The Gen X Gardener

18/12/2023

I have LITERALLY watched this 20 times in a row🤣

I wanna work for this guy 🥰

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0XO0t3v2Hw/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

18/12/2023

I just found out my wife’s been operating a clandestine Instagram for our cat, and has been since we got her in Jan ‘22 😳

Bootine_11 if you wanna follow along 🤣

https://www.instagram.com/bootine_11?igshid=NGVhN2U2NjQ0Yg==

17/12/2023

It’s my son’s birthday 🤣🤣🤣

17/12/2023

This page liked me, so I went to take a look at their page as a courtesy.

Report this page as racist or whatever, then Block them.

Don’t scroll down to look at the photos. It’s rubbish.

16/12/2023

So my Pops works in a toy warehouse, and they were tossing out a bunch of these small wooden displays for some game 🎲

Knowing that I can’t resist free wood, he snagged about 4 or 5 of them for me.

Have been think what I can do with them, and one idea is to break them down and make flower pot stands - was at the nursery and flimsy ones were FIVE BUCKS‼️ (Second photo)

But today looking a bit more in detail I notice the top layer is a super bit of tongue & groove 🤔 That seems too good to ignore, but any thoughts on what to use these sliding panels for❓

16/12/2023

They’ve definitely improved the complexion and hair over the previous model, but they still can’t figure out how to have Android arm and hand position look natural, can they 🤣

I think they really swung the pendulum too far to the right trying to correct the posture on the new version though 🤖

Whuddya think those buttons on its chest do❓

16/12/2023

It’s 22:30 on a Friday, and I’ve just oiled my wood 🪵

It was heavenly 😇

What are YOU up to⁉️

16/12/2023

So probably 4 months late, but I FINALLY trimmed my garlic for storage 😔

It started as really not being able to get up the hill because of my knee, and that pretty much turned into a multi month situation of object permanence and really forgetting it was up in the shed, still tied and curing on tomato cages 🫣

But now it’s done, and we have 3 clementine boxes of garlic ready to go… a few handfuls of the desirables will go back in the dirt (yeah, late on that too, but at least we’re at 8° for a few days) and the rest is for us, family and friends.

Meh, it was all in cold storage anyway, the temps in the shed, so should be just fine 😊

Do what ya can, and f**k all the rest.

Who cares. You accomplished something, and that’s what matters.

Keep on keepin on, ya filthy animals 😉

15/12/2023

This is something that I’ve always wanted to do… but am always a clusterf**k by October so never get it done 🤯

BUT, overwintering peppers is something I reeeeeally want to do.

As my doppelgänger friend here notes, it gives an early jump in next year’s snacking. For me though, my main reason is sometimes I have a bloody banger of a pepper plant.

Saving seeds is great and paramount to my gardening… but that doesn’t always guarantee the seeds will produce the same size, shape, heat as the parent.

Overwintering ensures that you get the same resulting pods that you liked the year prior.

As always, bonus points for talking about making sure you don’t have stowaways on your plants that would breed in your house 🐛

OVERWINTERING PEPPER PLANTS 🌶️

Did you know that pepper plants are actually perennial? Peppers are said to be native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. In the right conditions, they can live for many years! We live in Ontario (Canada) so clearly our conditions outdoors are not conducive to keeping them alive through the winter months.

But what if I told you that you could overwinter your pepper plants by letting them hibernate inside? 🤯

The main reason to overwinter peppers is to give your plants a head start the following year. The already-established root system will allow the plant to regrow more quickly, giving you a harvest earlier in the season than if started by seed. That’s a good enough reason for me!

If you have full spectrum grow lights you can continue to let your plants flower and produce but otherwise the goal is to allow them to go dormant through the winter months and be ready to regrow the following spring.

Before you begin the overwintering process, allow any late peppers to ripen undisturbed on the plant if possible but either way bring them in once night temperatures begin dipping below 10C.

If your plants are in the ground you will need to dig them up. I grow in the ground but also have several plants in pots on the deck so I choose my strongest, healthiest plants to bring indoors.

Either way you are going to want to repot your plants in fresh moist soil and a clean pot to avoid bringing in insects and eggs. Before repotting, remove all remaining peppers and flowers and prune back the branches drastically.

To avoid insects hitchhiking, cc remove every single leaf from the plant. This will feel extreme. Don’t panic. As long as the roots and main stem remain alive your plant will regrow.

The soil is another breeding ground for pests like fungus gnats and aphids so gently remove the plant from its pot or the ground and loosen the soil around the root. You can use a hose to spray the remaining soil from the roots or bring it into the shower for a rinse.

Now that your plant is nice and clean and (hopefully) free of insects, line the bottom of the pot with fresh soil and place the bare root ball into the new pot. Hold the plant about 1-2″ from the top of the pot and begin adding fresh, moist soil around the roots until you reach the surface. Compress lightly.

Water lightly and store your plant in a cool (13-15C) location by a window. If you choose to overwinter in a room without daylight, a grow light on for about 3 hours per day will be sufficient for dormancy. Check for pests regularly (daily if possible) to avoid a silent takeover.

Tip: if you still have peppers ripening I recommend storing your plants on your bedroom bedside table. It makes late night snacking much more convenient.

Is it spring yet?

14/12/2023

I love J’s work, and HAVE put my money where my mouth is.

Check his page or Insta account to see and buy something for your, or someone else’s, wall.

🎨

14/12/2023

This handmade table was on Marketplace for $20.

It was sold before I even saw it… but I am IN LOVE with the design 😍

Patchwork that comes together in stunning beauty

Who says wood grain all has to go the same way⁉️

2024 goal - built a Neurodivergent table 🤘

13/12/2023

What’s up, my filthy animals⁉️

Hope yer having a great Wed-nes-day 🤪

This post here is more for the local folk, but would appreciate anyone and everyone to bump this up a notch or two 🤘

Ahem…

Though the centre of our local galaxy has a Pride team that holds events (shout out to Brantford Pride) the donut of a county that surrounds the city does not.

So the wicked awesome folk at Big Cityyy Arts, said “what in the actual FUUUUUCK⁉️” and made one.

For reasons that will probably be regretted at some point, the wonderfully talented, funny and LOUD (like holy s**t yo) Rubyyy Jones asked if I would come to a meeting or seven.

NOW the planning committee would like to hear from a broader audience. With the core structure and themes decided, we invite anyone and everyone (I mean, like within fire code regulations, so really like 50 or something 😬) to come, ask questions, offer help, services etc‼️

Meeting from 2-4 this Sunday December 17 at the Paris Public Library (oh… bit of a small page there… Brantford Public Library can ya give a shout out signal BOOST❓🥰)

Common out yo 🥰

Be there, or be a trapezoid 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🤘

(Actually, the trapezoid is my favourite shape on the bloody planet, so might need to rethink that dig…)

13/12/2023

The boss I never had, but would have loved 😢

Far too young

12/12/2023

I’ve oddly never tried to propagate rosemary, but will try in 2024, that’s for sure.

Have to click on the link to their website article, but it’s worth it.

I LOVE that they also mention quarantine if you bring a plant in from outside. Sooo many people don’t do it and then regret it.

Any one here ever try rosemary cuttings❓

Use these tips to create dozens of new rosemary plants for free.
https://gardeningsoul.com/how-to-propagate-rosemary-turn-one-plant-into-dozens/

11/12/2023

It’s 0° out and my camera REFUSED to work.

Said 67% power, but kept shutting off because of “Low Battery”

Looks like Q* is live… and the machines are on strike.

Also, the machines are wimps; I’m in shorts 🤣

11/12/2023

Listen… I’m not actually THAT kind of gardener, but I know for a fact that people who DO partake in the herb find my videos f**kin funny 😎

If only 580 of you would head over to The Tube and subscribe, I’d be half way to monetization 😁

So share this post; tag a friend; help ME help YOU… well more so help me, but the more of YOU there are, the more it helps ME, which in turn helps YOU… but mostly me 🥸

Check comments if you need the zink 🤘

10/12/2023

This is one of the best articles I’ve read about this knucklehead.

It does a good job of showing this precariously unbalanced Jenga tower that is the Musk-o-verse, and why it is so fragile.

From a psych standpoint, I love that they bring in confirmation bias - that he got lucky a few times and therefore believed he is a brilliant person.

Give it a read.

Buying Twitter was the biggest gamble of Musk's career. Now he — and his empire — are cracking under the pressure.

09/12/2023

My digital friend Emily has launched a bizzie-biz-buZiness🤘

She’s fun, comedic, good at making herself look REALLY big outside of a window, and can make sure YOU don’t turn into a Bridezilla

(Wait… is THAT what that TikTok was about⁉️ Were you being your OWN Bridezilla⁉️ So meta🤯)

Anywho, not sure if it is just GTA that she covers, but if yer thinking of having a big ol’ event and want someone enjoyable to work with, give a call to the Joy Factor 🥳

07/12/2023

Adam has some openings for support sessions at a reasonable price.

If you’re struggling, especially this season, reach out to him and start Zooming with someone who understands.

Click on the comments to see scheduling and bio.

❤️‍🩹

07/12/2023

07/12/2023

I was watching a video tonight of US House Speaker Mike Johnson talking about the release of Jan 6 videos 📼

But for like 30 seconds or so I REEEEALLY thought I was watching a video of CPC leader Pierre Poilievre DEFENDING the US Republican choice to blur faces😵‍💫

I guess my question is… has anyone ACTUALLY ever seen them in the same room together⁉️

05/12/2023

Found a new celery starting to grow from a root at the store 😍

I reeeeally wanted to bring it home and pot it for the winter… I may go back as I sorta regret not giving this guy a second chance 🫂

As Dr. Ian Malcolm said in a documentary I saw years ago: “Life finds a way.”

🦕🦖

04/12/2023

I haven’t even finished tidying my garden because of the knee injury, but…

“Just when I thought I was out, they PULL me back in”

🤣🤣🤣

I do like having this show up, even if I don’t order anything. It’s a good reminder for the time frame we are coming into, it’s a good reminder to jump onto local garden groups and see if someone has the seeds you need, or more importantly, if you have the seeds someone else needs, and MAN catalogues often have great articles, schedules, and ideas you can build off🥰

So sign up for one. And get happy when it arrives. F**k knows we can all use a shot of dopamine from time to time 😁

And feel free to reach out West Coast Seeds if you wanna Think Big and Act Small. My SMALL channel would LOVE to work with you to “grow” BIG 🥰

03/12/2023

My grandmother’s birthday was the other day ❤️‍🩹

Although she died a couple years ago, I was fortunate to live near her in my early years, and watched as she made things.

I picked up a few things, and the learned more directly years later.

She’s a big reason why I garden. She’s a big reason why I love cooking.

So yesterday I made dinner thinking of her and her birthday 🥹

I actually sorta wrote most of the post in the captions of the photos 😅 so please make sure you click and read them.

Thanks.

Make something slow. Take the time and enjoy the process. It heals in more ways than one 💚

02/12/2023

Anyone: So whuddya want for Xmas❓

Me: Oh, I dunno… JUST THESE WICKEDLY AWESOME STEAMPUNK GERMAN SAFETY GOGGLES FROM Lee Valley Tools‼️

Can I get prescription lenses in those❓ F**k it. Don’t care. Too cool for school 🤩

02/12/2023

Sometimes I think of things, but don’t do them right away, so I forget, and then I remember, but I’m driving or whatever and can’t do it, then forget again ♻️

By the time I do the funny thing, it’s too late 🤣

Anyway, saw a post about someone being told that they need to get off their high horse… so I thought of this and laughed like crazy. But that post was several days ago and I’m not gonna necro it now that I FINALLY made a graphic, so figured I would release it into the wild for your enjoyment 😊

So next time someone tells you to get off your high horse, think of this, have a chuckle.

“Dave’s not here, man” 🤣🤣🤣

01/12/2023

My daughter’s home sick today and wanted tiny sandwiches for lunch so they wouldn’t take too much effort to eat.

I gotchu, gurl… I gotchu 🥰

Also, I think I’ll be cutting all my sandwiches into bite sized pieces going forward. This is brilliant‼️🤣

01/12/2023

Sigh.

When I was a kid in the 80s AIDS was a big f**kin’ demon.

It was a triple headed, multi-horned demon with venomous fangs and could get you sick by looking at you.

Then, in ‘87 Lady Di (probably the ONLY member of the British Monarchy worth giving a s**t about) touched someone with AIDS.

That was amazing.

Here was a f**king Princess, putting everything on the line and TOUCHING someone with HIV/AIDS.

It was a societal turning point.

Two years later, in my tiny Catholic elementary school, we had monthly classes (grade 8s only) on AIDS.

We were correctly taught that it wasn’t a homosexual disease; anyone could catch it. We were correctly taught that we COULDN’T catch it from toilet seats, shaking hands, or breathing the same air.

I’d love you to read my friend’s post about her uncle.

He’s one of those ones that was just a bit too early, unfortunately… or not rich enough for meds… not sure if the case in their country.

I do remember ‘91 and Magic Johnson shocking the world with his admission of being HIV+… we allll thought it was a death sentence.

And to be fair, it still was a crazy time. 4 years later Eric Eazy-Muthaf**kin’-E Wright would die from AIDS complications.

Anyway… I have some funny memories of those AIDS classes… maybe I’ll tell you in the comments if there is interest.

For now, I’d love if you read about Michele Peters Writes uncle.

Stay safe, y’all 🥰

Tomorrow (December 1st) is World AIDS Day—a day for the world to unite in the fight against HIV/AIDS, to support those living with HIV/AIDS, and to remember those who were taken from us too soon.

My Uncle Steve was 16 years old when I was born. The vintage photo below is me on his lap.

As a little girl, I remember staring up at him in awe of his height, the way his eyes sparkled with mischief, how much he loved cats, and the nickname he bestowed on me: his “Social Butterfly.”

In 1994, my Uncle Steve’s HIV became full-blown AIDS—a term rarely used anymore in describing the separate and more serious phase of an HIV infection, due to modern treatments.

I’ll never erase the images of his last days as his body wasted away. They are scars on my heart—nobody deserves to die that way.

By the year 2,000, when Uncle Steve died, over 30 million people worldwide are estimated to have died from the disease. Over twenty years later, much progress has been made in the treatment and many infected can expect to live as long as those without HIV, provided they have good access to medical care and can adhere to their HIV treatments.

I encourage you to look for events happening around you to remember and learn; to listen to stories of people who have had their lives impacted by HIV; to educate yourself about how to help end the stigma of HIV; to talk about it with others (because it hasn't disappeared); and/or even get yourself tested to mark this day. Of course, I'd incredibly honored if you shared this post.

Rest in peace, Uncle Steve.

With love,
Your social butterfly 🦋

01/12/2023

I just spent an hour writing content on a post I was sharing… tapped the wrong button and it’s gone.

G-O-N-E… it’s GONE, Jerry… all gone‼️

30/11/2023

It’s a sashimi sorta night 🍣

We’re lucky to have a fish monger nearby that gets sushi-grade salmon and tuna on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so often pick up a couple pieces for less than $20

My plating needs work, but it’ll be eaten before anyone notices 😅

**time

29/11/2023

Massive MASSIVE win for the Canadian government on behalf of Canadian news agencies 🥳

$100 million per year indexed to inflation.

Next stop - Farcebook 💪

27/11/2023

23-day assault on Gaza
8-day assault on Gaza
50-day assault on Gaza
11-day assault on Gaza
51-day AND COUNTING assault on Gaza…

I’m having a LOT of difficulty understanding the concept of “Israel has the right to defend itself.”

Must be a euphemism 🤷🏼‍♂️

🍉 💪

26/11/2023

I’m paying fees online for an application… and look at this stress inducing prick of a CapCha‼️

“Why I autta…” 🤛🏻

26/11/2023

Oldies…❓

YouTube, I’d like a word with your manager please…

25/11/2023

Usually on my birthday my wife makes Nabe as my birthday dinner 🍲

Nabe, if you don’t know, is a Japanese soup or hotpot with Nappa cabbage, carrot, green onion, mushrooms, tofu, chicken… anything really.

I always request it because it has that soup season feel, and I love the communal aspect of all pulling from the same cauldron to our little bowls.

She made it like three days ago though, so seemed odd to ask for it when we just had it.

I wanted the same feel of community and family, so asked for a couple of her easy pizzas (sun dried tomatoes from the garden😁) and a charcuterie board.

It went over reeeally well‼️ I put a 2 hour YouTube of 80s and 90s Hit Parade on the TV, the kids had fun, we’re all snacking on brie, prosciutto, grapes and crackers, and just had a grand ol’ time 🥰

It’s okay to change traditions. Sometimes it makes new memories.

25/11/2023

THIS is why skaters f**king ROCK 🤘

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CybfJXAPjZB/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

24/11/2023

I hate giving Mel Gibson any real estate on my page, but this IS pretty fricken good 🤣🤣

Seriously most of it was on sale for the last few days. 🤷‍♀️
To me, having worked my entire life in customer service and mostly retail, this is a critique of the corporate tricks. If people need to shop, that's fine but black Friday is not the best deals at all. It's just the time they put the money into advertising and making people think its a good deal. It's more a game the corps play to see who can make the most and compete on the stock market.

24/11/2023

Quite like this one 🤩

/l05t/ˌinəˈbiSH(ə)n,ˌ/
16"x20" acrylic on canvas