a result of a poor diet.

Good luck - with a little care I am sure you can find wonderful cats who will give you many years of joy.

A simple way to improve carrot germination is to sow the seeds, gently water them in, then cover the area with an old board or even thick cardboard (weighted down). For small patches in a raised bed, scraps of wood leftover from other projects work fine. Start checking daily after a week and remove the cover as soon as the plants are out of the soil.

The cover retains moisture and reduces temperature swings, so you get high germination rates without needing to water constantly.

Bell peppers are much more tricky than skinny peppers, absolutely. But it can be done!

I’ve never heard of anyone who had any luck growing bells upside down. Not sure why that is.

Your bell pepper plant looks green and healthy, just stunted. Bell peppers are really susceptible to being stunted from being allowed to bear fruit when they are too small. The plant puts all its energy into making that fruit and has none left for growing. Even if you take off the fruit now, the plant will probably never reach its optimal size. (Been there, done that.)

Also, bell peppers that suffer any kind of stress or setback as seedlings will undergo a hormonal change that shifts the plant’s efforts from growth to reproduction. It’s a reaction to the plant’s life being in danger - the plant instintively tries to make seeds before it dies. This leads to the stunting problem.

So...

1. If you grow from seeds, keep your seedlings happy (deep green leaves) and growing strongly at all times. If you can’t do this, you might be better off buying healthy transplants.

2. Ideally, transplants should be planted when the first flower buds are small. If you’re buying plants, try to avoid plants that have open blooms or peppers. Sometimes you don’t have a choice; if so, see #4 below.

3. You need to avoid transplant shock. Be careful in transplanting so as to not damage the root ball. Make sure the seedlings are hardened off to the sun and wind before planting, and that temperatures are warm enough (nighttimes never below 50F, 55F is better). Keep them watered.

4. Don’t let the plant fruit too early. Unless you are in a really short growing season area, DON’T let the plant make peppers until it is 18”-24” tall. Pick off the blooms or baby peppers. The plant needs to be that size, with lots of large, deep green leaves, to support a crop. I know it’s HARD to make yourself pick off those blooms and baby pepeprs, but if you can keep the plant growing for a few more weeks you’ll be rewarded with more and bigger peppers over the course of the season.

5. Peppers love heat and sun...to a point. Bell pepper plants are more susceptible to stress from heat and sun than hot peppers, and the fruit gets sunscalded easily. If you are in the Southern part of the country where the summer sun is intense, a 40% shade cloth or planting the peppers where they will some get afternoon shade will help. But don’t give too much shade, or they won’t grow/bloom/fruit as well.

6. Try to maintain steady growth, especially in those critical early weeks before fruiting. Keep a regular fertilizer regimen. Bell peppers are kind of like teenagers...heavy feeders. My soil is nematode-infested sand, so I grow bell peppers in Earthboxes and homemade fake EBs. But if you have good garden soil, there is no reason you can’t grow them in the ground. But do feed and water them regularly.

7. Support! When the peppers get big, those heavy fruit can cause whole branches to snap off in the wind. Supporting peppers is one of the few good uses for those wimpy tomato cages they sell at big box nurseries. You can also use stakes and soft ties, whatever is handy. But you need to support all the branches with fruit, not just the main stem.
.

Good luck!

“Well it worked for most of my tomatoes. Some of the ones I stuck into soil didn’t root very well, but most did.”

Tomatoes are extremely good about rooting. Rooting hormone is not necessary - all you have to do with tomato cuttings is keep them from drying out too much before they have time to grow roots. That can be a problem in hot weather.

To increase the odds of success, stick the cutting in a container of good potting mix or garden soil - something that will hold some moisture but not get waterlogged. The container doesn’t have to be very wide, but it should be deep enough to bury at least half of the cutting. (For cuttings under 12” long, Solo cups with holes cut in the bottom work great.)

Put it in the shade and keep the soil moist. When the cutting stops wilting, re-acclimate it to the sun gradually over 4-5 days. By the time you get it used to the sun again, it will have enough roots to transplant it into your garden.

You can root a sucker or the end of a stem - it doesn’t matter so long as it is healthy (no signs of disease) and has a growing tip. A cutting with tiny bloom buds is ideal. It will have a root system and be ready to transplant just before the blossoms open, so it can start making tomatoes right away.

We canceled cable about two years ago. We do have Netflix and use other streaming sources occasionally. But we don’t watch all that much TV.

In addition to the other benefits people have already noted, my kids are not exposed to the constant assault of commercials. When I asked them last fall what they wanted for Christmas, they just said, “toys.” They really didn’t know or care which toys were popular. (This meant I could get them what I wanted them to have and was within our budget, and everyone was happy.)

Back when we had cable and they were watching cartoon channels with the incessant commercials, I was constantly barraged with, “I want...” all year ‘round. It’s really nice having them be so much less materialistic.

Last year I grew grocery-store size bell peppers for the first time ever. I grew them in Earthboxes. I don’t know if it was the continuous soil moisture (no water stress, ever) or the way the fertilization is set up. But since it worked, I’m planting peppers in Earthboxes again this year.

When I have done peppers in the ground, my results were like yours: small, thin-walled, not many, and not very tasty. Maybe it was nematodes (definitely have those), a nutrition issue, or water stress.

Small businesses who deposit most of their income in checking accounts so they can make payroll, pay bills, and buy supplies. (Wait for the wave of small business failures after they lose a chunk of their liquid assets. This will be the last straw for businesses that were barely hanging on already.)

Older people who were responsible enough to save for retirement and have moved most of their “risky” investments to “safe” cash deposits.

Young families scraping to make ends meet.

That’s who is getting taxed. 6.5% of all bank deposits up to 100,000 euros, and 9.9% on everything over that amount.

Some of the other comments are blaming Obama for the closure of the nuclear plant. It’s not that simple. Obama has done plenty of destructive things, but from the article,

“Worries over the impact of CR3’s demise have lingered here since the plant’s containment wall cracked in late 2009 and attempted fixes failed. Ever since, former employees have led a slow exodus in search of work.”

I don’t think Obama cracked the containment wall.

However, he and the rest of the federal leviathan can be blamed for regulations that make it harder to fix (or replace) nuclear plants. Also from the article,

“Some leaders here, like County Commission Chairman Joe Meek, said they were encouraged by Duke’s talk of a new natural gas plant and took solace that there are still four functioning coal units at the Crystal River site.

...

Yet the damage from Crystal River closures could be far from over. If two of the older coal plants there close as expected in two to five years, county tax revenue could sink even more.”

Obama’s anti-coal policies can definitely be blamed for THAT.

“What is the point of grafted tomatos? Great rootstock and tender tops with great tomatoes? I’m not seeing the point.”

The rootstocks used for grafting has strong resistance to most soil-borne diseases (fusarium and verticillium wilts, crown rot, etc.) and root-knot nematodes. Grafting allows you to grow varieties that are normally susceptible to those problems.

These rootstocks are hybrids of tomatoes and a wild tomato relative - if you grow out the rootstock it makes inedible or at least unpalatable fruit. These hybrids develop huge root systems which pump water and nutrients to the tops more efficiently than regular tomato roots. So they may cause extra-vigorous growth, better tolerance of heat and drought, and they *may* give better yields, mostly by making bigger fruits.

Grafting does not increase resistance to diseases that spread above ground (spread by wind or insects). Grafting doesn’t keep insects or critters from feeding on the plant, either. However, a big, healthy fast-growing plant may have a better chance of outgrowing foliage diseases and may recover better from damage.

If you’re pretty happy with your tomato crop already, grafted plants are probably not going to do much for you. But if you live in an area where soilborne diseases or nematodes make it tough to get a crop, they could help. Since nematodes are terrible where I live, I am experimenting with grafting my own (I bought rootstock seeds), and I will be planting others as controls. I am looking forward to the results of the experiment.